Bristol Benjamin Meaker Distinguished Visiting Professor Bruce Lanphear, Simon Fraser University, Canada

The Interplay of Toxic Chemicals and Nutrients

1 February - 26 March 2023

Biography

Professor Lanphear's research is at the intersection of preventive medicine, paediatrics, public health, toxicology, and infectious disease, and is driven by a commitment to prevent disease and disability. He has published over 250 peer-reviewed studies,  about the impact of toxic chemicals on intellectual deficits, behavioural problems, and brain structure in children. He is ranked among the top 1% of most-cited scientists globally (Google Scholar: 34,283 citations; h-index 88; 5 publications with citations >1000; i10 index = 252). Professor Lanphear is the founding principal investigator for the HOME Study, a 20-year, prospective birth cohort continuously funded by NIH to examine the impact of early life exposures to a wide array of chemicals with neurobehavioral and cardiometabolic outcomes in children and adolescents. He is the co-principal investigator of the pan-Canadian MIREC neurobehavior study, a 600-person cohort examining the impact of gestational and childhood exposures to toxic chemicals on the development of learning and behavioural problems in children. Professor Lanphear was the founding director of an NIH-funded, interdisciplinary post-doctoral training program in paediatrics, psychology, and epidemiology. 

Research Summary

Professor Lanphear's proposed project, “the interplay of toxic chemicals and nutrients”, is synergistic with Dr. Caroline Taylor’s MRC Career Development Award. In a recent study, his team found that gestational exposure to phthalates – a chemical found in plastics – is a risk factor for the development of autistic behaviors in children, especially if the mother is folate-deficient. With a new NIH award, his team are examining toxic chemicals that diminish folate availability (e.g., tobacco and arsenic) or whose association with autistic behaviors is modified by folate (e.g., pesticides and phthalates). The central role of folate hints at an epigenetic mechanism. They will also explore gene-environment interactions (e.g., MTHFR) and anti-folate antibodies. In another NIH-funded study, we found that gestational fluoride exposure is associated with diminished IQ scores in boys, especially for mothers with low urinary iodine. This is consistent with the hypothesis that fluoride disrupts thyroid hormones during early brain development. These studies, which intersect with Dr. Taylor’s research agenda, offer the potential to identify risk factors, provide hints about mechanisms and prevent childhood disabilities.

Professor Lanphear will be hosted by Dr Caroline Taylor, Population Health Science.

The following lectures and seminars are planned for his visit, further details will be posted in due course:

• Public Lecture - Thursday 16th February, 3.15-4.15 pm, Oakfield House
  In person and virtual (please see zoom link below)
  

  Lecture for Population Health, History, Paediatrics, Nutrition.

  Why We Live Longer
  
  British physician Thomas McKeown documented a steep increase in life expectancy from 1900 to 1940, but experts disagree about why we live longer. “There is little empirical evidence, David Cutler said, and much unresolved debate about what caused these improvements.” To resolve this dispute, we need to distinguish strategies focused on treating individual patients from those reducing hazards in large populations, often before they become sick. I will focus on the decline in fatalities from smallpox, diarrhoea, measles, and tuberculosis during the 20th century, including the unappreciated role of vitamin A, rickets, and airborne pollutants.
  
  Join Zoom Meeting
  https://bristol-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/98780914083?pwd=b0RnWXFmaEpaQTZ5eW13NE5kNHp2QT09&from=addon
  
  Meeting ID: 987 8091 4083
  Passcode: 936722
  
  
  
• Postgraduate Lecture - Thursday 23 February, 10.30-11.30 am, Oakfield House
  In person and virtual (please see zoom link below)
  
  The Mysterious Decline in Coronary Heart Disease
  
  In the fall of 1978, physicians and scientists gathered in Bethesda, Maryland to solve a mystery: why had deaths from coronary heart disease plummeted in the US, but not in Britain? The attendees conveniently concluded that preventive measures and medical care contributed equally to the decline. Clearly, however, nobody really knew why coronary deaths had plummeted. Using data from the United States and Britain, this presentation will explore reasons for the mysterious decline in coronary heart disease deaths, including the insidious role of pollutants.
  
  Join Zoom Meeting
  
  https://bristol-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/93975191909?pwd=cFZmVmZ6cVRnQ1RpYzgwNTdBZkJ5UT09&from=addon
• 
  Meeting ID: 939 7519 1909
  Passcode: 541841
  
  

• Public Lecture - Tuesday 28th February, 11.30-12.30 pm, Oakfield House
  In person and virtual (please see zoom link below)  All Welcome
  
  Little Things Matter: The Impact of Toxic Chemicals on the Developing Brain
  
  Toxic chemicals – such as lead, tobacco, pesticides, and flame retardants – are implicated in the development of preterm births, intellectual deficits, and behavioural problems in children. The impact of low-level exposures to toxic chemicals is typically subtle for an individual child, but they can be substantial for populations. Yet too little has been done to protect children from toxic chemicals. This session will provide an overview of the population impact of toxic chemicals on children’s brain development and discuss ways to avoid exposures to toxic chemicals during pregnancy and childhood.
  

  Join Zoom Meeting
  https://bristol-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/94713579091?pwd=MDVsdmU3YkRQT3VIZTIvVW9zSmlLZz09&from=addon
  
  Meeting ID: 947 1357 9091
  Passcode: 328451