Guillette E A
Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
Environ Health Perspect. 2000 Jun;108 Suppl 3(Suppl 3):389-93. doi: 10.1289/ehp.00108s3389.
Normal childhood development and growth is affected by such factors as genetics, nutrition, and multiple familial and social factors. In large urban settings, children are constantly exposed to varying amounts of assorted toxic chemicals both inside and outside the home. Many of these contaminants are suspected to be associated with developmental alterations. The heterogeneity of risk factors in urban populations poses a challenging situation for research. Change must be made in the manner in which developmental toxicological research is undertaken. Plans should be made for immediate data collection after a large-scale exposure to prevent the loss of valuable information. Retrospective studies would benefit from applying rapid assessment techniques to identify high- and low-risk children. In all cases, the development of research design and investigative format needs to reflect the strengths of both social factors and scientific facts. Cross-disciplinary approaches, using physicians and physical and social scientists and incorporating community knowledge, are required for the evaluation of children in urban settings, with each discipline contributing to theory and methodology.
正常的儿童发育和成长受到多种因素的影响，如遗传、营养以及众多家庭和社会因素。在大城市环境中，儿童在家内外持续接触到数量各异的各种有毒化学物质。其中许多污染物被怀疑与发育改变有关。城市人口中风险因素的异质性给研究带来了挑战。必须改变开展发育毒理学研究的方式。应制定计划，在大规模接触后立即进行数据收集，以防止宝贵信息的丢失。回顾性研究将受益于应用快速评估技术来识别高风险和低风险儿童。在所有情况下，研究设计和调查形式的发展都需要反映社会因素和科学事实的优势。评估城市环境中的儿童需要采用跨学科方法，包括医生、物理和社会科学家，并纳入社区知识，每个学科都为理论和方法做出贡献。
