Jeanne, Etiemble <br/><br/>
Mixtures of chemical pollutants and neurodevelopment in children 

 -  2022.<br/>							 
<br/><br/> 76 
<br/><br/> To date, only a few epidemiological studies have assessed the links between prenatal and early childhood exposure to mixtures of chemical pollutants and neurodevelopmental disabilities in children. Chemicals in a mixture may have additive, synergistic, or antagonistic effects. Some recent birth cohort studies investigating chemicals and neurodevelopmental effects have applied multipollutant models to the investigation of mixtures. They have examined the overall impact of mixtures, identified the chemicals from mixtures that play a key role in neurotoxicity (such as metals, bisphenols, phthalates, etc.), and investigated their interactive effects. Other domains of the exposome (nutrients, lifestyle, and social factors) may be also implicated in this link to neurodevelopmental effects. Toxicological studies have shown that chemical pollutants share common modes and mechanisms of action, with oxidative stress often described as one of the key events leading to cellular and tissue disruptions at different levels of the brain during critical periods of vulnerability. Epigenetic modifications associated with a number of pollutants (phthalates, bisphenols, pesticides, fine particles, etc.) alter the expression and regulation of genes important for neurodevelopment and contribute to the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders. Advances in knowledge concerning epigenetic markers should prioritize a preventive approach.