Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
19:15

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Published on: August 25, 2014

Toxic threats to neurologic development of children

T Schettler1

  • 1Science and Environmental Health Network, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. tschettler@igc.org

Environmental Health Perspectives
|December 18, 2001
PubMed

Insights

The developing brain is uniquely vulnerable to environmental toxicants, even at low doses. More research and public health action are needed to protect children from neurodevelopmental harm.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Pediatrics

Background:

  • Childhood disabilities like learning disabilities and ADHD are a growing public health concern.
  • Childhood brain development is influenced by complex genetic, environmental, and social interactions.
  • Studying neurodevelopmental vulnerabilities in children is challenging due to data limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the unique vulnerability of the developing brain to environmental toxicants.
  • To underscore the need for more research on neurodevelopmental toxicity.
  • To advocate for a preventive public health approach to mitigate exposures.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing laboratory and clinical studies on neurodevelopmental toxicants.
  • Analysis of data on childhood disabilities and environmental exposures.
  • Examination of toxicologic data gaps for industrial chemicals.

Main Results:

  • The developing brain is uniquely susceptible to environmental agents at exposure levels that do not affect adults.
  • Existing data show significant neurodevelopmental effects from toxicants like lead, mercury, PCBs, alcohol, and nicotine.
  • Neurotoxicity data are lacking for many widely used industrial chemicals, despite documented population exposures.

Conclusions:

  • A significant knowledge gap exists regarding the neurodevelopmental effects of many industrial chemicals.
  • Preventive public health measures are necessary to mitigate exposure to potential neurodevelopmental toxicants.
  • Further research is crucial to understand and address the full scope of childhood neurodevelopmental risks.

More Related Videos

Assessment of the Effects of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds on the Development of Vertebrate Neural Network Function Using Multi-electrode Arrays08:28

Assessment of the Effects of Endocrine Disrupting Compounds on the Development of Vertebrate Neural Network Function Using Multi-electrode Arrays

Published on: April 26, 2018

Long-term Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to Low-dose Toxicants07:08

Long-term Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to Low-dose Toxicants

Published on: March 6, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Types of Toxins01:36

Types of Toxins

Humans continually engage with an environment rich in potentially harmful chemicals. These are introduced to our bodies through inhalation, ingestion, or skin contact. These chemicals exist in various forms, such as air and environmental pollutants, agricultural chemicals, organic solvents, and heavy metals.
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
Toxic Reactions: Overview01:26

Toxic Reactions: Overview

When toxic substances penetrate the human body, they disseminate to various tissues, undergoing metabolic changes. This process yields reactive metabolites that may covalently bind with specific target molecules, resulting in toxicity.
Toxicity falls into two primary categories: local and systemic.
Local toxicity appears at the exposure site, such as protein denaturation caused by caustic substances.
In contrast, systemic toxicity requires the toxic agent's absorption and distribution,...
Teratogenicity01:07

Teratogenicity

The ability of a drug to produce structural deformations and functional abnormalities in the developing embryo or the fetus is called teratogenicity, and the drug producing this effect is known as a teratogen. Teratogenic effects include stillbirth, miscarriage, intrauterine growth restriction, and neurocognitive delay. A teratogen may affect the embryo at different stages of development, which is important in determining the type and extent of the damage. During blastocyst formation, the early...
Drug Toxicity: Dose-Dependent Reactions01:24

Drug Toxicity: Dose-Dependent Reactions

Drug toxicities can be stratified into pharmacological, pathological, or genotoxic based on their mechanisms. The incidence and severity of these toxicities generally increase with the drug's concentration in the body and exposure time.Pharmacological toxicity is evident when the therapeutic effects of drugs overshoot into adverse reactions in a predictable, dose-dependent manner. Central nervous system (CNS) depression from barbiturates is a classic example, with effects escalating from...
Toxicity Testing in Animals01:23

Toxicity Testing in Animals

Toxicity tests in animals are grounded on two main assumptions: first, the effects observed in laboratory animals can be extrapolated to humans, especially when adjusted for body surface area; second, high-dose exposure in animals is essential to identify potential human hazards from lower doses. This is based on the quantal dose-response concept, which faces the challenge of extrapolating results from relatively few test animals to much larger human populations. For example, a 0.01% incidence...
Hepatic Encephalopathy01:29

Hepatic Encephalopathy

DefinitionHepatic encephalopathy is a reversible neurologic syndrome that results from advanced liver dysfunction or portosystemic shunting. It leads to disturbances in cognition, behavior, and motor function due to the brain’s exposure to gut-derived toxins that the liver fails to detoxify.EtiologyThis condition develops either in the setting of acute fulminant hepatitis or progressively during chronic liver disease, such as cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Portosystemic shunting—including...