Public Lecture 'Little Things Matter: The Impact of Toxic Chemicals on the Developing Brain'

28 February 2023, 11.30 AM - 28 February 2023, 12.30 PM

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

OS6, Second Floor, Oakfield House, Oakfield Grove, Bristol, BS8 2BN

Toxic chemicals – such as lead, 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 usually 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 ways to avoid exposures to toxic chemicals during pregnancy and childhood.

All welcome, please note that there is also the option to join this talk virutally, zoom link below:

Join Zoom Meeting
https://bristol-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/94713579091?pwd=MDVsdmU3YkRQT3VIZTIvVW9zSmlLZz09&from=addon

Meeting ID: 947 1357 9091
Passcode: 328451

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. 

You can read more about Professor Lanphear on his BBMDVP web profile page here.

Contact information

Please contact Professor Lanphear's host Dr Caroline Taylor, Bristol Medical School.

bruce lanphear