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The Collaborative on Health and the Environment will be hosting a teleconference call on Monday March 19, 2012 on the links between environmental contaminants and preterm birth.
Preterm birth is an intractable public health problem, affecting more than 500,000 infants per year in the United States. Long term sequelae of preterm birth include intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, vision and hearing loss, and respiratory and digestive problems. The annual societal economic burden associated with preterm birth in the US was estimated at $26.2 billion in 2005. A mounting body of research links environmental contaminants to preterm birth.
This call, which will take place on Monday March 19, 2012 at 10:00 am Pacific / 1:00 pm Eastern, features Dr. Rita Loch-Caruso from the University of Michigan, Dr. Howard Chang from Emory University, and Dr. Kaylon Bruner-Tran from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Loch-Caruso will describe her research on inflammatory response in human amniotic membranes. Dr. Chang will present his review of birth record data linking fine particle air pollution and preterm birth. Dr. Kaylon Bruner-Tran will discuss her data in mice on the adult reproductive consequences of a prior fetal exposure to the environmental toxicant dioxin as well as the amelioration of these effects by fish oil supplementation. Join them for this important discussion on environmental contributors to preterm birth, and implications for practice and policy changes.
Background Information/Resources [3]
CHE Blog [4]
For more information, visit CHE’s website [6].