# Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT)

> **NIH NIH P42** · NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $15,100

## Abstract

Project Description (Abstract)
 Flame retardants are chemicals that are applied to materials to prevent the start or slow the growth of
fire. Although some of these chemicals, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE’s) have been phased
out of production, they remain persistent in the environment. PBDEs do not chemically bind to the products to
which they are added, so they easily release from these products and get into the air and dust. Although PBDEs
have been phased out of production, some organophosphate flame retardants (OPRFs) and other alternatives
have been identified as replacements. Due to this, there is a growing concern on flame retardants and how they
can affect maternal and child health during pregnancy. Studies on the effects of flame retardants and birth
outcomes are mixed. Flame retardants and other pollutant biomarkers are usually measured through blood and
urine samples during pregnancy. This sampling scheme is limited in detecting other persistent environmental
pollutants that may also be relevant exposures. To address this limitation, the development of silicone
wristbands is a novel approach to measure multipollutant exposures because of its non-invasive and minimally
burdensome nature, particularly for pregnant women. Oxidative stress has been implicated in many
reproductive and pregnancy disorders, from subfertility to miscarriage, maternal vascular disease and preterm
birth4. It has been suggested as a mechanism linking chemical exposure and adverse pregnancy outcomes. To
this end, the proposed project will examine the relationship between flame retardants and phthalate biomarkers
measured by silicone wristbands and their associations to gestational length and birthweight. It will also be an
exploratory analysis of the potential mediation of oxidative stress on this relationship using the New Hampshire
Birth Cohort study.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10382024
- **Project number:** 3P42ES017198-11S1
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Akram N Alshawabkeh
- **Activity code:** P42 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $15,100
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-07-21 → 2022-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10382024

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10382024, Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT) (3P42ES017198-11S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10382024. Licensed CC0.

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