Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 27, 2025

Using Chicken Embryo as a Powerful Tool in Assessment of Developmental Cardiotoxicities
Published on: March 21, 2021
Environmental pollutants affecting children's growth and development: Collective results from the MOCEH study, a
Surabhi Shah1, Kyoung Sook Jeong2, Hyesook Park3
1Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Ewha Medical Research Center, College of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Background:
The Mothers and Children's Environmental Health study (MOCEH) is a multi-centric prospective birth cohort study investigating effects of various environmental pollutants like heavy metals, endocrine disruptors, air pollutants, nutrition and lifestyle on birth outcomes, growth and development, health and disease of children. In this study, we report all the outcomes from the MOCEH study describing the different environmental pollutants affecting children's health and disease.
Methods:
In MOCEH study, 1,751 pregnant women in their first trimester were recruited at 3 centers from 2006 to 2010 in South Korea. The children were followed from birth up to 6 years. Information on health outcomes of children including birth parameters, demographic characteristics, medical and child-rearing history, and nutritional status, were repeatedly obtained through the follow-ups by questionnaires administration, clinical evaluation, and biological specimen collection and measurements. Prenatal and postnatal measurement in biospecimen, i.e., lead, mercury, cadmium, manganese, 1-hydroxypyrene, 2-naphthol, malonadialdehyde, hippuric acid, bisphenol A and phthalate metabolites, and measurement in air samples, i.e., particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and total volatile organic compounds were performed.
Results:
The results show the adverse effect of prenatal exposure to heavy metals like mercury, lead and cadmium on children's physical, cognitive and neurobehavioral development. Exposure to endocrine disruptors, air pollution, second hand smoke, and mother's lifestyle during pregnancy affects children's growth and development. We also identified specific window periods of exposure of pollutants significantly related to children's health outcomes.
Conclusion:
The collective results from MOCEH study provide strong scientific evidence that exposures to prenatal and postnatal environmental pollutants have a negative effect on growth and development of children, which will be useful in implementing effective national policy to improve children's environmental health.
Related Concept Videos
Nature and Nurture
Types of Toxins
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...
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings....
Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
Teratogenicity
Causes of Social Behavior III: Biological and Environmental Influences

