Importance of Two Birth Cohorts (n=20,926 and n=514): 15 Years' Experience of the Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children's Health: Malformation, Development and Allergy

Abstract

Since "Our Stolen Future" by Theo Colborn was published in 1996, global interest on the impact of chemical substances, such as the endocrine-disrupting action of chemicals, has increased. In Japan, "The Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children's Health: Malformation, Development and Allergy" was launched in 2001. It was a model of Japan Environment and Children's Study of the Ministry of the Environment. In a large-scale, Hokkaido cohort, we obtained the consent of 20,926 mothers at the organogenesis stage with the cooperation of 37 obstetrics clinics in Hokkaido. We tracked the effects of endocrine disruptors on developmental disorders. In a small-scale Sapporo cohort, we observed in detail the neuropsychiatric development of children with the consent of 514 mothers in their late pregnancy. We examined how prenatal exposure to low concentrations of environmental chemicals affect the development of organs and the postnatal development of children. Maternal exposure to POPs, such as PCB/dioxins and perfluorinated alkyl substances, has affected not only children's birth size, thyroid functions, and sex hormone levels, but also postnatal neurodevelopment, infection, and allergy among others. The associations of short-half-life substances, such as DEHP and BPA, with obesity, ASD, and ADHD have been investigated. Gene-environment interactions have been found for smoking, caffeine, folic acid, and PCB/dioxin. In 2015, our center was officially designated as the WHO Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health and Prevention of Chemical Hazards, and we continue to the contribute to the global perspectives of child health.