Birth defects can be attributed to genetic and non-genetic factors. The most alarming non-genetic factor is exposure to environmental toxicants. In the United States alone, 1 in every 33 babies are born with a birth defect each year, and these defects account for 20% of infant and child mortality. These statistics alone are why public health practitioners are bridging science and prevention to get to the root of the problem – environmental toxicants.
In a study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Nicole Sparks, PhD, corresponding author and assistant professor of environmental and occupational health at the UC Irvine Program in Public Health, highlights recent discoveries describing key hormone pathways involved in bone formation and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that alter these pathways.
In a literature review, dating back to January 2000 until the present, Sparks and her collaborator found considerable evidence that tobacco smoke, air pollution, flame retardants, pesticides, chemicals used in industrial processes, and perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (forever chemicals), can cause serious damage to bone development and remodeling.
We hope this information will provide the community with an understanding of how disruptive toxic chemicals can be on our bone development and assist researchers to build better diagnostic tools.”
– Nicole Sparks, PhD
Bone formation is the result of two processes: intramembranous ossification, which is the formation of flat bone, i.e., thin layers of connective tissue and top of the skull; and endochondral ossification, which is the process by which bone tissue, cartilage, is formed in early fetal development and then replaced with bone later. Exposure to environmental toxicants during prenatal, childhood, and adolescent periods can lead to unwanted life-long bone defects, diseases, and disorders. Rapid cell division and bone differentiation occur during these early developmental periods, which is also when the human body is most susceptible to environmental factors that can have an adverse influence on human bone development.
“We hope this information will provide the community with an understanding of how disruptive toxic chemicals can be on our bone development and assist researchers to build better diagnostic tools,” says Sparks. “This review warrants further studies exploring these environmental impacts as it only highlights the danger in leaving these chemicals unchecked in our communities – especially in lower socioeconomic neighborhoods.”
Sparks was joined by co-author and doctoral student Nneamaka Iwobi from the UC Irvine School of Pharmacy.
This literature review was supported by funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, grant no. R00ES032486.
