Diseases associated with early-life toxic exposures are common and mostly occur later in life. ( DaFTE )

Diseases associated with early-life toxic exposures can manifest any time during the life span. (22-27)

Delayed effects include altered sexual development, 14,27 reduced fertility, 27 and lifelong increased risks of asthma, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, neurologic impairment, and cancer. 1,22-25

1. Etzel RA, Landrigan PJ, eds. Textbook of children’s environ- mental health. 2nd ed. London: Oxford University Press, 2024.

22. Heindel JJ, Balbus J, Birnbaum L, et al. Developmental origins of health and disease: integrating environmental influences. Endocrinology 2015;156:3416 -21.

23. Barker DJ. The developmental origins of adult disease. J Am Coll Nutr 2004; 23:Suppl :588S-595S.
24. Needleman HL, Schell A, Bellinger D, Leviton A, Allred EN. The long-term effects of exposure to low doses of lead in child- hood: an 11-year follow-up report. N Engl J Med 1990;322:83 -8. 25. Cohn BA, La Merrill M, Krigbaum NY, et al. DDT exposure in utero and breast cancer. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2015;100: 2865-72.

26. Needleman HL, Gunnoe C, Leviton A, et al. Deficits in psycologic and classroom performance of children with elevated dentine lead levels. N Engl J Med 1979;300:689 -95.
27. Levine H, Jørgensen N, Martino-Andrade A, et al. Temporal trends in sperm count: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis. Hum Reprod Update 2017;23:646 -59.