PSGR Interview with Dr Bruce Lanphear, public health physician & paediatric epidemiologist, Professor of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University. Dr. Lanphear has an M.D. from the University of Missouri at Kansas City and an M.P.H. from the Tulane School of Public Health. Served on the Lancet Commission on pollution and health, served on government panels and advisory boards.
Founder of Little Things Matter.
Video: Impact of toxic chemicals on the developing brain
Substack: Plagues, Pollution & Poverty
Interview also available on Spotify & YouTube @ PSGRNZ
HUGE DISCUSSION! :
History of public health
Gene environment interactions Microbiome health
Biomonitoring studies: urine, blood & breastmilk.
Neurobehavioural impact of toxic exposures to babies and children.
Kehoe Rule and lead in gasoline/petrol.
Endocrine/hormone disrupting chemicals
Medical training and toxic chemical thresholds
Environmentally relevant background levels
Chemicals: synergistic, additive and class based effects
Funding to understand toxic risks to babies and children
How funding predominantly is directed to medical solutions (the cure) not the cause.
How regulatory approvals for chemicals tend to work.
How we think about scientific evidence and toxicity and toxic risk.
Lanphear's experience on science advisory boards.
Defunding of the US National Children's study.
Multimorbid - multiple outcomes from toxic exposures (not just one health effect).
How chemicals concentrate in communities & harm in many different ways.
Problem when toxic chemicals disrupt metabolic pathways- e.g. potential role of fluoride on the thyroid, & neurodevelopmental risk.
Interaction of genetics with toxic chemicals and nutrition.
Developmental Origins of Health & Disease.
Why toddlers can have higher chemical body burdens than their parents.
Understanding causation, prevention & protection & regulatory frameworks
the problem of industry information dominating regulatory science.
The YouTube version, including screenshots of the papers discussed in the interview:
