Journal of Clinical & Experimental Nephrology

Environmental Chemicals and Kidney Disease

The assessment of exposure to environmental chemicals in clinical practice and research is generally indirect and relies upon measurement of the molecule of interest in serum, urine, stool, hair, or nail samples. Investigators rarely have access to detailed information about diet, place of residence, geospatial environment, and lifestyle features that reflect the actual intake of the chemical under study. For example, in our study, the detection of glyphosate in the urine of infants suggests absorption from breast milk. However, we were unable to prove this in our pilot study. These methods are susceptible to systematic errors based on the turnover and half-life of the molecule, variations in body composition and distribution of the molecule, and other medical conditions that impact on health and alter clearance of the molecule

Author(s):

Howard Trachtman and Leonardo Trasande

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