There is a growing concern about the potential health effects of exposure to various environmental chemicals during pregnancy and infancy. The placenta is expected to be an effective barrier protecting the developing embryo against some endocrine disruptors (EDs) circulating in maternal blood. The current study was designed to assess in utero exposure levels of non-persistent organic pollutants...

BACKGROUND Biomonitoring data of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in breast milk are increasingly collected and available for quantitative analysis of levels and time trends. A common approach is to apply log-linear regression to calculate doubling and halving times of the POP concentrations based on the temporal trend observed in breast milk. However, there are different, sometimes conflic...

L. Vättern is the second largest lake (approx. 130 x 30 km surface) in Sweden and one of the largest freshwater bodies (volume 74 km) in Europe (Fig. 1). The lake is of great national interest and is protected by law for recreation, national defense, natural and cultural interests, etc. L. Vättern is a unique ecosystem with glacial relicts as, e.g. the amphipods Monoporeia affinis, Gammaracanth...

BACKGROUND Disruption of thyroid homeostasis has been indicated in human studies targeting effects of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Influence on the maternal thyroid system by POPs is of special interest during pregnancy because such effects could impair infant thyroid homeostasis. OBJECTIVES We investigated the association between POPs and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroi...

Elasmobranchs can bioaccumulate considerable amounts of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and utilize several reproductive strategies thereby influencing maternal transfer of contaminants. This study provides preliminary data on the POP transfer from pregnant females to offspring of three species (Atlantic stingrays, bonnethead, blacktip sharks) with different reproduction modes (aplacental,...

Rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), both in the United States and worldwide, have been rising at an alarming rate over the last two decades. Because this disease is viewed as primarily being attributable to unhealthy lifestyle habits, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on encouraging increased exercise, better dietary habits, and weight loss. Recent studies reveal that the presence ...

This review discusses the mechanisms of generation and potential impacts of microplastics in the ocean environment. Weathering degradation of plastics on the beaches results in their surface embrittlement and microcracking, yielding microparticles that are carried into water by wind or wave action. Unlike inorganic fines present in sea water, microplastics concentrate persistent organic polluta...

Over the past few decades, scientists around the world have revealed the sinister impacts that persistent organic pollutants (POPs) could inflect on man and his environment. Growing interest in monitoring and managing POPs was building up at a worldwide level and Egypt was no exception. Egypt has ratified the Stockholm Convention for controlling the emission of POPs and had its National Impleme...