Dr. Mazumdar’s research program uses descriptive epidemiology to characterize the neurological effects of environmental arsenic exposure among children in Bangladesh, a country grappling with the largest arsenic epidemics in world history. Animal studies suggest that arsenic disturbs the development of the nervous system, and case reports have noted arsenic’s potential to interfere with cognitive function in children, leading to significant disability. Emerging evidence suggests that the fetal and early-childhood environments are critical developmental windows in which toxic exposures may be especially harmful. Dr. Mazumdar is addressing the urgent need for research on the neurodevelopmental effects of prenatal and early-childhood exposure to arsenic through studies examining infants and children up to 24 months of age.
The goals of this project are to (1) develop low-cost methods to assess neurological function in children and (2) investigate the relationship between arsenic exposure and neurodevelopment in areas of Bangladesh with high groundwater arsenic levels. Specific aims will demonstrate the feasibility of adapting neurological assessment tools for use in rural Bangladesh, and will use these tools in cross-sectional and prospective epidemiologic studies.
Dr. Mazumdar is conducting two studies to test the above hypotheses. Both studies take place in the Pabna district of Bangladesh, taking advantage of active collaborations between Dhaka Community Hospital (DCH), Children’s Hospital Boston and the Harvard School of Public Health.
Study I is a cross-sectional study of children between the ages of 1 and 2 years, whose maternal and perinatal toenail arsenic concentrations are known. Field staff assess Neurodevelopment using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID), the most widely used standardized test of infant neurodevelopment. In addition, Dr. Mazumdar is adapting a classification system that uses elements of a neurological examination to identify motor dysfunction in children under the age of 2 years. Field staff will use this system to assess the relationship between arsenic exposure and motor dysfunction.
Study II takes place within an ongoing prospective cohort study on arsenic and reproductive outcomes. Portable neurophysiological instruments have been used to evaluate hearing impairment in rural Bangladesh. Dr. Mazumdar plans to conduct a bedside hearing evaluation of a sample of newborns
