Schell specializes in the growth and development of children, and his research focuses on the effects of environmental toxicants on human growth. His recent publications are based on two studies: one of Mohawk adolescents who have experienced exposure to multiple toxicants, and an earlier study of factors related to lead levels and the effects of lead on infant development.
A number of articles have been published recently based on the Mohawk study. A paper in Environmental Health Perspectives describes levels of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), DDE (dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane, a breakdown product of the pesticide DDT), HCB (hexachlorobenzene), mirex, lead, and mercury in Mohawk adolescents. A paper in Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology and a book chapter in Human Growth from Conception to Maturity describe thyroid hormone levels and PCB levels, finding a significant negative relationship of PCBs to thyroxine and free thyroxine, and a positive relationship with thyroid-timulating hormone. These results suggest that the mechanism through which PCBs affect growth, development and cognitive function may involve altering thyroid function. A paper in Pediatrics demonstrated relationships of both PCBs and lead with the timing of menarche (first menstrual period) in Mohawk girls. Lead was associated with later menarche, while four potentially estrogenic PCB congeners were associated with earlier menarche. These results suggest that sexual maturation may be sensitive to relatively low levels of toxicants commonly found in children and adolescents. Most recently, a paper in Neurotoxicology and Teratology examines the affects of PCBs on cognitive function in Mohawk youth. And two other articles summarize the growth of Akwesasne youth. This project represents a research “partnership” between investigators at the University at Albany and the Akwesasne community. A paper in Environmental Health Perspectives describes dynamics of the participatory action research experiences of this project.
Additionally, one article appeared based on the earlier study of lead in socioeconomically disadvantaged women and their offspring. It describes the relationship between infants’ diets and lead levels in the first year of life. Specifically, higher intakes of iron, calcium, and zinc were associated with lower lead levels at six months of age. A recent review article in the Annual Review of Anthropology explains how pollutants in urban environments affect several important parameters of human biology. Several other articles and chapters review the ubiquitous nature of environmental pollutants and assert that polluted environments present new adaptive challenges to the human species. Of particular concern is the effect these new, human-made environments have on the growth, development, and well-being of children, whose developing nervous and endocrine systems are particularly vulnerable.
Schell is the PI of the NIH-funded “EXPORT Center for Health Disparities in Smaller Cities,” now renamed as the “Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities.” The center seeks to establish relationships with smaller cities in New York State and to identify obstacles that contribute to health disparities as defined by communities. Schell is also the Principal Investigator of an NIEHS funded project, “Mohawk Culture, Behavior, Toxicant Exposure and Health.” This project investigates the interrelationships among cultural identity, culturally based activities related to toxicant exposure, and current toxicant burden in Mohawk young adults aged 17-21 years. The research is a follow-up study of approximately 220 adolescents who participated in the Mohawk Adolescents Well-Being Study, a Superfund project that ended in February, 2000.
Work
in progress and pending/planned research projects
Schell and his research team are currently completing several manuscripts, including one on thyroid hormones and toxicant exposure that expands upon preliminary published analyses, and a second on lead levels in infancy in relation to their neurobehavioral development. A review of Native-American growth is in press. Schell and his team also expect to submit a proposal for the study of reproductive function and its relationship to PCBs and lead among 20-35 year old women at Akwesasne.
Contribution
to the population research program
Schell’s work focuses primarily on the effects of environmental pollutants on vulnerable populations. Children are at particular risk because of prenatal transmission of maternal toxicant burden in addition to subsequent postnatal exposure. This makes toxicant exposure a multigenerational problem with deficits compounded over time. Other areas of his work examine the patterning of exposure to toxicants, showing that particular population groups (e.g, Native Americans, disadvantaged urban women) face unique contexts of risk because of residence, economic constraints, and cultural activities that serve to concentrate exposure.
Contribution to the population research program
Schell’s work focuses primarily on the effects of environmental pollutants on vulnerable populations. Children are at particular risk because of prenatal transmission of maternal toxicant burden in addition to subsequent postnatal exposure. This makes toxicant exposure a multigenerational problem with deficits compounded over time. Other areas of his work examine the patterning of exposure to toxicants, showing that particular population groups (e.g, Native Americans, disadvantaged urban women) face unique contexts of risk because of residence, economic constraints, and cultural activities that serve to concentrate exposure.
Use of infrastructure cores and activities
Schell relies extensively on the administrative support provided by CSDA. The Administrative Core, for instance, contributed to the administrative start-up of the EXPORT Center for Health Disparities and directly administers its Research Core budget. In addition, project researchers for the current Mohawk study have made substantial use of computing facilities and statistical consultation resources.