Department of Physics, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Ave, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Ave, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Apr 22;17(8):2898. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17082898.
The present paper reviews available background information for studying multiple stressor effects of radon (Rn) and phthalates in children and provides insights on future directions. In realistic situations, living organisms are collectively subjected to many environmental stressors, with the resultant effects being referred to as multiple stressor effects. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that can lead to lung cancers. On the other hand, phthalates are semi-volatile organic compounds widely applied as plasticizers to provide flexibility to plastic in consumer products. Links of phthalates to various health effects have been reported, including allergy and asthma. In the present review, the focus on indoor contaminants was due to their higher concentrations and to the higher indoor occupancy factor, while the focus on the pediatric population was due to their inherent sensitivity and their spending more time close to the floor. Two main future directions in studying multiple stressor effects of radon and phthalates in children were proposed. The first one was on computational modeling and micro-dosimetric studies, and the second one was on biological studies. In particular, dose-response relationship and effect-specific models for combined exposures to radon and phthalates would be necessary. The ideas and methodology behind such proposed research work are also applicable to studies on multiple stressor effects of collective exposures to other significant airborne contaminants, and to population groups other than children.
本文综述了研究氡（Rn）和邻苯二甲酸酯对儿童多胁迫效应的现有背景信息，并为未来的研究方向提供了见解。在现实情况下，生物体通常会同时受到多种环境胁迫，其产生的影响被称为多胁迫效应。氡是一种天然存在的放射性气体，可导致肺癌。另一方面，邻苯二甲酸酯是一种半挥发性有机化合物，广泛用作塑料增塑剂，为消费品中的塑料提供柔韧性。邻苯二甲酸酯与各种健康影响有关，包括过敏和哮喘。在本综述中，重点关注室内污染物是因为它们的浓度更高，室内占有率更高，而关注儿科人群是因为他们具有内在的敏感性，并且更多时间在靠近地面的地方度过。提出了研究氡和邻苯二甲酸酯对儿童多胁迫效应的两个主要未来方向。第一个是关于计算建模和微观剂量学研究，第二个是关于生物学研究。特别是，需要建立针对氡和邻苯二甲酸酯联合暴露的剂量-反应关系和特定效应模型。这些拟议研究工作背后的思路和方法也适用于对其他重要空气传播污染物的集体暴露以及儿童以外的其他人群的多胁迫效应研究。
