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Previous research indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed alterations in behaviors that may impact exposures to environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals. This includes changes in the use of chemicals found in consumer products, food packaging, and exposure to air pollutants. Within the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program, a national consortium initiated to understand the effects of environmental exposures on child health and development, our objective was to assess whether urinary concentrations of a wide range of potential endocrine-disrupting chemicals varied before and during the pandemic. Drawing from three racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse ECHO cohorts, we assessed key differences in urinary chemical concentrations related to environmental exposures through food packaging, use of disinfectants, personal care products and air pollutants using repeated urine samples in a subset of 47 participants, who contributed a urine sample prior to the pandemic (between October 2018 and February 2020) and a subsequent urine sample after the pandemic began (between March 2020 and April 2021). We measured urinary concentrations of analytes across several chemical groups, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phthalates/alternative plasticizers, synthetic phenols (parabens, bisphenols, triclosan, benzophenones), organophosphate esters (OPEs), insecticides and fungicides. Multivariable linear mixed models accounting for key covariates and clustering within cohort and across repeated samples were used to estimate the change in urinary analyte concentrations across time points. We observed decreases in urinary concentrations of some PAHs, bisphenols, benzophenones, and triclosan, and increases in specific OPEs. These biomarker data mirror some of the behavior changes reported in our prior work and support the observation that the pandemic-related behavior changes lead to alterations in chemical exposures that have been linked to adverse health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundDespite recent achievements in vaccines, antiviral drugs, and medical infrastructure, the emergence of COVID-19 has posed a serious threat to humans worldwide. Most countries are well connected on a global scale, making it nearly impossible to implement perfect and prompt mitigation strategies for infectious disease outbreaks. In particular, due to the explosive growth of international travel, the complex network of human mobility enabled the rapid spread of COVID-19 globally. ObjectiveSouth Korea was one of the earliest countries to be affected by COVID-19. In the absence of vaccines and treatments, South Korea has implemented and maintained stringent interventions, such as large-scale epidemiological investigations, rapid diagnosis, social distancing, and prompt clinical classification of severely ill patients with appropriate medical measures. In particular, South Korea has implemented effective airport screenings and quarantine measures. In this study, we aimed to assess the country-specific importation risk of COVID-19 and investigate its impact on the local transmission of COVID-19. MethodsThe country-specific importation risk of COVID-19 in South Korea was assessed. We investigated the relationships between country-specific imported cases, passenger numbers, and the severity of country-specific COVID-19 prevalence from January to October 2020. We assessed the country-specific risk by incorporating country-specific information. A renewal mathematical model was employed, considering both imported and local cases of COVID-19 in South Korea. Furthermore, we estimated the basic and effective reproduction numbers. ResultsThe risk of importation from China was highest between January and February 2020, while that from North America (the United States and Canada) was high from April to October 2020. The R0 was estimated at 1.87 (95% CI 1.47-2.34), using the rate of α=0.07 for secondary transmission caused by imported cases. The Rt was estimated in South Korea and in both Seoul and Gyeonggi. ConclusionsA statistical model accounting for imported and locally transmitted cases was employed to estimate R0 and Rt. Our results indicated that the prompt implementation of airport screening measures (contact tracing with case isolation and quarantine) successfully reduced local transmission caused by imported cases despite passengers arriving from high-risk countries throughout the year. Moreover, various mitigation interventions, including social distancing and travel restrictions within South Korea, have been effectively implemented to reduce the spread of local cases in South Korea.