Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology最新文献

{"title":"Exposure-response relationship between transportation noise and cardiovascular disease outcomes: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis","authors":"Elia Gonzato, Tessa M. I. Haverkate, Susanne Breitner-Busch, Anette Kocbach Bølling, Gunn Marit Aasvang, Michael Brauer, Vanessa Garcia, Sandra Spearman, Brecht Devleesschauwer, Juanita A. Haagsma, Periklis Charalampous","doi":"10.1038/s41370-026-00856-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-026-00856-9","url":null,"abstract":"Current risk assessments of cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes attributable to transportation noise rely on estimates from the 2018 WHO Environmental Noise Guidelines. Since the publication of these guidelines, several studies have been conducted to determine the association between transportation noise sources and CVD; however, recent meta-analyses have not derived updated exposure-response functions. We reviewed epidemiological evidence linking long-term exposure to road traffic, railway, and aircraft noise with non-fatal and fatal myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, stroke, and ischemic stroke, and derived exposure-response functions using the conventional and Burden of Proof (BoP) methodologies. We systematically searched databases for cohort or case-control studies that determined the associations between non-fatal and/or fatal myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, stroke, and ischemic stroke and long-term exposure to road traffic, railway, aircraft noise in general populations. Exposure-response functions were generated using the conventional natural cubic splines and Burden of Proof Risk Function approaches. Twenty-six studies met our eligibility criteria. Road traffic noise was associated with 1% increase in the combined risk of stroke incidence and mortality (RR = 1.01, 95%CI: 1.00–1.02, p-value = 0.04), and with 5% increase under the BoP framework (RR = 1.05, 95%UI: 1.03–1.07). Railway noise was associated with 1% increase in myocardial infarction outcomes (RR = 1.01, 95%CI: 1.01–1.01, p-value < 0.0001), and with 16% increase under the BoP framework (RR = 1.16 95%UI: 1.07–1.26). Of the twelve risk-outcome pairs examined, five showed no evidence of association, four showed weak evidence, and the remainder lacked credible evidence or did not meet the BoP criteria. Compared with the natural splines approach, the BoP framework produced more plausible exposure-response curves. This study adds to the existing literature by providing a comprehensive comparison of the association between long-term exposure to transportation noise sources and CVD outcomes using both conventional and BoP methodologies. This is the first study to apply the conventional meta-regression and Burden of Proof methodologies to systematically quantify and evaluate associations between long-term exposure to transportation noise sources (i.e., road traffic, railway, and aircraft) and combined risk of fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular disease outcomes, including myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, stroke, and ischemic stroke. The application of these two approaches to deriving exposure-response functions provides additional insights into the quantification of the burden of disease attributable to transportation noise. Our findings using the Burden of Proof framework on transportation noise and CVD outcomes advance the integration of an additional environmental risk factor and propose new risk-outcome pairs for potential inclusion in the","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 5","pages":"998-1012"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-026-00856-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147629797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Environmental health in crisis—who do we want to be?","authors":"Jane E. Clougherty","doi":"10.1038/s41370-026-00877-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-026-00877-4","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 3","pages":"423-424"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-026-00877-4.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147619377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chemical exposome patterns in mothers and children across urbanisation levels in five European birth cohorts","authors":"A. d’Errico, G. Moirano, C. Pizzi, M. Popovic, L. Chatzi, S. Andrusaityte, R. Grazuleviciene, R. Slama, R. McEachan, T.C., Yang, C. Thomsen, M. Vrijheid, L. Richiardi, M. Maule","doi":"10.1038/s41370-026-00859-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-026-00859-6","url":null,"abstract":"Urbanisation can be an important determinant of human exposure to synthetic chemical pollutants. The impact of contaminant exposures on health is of particular concern during susceptible periods of life, such as in utero and during childhood, when exposure may lead to adverse health effects in childhood and later adulthood. We aimed to examine how contaminant exposures vary between urban and non-urban areas across five different European birth cohorts in Spain, France, Greece, the UK, and Lithuania. Urine and blood samples were collected from a total of 1021 mother-child pairs during both pregnancy and childhood (6–11 years old). Concentration levels of forty metabolites—including PFASs, phenols, phthalates, metals, and organophosphate and persistent pesticide metabolites—were measured. We used a spatial indicator to define the participants’ degree of urbanisation. Linear Mixed-Effect Models were used to compare the distribution of exposures between urban and non-urban areas for the two life stages separately. The concentrations of contaminants varied by degree of urbanisation and life stage. Overall, concentrations of phenols (GMRs; Geometric Mean Ratios, ranging from 1.06 to 1.56) and PCBs (GMRs ranging from 1.07 to 1.15) were higher among pregnant mothers living in urban areas compared to those in non-urban areas. Children showed more heterogeneous patterns of exposure across contaminant families. Children in urban areas had lower concentration levels of PFASs (GMRs ranging from 0.84 to 0.97) but higher concentration levels of phenols (GMRs ranging from 1.05 to 1.15) and phthalates (GMRs ranging from 1.05 to 1.17) compared to those in non-urban areas. Our study contributes to the understanding of how the degree of urbanisation characterises children’s exposure to hazardous substances. Our findings align with the existing literature, which shows varying profiles of environmental exposures based on different degrees of urbanisation. Our study provides important insights into how the degree of urbanisation can influence children’s exposure to hazardous substances during critical developmental windows, with potential implications for both immediate and long-term health outcomes. Specifically, phenols, phthalates, and PCBs were found to be more prevalent in individuals living in urban areas, with notable heterogeneity of PCB concentrations across European cohorts. In contrast, PFAS concentrations were higher in children residing in non-urban areas. Understanding the geographic variations in exposure to hazardous contaminants is useful for identifying areas with higher contaminant levels, which may have important implications for vulnerable populations.","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 4","pages":"619-628"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-026-00859-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147611670","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Risk factors associated with urinary metal concentrations in middle-aged and older Caribbean adults: the Tobago Health Study","authors":"Natalie F. Price, Ryan Cvejkus, Victor Wheeler, Patrick J. Parsons, Elizabeth J. Mullin, Chris Gennings, Aaron Barchowsky, Joseph M. Zmuda, Alison P. Sanders, Iva Miljkovic","doi":"10.1038/s41370-026-00860-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-026-00860-z","url":null,"abstract":"Metal exposures are increasingly recognized as a major risk factor for chronic diseases, yet very few prior studies have comprehensively characterized metal concentrations in the Caribbean. This study characterized urinary metal concentrations and their associations with demographic characteristics and other lifestyle factors among middle-aged and older Tobagonian adults. We quantified urinary concentrations of 18 metals and metalloids (referred to here as “metals”) in 896 adults from a subsample of the Tobago Health Study, including 466 men and 430 women. Morning spot urine samples were collected from men in 2014–2016, and from women in 2019–2020. Metal concentrations were compared to studies of adults from other populations. Metal exposure risk factors included demographics, body composition, and lifestyle, including diet. We used sex-stratified partial least squares (PLS) regression to identify risk factors associated with metal concentrations. Twelve metals including arsenic (As), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), cesium (Cs), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), lead (Pb), tin (Sn), thallium (Tl), uranium (U) and zinc (Zn) were detected in >87% of participants in both men and women. Compared to other populations, Zn and Tl concentrations were higher among Tobagonian men and women. We observed distinct urinary metal concentration patterns among men and women that varied by age, education, body composition and lifestyle factors. A mix of non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors associated with urinary metal concentrations were identified. These findings can inform future studies to identify vulnerable populations and tailor public health messaging to reduce exposure risk. Future research is needed to understand sex differences and how these exposures may contribute to adverse health outcomes. This study provides the first comprehensive characterization of urinary metal concentrations among middle-aged and older adults in Tobago, identifying both modifiable and non-modifiable factors associated with exposure. Twelve metals, including arsenic, cadmium, lead, and thallium, were detected in most participants, with some concentrations exceeding those reported in other populations. Distinct urinary metal concentration patterns that varied by demographics and lifestyle factors were observed among men and women. The exposure profiles of adults from Tobago can inform targeted public health strategies and lay the groundwork for future research on the health impacts of metal exposures in this understudied population.","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 4","pages":"777-787"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-026-00860-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147583524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Acetylcholinesterase activity from childhood to young adulthood","authors":"Jose R. Suarez-Lopez, Carlos F. Gould, Devesh Vashishtha, Asa Bradman, Jose Suarez-Torres, Dolores Lopez-Paredes, Danilo Martinez, Raeanne C. Moore","doi":"10.1038/s41370-026-00866-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-026-00866-7","url":null,"abstract":"Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity is a key biomarker for neurophysiological health and exposure to cholinesterase inhibitors, including organophosphate pesticides. While widely used to screen for toxic pesticide exposure in agriculture, there are no reference standards for AChE in children and adolescents, limiting its use for younger populations involved in farming worldwide. To establish age- and sex-specific reference values for AChE activity from childhood to young adulthood and evaluate the impact of pesticide exposure proxies on AChE activity We measured AChE activity in fresh fingerstick blood from 746 participants ages 4 to 26 years who resided in an agricultural county in Ecuador, totaling 3119 observations. We used generalized estimating equations to predict AChE activity levels per year of age, incorporating nonlinear aging patterns, exam wave-specific effects, and adjustments for hemoglobin, anthropometric measures, and pesticide exposure parameters. We also directly evaluated the impact of pesticide exposure proxies on AChE activity. At age 5 years, both males and females had AChE activity levels of 2.90 U/mL. In males, AChE activity increased linearly by 0.11 U/mL per year through age 17, slowed to 0.04 U/mL per year until age 21, and then plateaued at 4.40 U/mL. In females, AChE activity rose linearly at 0.11 U/mL per year until age 11, slowed to 0.02 U/mL per year through age 15, and then plateaued at 3.80 U/mL. Males had higher AChE activity than females beginning at age 12. Greater floricultural area within 300 meters of participants’ homes was associated with lower AChE activity, suggesting potential pesticide drift effects. Our findings provide reference levels for AChE activity across childhood, adolescence, and into early adulthood that can be used by clinicians and researchers in the context of assessing potential exposure to cholinesterase inhibitors from a spot measurement. Acetylcholinesterase activity serves as a key marker of neurophysiological health and, when depressed, indicates exposure to organophosphate and carbamate insecticides. Despite the widespread involvement of children, adolescents, and young adulthoods in agriculture globally, normative levels of acetylcholinesterase activity in younger populations have not been established. We address this knowledge gap, presenting acetylcholinesterase activity levels from ages 5 to 25 years from 3119 samples from 746 participants collected eight times over 16 years. These findings provide a basis for establishing standard values and assessing exposure to cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticides in vulnerable populations.","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 4","pages":"1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13221737/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147577597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"School-based exposures to oil and gas development for public school children in the United States","authors":"Cassandra J. Clark, Erin Campbell, Stephanie T. Grady, Jonathan Buonocore, Amira Aker, Nicole C. Deziel, Joan A. Casey, Mary Willis","doi":"10.1038/s41370-026-00864-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-026-00864-9","url":null,"abstract":"Oil and gas development (OGD) can release numerous hazards, such as air and water pollution. Residential proximity to OGD is associated with adverse health outcomes in children, including birth defects and cancer. While children spend significant time at school, little is known about school-based exposure. We quantified the number of K-12 U.S. schools near OGD and evaluated whether exposure varied by school-level sociodemographic status. We combined public school data from the National Center for Educational Statistics with OGD well location data. We estimated proximity and density of active OGD within 800 m, 1.6 km, and 10 km buffers for each school during the 2022–2023 school year. We used logistic regression with state fixed effects to estimate associations between OGD exposure and schools having >50% students of non-Hispanic White race, Hispanic ethnicity, and free/reduced lunch eligibility, overall and stratified by rurality. 29,649 (29.2%) of U.S. public schools were within 10 km of OGD. Overall, predominantly White (OR: 1.37, 95% CI: [1.32–1.43]) and free/reduced lunch eligibility (1.14 [1.09–1.19]) schools were more likely to be within 10 km of OGD. In rural areas, schools with predominantly Hispanic and free/reduced lunch-eligible students had 1.51 (1.15–1.97) and 1.20 (1.00–1.45) times the odds of being within 800 m of OGD, respectively; this was consistent in micropolitan, but not metropolitan, areas. Schools with predominantly non-Hispanic White students were more likely to be near OGD (800 m: 2.10 [1.93–2.27]) only in metropolitan areas. Over 14.5 million students attended schools within 10 km of OGD in 2022-2023. These schoolchildren often disproportionately came from persistently marginalized groups compared to their less-exposed peers, and patterns varied strongly by urbanicity. Exposure to OGD while at school may harm students' health and academic development, especially among children in low-resource settings. This study provides new information on estimating exposure to OGD in U.S. public schools nationwide. More than 14.5 million U.S. public school students were potentially exposed to OGD during the 2022–2023 school year, and these school children tended to be from consistently marginalized groups. Exposure to OGD at school may be detrimental to students' health and academic development, and these effects may be amplified in low-resource settings. This work has potential health implications for any state with oil and gas development, which should be considered in ongoing policy discussions on public health protection, particularly as regulations change.","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 4","pages":"705-712"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13112603/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147577608","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modelling the urban acoustic environment using land use-based gradient boosting","authors":"Timo Haselhoff, Susanne Moebus, Mikel Jedrusiak, Bryce T. Lawrence, Frank Weichert","doi":"10.1038/s41370-026-00855-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-026-00855-w","url":null,"abstract":"Long-standing research on the relationship between the urban acoustic environment (AE) and human health demonstrates the harmful effects of environmental noise. Meanwhile, an increasing number of smaller studies report health benefits for additional acoustic properties. However, studies on health-promoting AEs remain limited, largely due to the lack of methods for estimating high-resolution acoustic properties beyond conventional noise metrics. We investigate to what extent models based on land-use types (LUT) can predict urban AE properties, focusing on four acoustic indices (Articulation Index, Bioacoustic Index, Link Density and Sharpness). Additionally, we predict the LAeq, which enables us to compare the performance between our model, the strategic noise map of Bochum (SNM) and results from the literature. We use a dataset of 2,746 acoustic measurements from 785 locations in Bochum and 90 measurements from 22 locations in Essen to train and evaluate gradient boosting models. For model development, data is split into training/validation (668 locations in Bochum) and test sets (117 locations in Bochum, all locations in Essen). The models predict acoustic indices based on the area of 77 LUTs within 50 and 300 m buffers around each location. Based on the root mean square error (RMSE), predictions for Link Density deviate on average by 0.17 and 0.21 from test-sets in Bochum and Essen. For LAeq, the RMSE is 4.8 dB(A) and 4.4 dB(A), respectively. The R2 for Link Density is between 0.27 and 0.3, and for the LAeq between 0.52 and 0.46. The SNM performs worse in predicting LAeq for Bochum data (RMSE = 7.8 dB(A); R2 = –0.31). Performances for other indices are mixed. This study advances research on the urban acoustic environment by demonstrating that land use type-based models represent a promising approach to predict acoustic indices beyond conventional noise metrics. Using over 2,800 measurements from two German cities, the models for predicting the Link Density and the LAeq show moderate to good performance on two test datasets. Model predictions for the LAeq outperformed strategic noise maps in predicting total environmental noise. These findings open new pathways for large-scale, population-based health research by providing a promising, scalable, high-resolution method for characterising complex urban acoustic environments, supporting efforts to design healthier urban environments through higher acoustic quality. LUT-based models demonstrate their potential for predicting Link Density and LAeq, achieving moderate to strong performance across two independent test datasets. This can provide a scalable approach for investigating potentially health-relevant properties of the urban AE at high spatial resolution.","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 4","pages":"758-767"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-026-00855-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147518279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Drinking water quality and enteric disease: a nationwide case-crossover study (2015–2019) in New Zealand","authors":"Tim Chambers, Simon Hales, Farnaz Pourzand, Frank Dean, Alice Hyun Min Kim, Mario Puente-Sierra, Lukas Marek, Matt Hobbs, Michael G. Baker","doi":"10.1038/s41370-026-00857-8","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-026-00857-8","url":null,"abstract":"Despite the well-known effects of microbiological contamination of drinking water on enteric disease, there is limited epidemiological research investigating the relationship with drinking water quality direct indicators. To investigate the association between drinking water direct indicators and enteric disease. This study used a nationwide case-crossover study design of 46,020 cases of enteric disease between 2015 and 2019. Cases were successfully linked to a public water supply and exposure to E. coli, total coliforms, turbidity and free available chlorine quantified for case and control periods. There were no statistically significant associations found between all enteric, bacterial-only or protozoan-only enteric disease notifications and water quality direct indicators. The presence of E. coli was associated with increased risk of enteric disease in supplies served by surface water (OR 1.23: 95% CI 1.04, 1.46), with known source water risks (OR 1.28: 95% CI 1.08, 1.52) and where the case was exposed to the highest tertile of rainfall (OR 1.27: 95% CI 1.01, 1.58). Major outbreaks of enteric disease can be caused by contamination of public drinking water supplies. Our findings suggest that this mechanism might also be responsible for sporadic cases of enteric disease caused by zoonotic bacterial pathogens.","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 4","pages":"768-776"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-026-00857-8.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147518289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure with cognitive function in firefighters","authors":"Xi Pan, Krystal J. Godri Pollitt, Sheng Liu, Felipe Armstrong, Bonny Amin","doi":"10.1038/s41370-026-00861-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-026-00861-y","url":null,"abstract":"Evidence on cognitive function in relation to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure in firefighters is scarce. We conducted a pilot study aiming to explore the associations of individual PFAS analyte and PFAS mixture with domain-specific cognitive performance in firefighters. Firefighters (n = 65), who were actively serving four cities in Central Texas 2003–2025, were assessed for global cognition and processing speed measured by the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery. Whole blood samples were collected from these participants and analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for 24 PFAS analytes. Linear regression models were used to evaluate associations between cognitive performance and both individual PFAS analytes and the overall 24-PFAS mixture. Additionally, quantile g-computation and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR) were applied to investigate associations between 6-PFAS mixture and cognitive performance, with adjustment for potential covariates. Six PFAS analytes including potassium perfluoro-1-octanesulfonate (PFOS), perfluoro-n-octanoic acid (PFOA), perfluoro-n-heptanoic acid (PFHpA), perfluoro-n-nonanoic acid (PFNA), perfluoro-n-decanoic acid (PFDA), and potassium perfluoro-1-hexanesulfonate (PFHxS) were detected in the least 70% of participants. PFOS was negatively associated with scores of processing speed (ß = –0.58 p < 0.001). Neither the 6-PFAS mixture nor the 24-PFAS mixture was associated with either cognitive domain. These preliminary findings may inform future research seeking to clarify the biological pathways linking PFAS exposure to cognitive outcomes and to explore possible modifiable factors related to cognitive health in firefighters. They might also underscore the potential value of continued effort to minimize workplace PFAS exposure for this occupational group. Our study provides the first data on PFAS exposure and cognitive performance for firefighters. Our analysis revealed that PFOS was the primary contributor among the PFAS mixture (consisting of PFOS, PFOA, PFHxS, PFHpA, PFNA, and PFDA) linked to reduced processing speed scores in firefighters. Our findings pave the way for future, larger studies that observe firefighters for longer duration to develop confident estimates of cognitive health in relation to PFAS exposure. These data could inform analyses in support of workplace exposure reduction efforts and revision of preventive health care for first responders.","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 4","pages":"656-666"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-026-00861-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147518264","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and inflammatory bowel disease: review and meta-analysis","authors":"Celina Nicole Phillipson, Scott Michael Bartell","doi":"10.1038/s41370-026-00851-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41370-026-00851-0","url":null,"abstract":"Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are stable chemicals that are well preserved in the environment and persist in the human body. PFAS have been associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but studies are varied in their findings. The objective of this study was to conduct a review of the literature and meta-analysis evaluating PFAS exposure and IBD. PubMed, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, and the Web of Science were searched for original research articles published in English between 1980 and July 2023 and with human subjects. An adapted risk of bias grading chart was created a priori in order to assess the risks of bias relevant to the studies. For each health outcome, the relative risk point estimates and confidence intervals were used in the synthesis of results. Six studies were identified and assessed for risk of bias. Using random effects meta-analysis for the four studies reporting odds ratios and confidence intervals for serum PFAS concentrations, we found that the average relative increase in ulcerative colitis per 1 ng/mL increase in measured or modeled serum PFOA for these studies is 7% (95% CI: –4.7%, 20.0%). For other PFAS chemicals, there were only three or fewer studies reporting odds ratios for PFAS and IBD. Our results indicate that there is an increased risk of developing ulcerative colitis with increasing serum PFOA; however, the effect is not statistically significant, and has substantial uncertainty. Further research and studies are warranted to enhance the precision of these estimates and clarify the nature of this association. This literature review and meta-analysis evaluate the epidemiologic evidence linking PFAS exposure to irritable bowel disease (IBD)—specifically ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Results were heterogeneous, and meta-analyses yielded null findings across all PFAS-outcome pairs. Risk of bias due to exposure misclassification, reverse causation, and inadequate control sampling limited confidence in the findings. These results highlight the need for future research and rigorously designed studies to evaluate PFAS as environmental risk factors for IBD.","PeriodicalId":15684,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology","volume":"36 4","pages":"640-655"},"PeriodicalIF":5.9,"publicationDate":"2026-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41370-026-00851-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147518300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}