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Environmental Chemicals and Maternal Depression During and After Pregnancy: a Scoping Review
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A scoping review of 27 studies found that maternal exposure to NO2, PM10, phthalates, PBDE, and PFAS was most consistently associated with antenatal and postnatal depression, suggesting that reducing environmental chemical exposures could be a primary prevention strategy for maternal mental health. Phthalates and PFAS are chemical additives in plastics, and this finding strengthens the case that microplastic-associated chemical leaching poses measurable risks to human health beyond the particles themselves.
We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Dimensions, and Scopus, and summarized the findings from 27 articles that examined environmental chemical exposures and maternal depression. Studies of ambient air pollutants (N = 11) showed exposure to NO2 and PM10 to be most consistently associated with antenatal or postnatal depression. Studies of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including phthalates (n = 6), per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS, n = 6), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE, n = 3), organophosphate esters flame retardants (OPE, n = 2), and pesticides (n = 1), reported positive links with maternal depression, particularly from exposures to phthalates and PBDE. Studies of the individual and mixture of metals (n = 3) have reported mixed results. Maternal exposures to certain airborne pollutants, and chemicals from contaminated household products and food sources, are associated with maternal depression. If these findings are confirmed, reducing environmental risks may represent a promising strategy for the primary prevention of maternal depression.
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Environmental Pollution Exposure and Its Impact on Mental and Reproductive Health: A Review
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This review of existing research shows that everyday pollutants, including air pollution, plastics chemicals, pesticides, heavy metals, and microplastics, are linked to depression, anxiety, fertility problems, and pregnancy complications. These chemicals seem to harm the body through shared pathways like inflammation and hormone disruption, and exposure to multiple pollutants at once may cause more damage than any single one alone. Pregnant women, children, and lower-income communities appear especially vulnerable, highlighting the need for stronger pollution regulations.
Environmental Pollution to Blame for Depressive Disorder?
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This review examines the link between endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) — many of which leach from plastics — and the development of major depressive disorder. Animal studies show EDC exposure can alter brain chemistry, cause neurodegeneration, and produce depression-like behaviors. The authors call for more research into whether plastic-associated chemicals contribute to rising rates of depression in the general population.
Mental Health Disorders Following Exposure to Endocrine Disruptor Chemicals
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This review examines how endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), particularly phthalates and bisphenols found in plastics, may contribute to major depressive disorder by disrupting the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal-adrenal axis. Growing evidence links EDC exposure to chronic inflammation and neuropsychiatric conditions, raising concern about plastics as an environmental driver of rising global depression rates.
Climate Change as a Determinant of Mental and Physical Health: A Review
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This review pulls together decades of research showing that everyday pollutants, including air pollution, plastic-related chemicals, microplastics, pesticides, and heavy metals, are linked to depression, anxiety, fertility problems, and pregnancy complications. These substances seem to harm the body through shared pathways like inflammation and hormone disruption, with pregnant women and children most at risk, highlighting why reducing pollution exposure matters for both mental and reproductive health.
Early-Life Environmental Pollutants and Neurodevelopmental Risks: Unraveling Exposure Pathways, Mechanisms, and Preventive Strategies
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This review synthesizes evidence from 112 studies on how early-life exposure to pollutants such as lead, fine particulate matter, and phthalates disrupts neurodevelopment in children by impairing the blood-brain barrier, altering dopamine and thyroid signaling, and inducing epigenetic changes linked to ASD and ADHD, while calling for multi-omics longitudinal research and stronger regulatory action.
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