Research Agenda for Environmental Reproductive Health in the 21st Century

摘要

Scientific indicators of declining reproductive function and increasing rates of reproductive illnesses since the mid-20^th century suggest our reproductive health and, ultimately, our reproductive capacity are under strain. Over roughly the same period, human exposure to both natural and synthetic chemicals has dramatically increased. For example, in the United States alone, 3,000 chemicals are manufactured or imported in excess of 1 million pounds each per year. People are exposed to chemicals in the air, water and food supply, and consumer and personal care products, resulting in measurable levels of multiple chemicals in people’s bodies. We propose the following Research Agenda for Environmental Reproductive Health to reverse these trends: 1) Enhance methods to identify environmental contaminant risks, including rapid screening techniques, enhanced surveillance, biomarkers of early biological effects, and studies that reflect population variability in factors that influence susceptibility (lifestage, genetics, social and demographic factors) as well as real-world exposure to multiple chemicals simultaneously; 2) Expand methods to rapidly and inexpensively identify sources of exposure; 3) Identify and evaluate interventions that influence market changes, public policies that contribute to effective chemical management and barriers to chemical policy development; and 4) Invest in tools that enhance research productivity and translation of scientific findings to the individual, community and society levels. The ability to lessen the detrimental impact that environmental contaminants have on our reproductive health lies within our hands. Implementing this research agenda will pay large dividends toward preventing harmful chemical exposures and improving the health of this and future generations.