The CHECH study : A prospective pregnancy cohort study on CHemical exposure and children’s health in Tianjin, China

The CHemical Exposure and Children’s Health (CHECH) study is an ongoing pregnancy cohort study in Tianjin, China. This paper describes the background, aim and the study design, which can be followed by future researchers to design and conduct similar studies. The abundance and the potential adverse health outcomes of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is concerning. More notably, developing fetuses and infants are more vulnerable to EDCs exposure. The CHECH study aims to investigate the importance of early life exposure to multiple EDCs (phthalates and their metabolites, bisphenol A and their substitutes, perfluorinated compounds and poly brominated diphenyl ethers) for multiple health outcomes in Chinese children, namely sexual development, neurodevelopment, metabolism and growth, as well as asthma and allergy. A total of 2238 pregnant women were recruited in Tianjin from May 2017 to April 2021 with a response rate of 90 %. Among these women, 2255 children were born with available information, including 47 pairs of twins. Urine samples were collected from pregnant women and children, while air and dust samples were obtained from the home environment during pregnancy and infancy periods. Information on children’s health was gathered through physical examinations and questionnaires. The CHECH study, which collected exposure information and health outcomes at multiple time points, will contribute to the understanding of prenatal exposure to EDCs and their impact on children’s health, thereby facilitating the development of risk assessments aimed at reducing exposure and associated health risks.