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Environmental toxicants and the developing immune system: a missing link in the global battle against infectious

Bethany Winans1, Michael C Humble, B Paige Lawrence

  • 1Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642, United States.

Reproductive Toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.)
|September 21, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Early life exposure to environmental chemicals can impair immune system function later in life. This review highlights how pollutants like cigarette smoke impact immunity, potentially increasing susceptibility to infectious diseases.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Immunology
  • Toxicology

Background:

  • Developmental exposure to environmental chemicals is linked to later-life diseases (reproductive, metabolic, neurodegenerative).
  • Data on how these exposures affect immune system development and function are limited.
  • The immune system is crucial for defense against pathogens and cancer cells.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review existing data on the impact of developmental chemical exposures on immune system function.
  • To highlight the significance of early-life immune system alterations.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of studies on environmental pollutants and immune system development.
  • Focus on data concerning cigarette smoke and dioxin-like compounds.

Main Results:

  • Developmental exposure to pollutants like cigarette smoke critically impacts immune system development.
  • These exposures can lead to reduced immune function later in life.

Conclusions:

  • Environmental chemical exposures during development are significant, yet overlooked, contributors to immune system dysfunction.
  • This dysfunction may increase vulnerability to infectious diseases, a leading cause of death worldwide.

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