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Exposure to Low Levels of Arsenic in Public Drinking Water Linked to Lower Birthweight, Preterm Birth
Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health reported:
Babies born to mothers potentially exposed to low levels of arsenic in public drinking water — even at levels below the federal safety standard — were more likely to be born preterm, with lower birthweight, or be smaller than expected, according to a study at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and funded by the National Institutes of Health’s Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Program. The findings are published in JAMA Network Open.
While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets a maximum contaminant level of 10 micrograms per liter for arsenic in public water systems, this study examines how even lower-level arsenic exposures may still affect pregnancy outcomes in a large population. Previous research largely focused on private wells or smaller study groups.
Because arsenic occurs naturally, water that comes in contact with certain rocks and soils may contain it. Contamination from various industrial processes also contributes to increased levels of arsenic in some areas.
“Most U.S. residents rely on public drinking water, and our findings suggest that further reducing arsenic in public water systems could be an important step to improve infant health across the U.S.,” said Anne Nigra, Ph.D., assistant professor of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia Mailman School. “Even low levels of arsenic in public drinking water were associated with low birthweight and other adverse birth outcomes in U.S. infants.”
What Kids Need — and Adults Need to Know — to Combat the Youth Mental Health Crisis
The Los Angeles Times reported:
Starting this fall students in New York will join those in other states like California in not being able to access cellphones during the day. These bans are the culmination of years of education and activism by parents, teachers and researchers concerned about the effect of technology not only on academic performance but also on children’s mental health.
There is no doubt that having fewer screens and fewer hours of screen time will help students stay on task. But early indications show the bans haven’t really moved the needle on the larger issue. It’s possible what’s required is the reduction of the presence of laptops and tablets, too, and perhaps younger students who have not spent so many years with screens in the classroom will do better thanks to the bans in the long run.
For now the bans’ minimal gains may merely point to other factors contributing to what many agree is a youth mental health crisis. Ending it will be more complicated than instituting “bell to bell” phone bans.
Some mental health factors have developed over long periods of time. Family disintegration may be the most significant one. Today, 40% of births in the U.S. occur outside of marriage; in 1990, the rate was 28%. What’s more, only 21% of parents see marriage and 20% see parenthood as important for their children.
Study Links Gestational Hypertension to Increased Seizure Risk in Offspring
A new study led by researchers at University of Iowa Health Care has revealed a significant association between high blood pressure during pregnancy (gestational hypertension) and an increased risk of seizures in children.
The study, published June 16 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, used extensive clinical databases and innovative animal models to uncover this critical link. The findings also suggest that inflammation in the brain may play a role in connecting gestational hypertension to seizure risk and could potentially be targeted to prevent seizures in children exposed to hypertension in the womb.
Gestational hypertension, a common condition affecting nearly 16% of pregnancies in the U.S., has long been associated with various health complications for both mothers and their children. However, this new research provides the first large-scale evidence connecting gestational hypertension to heightened seizure risk in offspring.
Inner Speech Therapy Shows Promise for Easing Autistic Children’s Emotional Dysregulation
Children on the autism spectrum, often at odds with their own emotions, may find help in an unlikely place: their own inner voice. A team from the University of Pittsburgh and collaborators tested a novel intervention designed to train autistic children in developing internal speech — and the results suggest it may reduce emotional dysregulation.
Emotional outbursts and difficulty with self-control can disrupt the lives of many autistic children and their families. Traditional therapies rarely focus on the language children use with themselves, the internal dialogue that helps regulate emotion and behavior in neurotypical development. Prior research has shown inner speech supports problem-solving and self-regulation, yet many autistic individuals seem to lack this internal toolset.
In the study, “Developing Inner Speech to Help Autistic Individuals Improve Their Self-Regulation Ability: A Pilot Randomized-Controlled Trial,” published in Autism Research, researchers designed and evaluated a new therapy called Thinking in Speech, aiming to teach autistic children how to engage in inner speech to manage emotional reactions.
Paternal Mental Health Found to Impact Child Development
Experts from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago affirm the need to screen new fathers for mental distress, recognizing the mounting research that underscores the importance of fathers in child development. Their invited commentary, published in JAMA Pediatrics, accompanies a systematic review, which found that paternal depression, anxiety and stress in the perinatal period are associated with poorer child development in social, emotional, cognitive and language domains.
In the U.S., 14% of fathers experience postpartum depression, which approximates the rates of maternal postpartum depression. However, men tend to minimize symptoms of mental distress, so this percentage might be an underestimate.
“As clinicians, we need to rethink how we approach new fathers,” said Dr. Garfield. “We need to engage them throughout pregnancy and the perinatal period and normalize feelings of sadness or fear or anxiety that are common during this lifechanging event. Clinicians should discuss with fathers warning signs for depression to help them recognize when either parent might need help.”
