# Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health in ECHO II: Impact of environmental exposures on children's health and the co-morbidity of asthma and ADHD.

> **NIH NIH UG3** · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · 2024 · $3,920,446

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY:
The Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH) has provided an exemplary record of
solution-oriented children’s environmental health research. From gestation through young adulthood, CCCEH
has successfully followed children to address research questions relevant to the Northern Manhattan and South
Bronx communities and beyond, for whom many complex childhood diseases are highly prevalent. CCCEH has
prioritized enrollment of under-represented, at-risk Black and/or Hispanic pregnant individuals. We have
documented effects of physical, chemical, and social exposures on airway diseases such as childhood asthma,
and neurodevelopmental disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), two highly prevalent
and frequently comorbid conditions with a large individual and societal burden. For the second phase of the
Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO-II) consortium, in Aim 1 we will use ECHO-wide
core data elements to examine common patterns of prenatal physical, chemical, and social exposures that
associate with childhood asthma and ADHD to understand their contribution to both disorders and their well-
established co-morbidity, which requires a large population such as ECHO to study. The ECHO cohort provides
a unique opportunity to examine robustly if prenatal exposure patterns contribute to asthma/ADHD comorbidity
via shared or distinct causal pathways. This science will address current gaps in knowledge that will improve
strategies for prevention and treatment by: 1) raising risk-awareness; 2) increasing referrals for assessment of
comorbid disorders; and 3) allowing for earlier intervention. In Aim 2, we will contribute to the development of
specialized protocols by proposing to measure biomarkers of prenatal chemical exposure using a novel bioassay
and adding annual measures of asthma and ADHD and their phenotypes to identify patterns of prenatal physical,
chemical, and social exposures that associate with incident asthma and ADHD as well as their phenotypes that
may have distinct etiologies. This more granular characterization of exposure and heterogenous outcomes will
enable more precise strategies for early identification and prevention along with primary and tertiary interventions
for asthma and ADHD. In Aim 3, we will implement the ECHO Cohort Protocol with high fidelity, maximizing the
retention of existing ECHO participants and supporting the continued recruitment of new pregnant and
preconception participants while emphasizing inclusive subject representation. In Exploratory Aim 4, we will
evaluate the role of chemical exposures during the preconception period on pregnancy loss and early
indicators of respiratory and neurodevelopmental health. Finally, the CCCEH site proposes a plan for
enhancing diverse perspectives that will be implemented while conducting all four aims. Altogether, this
proposal is intended to make a large scientific impact on children’s environmental h...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10907810
- **Project number:** 5UG3OD023290-09
- **Recipient organization:** COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Julie Beth Herbstman
- **Activity code:** UG3 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $3,920,446
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-21 → 2025-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10907810

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10907810, Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health in ECHO II: Impact of environmental exposures on children's health and the co-morbidity of asthma and ADHD. (5UG3OD023290-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10907810. Licensed CC0.

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