ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS AND THEIR IMPACT ON DEVELOPMENT IN THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF LIFE.

Maternal health status, access to adequate and healthy food, breastfeeding, a favorable social environment, and adequate developmental conditions are primary factors for the child to be able to grow and develop. The first 1000 days are considered an important critical window of human development. As far as child development is concerned, it spans from fertilization to early childhood. Environmental contaminants have a major impact on this development. Endocrine Disruptors (ED) are characterized as exogenous agents that interfere with the synthesis, secretion, transport, metabolism, action or elimination of hormones responsible for homeostasis, reproduction and/or the development process, acting as neurotransmitters in the endocrine and neurological systems. These act on the endocrine and neurological system, triggering chemical reactions similar to hormones or neurotransmitters.