LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF YOUNG CHILDREN'S EXPOSURES IN THEIR HOMES TO SELECTED PESTICIDES, PHTHALATES, BROMINATED FLAME RETARDANTS, AND PERFLUORINATED CHEMICALS (A CHILDREN'S ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE RESEARCH STUDY - CHEERS)

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) is conducting a study of young children's exposures to chemicals in the home. The American Chemistry Council (ACC) is partnering with the EPA to enhance an existing EPA study of childre...

Neuroimaging is a novel tool to understand the impact of environmental chemicals on neurodevelopment.

PubMed

Horton, Megan K; Margolis, Amy E; Tang, Cheuk; Wright, Robert

2014-04-01

The prevalence of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders has been increasing over the last several decades. Prenatal and early childhood exposure to environmental toxicants is increasingly recognized as contributing to the growing rate of neurodevelopmental disorders. Very little information is known about the mechanistic processes by which environmental chemicals alter brain development. We review the recent advances in brain imaging modalities and discuss their application in epidemiologic studies of prenatal and early childhood exposure to environmental toxicants. Neuroimaging techniques (volumetric and functional MRI, diffusor tensor imaging, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy) have opened unprecedented access to study the developing human brain. These techniques are noninvasive and free of ionization radiation making them suitable for research applications in children. Using these techniques, we now understand much about structural and functional patterns in the typically developing brain. This knowledge allows us to investigate how prenatal exposure to environmental toxicants may alter the typical developmental trajectory. MRI is a powerful tool that allows in-vivo visualization of brain structure and function. Used in epidemiologic studies of environmental exposure, it offers the promise to causally link exposure with behavioral and cognitive manifestations and ultimately to inform programs to reduce exposure and mitigate adverse effects of exposure.

GuLF Study: The Gulf Long-Term Follow-Up Study

MedlinePlus

... Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Exposure Biology Global Environmental Health Gulf Oil Spill Response Efforts ... to investigate the interplay between environmental exposures, human biology, genetics, and common diseases to help prevent disease ...

Adapting Concepts from Systems Biology to Develop Systems Exposure Event Networks for Exposure Science Research

EPA Science Inventory

Systems exposure science has emerged from the traditional environmental exposure assessment framework and incorporates new concepts that link sources of human exposure to internal dose and metabolic processes. Because many human environmental studies are designed for retrospectiv...

TOWARD GREATER IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EXPOSOME RESEARCH PARADIGM WITHIN ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY

PubMed Central

Stingone, Jeanette A.; Buck Louis, Germaine M.; Nakayama, Shoji F.; Vermeulen, Roel C. H.; Kwok, Richard K.; Cui, Yuxia; Balshaw, David M.; Teitelbaum, Susan L.

2017-01-01

Investigating a single environmental exposure in isolation does not reflect the actual human exposure circumstance nor does it capture the multifactorial etiology of health and disease. The exposome, defined as the totality of environmental exposures from conception onward, may advance our understanding of environmental contributors to disease by more fully assessing the multitude of human exposures across the life course. Implementation into studies of human health has been limited, in part owing to theoretical and practical challenges including a lack of infrastructure to support comprehensive exposure assessment, difficulty in differentiating physiologic variation from environmentally induced changes, and the need for study designs and analytic methods that accommodate specific aspects of the exposome, such as high-dimensional exposure data and multiple windows of susceptibility. Recommendations for greater data sharing and coordination, methods development, and acknowledgment and minimization of multiple types of measurement error are offered to encourage researchers to embark on exposome research to promote the environmental health and well-being of all populations. PMID:28125387

ACCOUNTING FOR THE ENDOGENEITY OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO SMOKE EXPOSURE IN CHILDREN: AN APPLICATION TO CONTINUOUS LUNG FUNCTION

EPA Science Inventory

The goal of this study is to estimate an unbiased exposure effect of environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure on children's continuous lung function. A majority of the evidence from health studies suggests that ETS exposure in early life contributes significantly to childhood ...

The Biomonitoring, Environmental Epidemiology, and Short-Lived Chemicals (BEES-C) Instrument for Assessing Study Quality

EPA Science Inventory

Environmental epidemiology studies can be an effective means to assess impacts on human health from exposure to environmental stressors. Exposure scenarios are often extremely complex and proper assessment is critical for interpreting epidemiological study results. Biomarkers are...

USE OF EXHALED BREATH CONDENSATE IN A HUMAN EXPOSURE STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is a noninvasive, repeatable collection technique to sample biomarkers of lung inflammation, oxidative stress, and environmental exposure. It is unclear whether EBC is an effective tool in human environmental exposure studies with multi-day samplin...

Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke among South Korean adults: a cross-sectional study of the 2005 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

PubMed

Lee, Bo-Eun; Ha, Eun-Hee

2011-04-03

Studies have identified that environmental tobacco smoke exposure is associated with sociodemographic factors such as age, sex, and socioeconomic status, but few studies have been conducted in South Korea. In this study, the authors investigated the extent of environmental tobacco smoke exposure and factors related in a nationally representative sample of Korean adults. The data of 7,801 adults aged 19 years and over collected during the 2005 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed. Information on smoking habits and exposure to environmental tobacco smoke was obtained by self-reports using a standardized questionnaire. Risks of environmental tobacco smoke exposure conferred by sociodemographic variables and behavioral risk factors were evaluated using logistic regression methods. Overall, 36.1% of nonsmokers (defined as those not currently smoking) and 50.1% of current smokers were found to be exposed to environmental tobacco smoke either at work or at home. Among the nonsmokers, women were more likely to be exposed to environmental tobacco smoke at home (OR = 5.22, 95%CI, 4.08-6.67). Furthermore, an inverse relationship was found between education level and the risk of environmental tobacco smoke exposure at home (OR = 1.73, 95%CI, 1.38-2.17 for those with a high school education; OR = 2.30, 95%CI, 1.68-3.16 for those with a middle school education; and OR = 2.58, 95%CI, 1.85-3.59 for those with less than an elementary school education vs. those with a college education or more). In addition, those with office, sales service, or manual labor jobs were found to be at significantly higher risk of environmental tobacco smoke exposure at work than those with professional, administrative, or managerial jobs. Also, the risk of environmental tobacco smoke exposure in the workplace was significantly higher for alcohol drinkers than non-drinkers (OR = 1.23, 95%CI, 1.07-1.47). After adjusting for age, sex and education, it was found that those exposed to environmental tobacco smoke at home were more likely to have been admitted to hospital during the previous year (OR 1.29, 95%CI, 1.002-1.66). In this study of Korean adults, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke at home or work was found to be affected by sex, age, marital status, educational level, and type of occupation. Accordingly, these factors should be given appropriate consideration by those developing policies or interventions designed to control exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.

EXPOSURES TO ENVIRONMENTAL AGENTS

EPA Science Inventory

The planned interagency National Children's Study (NCS) will be studying a number of exposure issues in the context of health and well-being of infants and young children from pre-conception to age 21. Some of the important environmental exposure questions for NCS, include: how c...

The environmental history in pediatric practice: a study of pediatricians' attitudes, beliefs, and practices.

PubMed Central

Kilpatrick, Nikki; Frumkin, Howard; Trowbridge, Jane; Escoffery, Cam; Geller, Robert; Rubin, Leslie; Teague, Gerald; Nodvin, Janice

2002-01-01

We conducted a mail survey of practicing pediatricians in Georgia to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding recording patients' environmental histories. Of 477 eligible pediatricians, 266 (55.8%) responded. Fewer than one in five reported having received training in environmental history-taking. Pediatricians reported that they strongly believe in the importance of environmental exposures in children's health, and 53.5% of respondents reported experience with a patient who was seriously affected by an environmental exposure. Pediatricians agreed moderately strongly that environmental history-taking is useful in identifying potentially hazardous exposures and in helping prevent these exposures. Respondents reported low self-efficacy regarding environmental history-taking, discussing environmental exposures with parents, and finding diagnosis and treatment resources related to environmental exposures. The probability of self-reported history-taking varied with the specific exposure, with environmental tobacco smoke and pets most frequently queried and asbestos, mercury, formaldehyde, and radon rarely queried. The pediatricians' preferred information resources include the American Academy of Pediatrics, newsletters, and patient education materials. Pediatricians are highly interested in pediatric environmental health but report low self-efficacy in taking and following up on environmental histories. There is considerable opportunity for training in environmental history-taking and for increasing the frequency with which such histories are taken. PMID:12153766

Improving Environmental Health Literacy and Justice through Environmental Exposure Results Communication

PubMed Central

Ramirez-Andreotta, Monica D.; Brody, Julia Green; Lothrop, Nathan; Loh, Miranda; Beamer, Paloma I.; Brown, Phil

2016-01-01

Understanding the short- and long-term impacts of a biomonitoring and exposure project and reporting personal results back to study participants is critical for guiding future efforts, especially in the context of environmental justice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate learning outcomes from environmental communication efforts and whether environmental health literacy goals were met in an environmental justice community. We conducted 14 interviews with parents who had participated in the University of Arizona’s Metals Exposure Study in Homes and analyzed their responses using NVivo, a qualitative data management and analysis program. Key findings were that participants used the data to cope with their challenging circumstances, the majority of participants described changing their families’ household behaviors, and participants reported specific interventions to reduce family exposures. The strength of this study is that it provides insight into what people learn and gain from such results communication efforts, what participants want to know, and what type of additional information participants need to advance their environmental health literacy. This information can help improve future report back efforts and advance environmental health and justice. PMID:27399755

Occupational and environmental risk factors for chronic rhinosinusitis: a systematic review.

PubMed

Sundaresan, Agnes S; Hirsch, Annemarie G; Storm, Margaret; Tan, Bruce K; Kennedy, Thomas L; Greene, J Scott; Kern, Robert C; Schwartz, Brian S

2015-11-01

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a prevalent and disabling paranasal sinus disease, with a likely multifactorial etiology potentially including hazardous occupational and environmental exposures. We completed a systematic review of the occupational and environmental literature to evaluate the quality of evidence of the role that hazardous exposures might play in CRS. We searched PubMed for studies of CRS and following exposure categories: occupation, employment, work, industry, air pollution, agriculture, farming, environment, chemicals, roadways, disaster, and traffic. We abstracted information from the final set of articles across 6 primary domains: study design; population; exposures evaluated; exposure assessment; CRS definition; and results. We identified 41 articles from 1080 manuscripts: 37 occupational risk papers, 1 environmental risk paper, and 3 papers studying both categories of exposures. None of the 41 studies used a CRS definition consistent with current diagnostic guidelines. Exposure assessment was generally dependent on self-report or binary measurements of exposure based on industry of employment. Only grain, dairy, and swine operations among farmers were evaluated by more than 1 study using a common approach to defining CRS, but employment in these settings was not consistently associated with CRS. The multiple other exposures did not meet quality standards for reporting associations or were not evaluated by more than 1 study. The current state of the literature allows us to make very few conclusions about the role of hazardous occupational or environmental exposures in CRS, leaving a critical knowledge gap regarding potentially modifiable risk factors for disease onset and progression. © 2015 ARS-AAOA, LLC.

Environmental Chemical Exposures and Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Review of the Epidemiological Evidence

PubMed Central

Kalkbrenner, Amy E.; Schmidt, Rebecca J.; Penlesky, Annie C.

2016-01-01

In the past decade, the number of epidemiological publications addressing environmental chemical exposures and autism has grown tremendously. These studies are important because it is now understood that environmental factors play a larger role in causing autism than previously thought and because they address modifiable risk factors that may open up avenues for the primary prevention of the disability associated with autism. In this review, we covered studies of autism and estimates of exposure to tobacco, air pollutants, volatile organic compounds and solvents, metals (from air, occupation, diet, dental amalgams, and thimerosal-containing vaccines), pesticides, and organic endocrine-disrupting compounds such as flame retardants, non-stick chemicals, phthalates, and bisphenol A. We included studies that had individual-level data on autism, exposure measures pertaining to pregnancy or the 1st year of life, valid comparison groups, control for confounders, and adequate sample sizes. Despite the inherent error in the measurement of many of these environmental exposures, which is likely to attenuate observed associations, some environmental exposures showed associations with autism, especially traffic-related air pollutants, some metals, and several pesticides, with suggestive trends for some volatile organic compounds (e.g., methylene chloride, trichloroethylene, and styrene) and phthalates. Whether any of these play a causal role requires further study. Given the limited scope of these publications, other environmental chemicals cannot be ruled out, but have not yet been adequately studied. Future research that addresses these and additional environmental chemicals, including their most common routes of exposures, with accurate exposure measurement pertaining to several developmental windows, is essential to guide efforts for the prevention of the neurodevelopmental damage that manifests in autism symptoms. PMID:25199954

Neuroimaging is a novel tool to understand the impact of environmental chemicals on neurodevelopment

PubMed Central

Horton, Megan K.; Margolis, Amy E.; Tang, Cheuk; Wright, Robert

2014-01-01

Purpose of review The prevalence of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders (ND) has been increasing over the last several decades. Prenatal and early childhood exposure to environmental toxicants is increasingly recognized as contributing to the growing rate of NDs. Very little is known about the mechanistic processes by which environmental chemicals alter brain development. We review recent advances in brain imaging modalities and discuss their application in epidemiologic studies of prenatal and early childhood exposure to environmental toxicants. Recent findings Neuroimaging techniques (volumetric and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusor tensor imaging (DTI), magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)) have opened unprecedented access to study the developing human brain. These techniques are non-invasive and free of ionization radiation making them suitable for research applications in children. Using these techniques, we now understand much about structural and functional patterns in the typically developing brain. This knowledge allows us to investigate how prenatal exposure to environmental toxicants may alter the typical developmental trajectory. Summary MRI is a powerful tool that allows in vivo visualization of brain structure and function. Used in epidemiologic studies of environmental exposure, it offers the promise to causally link exposure with behavioral and cognitive manifestations and ultimately to inform programs to reduce exposure and mitigate adverse effects of exposure. PMID:24535497

THE ENVIRONMENT AND SUSCEPTIBILITY TO SCHIZOPHRENIA

PubMed Central

Brown, Alan S.

2010-01-01

In the present article the putative role of environmental factors in schizophrenia is reviewed and synthesized. Accumulating evidence from recent studies suggests that environmental exposures may play a more significant role in the etiopathogenesis of this disorder than previously thought. This expanding knowledge base is largely a consequence of refinements in the methodology of epidemiologic studies, including birth cohort investigations, and in preclinical research that has been inspired by the evolving literature on animal models of environmental exposures. The bulk of evidence supports a contribution of environmental factors acting during fetal and perinatal life; these include infections, nutritional deficiencies, paternal age, fetal/neonatal hypoxic insults, maternal stress and other exposures. A considerable amount of data supports cannabis use in adolescence, migration, unfavorable neighborhood environments, and possibly infections at different points in the lifespan as risk factors for schizophrenia. Animal models have yielded evidence suggesting that these exposures cause brain and behavioral phenotypes that are analogous to findings observed in patients with schizophrenia. It is suggested that future studies attempt to replicate these findings, identify new risk factors, explore the gestational specificity of environmental insults, elaborate developmental trajectories, and examine relationships between environmental exposures and structural and functional brain anomalies in schizophrenia patients. Future research on gene-environment interactions and epigenetic effects of environmental exposures should shed further light on genes and exposures that may not be identified in the absence of these integrated approaches. Moreover, translational studies should further facilitate the discovery of neurodevelopmental mechanisms that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia. The study of environmental factors in schizophrenia may have important implications for the prevention of this disorder, and offers the potential to complement, and refine, existing efforts on explanatory neurodevelopmental models. PMID:955757

ARE ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES TO CHLOROPHENOXY HERBICIDES ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASE IN ADVERSE HUMAN HEALTH EFFECTS?

EPA Science Inventory

Background: Associations between adverse health effects and environmental exposures are difficult to study because exposures may be widespread, low-dose in nature, and common throughout the study population. Individual risk-factor epidemiology may not be able to initially ident...

Challenges to studying the health effects of early life environmental chemical exposures on children's health.

PubMed

Braun, Joseph M; Gray, Kimberly

2017-12-01

Epidemiological studies play an important role in quantifying how early life environmental chemical exposures influence the risk of childhood diseases. These studies face at least four major challenges that can produce noise when trying to identify signals of associations between chemical exposure and childhood health. Challenges include accurately estimating chemical exposure, confounding from causes of both exposure and disease, identifying periods of heightened vulnerability to chemical exposures, and determining the effects of chemical mixtures. We provide recommendations that will aid in identifying these signals with more precision.

Personalized Exposure Assessment: Promising Approaches for Human Environmental Health Research

PubMed Central

Weis, Brenda K.; Balshaw, David; Barr, John R.; Brown, David; Ellisman, Mark; Lioy, Paul; Omenn, Gilbert; Potter, John D.; Smith, Martyn T.; Sohn, Lydia; Suk, William A.; Sumner, Susan; Swenberg, James; Walt, David R.; Watkins, Simon; Thompson, Claudia; Wilson, Samuel H.

2005-01-01

New technologies and methods for assessing human exposure to chemicals, dietary and lifestyle factors, infectious agents, and other stressors provide an opportunity to extend the range of human health investigations and advance our understanding of the relationship between environmental exposure and disease. An ad hoc Committee on Environmental Exposure Technology Development was convened to identify new technologies and methods for deriving personalized exposure measurements for application to environmental health studies. The committee identified a “toolbox” of methods for measuring external (environmental) and internal (biologic) exposure and assessing human behaviors that influence the likelihood of exposure to environmental agents. The methods use environmental sensors, geographic information systems, biologic sensors, toxicogenomics, and body burden (biologic) measurements. We discuss each of the methods in relation to current use in human health research; specific gaps in the development, validation, and application of the methods are highlighted. We also present a conceptual framework for moving these technologies into use and acceptance by the scientific community. The framework focuses on understanding complex human diseases using an integrated approach to exposure assessment to define particular exposure–disease relationships and the interaction of genetic and environmental factors in disease occurrence. Improved methods for exposure assessment will result in better means of monitoring and targeting intervention and prevention programs. PMID:16002370

ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES TO CHLOROPHENOXY HERBICIDES AND ASSOCIATION WITH ADVERSE HUMAN HEALTH EFFECTS: EXAMPLE OF THE NEED FOR BETTER METHODS

EPA Science Inventory

Previous studies have made the following observations: newly emerging global patterns of disease have been observed, and environmental exposures have been implicated. Ecologic studies are fundamental for the identification of public health problems. Some level of exposure in a...

Developmental effects of exposures to environmental factors: the Polish Mother and Child Cohort Study.

PubMed

Polanska, Kinga; Hanke, Wojciech; Sobala, Wojciech; Trzcinka-Ochocka, Malgorzata; Ligocka, Danuta; Brzeznicki, Slawomir; Strugala-Stawik, Halina; Magnus, Per

2013-01-01

This paper estimates the effects of exposure to environmental factors, including lead, mercury, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), on child psychomotor development. The study population consists of mother-child pairs in the Polish Mother and Child Cohort Study. Prenatal and postnatal exposure to environmental factors was determined from biomarker measurements as follows: for lead exposure--cord blood lead level, for mercury--maternal hair mercury level, for ETS--cotinine level in saliva and urine, and for PAH--1-hydroxypyrene (1-HP) in urine. At the age of 12 (406 subjects) and 24 months (198 subjects) children were assessed using Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development. There were no statistically significant effects of prenatal exposure to mercury or 1-HP on child psychomotor development. After adjusting for potential confounders, adverse effects of prenatal exposure to ETS on motor development ( β = -2.6; P = 0.02) and postnatal exposure to ETS on cognitive ( β = -0.2; P = 0.05) and motor functions ( β = -0.5; P = 0.01) were found. The adverse effect of prenatal lead exposure on cognitive score was of borderline significance ( β = -6.2; P = 0.06). The study underscores the importance of policies and public health interventions that aim to reduce prenatal and postnatal exposure to lead and ETS.

Methods to Calculate the Heat Index as an Exposure Metric in Environmental Health Research

PubMed Central

Bell, Michelle L.; Peng, Roger D.

2013-01-01

Background: Environmental health research employs a variety of metrics to measure heat exposure, both to directly study the health effects of outdoor temperature and to control for temperature in studies of other environmental exposures, including air pollution. To measure heat exposure, environmental health studies often use heat index, which incorporates both air temperature and moisture. However, the method of calculating heat index varies across environmental studies, which could mean that studies using different algorithms to calculate heat index may not be comparable. Objective and Methods: We investigated 21 separate heat index algorithms found in the literature to determine a) whether different algorithms generate heat index values that are consistent with the theoretical concepts of apparent temperature and b) whether different algorithms generate similar heat index values. Results: Although environmental studies differ in how they calculate heat index values, most studies’ heat index algorithms generate values consistent with apparent temperature. Additionally, most different algorithms generate closely correlated heat index values. However, a few algorithms are potentially problematic, especially in certain weather conditions (e.g., very low relative humidity, cold weather). To aid environmental health researchers, we have created open-source software in R to calculate the heat index using the U.S. National Weather Service’s algorithm. Conclusion: We identified 21 separate heat index algorithms used in environmental research. Our analysis demonstrated that methods to calculate heat index are inconsistent across studies. Careful choice of a heat index algorithm can help ensure reproducible and consistent environmental health research. Citation: Anderson GB, Bell ML, Peng RD. 2013. Methods to calculate the heat index as an exposure metric in environmental health research. Environ Health Perspect 121:1111–1119; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1206273 PMID:23934704

Environmental Tobacco Smoke: Measuring Exposures and Assessing Health Effects.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Academy of Sciences - National Research Council, Washington, DC.

This book evaluates methodologies in epidemiologic and related studies for obtaining measurements of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). The book is divided into three parts. The first part discusses physicochemical and toxicological studies of environmental tobacco smoke, including physicochemical nature of smoke and in vivo and in…

*Combining regional - and local-scale air quality models with exposure models for use in environmental health studies - Title changed from Linking air quality and exposure models for use in environmental health studies

EPA Science Inventory

Population-based human exposure models predict the distribution of personal exposures to pollutants of outdoor origin using a variety of inputs, including air pollution concentrations; human activity patterns, such as the amount of time spent outdoors versus indoors, commuting, w...

Potential environmental implications of nanoscale zero-valent iron particles for environmental remediation.

PubMed

Jang, Min-Hee; Lim, Myunghee; Hwang, Yu Sik

2014-01-01

Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) particles are widely used in the field of various environmental contaminant remediation. Although the potential benefits of nZVI are considerable, there is a distinct need to identify any potential risks after environmental exposure. In this respect, we review recent studies on the environmental applications and implications of nZVI, highlighting research gaps and suggesting future research directions. Environmental application of nZVI is briefly summarized, focusing on its unique properties. Ecotoxicity of nZVI is reviewed according to type of organism, including bacteria, terrestrial organisms, and aquatic organisms. The environmental fate and transport of nZVI are also summarized with regards to exposure scenarios. Finally, the current limitations of risk determination are thoroughly provided. The ecotoxicity of nZVI depends on the composition, concentration, size and surface properties of the nanoparticles and the experimental method used, including the species investigated. In addition, the environmental fate and transport of nZVI appear to be complex and depend on the exposure duration and the exposure conditions. To date, field-scale data are limited and only short-term studies using simple exposure methods have been conducted. In this regard, the primary focus of future study should be on 1) the development of an appropriate and valid testing method of the environmental fate and ecotoxicity of reactive nanoparticles used in environmental applications and 2) assessing their potential environmental risks using in situ field scale applications.

Potential environmental implications of nanoscale zero-valent iron particles for environmental remediation

PubMed Central

Jang, Min-Hee; Lim, Myunghee; Hwang, Yu Sik

2014-01-01

Objectives Nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) particles are widely used in the field of various environmental contaminant remediation. Although the potential benefits of nZVI are considerable, there is a distinct need to identify any potential risks after environmental exposure. In this respect, we review recent studies on the environmental applications and implications of nZVI, highlighting research gaps and suggesting future research directions. Methods Environmental application of nZVI is briefly summarized, focusing on its unique properties. Ecotoxicity of nZVI is reviewed according to type of organism, including bacteria, terrestrial organisms, and aquatic organisms. The environmental fate and transport of nZVI are also summarized with regards to exposure scenarios. Finally, the current limitations of risk determination are thoroughly provided. Results The ecotoxicity of nZVI depends on the composition, concentration, size and surface properties of the nanoparticles and the experimental method used, including the species investigated. In addition, the environmental fate and transport of nZVI appear to be complex and depend on the exposure duration and the exposure conditions. To date, field-scale data are limited and only short-term studies using simple exposure methods have been conducted. Conclusions In this regard, the primary focus of future study should be on 1) the development of an appropriate and valid testing method of the environmental fate and ecotoxicity of reactive nanoparticles used in environmental applications and 2) assessing their potential environmental risks using in situ field scale applications. PMID:25518840

Florida Red Tide Toxins (Brevetoxins) and Longitudinal Respiratory Effects in Asthmatics.

PubMed

Bean, Judy A; Fleming, Lora E; Kirkpatrick, Barbara; Backer, Lorraine C; Nierenberg, Kate; Reich, Andrew; Cheng, Yung Sung; Wanner, Adam; Benson, Janet; Naar, Jerome; Pierce, Richard; Abraham, William M; Kirkpatrick, Gary; Hollenbeck, Julie; Zaias, Julia; Mendes, Eliana; Baden, Daniel G

2011-09-01

Having demonstrated significant and persistent adverse changes in pulmonary function for asthmatics after 1 hour exposure to brevetoxins in Florida red tide (Karenia brevis bloom) aerosols, we assessed the possible longer term health effects in asthmatics from intermittent environmental exposure to brevetoxins over 7 years. 125 asthmatic subjects were assessed for their pulmonary function and reported symptoms before and after 1 hour of environmental exposure to Florida red tide aerosols for upto 11 studies over seven years. As a group, the asthmatics came to the studies with normal standardized percent predicted pulmonary function values. The 38 asthmatics who participated in only one exposure study were more reactive compared to the 36 asthmatics who participated in ≥4 exposure studies. The 36 asthmatics participating in ≥4 exposure studies demonstrated no significant change in their standardized percent predicted pre-exposure pulmonary function over the 7 years of the study. These results indicate that stable asthmatics living in areas with intermittent Florida red tides do not exhibit chronic respiratory effects from intermittent environmental exposure to aerosolized brevetoxins over a 7 year period.

Fathers Matter: Why It’s Time to Consider the Impact of Paternal Environmental Exposures on Children’s Health

PubMed Central

Braun, Joseph M.; Messerlian, Carmen; Hauser, Russ

2017-01-01

Purpose Despite accumulating evidence from experimental animal studies showing that paternal environmental exposures induce genetic and epigenetic alterations in sperm which in turn increase the risk of adverse health outcomes in offspring, there is limited epidemiological data on the effects of human paternal preconception exposures on children’s health. We summarize animal and human studies showing that paternal preconception environmental exposures influence offspring health. We discuss specific approaches and designs for human studies to investigate the health effects of paternal preconception exposures, the specific challenges these studies may face, and how we might address them. Recent Findings In animal studies, paternal preconception diet, stress, and chemical exposures have been associated with offspring health and these effects are mediated by epigenetic modifications transmitted through sperm DNA, histones, and RNA. Most epidemiological studies have examined paternal preconception occupational exposures and their effect on the risk of birth defects and childhood cancer; few have examined the effects of low-level general population exposure to environmental toxicants. While the design and execution of epidemiological studies of paternal preconception exposures face challenges, particularly with regard to selection bias and recruitment, we believe these are tractable and that preconception studies are feasible. Summary New or augmented prospective cohort studies would be the optimal method to address the critical knowledge gaps on the effect of paternal preconception exposures on prevalent childhood health outcomes. Determining if this period of life represents a window of heightened vulnerability would improve our understanding of modifiable risk factors for children’s health and wellbeing. PMID:28848695

OBGYN screening for environmental exposures: A call for action

PubMed Central

Allshouse, A. A.; Jungheim, E.; Powell, T. L.; Jansson, T.; Polotsky, A. J.

2018-01-01

Background Prenatal exposures have known adverse effects on maternal and neonatal outcomes. Professional societies recommend routine screening for environmental, occupational, and dietary exposures to reduce exposures and their associated sequelae. Objective Our objective was to determine the frequency of environmental exposure screening by obstetricians and gynecologists (OBGYNs) at initial patient visits. Study design Practicing OBGYNs were approached at the University of Colorado and by social media. The survey instrument queried demographics, environmental literacy, and screening practices. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square and two-sample t-test. Results We received 312 online survey responses (response rate of 12%). Responding OBGYNs were predominantly female (96%), board-certified (78%), generalists (65%) with a mean age of 37.1 years. Fewer than half of physicians screened for the following factors: occupational exposures, environmental chemicals, air pollution, pesticide use, personal care products, household cleaners, water source, use of plastics for food storage, and lead and mercury exposure. Eighty five percent of respondents reported that they did not feel comfortable obtaining an environmental history and 58% respondents reported that they performed no regular screening of environmental exposures. A higher frequency of screening was associated with > 4 years of practice (p = 0.001), and having read the environmental committee opinion (p = <0.001). Conclusion The majority of OBGYNs did not incorporate screening for known environmental exposures into routine practice. Reading the environmental committee opinions was strongly and significantly associated with a higher rate of screening. Improving physician comfort in counseling patients may enhance screening for exposures that affect reproductive health. PMID:29768418

Cumulative Risk and Impact Modeling on Environmental Chemical and Social Stressors.

PubMed

Huang, Hongtai; Wang, Aolin; Morello-Frosch, Rachel; Lam, Juleen; Sirota, Marina; Padula, Amy; Woodruff, Tracey J

2018-03-01

The goal of this review is to identify cumulative modeling methods used to evaluate combined effects of exposures to environmental chemicals and social stressors. The specific review question is: What are the existing quantitative methods used to examine the cumulative impacts of exposures to environmental chemical and social stressors on health? There has been an increase in literature that evaluates combined effects of exposures to environmental chemicals and social stressors on health using regression models; very few studies applied other data mining and machine learning techniques to this problem. The majority of studies we identified used regression models to evaluate combined effects of multiple environmental and social stressors. With proper study design and appropriate modeling assumptions, additional data mining methods may be useful to examine combined effects of environmental and social stressors.

Lessons Learned From the Children’s Environmental Exposure Research Study

PubMed Central

Resnik, David B.; Wing, Steven

2007-01-01

We examined 5 different ethical concerns about the Children’s Environmental Exposure Research Study and make some recommendations for future studies of exposure to hazardous environmental agents in the home. Researchers should seek community consultation and participation; make participants aware of all the risks associated with the research, including hazards discovered in the home and uncertainties about the risks of agents under investigation; and take steps to ensure that their studies will not have unfair representation of the poor or people of color. Researchers should also avoid even the appearance of a financial conflict of interest in studies that are likely to be controversial and make it clear to all parties that studies will not intentionally expose subjects to hazardous environmental agents. PMID:17267718

Lessons learned from the Children's Environmental Exposure Research Study.

PubMed

Resnik, David B; Wing, Steven

2007-03-01

We examined 5 different ethical concerns about the Children's Environmental Exposure Research Study and make some recommendations for future studies of exposure to hazardous environmental agents in the home. Researchers should seek community consultation and participation; make participants aware of all the risks associated with the research, including hazards discovered in the home and uncertainties about the risks of agents under investigation; and take steps to ensure that their studies will not have unfair representation of the poor or people of color. Researchers should also avoid even the appearance of a financial conflict of interest in studies that are likely to be controversial and make it clear to all parties that studies will not intentionally expose subjects to hazardous environmental agents.

Commentary on the contributions and future role of occupational exposure science in a vision and strategy for the discipline of exposure science.

PubMed

Harper, Martin; Weis, Christopher; Pleil, Joachim D; Blount, Benjamin C; Miller, Aubrey; Hoover, Mark D; Jahn, Steven

2015-01-01

Exposure science is a holistic concept without prejudice to exposure source. Traditionally, measurements aimed at mitigating environmental exposures have not included exposures in the workplace, instead considering such exposures to be an internal affair between workers and their employers. Similarly, occupational (or industrial) hygiene has not typically accounted for environmental contributions to poor health at work. Many persons spend a significant amount of their lifetime in the workplace, where they maybe exposed to more numerous chemicals at higher levels than elsewhere in their environment. In addition, workplace chemical exposures and other exogenous stressors may increase epigenetic and germline modifications that are passed on to future generations. We provide a brief history of the development of exposure science from its roots in the assessment of workplace exposures, including an appendix where we detail current resources for education and training in exposure science offered through occupational hygiene organizations. We describe existing successful collaborations between occupational and environmental practitioners in the field of exposure science, which may serve as a model for future interactions. Finally, we provide an integrated vision for the field of exposure science, emphasizing interagency collaboration, the need for complete exposure information in epidemiological studies, and the importance of integrating occupational, environmental, and residential assessments. Our goal is to encourage communication and spur additional collaboration between the fields of occupational and environmental exposure assessment. Providing a more comprehensive approach to exposure science is critical to the study of the "exposome", which conceptualizes the totality of exposures throughout a person's life, not only chemical, but also from diet, stress, drugs, infection, and so on, and the individual response.

Commentary on the contributions and future role of occupational exposure science in a vision and strategy for the discipline of exposure science

PubMed Central

Harper, Martin; Weis, Christopher; Pleil, Joachim D.; Blount, Benjamin C.; Miller, Aubrey; Hoover, Mark D.; Jahn, Steven

2015-01-01

Exposure science is a holistic concept without prejudice to exposure source. Traditionally, measurements aimed at mitigating environmental exposures have not included exposures in the workplace, instead considering such exposures to be an internal affair between workers and their employers. Similarly, occupational (or industrial) hygiene has not typically accounted for environmental contributions to poor health at work. Many persons spend a significant amount of their lifetime in the workplace, where they maybe exposed to more numerous chemicals at higher levels than elsewhere in their environment. In addition, workplace chemical exposures and other exogenous stressors may increase epigenetic and germline modifications that are passed on to future generations. We provide a brief history of the development of exposure science from its roots in the assessment of workplace exposures, including an appendix where we detail current resources for education and training in exposure science offered through occupational hygiene organizations. We describe existing successful collaborations between occupational and environmental practitioners in the field of exposure science, which may serve as a model for future interactions. Finally, we provide an integrated vision for the field of exposure science, emphasizing interagency collaboration, the need for complete exposure information in epidemiological studies, and the importance of integrating occupational, environmental, and residential assessments. Our goal is to encourage communication and spur additional collaboration between the fields of occupational and environmental exposure assessment. Providing a more comprehensive approach to exposure science is critical to the study of the “exposome”, which conceptualizes the totality of exposures throughout a person’s life, not only chemical, but also from diet, stress, drugs, infection, and so on, and the individual response. PMID:25670022

Role of Environmental Contaminants in the Etiology of Alzheimer's Disease: A Review

PubMed Central

Manivannan, Yegambaram; Manivannan, Bhagyashree; Beach, Thomas G.; Halden, Rolf U.

2015-01-01

Alzheimer's dis ease (AD) is a leading cause of mortality in the developed world with 70% risk attributable to genetics. The remaining 30% of AD risk is hypothesized to include environmental factors and human lifestyle patterns. Environmental factors possibly include inorganic and organic hazards, exposure to toxic metals (aluminium, copper), pesticides (organochlorine and organophosphate insecticides), industrial chemicals (flame retardants) and air pollutants (particulate matter). Long term exposures to these environmental contaminants together with bioaccumulation over an individual's life-time are speculated to induce neuroinflammation and neuropathology paving the way for developing AD. Epidemiologic associations between environmental contaminant exposures and AD are still limited. However, many in vitro and animal studies have identified toxic effects of environmental contaminants at the cellular level, revealing alterations of pathways and metabolisms associated with AD that warrant further investigations. This review provides an overview of in vitro, animal and epidemiological studies on the etiology of AD, highlighting available data supportive of the long hypothesized link between toxic environmental exposures and development of AD pathology. PMID:25654508

Multi-Contextual Segregation and Environmental Justice Research: Toward Fine-Scale Spatiotemporal Approaches.

PubMed

Park, Yoo Min; Kwan, Mei-Po

2017-10-10

Many environmental justice studies have sought to examine the effect of residential segregation on unequal exposure to environmental factors among different social groups, but little is known about how segregation in non-residential contexts affects such disparity. Based on a review of the relevant literature, this paper discusses the limitations of traditional residence-based approaches in examining the association between socioeconomic or racial/ethnic segregation and unequal environmental exposure in environmental justice research. It emphasizes that future research needs to go beyond residential segregation by considering the full spectrum of segregation experienced by people in various geographic and temporal contexts of everyday life. Along with this comprehensive understanding of segregation, the paper also highlights the importance of assessing environmental exposure at a high spatiotemporal resolution in environmental justice research. The successful integration of a comprehensive concept of segregation, high-resolution data and fine-grained spatiotemporal approaches to assessing segregation and environmental exposure would provide more nuanced and robust findings on the associations between segregation and disparities in environmental exposure and their health impacts. Moreover, it would also contribute to significantly expanding the scope of environmental justice research.

Association between environmental factors including second-hand smoke and primary lung cancer in dogs.

PubMed

Zierenberg-Ripoll, A; Pollard, R E; Stewart, S L; Allstadt, S D; Barrett, L E; Gillem, J M; Skorupski, K A

2018-06-01

To estimate prevalence of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and other environmental toxins in dogs with primary lung tumours and to analyse association between exposure and lung tumour development. In this case-control study, an owner survey was developed to collect data on patient characteristics, general health care and environmental exposures. Dogs diagnosed with primary lung carcinomas formed the Case group. Dogs diagnosed with mast cell tumours served as Control Group 1 and dogs diagnosed with neurologic disease served as Control Group 2. Associations between diagnosis of primary lung tumour and patient and environmental exposure variables were analysed using bivariate and multivariate statistical methods. A total of 1178 owner surveys were mailed and 470 surveys were returned and included in statistical analysis, including 135 Cases, 169 dogs in Control Group 1 and 166 dogs in Control Group 2. An association between exposure to second-hand smoke and prevalence of primary lung cancer was not identified in this study. Second-hand smoke is associated with primary lung cancer in people but a definitive association has not been found in dogs. The results of this study suggest that tobacco smoke exposure may not be associated with primary lung cancer development in dogs but study limitations may have precluded detection of an association. © 2017 British Small Animal Veterinary Association.

Renal and blood pressure effects from environmental cadmium exposure in Thai children

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Swaddiwudhipong, Witaya, E-mail: swaddi@hotmail.com; Mahasakpan, Pranee; Jeekeeree, Wanpen

Very few studies have shown renal and blood pressure effects from environmental cadmium exposure in children. This population study examined associations between urinary cadmium excretion, a good biomarker of long-term cadmium exposure, and renal dysfunctions and blood pressure in environmentally exposed Thai children. Renal functions including urinary excretion of β{sub 2}-microglobulin, calcium (early renal effects), and total protein (late renal effect), and blood pressure were measured in 594 primary school children. Of the children studied, 19.0% had urinary cadmium ≥1 μg/g creatinine. The prevalence of urinary cadmium ≥1 μg/g creatinine was significantly higher in girls and in those consuming ricemore » grown in cadmium-contaminated areas. The geometric mean levels of urinary β{sub 2}-microglobulin, calcium, and total protein significantly increased with increasing tertiles of urinary cadmium. The analysis did not show increased blood pressure with increasing tertiles of urinary cadmium. After adjusting for age, sex, and blood lead levels, the analysis showed significant positive associations between urinary cadmium and urinary β{sub 2}-microglobulin and urinary calcium, but not urinary total protein nor blood pressure. Our findings provide evidence that environmental cadmium exposure can affect renal functions in children. A follow-up study is essential to assess the clinical significance and progress of renal effects in these children. - Highlights: • Few studies show renal effects from environmental cadmium exposure in children. • We report renal and blood pressure effects from cadmium exposure in Thai children. • Urinary β{sub 2}-microglobulin and calcium increased with increasing urinary cadmium. • The study found no association between urinary cadmium levels and blood pressure. • Environmental cadmium exposure can affect renal functions in children.« less

Exposure to Environmental Air Manganese and Medication Use

EPA Science Inventory

Manganese (Mn) is an essential element with natural low levels found in water, food, and air, but due to industrialized processes, both workplace and the environmental exposures to Mn have increased. Recently, environmental studies have reported physical and mental health problem...

Environmental exposure to arsenic and chromium in an industrial area.

PubMed

Vimercati, Luigi; Gatti, Maria F; Gagliardi, Tommaso; Cuccaro, Francesco; De Maria, Luigi; Caputi, Antonio; Quarato, Marco; Baldassarre, Antonio

2017-04-01

Arsenic and chromium are widespread environmental contaminants that affect global health due to their toxicity and carcinogenicity. To date, few studies have investigated exposure to arsenic and chromium in a population residing in a high-risk environmental area. The aim of this study is to evaluate the exposure to arsenic and chromium in the general population with no occupational exposure to these metals, resident in the industrial area of Taranto, Southern Italy, through biological monitoring techniques. We measured the levels of chromium, inorganic arsenic, and methylated metabolites, in the urine samples of 279 subjects residing in Taranto and neighboring areas. Qualified health staff administered a standardized structured questionnaire investigating lifestyle habits and controlling for confounding factors. The biological monitoring data showed high urinary concentrations of both the heavy metals investigated, particularly Cr. On this basis, it will be necessary to carry out an organized environmental monitoring program, taking into consideration all exposure routes so as to correlate the environmental concentrations of these metals with the biomonitoring results.

One Health and the Environment: Toxic Cyanobacteria, a Case Study

EPA Science Inventory

The study of environmental health typically focuses on human populations. However, companion animals, livestock and wildlife also experience adverse health effects from environmental pollutants. Animals may experience direct exposure to pollutants in ambient exposure situations. ...

Mapping environmental injustices: pitfalls and potential of geographic information systems in assessing environmental health and equity.

PubMed Central

Maantay, Juliana

2002-01-01

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been used increasingly to map instances of environmental injustice, the disproportionate exposure of certain populations to environmental hazards. Some of the technical and analytic difficulties of mapping environmental injustice are outlined in this article, along with suggestions for using GIS to better assess and predict environmental health and equity. I examine 13 GIS-based environmental equity studies conducted within the past decade and use a study of noxious land use locations in the Bronx, New York, to illustrate and evaluate the differences in two common methods of determining exposure extent and the characteristics of proximate populations. Unresolved issues in mapping environmental equity and health include lack of comprehensive hazards databases; the inadequacy of current exposure indices; the need to develop realistic methodologies for determining the geographic extent of exposure and the characteristics of the affected populations; and the paucity and insufficiency of health assessment data. GIS have great potential to help us understand the spatial relationship between pollution and health. Refinements in exposure indices; the use of dispersion modeling and advanced proximity analysis; the application of neighborhood-scale analysis; and the consideration of other factors such as zoning and planning policies will enable more conclusive findings. The environmental equity studies reviewed in this article found a disproportionate environmental burden based on race and/or income. It is critical now to demonstrate correspondence between environmental burdens and adverse health impacts--to show the disproportionate effects of pollution rather than just the disproportionate distribution of pollution sources. PMID:11929725

The Environmental Protection Agency's Community-Focused Exposure and Risk Screening Tool (C-FERST) and its potential use for environmental justice efforts.

PubMed

Zartarian, Valerie G; Schultz, Bradley D; Barzyk, Timothy M; Smuts, Marybeth; Hammond, Davyda M; Medina-Vera, Myriam; Geller, Andrew M

2011-12-01

Our primary objective was to provide higher quality, more accessible science to address challenges of characterizing local-scale exposures and risks for enhanced community-based assessments and environmental decision-making. After identifying community needs, priority environmental issues, and current tools, we designed and populated the Community-Focused Exposure and Risk Screening Tool (C-FERST) in collaboration with stakeholders, following a set of defined principles, and considered it in the context of environmental justice. C-FERST is a geographic information system and resource access Web tool under development for supporting multimedia community assessments. Community-level exposure and risk research is being conducted to address specific local issues through case studies. C-FERST can be applied to support environmental justice efforts. It incorporates research to develop community-level data and modeled estimates for priority environmental issues, and other relevant information identified by communities. Initial case studies are under way to refine and test the tool to expand its applicability and transferability. Opportunities exist for scientists to address the many research needs in characterizing local cumulative exposures and risks and for community partners to apply and refine C-FERST.

A comparison between self-reported and GIS-based proxies of residential exposure to environmental pollution in a case-control study on lung cancer.

PubMed

Cordioli, M; Ranzi, A; Freni Sterrantino, A; Erspamer, L; Razzini, G; Ferrari, U; Gatti, M G; Bonora, K; Artioli, F; Goldoni, C A; Lauriola, P

2014-06-01

In epidemiological studies both questionnaire results and GIS modeling have been used to assess exposure to environmental risk factors. Nevertheless, few studies have used both these techniques to evaluate the degree of agreement between different exposure assessment methodologies. As part of a case-control study on lung cancer, we present a comparison between self-reported and GIS-derived proxies of residential exposure to environmental pollution. 649 subjects were asked to fill out a questionnaire and give information about residential history and perceived exposure. Using GIS, for each residence we evaluated land use patterns, proximity to major roads and exposure to industrial pollution. We then compared the GIS exposure-index values among groups created on the basis of questionnaire responses. Our results showed a relatively high agreement between the two methods. Although none of these methods is the "exposure gold standard", understanding similarities, weaknesses and strengths of each method is essential to strengthen epidemiological evidence. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and exposure to metals and other occupational/environmental hazardous materials: state of the art].

PubMed

Garzillo, Elpidio Maria; Miraglia, Nadia; Pedata, Paola; Feola, Daniela; Sannolo, Nicola; Lamberti, Monica

2015-01-01

In recent years, scientific literature has been giving more and more importance to the study of the occupational/environmental exposure to risk agents related to the onset of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive muscular paralysis reflecting degeneration of motor neurons in the primary motor cortex. Aim of this work is to verify the state of art about the eventual role of occupational/environmental exposure to risk agents. Selected articles, on the basis of keywords, year of publication and topics, are related to occupational and environmental exposure to xenobiotics, and, in particular, to the exposure to heavy metals that could lead to neuronal damage mechanisms involved in ALS onset. The review shows that although the scientific production has increased the interest in the evaluation of extra-genetic causes of ALS onset, there are still few studies concerning the careful study of the work activities of the individual patient, and the inferences that can be drawn to date about the possible connection between occupational exposure to risk factors and the onset of ALS are still lacking.

Using environmental forensic microscopy in exposure science.

PubMed

Millette, James R; Brown, Richard S; Hill, Whitney B

2008-01-01

Environmental forensic microscopy investigations are based on the methods and procedures developed in the fields of criminal forensics, industrial hygiene and environmental monitoring. Using a variety of microscopes and techniques, the environmental forensic scientist attempts to reconstruct the sources and the extent of exposure based on the physical evidence left behind after particles are exchanged between an individual and the environments he or she passes through. This article describes how environmental forensic microscopy uses procedures developed for environmental monitoring, criminal forensics and industrial hygiene investigations. It provides key references to the interdisciplinary approach used in microscopic investigations. Case studies dealing with lead, asbestos, glass fibers and other particulate contaminants are used to illustrate how environmental forensic microscopy can be very useful in the initial stages of a variety of environmental exposure characterization efforts to eliminate some agents of concern and to narrow the field of possible sources of exposure.

Reproductive Outcomes Associated with Noise Exposure — A Systematic Review of the Literature

PubMed Central

Ristovska, Gordana; Laszlo, Helga Elvira; Hansell, Anna L.

2014-01-01

Introduction: High noise exposure during critical periods in gestation is a potential stressor that may result in increased risk of implantation failure, dysregulation of placentation or decrease of uterine blood flow. This paper systematically reviews published evidence on associations between reproductive outcomes and occupational and environmental noise exposure. Methods: The Web of Science, PubMed and Embase electronic databases were searched for papers published between 1970 to June 2014 and via colleagues. We included 14 epidemiological studies related to occupational noise exposure and nine epidemiological studies related to environmental noise exposure. There was some evidence for associations between occupational noise exposure and low birthweight, preterm birth and small for gestational age, either independently or together with other occupational risk factors. Five of six epidemiologic studies, including the two largest studies, found significant associations between lower birthweight and higher noise exposure. There were few studies on other outcomes and study design issues may have led to bias in assessments in some studies. Conclusions: There is evidence for associations between noise exposure and adverse reproductive outcomes from animal studies. Few studies in have been conducted in humans but there is some suggestive evidence of adverse associations with environmental noise from both occupational and epidemiological studies, especially for low birthweight. PMID:25101773

The Matthew Effect and widely prescribed pharmaceuticals lacking environmental monitoring: case study of an exposure-assessment vulnerability.

PubMed

Daughton, Christian G

2014-01-01

Assessing ambient exposure to chemical stressors often begins with time-consuming and costly monitoring studies to establish environmental occurrence. Both human and ecological toxicology are currently challenged by the unknowns surrounding low-dose exposure/effects, compounded by the reality that exposure undoubtedly involves mixtures of multiple stressors whose identities and levels can vary over time. Long absent from the assessment process, however, is whether the full scope of the identities of the stressors is sufficiently known. The Matthew Effect (a psychosocial phenomenon sometimes informally called the "bandwagon effect" or "iceberg effect," among others) may adversely bias or corrupt the exposure assessment process. The Matthew Effect is evidenced by decisions that base the selection of stressors to target in environmental monitoring surveys on whether they have been identified in prior studies, rather than considering the possibility that additional, but previously unreported, stressors might also play important roles in an exposure scenario. The possibility that the Matthew Effect might influence the scope of environmental stressor research is explored for the first time in a comprehensive case study that examines the preponderance of "absence of data" (in contrast to positive data and "data of absence") for the environmental occurrence of a very large class of potential chemical stressors associated with ubiquitous consumer use - active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Comprehensive examination of the published data for an array of several hundred of the most frequently used drugs for whether their APIs are environmental contaminants provides a prototype example to catalyze discussion among the many disciplines involved with assessing risk. The findings could help guide the selection of those APIs that might merit targeting for environmental monitoring (based on the absence of data for environmental occurrence) as well as the prescribing of those medications that might have minimal environmental impact (based on data of absence for environmental occurrence). © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

ASSESSING EXPOSURES TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS IN MINORITY AND LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES

EPA Science Inventory

Research has shown that minority and low income communities are often at greater risk of impact from environmental hazards. Many studies use surrogate measures of exposure for minority and low income populations due the lack of actual data on exposures in these communities. T...

Multi-Contextual Segregation and Environmental Justice Research: Toward Fine-Scale Spatiotemporal Approaches

PubMed Central

Park, Yoo Min; Kwan, Mei-Po

2017-01-01

Many environmental justice studies have sought to examine the effect of residential segregation on unequal exposure to environmental factors among different social groups, but little is known about how segregation in non-residential contexts affects such disparity. Based on a review of the relevant literature, this paper discusses the limitations of traditional residence-based approaches in examining the association between socioeconomic or racial/ethnic segregation and unequal environmental exposure in environmental justice research. It emphasizes that future research needs to go beyond residential segregation by considering the full spectrum of segregation experienced by people in various geographic and temporal contexts of everyday life. Along with this comprehensive understanding of segregation, the paper also highlights the importance of assessing environmental exposure at a high spatiotemporal resolution in environmental justice research. The successful integration of a comprehensive concept of segregation, high-resolution data and fine-grained spatiotemporal approaches to assessing segregation and environmental exposure would provide more nuanced and robust findings on the associations between segregation and disparities in environmental exposure and their health impacts. Moreover, it would also contribute to significantly expanding the scope of environmental justice research. PMID:28994744

NIAID, NIEHS, NHLBI, and MCAN Workshop Report: The indoor environment and childhood asthma-implications for home environmental intervention in asthma prevention and management.

PubMed

Gold, Diane R; Adamkiewicz, Gary; Arshad, Syed Hasan; Celedón, Juan C; Chapman, Martin D; Chew, Ginger L; Cook, Donald N; Custovic, Adnan; Gehring, Ulrike; Gern, James E; Johnson, Christine C; Kennedy, Suzanne; Koutrakis, Petros; Leaderer, Brian; Mitchell, Herman; Litonjua, Augusto A; Mueller, Geoffrey A; O'Connor, George T; Ownby, Dennis; Phipatanakul, Wanda; Persky, Victoria; Perzanowski, Matthew S; Ramsey, Clare D; Salo, Päivi M; Schwaninger, Julie M; Sordillo, Joanne E; Spira, Avrum; Suglia, Shakira F; Togias, Alkis; Zeldin, Darryl C; Matsui, Elizabeth C

2017-10-01

Environmental exposures have been recognized as critical in the initiation and exacerbation of asthma, one of the most common chronic childhood diseases. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; and Merck Childhood Asthma Network sponsored a joint workshop to discuss the current state of science with respect to the indoor environment and its effects on the development and morbidity of childhood asthma. The workshop included US and international experts with backgrounds in allergy/allergens, immunology, asthma, environmental health, environmental exposures and pollutants, epidemiology, public health, and bioinformatics. Workshop participants provided new insights into the biologic properties of indoor exposures, indoor exposure assessment, and exposure reduction techniques. This informed a primary focus of the workshop: to critically review trials and research relevant to the prevention or control of asthma through environmental intervention. The participants identified important limitations and gaps in scientific methodologies and knowledge and proposed and prioritized areas for future research. The group reviewed socioeconomic and structural challenges to changing environmental exposure and offered recommendations for creative study design to overcome these challenges in trials to improve asthma management. The recommendations of this workshop can serve as guidance for future research in the study of the indoor environment and on environmental interventions as they pertain to the prevention and management of asthma and airway allergies. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Environmental exposure to benzene: an update.

PubMed Central

Wallace, L

1996-01-01

During the 1990s, several large-scale studies of benzene concentrations in air, food, and blood have added to our knowledge of its environmental occurrence. In general, the new studies have confirmed the earlier findings of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Total Exposure Assessment Methodology (TEAM) studies and other large-scale studies in Germany and the Netherlands concerning the levels of exposure and major sources. For example, the new studies found that personal exposures exceeded indoor concentrations of benzene, which in turn exceeded outdoor concentrations. The new studies of food concentrations have confirmed earlier indications that food is not an important pathway for benzene exposure. The results of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey on blood levels in a nationwide sample of 883 persons are in good agreement with the concentrations in exhaled breath measured in about 800 persons a decade earlier in the TEAM studies. Major sources of exposure continue to be active and passive smoking, auto exhaust, and driving or riding in automobiles. New methods in breath and blood sampling and analysis offer opportunities to investigate short-term peak exposures and resulting body burden under almost any conceivable field conditions. PMID:9118882

Occupational and environmental exposures and cancers in developing countries.

PubMed

Hashim, Dana; Boffetta, Paolo

2014-01-01

Over the past few decades, there has been a decline in cancers attributable to environmental and occupational carcinogens of asbestos, arsenic, and indoor and outdoor air pollution in high-income countries. For low- to middle-income countries (LMICs), however, these exposures are likely to increase as industrialization expands and populations grow. The aim of this study was to review the evidence on the cancer risks and burdens of selected environmental and occupational exposures in less-developed economies. A causal association has been established between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma and lung cancer. For arsenic exposure, there is strong evidence of bladder, skin, lung, liver, and kidney cancer effects. Women are at the highest risk for lung cancer due to indoor air pollution exposure; however, the carcinogenic effect on the risk for cancer in children has not been studied in these countries. Cancer risks associated with ambient air pollution remain the least studied in LMICs, although reported exposures are higher than World Health Organization, European, and US standards. Although some associations between lung cancer and ambient air pollutants have been reported, studies in LMICs are weak or subject to exposure misclassification. For pulmonary cancers, tobacco smoking and respiratory diseases have a positive synergistic effect on cancer risks. A precise quantification of the burden of human cancer attributable to environmental and occupational exposures in LMICs is uncertain. Although the prevalence of carcinogenic exposures has been reported to be high in many such countries, the effects of the exposures have not been studied due to varying country-specific limitations, some of which include lack of resources and government support. Copyright © 2014 Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Qualitative environmental health research: an analysis of the literature, 1991-2008.

PubMed

Scammell, Madeleine Kangsen

2011-10-01

Qualitative research uses nonnumeric data to understand people's opinions, motives, understanding, and beliefs about events or phenomena. In this analysis, I report the use of qualitative methods and data in the study of the relationship between environmental exposures and human health. A primary search for peer-reviewed journal articles dated from 1991 through 2008 included the following three terms: qualitative, environ*, and health. Searches resulted in 3,155 records. Data were extracted and findings of articles analyzed to determine where and by whom qualitative environmental health research is conducted and published, the types of methods and analyses used in qualitative studies of environmental health, and the types of information qualitative data contribute to environmental health. The results highlight a diversity of disciplines and techniques among researchers who used qualitative methods to study environmental health. Nearly all of the studies identified increased scientific understanding of lay perceptions of environmental health exposures. This analysis demonstrates the potential of qualitative data to improve understanding of complex exposure pathways, including the influence of social factors on environmental health, and health outcomes.

Building associations between markers of environmental stressors and adverse human health impacts using frequent itemset mining

EPA Science Inventory

Building associations between markers of exposure and effect using frequent itemset mining The human-health impact of environmental contaminant exposures is unclear. While some exposure-effect relationships are well studied, health effects are unknown for the vast majority of the...

Cardiovascular impacts and micro-environmental exposure factors associated with continuous personal PM2.5 monitoring

EPA Science Inventory

The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (US EPA) Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) has provided extensive data on human exposures to a wide variety of air pollutants and their impact on human health. Previous analyses in the DEARS revealed select cardiovascul...

The Influence of Human and Environmental Exposure Factors on Personal NO2 Exposures

EPA Science Inventory

The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (US EPA) Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) deployed a total of over 2000 nitrogen dioxide, NO₂, passive monitors during 3 years of field data collections. These 24-h based personal, residential outdoor and comm...

Connection Between Environmental Exposure and Health Outcomes

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This page gives some examples that show how there is a relationships between environmental exposures and health outcomes which can only be established through well-designed epidemiological, toxicological, and clinical studies.

Environmental justice in the context of commuters' exposure to CO and PM10 in Bangalore, India.

PubMed

Sabapathy, Ashwin; Saksena, Sumeet; Flachsbart, Peter

2015-01-01

The Information Technology (IT) industry in the globalizing city of Bangalore has transformed the socio-economic characteristics of the city. The intent of this study, developed from an environmental justice framework, was to determine whether air pollutant exposure while commuting to and from work is related to a commuter's income characteristics and whether differences are larger for the IT economy when compared with a traditional manufacturing-oriented economy of the city. The study measured exposures to CO and PM10 using personal samplers for a sample of employees of a traditional public sector manufacturing industry (n=20) and an IT industry (n=26). This approach overcomes the methodological limitations of previous environmental justice studies. Socio-economic characteristics were obtained from a questionnaire-based survey of 436 employees in two firms. The results do not support the environmental justice hypothesis for commuting in Bangalore mainly because longer commuting times of higher-income groups offsets the benefits of lower pollutant concentrations. The study nevertheless demonstrates the use of personal exposure for environmental justice assessments.

Functional Logistic Regression Approach to Detecting Gene by Longitudinal Environmental Exposure Interaction in a Case-Control Study

PubMed Central

Wei, Peng; Tang, Hongwei; Li, Donghui

2014-01-01

Most complex human diseases are likely the consequence of the joint actions of genetic and environmental factors. Identification of gene-environment (GxE) interactions not only contributes to a better understanding of the disease mechanisms, but also improves disease risk prediction and targeted intervention. In contrast to the large number of genetic susceptibility loci discovered by genome-wide association studies, there have been very few successes in identifying GxE interactions which may be partly due to limited statistical power and inaccurately measured exposures. While existing statistical methods only consider interactions between genes and static environmental exposures, many environmental/lifestyle factors, such as air pollution and diet, change over time, and cannot be accurately captured at one measurement time point or by simply categorizing into static exposure categories. There is a dearth of statistical methods for detecting gene by time-varying environmental exposure interactions. Here we propose a powerful functional logistic regression (FLR) approach to model the time-varying effect of longitudinal environmental exposure and its interaction with genetic factors on disease risk. Capitalizing on the powerful functional data analysis framework, our proposed FLR model is capable of accommodating longitudinal exposures measured at irregular time points and contaminated by measurement errors, commonly encountered in observational studies. We use extensive simulations to show that the proposed method can control the Type I error and is more powerful than alternative ad hoc methods. We demonstrate the utility of this new method using data from a case-control study of pancreatic cancer to identify the windows of vulnerability of lifetime body mass index on the risk of pancreatic cancer as well as genes which may modify this association. PMID:25219575

Functional logistic regression approach to detecting gene by longitudinal environmental exposure interaction in a case-control study.

PubMed

Wei, Peng; Tang, Hongwei; Li, Donghui

2014-11-01

Most complex human diseases are likely the consequence of the joint actions of genetic and environmental factors. Identification of gene-environment (G × E) interactions not only contributes to a better understanding of the disease mechanisms, but also improves disease risk prediction and targeted intervention. In contrast to the large number of genetic susceptibility loci discovered by genome-wide association studies, there have been very few successes in identifying G × E interactions, which may be partly due to limited statistical power and inaccurately measured exposures. Although existing statistical methods only consider interactions between genes and static environmental exposures, many environmental/lifestyle factors, such as air pollution and diet, change over time, and cannot be accurately captured at one measurement time point or by simply categorizing into static exposure categories. There is a dearth of statistical methods for detecting gene by time-varying environmental exposure interactions. Here, we propose a powerful functional logistic regression (FLR) approach to model the time-varying effect of longitudinal environmental exposure and its interaction with genetic factors on disease risk. Capitalizing on the powerful functional data analysis framework, our proposed FLR model is capable of accommodating longitudinal exposures measured at irregular time points and contaminated by measurement errors, commonly encountered in observational studies. We use extensive simulations to show that the proposed method can control the Type I error and is more powerful than alternative ad hoc methods. We demonstrate the utility of this new method using data from a case-control study of pancreatic cancer to identify the windows of vulnerability of lifetime body mass index on the risk of pancreatic cancer as well as genes that may modify this association. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Combat Exposure Severity as a Moderator of Genetic and Environmental Liability to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

PubMed Central

Wolf, Erika J.; Mitchell, Karen S.; Koenen, Karestan C.; Miller, Mark W.

2014-01-01

Background Twin studies of veterans and adults suggest that approximately 30–46% of the variance in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is attributable to genetic factors. The remaining variance is attributable to the non-shared environment, which, by definition, includes combat exposure. This study used a gene by measured environment twin design to examine if the effect of genetic and environmental factors that contribute to the etiology PTSD were dependent on level of combat exposure. Methods The sample was drawn from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry and included 620 male-male twin pairs who served in the U.S. Military in South East Asia during the Vietnam War era. Analyses were based on data from a clinical diagnostic interview of lifetime PTSD symptoms and a self-report measure of combat exposure. Results Biometric modeling revealed that the effect of genetic and non-shared environment factors on PTSD varied as a function of level of combat exposure such that the association between these factors and PTSD was stronger at higher levels of combat exposure. Conclusions Combat exposure may act as a catalyst that augments the impact of hereditary and environmental contributions to PTSD. Individuals with the greatest exposure to combat trauma were at increased risk for PTSD as a function of both genetic and other environmental factors. Additional work is needed to determine the biological and environmental mechanisms driving these associations. PMID:24001428

Combat exposure severity as a moderator of genetic and environmental liability to post-traumatic stress disorder.

PubMed

Wolf, E J; Mitchell, K S; Koenen, K C; Miller, M W

2014-05-01

Twin studies of veterans and adults suggest that approximately 30-46% of the variance in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is attributable to genetic factors. The remaining variance is attributable to the non-shared environment, which, by definition, includes combat exposure. This study used a gene by measured environment twin design to determine whether the effects of genetic and environmental factors that contribute to the etiology of PTSD are dependent on the level of combat exposure. The sample was drawn from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry (VETR) and included 620 male-male twin pairs who served in the US Military in South East Asia during the Vietnam War era. Analyses were based on data from a clinical diagnostic interview of lifetime PTSD symptoms and a self-report measure of combat exposure. Biometric modeling revealed that the effects of genetic and non-shared environment factors on PTSD varied as a function of level of combat exposure such that the association between these factors and PTSD was stronger at higher levels of combat exposure. Combat exposure may act as a catalyst that augments the impact of hereditary and environmental contributions to PTSD. Individuals with the greatest exposure to combat trauma were at increased risk for PTSD as a function of both genetic and environmental factors. Additional work is needed to determine the biological and environmental mechanisms driving these associations.

ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS AND ADVERSE HUMAN HEALTH EFFECTS: HAZARD IDENTIFICATION USING INTERREGION COMPARISONS

EPA Science Inventory

Background: Associations between adverse health effects and environmental exposures are difficult to study, because exposures may be widespread, low-dose in nature, and common throughout the study population. Therefore, individual risk-factor epidemiology may not be the right to...

Alzheimer’s Disease and Environmental Exposure to Lead: The Epidemiologic Evidence and Potential Role of Epigenetics

PubMed Central

Bakulski, Kelly M.; Rozek, Laura S.; Dolinoy, Dana C.; Paulson, Henry L.; Hu, Howard

2013-01-01

Several lines of evidence indicate that the etiology of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (LOAD) is complex, with significant contributions from both genes and environmental factors. Recent research suggests the importance of epigenetic mechanisms in defining the relationship between environmental exposures and LOAD. In epidemiologic studies of adults, cumulative lifetime lead (Pb) exposure has been associated with accelerated declines in cognition. In addition, research in animal models suggests a causal association between Pb exposure during early life, epigenetics, and LOAD. There are multiple challenges to human epidemiologic research evaluating the relationship between epigenetics, LOAD, and Pb exposure. Epidemiologic studies are not well-suited to accommodate the long latency period between exposures during early life and onset of Alzheimer’s disease. There is also a lack of validated circulating epigenetics biomarkers and retrospective biomarkers of Pb exposure. Members of our research group have shown bone Pb is an accurate measurement of historical Pb exposure in adults, offering an avenue for future epidemiologic studies. However, this would not address the risk of LOAD attributable to early-life Pb exposures. Future studies that use a cohort design to measure both Pb exposure and validated epigenetic biomarkers of LOAD will be useful to clarify this important relationship. PMID:22272628

Kernel Density Estimation as a Measure of Environmental Exposure Related to Insulin Resistance in Breast Cancer Survivors.

PubMed

Jankowska, Marta M; Natarajan, Loki; Godbole, Suneeta; Meseck, Kristin; Sears, Dorothy D; Patterson, Ruth E; Kerr, Jacqueline

2017-07-01

Background: Environmental factors may influence breast cancer; however, most studies have measured environmental exposure in neighborhoods around home residences (static exposure). We hypothesize that tracking environmental exposures over time and space (dynamic exposure) is key to assessing total exposure. This study compares breast cancer survivors' exposure to walkable and recreation-promoting environments using dynamic Global Positioning System (GPS) and static home-based measures of exposure in relation to insulin resistance. Methods: GPS data from 249 breast cancer survivors living in San Diego County were collected for one week along with fasting blood draw. Exposure to recreation spaces and walkability was measured for each woman's home address within an 800 m buffer (static), and using a kernel density weight of GPS tracks (dynamic). Participants' exposure estimates were related to insulin resistance (using the homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance, HOMA-IR) controlled by age and body mass index (BMI) in linear regression models. Results: The dynamic measurement method resulted in greater variability in built environment exposure values than did the static method. Regression results showed no association between HOMA-IR and home-based, static measures of walkability and recreation area exposure. GPS-based dynamic measures of both walkability and recreation area were significantly associated with lower HOMA-IR ( P < 0.05). Conclusions: Dynamic exposure measurements may provide important evidence for community- and individual-level interventions that can address cancer risk inequities arising from environments wherein breast cancer survivors live and engage. Impact: This is the first study to compare associations of dynamic versus static built environment exposure measures with insulin outcomes in breast cancer survivors. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 26(7); 1078-84. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

Review of genotoxicity biomonitoring studies of glyphosate-based formulations

PubMed Central

Kier, Larry D.

2015-01-01

Abstract Human and environmental genotoxicity biomonitoring studies involving exposure to glyphosate-based formulations (GBFs) were reviewed to complement an earlier review of experimental genotoxicity studies of glyphosate and GBFs. The environmental and most of the human biomonitoring studies were not informative because there was either a very low frequency of GBF exposure or exposure to a large number of pesticides without analysis of specific pesticide effects. One pesticide sprayer biomonitoring study indicated there was not a statistically significant relationship between frequency of GBF exposure reported for the last spraying season and oxidative DNA damage. There were three studies of human populations in regions of GBF aerial spraying. One study found increases for the cytokinesis-block micronucleus endpoint but these increases did not show statistically significant associations with self-reported spray exposure and were not consistent with application rates. A second study found increases for the blood cell comet endpoint at high exposures causing toxicity. However, a follow-up to this study 2 years after spraying did not indicate chromosomal effects. The results of the biomonitoring studies do not contradict an earlier conclusion derived from experimental genotoxicity studies that typical GBFs do not appear to present significant genotoxic risk under normal conditions of human or environmental exposures. PMID:25687244

Measuring combined exposure to environmental pressures in urban areas: an air quality and noise pollution assessment approach.

PubMed

Vlachokostas, Ch; Achillas, Ch; Michailidou, A V; Moussiopoulos, Nu

2012-02-01

This study presents a methodological scheme developed to provide a combined air and noise pollution exposure assessment based on measurements from personal portable monitors. Provided that air and noise pollution are considered in a co-exposure approach, they represent a significant environmental hazard to public health. The methodology is demonstrated for the city of Thessaloniki, Greece. The results of an extensive field campaign are presented and the variations in personal exposure between modes of transport, routes, streets and transport microenvironments are evaluated. Air pollution and noise measurements were performed simultaneously along several commuting routes, during the morning and evening rush hours. Combined exposure to environmental pollutants is highlighted based on the Combined Exposure Factor (CEF) and Combined Dose and Exposure Factor (CDEF). The CDEF takes into account the potential relative uptake of each pollutant by considering the physical activities of each citizen. Rather than viewing environmental pollutants separately for planning and environmental sustainability considerations, the possibility of an easy-to-comprehend co-exposure approach based on these two indices is demonstrated. Furthermore, they provide for the first time a combined exposure assessment to these environmental pollutants for Thessaloniki and in this sense they could be of importance for local public authorities and decision makers. A considerable environmental burden for the citizens of Thessaloniki, especially for VOCs and noise pollution levels is observed. The material herein points out the importance of measuring public health stressors and the necessity of considering urban environmental pollution in a holistic way. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Environmental exposures to agrochemicals in the Sierra Nevada mountain range

USGS Publications Warehouse

LeNoir, J.; Aston, L.; Data, S.; Fellers, G.; McConnell, L.; Sieber, J.

2000-01-01

The release of pesticides into the environment may impact human and environmental health. Despite the need for environmental exposure data, few studies quantify exposures in urban areas and even fewer determine exposures to wildlife in remote areas. Although it is expected that concentrations in remote regions will be low, recent studies suggest that even low concentrations may have deleterious effects on wildlife. Many pesticides are known to interfere with the endocrine systems of humans and wildlife, adversely affecting growth, development, and behavior. This chapter reviews the fate and transport of pesticides applied in the Central Valley of California and quantifies their subsequent deposition into the relatively pristine Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.

Environmental pollution and kidney diseases.

PubMed

Xu, Xin; Nie, Sheng; Ding, Hanying; Hou, Fan Fan

2018-05-01

The burden of disease and death attributable to environmental pollution is becoming a public health challenge worldwide, especially in developing countries. The kidney is vulnerable to environmental pollutants because most environmental toxins are concentrated by the kidney during filtration. Given the high mortality and morbidity of kidney disease, environmental risk factors and their effect on kidney disease need to be identified. In this Review, we highlight epidemiological evidence for the association between kidney disease and environmental pollutants, including air pollution, heavy metal pollution and other environmental risk factors. We discuss the potential biological mechanisms that link exposure to environmental pollutants to kidney damage and emphasize the contribution of environmental pollution to kidney disease. Regulatory efforts should be made to control environmental pollution and limit individual exposure to preventable or avoidable environmental risk. Population studies with accurate quantification of environmental exposure in polluted regions, particularly in developing countries, might aid our understanding of the dose-response relationship between pollutants and kidney diseases.

Emerging trends in geospatial artificial intelligence (geoAI): potential applications for environmental epidemiology.

PubMed

VoPham, Trang; Hart, Jaime E; Laden, Francine; Chiang, Yao-Yi

2018-04-17

Geospatial artificial intelligence (geoAI) is an emerging scientific discipline that combines innovations in spatial science, artificial intelligence methods in machine learning (e.g., deep learning), data mining, and high-performance computing to extract knowledge from spatial big data. In environmental epidemiology, exposure modeling is a commonly used approach to conduct exposure assessment to determine the distribution of exposures in study populations. geoAI technologies provide important advantages for exposure modeling in environmental epidemiology, including the ability to incorporate large amounts of big spatial and temporal data in a variety of formats; computational efficiency; flexibility in algorithms and workflows to accommodate relevant characteristics of spatial (environmental) processes including spatial nonstationarity; and scalability to model other environmental exposures across different geographic areas. The objectives of this commentary are to provide an overview of key concepts surrounding the evolving and interdisciplinary field of geoAI including spatial data science, machine learning, deep learning, and data mining; recent geoAI applications in research; and potential future directions for geoAI in environmental epidemiology.

Meet EPA Chemist Linda Sheldon, Ph.D.

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Environmental chemist Linda Sheldon, Ph.D, is the Associate Director for Human Heath in the National Exposure Research Laboratory. She studies environmental exposure, particularly focusing on children's environments and their contact with chemicals.

Conjugal Parkinsonism and Parkinson Disease: A Case Series with Environmental Risk Factor Analysis

PubMed Central

Sterling, Callen; Racette, Brad A.

2009-01-01

PD occurring in married couples, “conjugal PD” represents a unique opportunity to study environmental risk factors for PD due to the shared environment. This retrospective study of non-related married individuals who both presented to the Washington University Movement Disorders Center between 1994 and 2005 investigated the clinical presentation, therapy response, and disease course in conjugal PD subjects. In addition, an occupational, residential, and environmental survey was administered to elucidate potential shared environmental risk factors. Eighteen married subjects had a clinical picture suggestive of idiopathic Parkinson disease. Average age of motor symptom onset was 66.1 (±6.22) years in women, 63.4 (±7.87) years in men. Subjects cohabitated an average of 39.9 years prior to motor symptom onset in the first affected spouse and an average of nine years elapsed prior to symptom onset in their partner. Disease course in conjugal pairs varied substantially. Seventeen out of eighteen subjects reported at least one environmental exposure of interest. Concordant exposures were residential, non-occupational pesticide and heavy metal exposure, each reported by 77.8% (7/9) of couples. Multiple exposures were reported by 88.9% (16/18) of subjects, most often residential agricultural chemical and heavy metal in combination. This case series of conjugal PD suggests that combined residential exposures may be important in the pathogenesis of idiopathic PD. Larger conjugal PD studies may permit stratification of concordant environmental exposures to determine dose responsiveness and relative contributions to PD risk. PMID:19818671

Hazard identification of environmental pollutants by combining results from ecological and biomarker studies: an example

EPA Science Inventory

Objective: Linking exposures from environmental pollutants with adverse health effects is difficult because these exposures are usually low-dose and ill-defined. According to several investigators, a series of multidisciplinary, multilevel studies is needed to address this prob...

Spot Sampling and Exposure Surrogate Selection as Sources of Bias in Environmental Epidemiology Studies

EPA Science Inventory

Spot measurements of chemical biomarkers are often used as quantitative exposure surrogates in environmental epidemiology studies. These measures can be expressed a number of different ways – for example, urinary biomarkers can be expressed in units of concentration (&micr...

Concordance of occupational and environmental exposure information elicited from patients with Alzheimer's disease and surrogate respondents

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chong, J.P.; Turpie, I.; Haines, T.

Identification of risk factors for Alzheimer's disease through the use of well designed case-control studies has been described as a research priority. Increasing recognition of the neurotoxic potential of many industrial chemicals such as organic solvents raises the question of the occupational and environmental contribution to the etiology of this high-priority health problem. The intention of this study was to develop and evaluate a methodology that could be used in a large scale case-control study of the occupational and environmental risk factors for dementia or a population-based surveillance system for neurotoxic disorders. The specific objectives of this study were tomore » investigate: (1) the reliability of exposure-eliciting, interviewer-administered questionnaires given to patients with Alzheimer's disease (SDAT); (2) the reliability of exposure-eliciting interviewer-administered questionnaires given to the family of patients with SDAT and the agreement with the responses of the patient or surrogate respondents; (3) the reliability and agreement of responses of age- and sex-matched control patients and their families selected from geriatric care institutions and the community, with respect to the same exposure-eliciting and interviewer-administered questionnaire; and (4) the reliability of agent-based exposure ascertainment by a single, trained rater. The results of the study demonstrate that occupational and environmental histories from which exposure information can be derived is most reliably elicited from job descriptions of cases and control subjects rather than job titles alone or detailed probes for potential neurotoxic exposures. This will necessitate the use of standardized interviewer-administered instruments to derive this information in case-control studies of Alzheimer's disease or population-based surveillance systems for occupational and environmental neurotoxicity.« less

Biological markers in animals can provide information on exposure and bioavailability of environmental contaminants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shugart, L.R.; Adams, S.M.; Jimenez, B.D.

1987-01-01

Epidemiologic studies of agents present in the environment seek to identify the extent to which they contribute to the causation of a specific toxic, clinical, or pathological endpoint. The multifactorial nature of disease etiology, long latency periods and the complexity of exposure, all contribute to the difficulty of establishing associations and casual relationships between a specific exposure and an adverse outcome. These barriers to studies of exposures and subsequent risk assessment cannot generally be changed. However, the appropriate use of biological markers in animal species living in a contaminated habitat can provide a measure of potential damage from that exposuremore » and, in some instances, act as a surrogate for human environmental exposures. Quantitative predictivity of the effect of exposure to environmental pollutants is being approached by employing an appropriate array of biological end points. 34 refs., 1 fig., 6 tabs.« less

Environmental exposure to pesticides and the risk of Parkinson's disease in the Netherlands.

PubMed

Brouwer, Maartje; Huss, Anke; van der Mark, Marianne; Nijssen, Peter C G; Mulleners, Wim M; Sas, Antonetta M G; van Laar, Teus; de Snoo, Geert R; Kromhout, Hans; Vermeulen, Roel C H

2017-10-01

Exposure to pesticides has been linked to Parkinson's disease (PD), although associations between specific pesticides and PD have not been well studied. Residents of rural areas can be exposed through environmental drift and volatilization of agricultural pesticides. Our aim was to investigate the association between lifetime environmental exposure to individual pesticides and the risk of PD, in a national case-control study. Environmental exposure to pesticides was estimated using a spatio-temporal model, based on agricultural crops around the residential address. Distance up to 100m from the residence was considered most relevant, considering pesticide drift potential of application methods used in the Netherlands. Exposure estimates were generated for 157 pesticides, used during the study period, of which four (i.e. paraquat, maneb, lindane, benomyl) were considered a priori relevant for PD. A total of 352 PD cases and 607 hospital-based controls were included. No significant associations with PD were found for the a priori pesticides. In a hypothesis generating analysis, including 153 pesticides, increased risk of PD was found for 21 pesticides, mainly used on cereals and potatoes. Results were suggestive for an association between bulb cultivation and PD. For paraquat, risk estimates for the highest cumulative exposure tertile were in line with previously reported elevated risks. Increased risk of PD was observed for exposure to (a cluster of) pesticides used on rotating crops. High correlations limited our ability to identify individual pesticides responsible for this association. This study provides some evidence for an association between environmental exposure to specific pesticides and the risk of PD, and generates new leads for further epidemiological and mechanistic research. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The Role of Environmental Toxins on ALS: A Case-Control Study of Occupational Risk Factors

PubMed Central

Su, Feng-Chiao.; Goutman, Stephen A.; Chernyak, Sergey; Mukherjee, Bhramar; Callaghan, Brian C.; Batterman, Stuart; Feldman, Eva L.

2016-01-01

Importance Persistent environmental pollutants may represent a modifiable risk factor involved in the gene-time-environment hypothesis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Objective To evaluate the association of occupational exposures and environmental toxins on the odds of developing ALS in Michigan, a state with historically high levels of environmental pollution. Design Case-control study conducted between 2011 and 2014. Setting Tertiary referral center/ALS referral center Participants ALS cases (n=156) with a diagnosis of definitive, probable, probable with laboratory support, or possible ALS by revised El Escorial criteria. Controls (n=128) were excluded if they had a diagnosis of ALS, another neurodegenerative condition, or a family history of ALS in a first- or second-degree blood relative. Additional exclusions included age less than 18 or inability to communicate in English. Main Outcome and Measure(s) Cases and controls completed a survey assessing occupational and residential exposures. Blood concentrations of 122 persistent environmental pollutants, including organochlorine pesticides (OCP), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and brominated flame retardants (BFRs), were measured using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Multivariable models with self-reported occupational exposures in various exposure time windows and environmental toxin blood concentrations were separately fit by logistic regression models. Concordance between the survey data and pollutant measurements was assessed using the nonparametric Kendall’s Tau correlation coefficient. Results Survey data revealed that reported pesticide exposure in the cumulative exposure windows was significantly associated with ALS (OR = 5.09, 95% CI = 1.85–14.0). Military service was also associated with ALS in two time windows. A multivariable model of measured persistent environmental pollutants in the blood, representing cumulative occupational and residential exposure, showed increased odds of ALS for 2 OCPs, 2 PCBs, and 1 BFR. There was modest concordance between survey data and the measurements of persistent environmental pollutants in blood. Conclusions and Relevance Persistent environmental pollutants measured in blood are significantly associated with ALS. These environmental pollutants may represent a modifiable ALS disease risk factor and should be further studied. PMID:27159543

Impacts of environment on human diseases: a web service for the human exposome

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karssenberg, Derek; Vaartjes, Ilonca; Kamphuis, Carlijn; Strak, Maciek; Schmitz, Oliver; Soenario, Ivan; de Jong, Kor

2017-04-01

The exposome is the totality of human environmental exposures from conception onwards. Identifying the contribution of the exposome to human diseases and health is a key issue in health research. Examples include the effect of air pollution exposure on cardiovascular diseases, the impact of disease vectors (mosquitos) and surface hydrology exposure on malaria, and the effect of fast food restaurant exposure on obesity. Essential to health research is to disentangle the effects of the exposome and genome on health. Ultimately this requires quantifying the totality of all human exposures, for each individual in the studied human population. This poses a massive challenge to geoscientists, as environmental data are required at a high spatial and temporal resolution, with a large spatial and temporal coverage representing the area inhabited by the population studied and the time span representing several decades. Then, these data need to be combined with space-time paths of individuals to calculate personal exposures for each individual in the population. The Global and Geo Health Data Centre is taking this challenge by providing a web service capable of enriching population data with exposome information. Our web service can generate environmental information either from archived national (up to 5 m spatial and 1 h temporal resolution) and global environmental information or generated on the fly using environmental models running as microservices. On top of these environmental data services runs an individual exposure service enabling health researchers to select different spatial and temporal aggregation methods and to upload space-time paths of individuals. These are then enriched with personal exposures and eventually returned to the user. We illustrate the service in an example of individual exposures to air pollutants calculated from hyper resolution air pollution data and various approaches to estimate space-time paths of individuals.

Environment, susceptibility windows, development and child health

PubMed Central

Wright, Robert O

2017-01-01

Purpose To illustrate the role of the exposome in child health while highlighting unique aspects of this research pertinent to children, such as the time dependency of environmental exposures on fetal programming, as well as the time dependent nature of child behavior, diet, and motor function, which alter the probability of exposure to different compounds. Future environmental health research will be more hypothesis generating but will also need to heed lessons learned from other “omic” sciences. The NIH Child Health Environmental Analysis Resource (CHEAR) is a major step towards providing the infrastructure needed to study the exposome and child health. Recent Findings Environmental exposures have overlapping mechanisms such as endocrine disruption and oxidative stress among others. The nature of the long term health impact of an exposure is dependent not only on dose, but also on the timing of exposure. Advances in exposure science, toxicology and biostatistics will create new opportunities to identify and better define windows of susceptibility to environmental exposures. Summary As exposure science matures, we will better understand the role of environment on health. Linking the exposome with genomics will unlock the root origins of multiple complex diseases. PMID:28107208

Organizing pneumonia and occupational and environmental risk factors: a case-control study.

PubMed

Jobard, Stéphanie; Chaigne, Benjamin; Marchand-Adam, Sylvain; Lasfargues, Gérard; Diot, Elisabeth

2017-11-01

A single-center case-control study was carried out to investigate the relationship between occupational and environmental exposure and organizing pneumonia (OP). Thirty-seven cases of OP, including 25 cases of cryptogenic OP, and 111 controls were included. Occupational exposure was assessed retrospectively by an industrial hygienist and an occupational physician, through semi-quantitative estimates of exposure. An exposure score was calculated for each subject, based on probability, intensity, daily frequency, and duration of exposure for each period of employment. The final cumulative exposure score was obtained by summing exposure scores for all periods of employment. Significant associations with all-cause OP were observed for exposure to tetrachloroethylene (OR 13.33, CI 95% 1.44-123.5) and silica (OR 6.61, CI 95% 1.16-37.71). A significant association with cryptogenic OP was observed only for tetrachloroethylene (OR 31.6, CI 95% 1.64-610.8). No associations were found for environmental exposure. Despite its low statistical power, this work suggests that occupational risk factors could be involved in OP.

Environmental and Occupational Pesticide Exposure and Human Sperm Parameters: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Martenies, Sheena E.; Perry, Melissa J.

2013-01-01

Of continuing concern are the associations between environmental or occupational exposures to pesticides and semen quality parameters. Prior research has indicated that there may be associations between exposure to pesticides of a variety of classes and decreased sperm health. The intent of this review was to summarize the most recent evidence related to pesticide exposures and commonly used semen quality parameters, including concentration, motility and morphology. The recent literature was searched for studies published between January, 2007 and August, 2012 that focused on environmental or occupational pesticide exposures. Included in the review are 17 studies, 15 of which reported significant associations between exposure to pesticides and semen quality indicators. Two studies also investigated the roles genetic polymorphisms may play in the strength or directions of these associations. Specific pesticides targeted for study included dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), and abamectin. Pyrethroids and organophosphates were analyzed as classes of pesticides rather than as individual compounds, primarily due to the limitations of exposure assessment techniques. Overall, a majority of the studies reported significant associations between pesticide exposure and sperm parameters. A decrease in sperm concentration was the most commonly reported finding among all of the pesticide classes investigated. Decreased motility was also associated with exposures to each of the pesticide classes, although these findings were less frequent across studies. An association between pesticide exposure and sperm morphology was less clear, with only two studies reporting an association. The evidence presented in this review continues to support the hypothesis that exposures to pesticides at environmentally or occupationally relevant levels may be associated with decreased sperm health. Future work in this area should focus on associations between specific pesticides or metabolic products and sperm quality parameters. Analysis of effects of varying genetic characteristics, especially in genes related to pesticide metabolism, also needs further attention. PMID:23438386

Association between environmental exposure to pesticides and neurodegenerative diseases

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Parron, Tesifon; Andalusian Council of Health at Almeria province, Almeria; Requena, Mar

Preliminary studies have shown associations between chronic pesticide exposure in occupational settings and neurological disorders. However, data on the effects of long-term non-occupational exposures are too sparse to allow any conclusions. This study examines the influence of environmental pesticide exposure on a number of neuropsychiatric conditions and discusses their underlying pathologic mechanisms. An ecological study was conducted using averaged prevalence rates of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral degeneration, polyneuropathies, affective psychosis and suicide attempts in selected Andalusian health districts categorized into areas of high and low environmental pesticide exposure based on the number of hectares devoted to intensivemore » agriculture and pesticide sales per capita. A total of 17,429 cases were collected from computerized hospital records (minimum dataset) between 1998 and 2005. Prevalence rates and the risk of having Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and suicide were significantly higher in districts with greater pesticide use as compared to those with lower pesticide use. The multivariate analyses showed that the population living in areas with high pesticide use had an increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and suicide attempts and that males living in these areas had increased risks for polyneuropathies, affective disorders and suicide attempts. In conclusion, this study supports and extends previous findings and provides an indication that environmental exposure to pesticides may affect the human health by increasing the incidence of certain neurological disorders at the level of the general population. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Environmental exposure to pesticides and neurodegenerative-psychiatric disorders. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and suicide attempts in high exposure areas. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Males from areas with high pesticide exposure had a higher risk of polyneuropathy. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Males from high exposure areas had a higher risk of affective psychosis and suicide. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nerve tissue degeneration due to oxidative damage may underlie the pathomechanism.« less

Prenatal environmental factors influencing IgE levels, atopy and early asthma.

PubMed

Peters, Junenette L; Boynton-Jarrett, Renée; Sandel, Megan

2013-04-01

There is increasing evidence that the prenatal window represents a critical period in which the developing immune system may be primed toward an allergic phenotype. Studies have investigated the role of a number of maternal environmental exposures on subsequent allergic disorders in the offspring. We summarize findings from recent studies on prenatal environmental factors influencing IgE levels, atopy, and early asthma. A building literature supports the influence of maternal exposure to environmental pollutants, such as allergens, traffic-related air pollution, tobacco smoke, and organochlorine compounds and social factors on allergic outcomes. More novel associations have been investigated, such as the effect of prenatal exposures to phthalates, bisphenol A, and magnetic fields. There is also rising interest in epigenetics as a pathway of action by which maternal exposure affect immune health. Emerging research highlights the challenges of investigating in-utero exposures and of relating exposures to such a heterogeneous and complex outcome as allergic disease. Further research is needed on the mechanisms by which prenatal exposure influences allergic response in childhood and how postnatal, familial and social factors, and sex can modify disease outcomes. Epigenetics is a promising new frontier, and likely one of several explanatory factors.

Subjective and objective convergence of the eyes at simulated altitude of 18,000 feet preceded by short-term exposure to heat stress.

PubMed

Sinha, Biswajit; Dubey, D K

2014-01-01

Armed forces personnel including military aviators are quite often exposed concurrently to various environmental stressors like high environmental temperature and hypoxia. Literatures have suggested that exposure to one environmental stressor may modify the physiological response on subsequent exposure to same or different stressor. The present study was undertaken to investigate the impact of cross tolerance between two environmental stressors of aviation (heat and hypoxia) in ten healthy adult males in a simulated altitude chamber in a within subject experimental study. They were assessed for their convergence ability of the eyes at ground and at simulated altitude of 18,000 ft with or without pre-exposure to heat stress. Subjective convergence at simulated altitude of 18,000 ft did not show any improvement following pre-exposure to heat stress. Objective convergence was improved following pre-exposure to heat stress and was found to be 10.76 cm and 9.10 cm without and with heat stress respectively at simulated altitude of 18,000 ft. Improved objective convergence at high altitude as a result of pre-exposure to heat stress is indicative of better ocular functions. This might benefit aviators while flying at hypoxic condition.

A meta-analysis of the evidence on the impact of prenatal and early infancy exposures to mercury on autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the childhood.

PubMed

Yoshimasu, Kouichi; Kiyohara, Chikako; Takemura, Shigeki; Nakai, Kunihiko

2014-09-01

Although a measurable number of epidemiological studies have been conducted to clarify the associations between mercury exposure during embryo or early infancy and later incidences of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), the conclusion still remains unclear. Meta-analysis was conducted for two major exposure sources; i.e., thimerosal vaccines that contain ethylmercury (clinical exposure), and environmental sources, using relevant literature published before April 2014. While thimerosal exposures did not show any material associations with an increased risk of ASD or ADHD (the summary odds ratio (OR) 0.99, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.80-1.24 for ASD; OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.70-1.13 for ADHD/ADD), significant associations were observed for environmental exposures in both ASD (OR 1.66, 95% CI 1.14-2.17) and ADHD (OR 1.60, 95% CI 1.10-2.33). The summary ORs were similar after excluding studies not adjusted for confounders. Moderate adverse effects were observed only between environmental inorganic or organic mercury exposures and ASD/ADHD. However, these results should be interpreted with caution since the number of epidemiological studies on this issue was limited and still at an early stage. Further studies focused on subjects with genetic vulnerabilities of developmental disorders are warranted for better understanding of the effects of such environmental exposures. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Birth defects in Iraq and the plausibility of environmental exposure: A review

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

An increased prevalence of birth defects was allegedly reported in Iraq in the post 1991 Gulf War period, which was largely attributed to exposure to depleted uranium used in the war. This has encouraged further research on this particular topic. This paper reviews the published literature and provided evidence concerning birth defects in Iraq to elucidate possible environmental exposure. In addition to published research, this review used some direct observation of birth defects data from Al-Ramadi Maternity and Paediatric Hospital in Al-Anbar Governorate in Iraq from1st July 2000 through 30th June 2002. In addition to depleted uranium other war-related environmental factors have been studied and linked directly or indirectly with the increasing prevalence of birth defects. However, the reviewed studies and the available research evidence do not provide a clear increase in birth defects and a clear indication of a possible environmental exposure including depleted uranium although the country has been facing several environmental challenges since 1980. PMID:22839108

Human exposure to environmental health concern by types of urban environment: The case of Tel Aviv.

PubMed

Schnell, Izhak; Potchter, Oded; Yaakov, Yaron; Epstein, Yoram

2016-01-01

This study classifies urban environments into types characterized by different exposure to environmental risk factors measured by general sense of discomfort and Heart Rate Variability (HRV). We hypothesize that a set of environmental factors (micro-climatic, CO, noise and individual heart rate) that were measured simultaneously in random locations can provide a better understanding of the distribution of human exposure to environmental loads throughout the urban space than results calculated based on measurements from close fixed stations. We measured micro-climatic and thermal load, CO and noise, individual Heart Rate, Subjective Social Load and Sense of Discomfort (SD) were tested by questionnaire survey. The results demonstrate significant differences in exposure to environmental factors among 8 types of urban environments. It appears that noise and social load are the more significant environmental factors to enhance health risks and general sense of discomfort. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Skin microbiota and allergic symptoms associate with exposure to environmental microbes

PubMed Central

Sinkko, Hanna; Hielm-Björkman, Anna; Tiira, Katriina; Laatikainen, Tiina; Mäkeläinen, Sanna; Kaukonen, Maria; Uusitalo, Liisa; Hanski, Ilkka; Lohi, Hannes; Ruokolainen, Lasse

2018-01-01

A rural environment and farming lifestyle are known to provide protection against allergic diseases. This protective effect is expected to be mediated via exposure to environmental microbes that are needed to support a normal immune tolerance. However, the triangle of interactions between environmental microbes, host microbiota, and immune system remains poorly understood. Here, we have studied these interactions using a canine model (two breeds, n = 169), providing an intermediate approach between complex human studies and artificial mouse model studies. We show that the skin microbiota reflects both the living environment and the lifestyle of a dog. Remarkably, the prevalence of spontaneous allergies is also associated with residential environment and lifestyle, such that allergies are most common among urban dogs living in single-person families without other animal contacts, and least common among rural dogs having opposite lifestyle features. Thus, we show that living environment and lifestyle concurrently associate with skin microbiota and allergies, suggesting that these factors might be causally related. Moreover, microbes commonly found on human skin tend to dominate the urban canine skin microbiota, while environmental microbes are rich in the rural canine skin microbiota. This in turn suggests that skin microbiota is a feasible indicator of exposure to environmental microbes. As short-term exposure to environmental microbes via exercise is not associated with allergies, we conclude that prominent and sustained exposure to environmental microbiotas should be promoted by urban planning and lifestyle changes to support health of urban populations. PMID:29686089

Skin microbiota and allergic symptoms associate with exposure to environmental microbes.

PubMed

Lehtimäki, Jenni; Sinkko, Hanna; Hielm-Björkman, Anna; Salmela, Elina; Tiira, Katriina; Laatikainen, Tiina; Mäkeläinen, Sanna; Kaukonen, Maria; Uusitalo, Liisa; Hanski, Ilkka; Lohi, Hannes; Ruokolainen, Lasse

2018-05-08

A rural environment and farming lifestyle are known to provide protection against allergic diseases. This protective effect is expected to be mediated via exposure to environmental microbes that are needed to support a normal immune tolerance. However, the triangle of interactions between environmental microbes, host microbiota, and immune system remains poorly understood. Here, we have studied these interactions using a canine model (two breeds, n = 169), providing an intermediate approach between complex human studies and artificial mouse model studies. We show that the skin microbiota reflects both the living environment and the lifestyle of a dog. Remarkably, the prevalence of spontaneous allergies is also associated with residential environment and lifestyle, such that allergies are most common among urban dogs living in single-person families without other animal contacts, and least common among rural dogs having opposite lifestyle features. Thus, we show that living environment and lifestyle concurrently associate with skin microbiota and allergies, suggesting that these factors might be causally related. Moreover, microbes commonly found on human skin tend to dominate the urban canine skin microbiota, while environmental microbes are rich in the rural canine skin microbiota. This in turn suggests that skin microbiota is a feasible indicator of exposure to environmental microbes. As short-term exposure to environmental microbes via exercise is not associated with allergies, we conclude that prominent and sustained exposure to environmental microbiotas should be promoted by urban planning and lifestyle changes to support health of urban populations. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Improving exposure assessment in environmental epidemiology: Application of spatio-temporal visualization tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meliker, Jaymie R.; Slotnick, Melissa J.; Avruskin, Gillian A.; Kaufmann, Andrew; Jacquez, Geoffrey M.; Nriagu, Jerome O.

2005-05-01

A thorough assessment of human exposure to environmental agents should incorporate mobility patterns and temporal changes in human behaviors and concentrations of contaminants; yet the temporal dimension is often under-emphasized in exposure assessment endeavors, due in part to insufficient tools for visualizing and examining temporal datasets. Spatio-temporal visualization tools are valuable for integrating a temporal component, thus allowing for examination of continuous exposure histories in environmental epidemiologic investigations. An application of these tools to a bladder cancer case-control study in Michigan illustrates continuous exposure life-lines and maps that display smooth, continuous changes over time. Preliminary results suggest increased risk of bladder cancer from combined exposure to arsenic in drinking water (>25 μg/day) and heavy smoking (>30 cigarettes/day) in the 1970s and 1980s, and a possible cancer cluster around automotive, paint, and organic chemical industries in the early 1970s. These tools have broad application for examining spatially- and temporally-specific relationships between exposures to environmental risk factors and disease.

HEALTH EFFECTS OF CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO ARSENIC VIA DRINKING WATER IN INNER MONGOLIA: V. BIOMARKER STUDIES - A PILOT STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

Health Effects of Chronic Exposure to Arsenic via Drinking Water in Inner Mongolia: V. Biomarker Studies - a Pilot Study

Michael T. Schmitt, M.S.P.H., Judy S. Mumford, Ph.D., National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agenc...

Pollution Comes Home and Gets Personal: Women's Experience of Household Chemical Exposure

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Altman, Rebecca Gasior; Morello-Frosch, Rachel; Brody, Julia Green; Rudel, Ruthann; Brown, Phil; Averick, Mara

2008-01-01

We report on interviews conducted with participants in a novel study about environmental chemicals in body fluids and household air and dust. Interviews reveal how personal and collective environmental history influence the interpretation of exposure data, and how participants fashion an emergent understanding of environmental health problems from…

Unequal exposure to ecological hazards: environmental injustices in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

PubMed Central

Faber, Daniel R; Krieg, Eric J

2002-01-01

This study analyzes the social and geographic distribution of ecological hazards across 368 communities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Combining census data with a variety of environmental data, we tested for and identified both income-based and racially based biases to the geographic distribution of 17 different types of environmentally hazardous sites and industrial facilities. We also developed a composite measure of cumulative exposure to compare the relative overall risks characteristic of each community. To the best of our knowledge, this point system makes this the first environmental justice study to develop a means for measuring and ranking cumulative exposure for communities. The study also controls for the intensity of hazards in each community by accounting for the area across which hazards are distributed. The findings indicate that ecologically hazardous sites and facilities are disproportionately located and concentrated in communities of color and working-class communities. The implication of this research for policymakers and citizen advocates is that cumulative exposure of residents to environmentally hazardous facilities and sites should receive greater consideration regarding community demographics and environmental health indicators. We conclude that the provision of additional resources for environmental monitoring and ranking, as well as yearly progress reports, is necessary for communities and state agencies to achieve equal access to clean and healthy environments for all residents. PMID:11929739

Environmental epigenetics: a role in endocrine disease?

PubMed

Fleisch, Abby F; Wright, Robert O; Baccarelli, Andrea A

2012-10-01

Endocrine disrupting chemicals that are structurally similar to steroid or amine hormones have the potential to mimic endocrine endpoints at the receptor level. However, more recently, epigenetic-induced alteration in gene expression has emerged as an alternative way in which environmental compounds may exert endocrine effects. We review concepts related to environmental epigenetics and relevance for endocrinology through three broad examples: 1) effect of early-life nutritional exposures on future obesity and insulin resistance, 2) effect of lifetime environmental exposures such as ionizing radiation on endocrine cancer risk, and 3) potential for compounds previously classified as endocrine disrupting to additionally or alternatively exert effects through epigenetic mechanisms. The field of environmental epigenetics is still nascent, and additional studies are needed to confirm and reinforce data derived from animal models and preliminary human studies. Current evidence suggests that environmental exposures may significantly impact expression of endocrine-related genes and thereby affect clinical endocrine outcomes.

A latent variable approach to study gene-environment interactions in the presence of multiple correlated exposures.

PubMed

Sánchez, Brisa N; Kang, Shan; Mukherjee, Bhramar

2012-06-01

Many existing cohort studies initially designed to investigate disease risk as a function of environmental exposures have collected genomic data in recent years with the objective of testing for gene-environment interaction (G × E) effects. In environmental epidemiology, interest in G × E arises primarily after a significant effect of the environmental exposure has been documented. Cohort studies often collect rich exposure data; as a result, assessing G × E effects in the presence of multiple exposure markers further increases the burden of multiple testing, an issue already present in both genetic and environment health studies. Latent variable (LV) models have been used in environmental epidemiology to reduce dimensionality of the exposure data, gain power by reducing multiplicity issues via condensing exposure data, and avoid collinearity problems due to presence of multiple correlated exposures. We extend the LV framework to characterize gene-environment interaction in presence of multiple correlated exposures and genotype categories. Further, similar to what has been done in case-control G × E studies, we use the assumption of gene-environment (G-E) independence to boost the power of tests for interaction. The consequences of making this assumption, or the issue of how to explicitly model G-E association has not been previously investigated in LV models. We postulate a hierarchy of assumptions about the LV model regarding the different forms of G-E dependence and show that making such assumptions may influence inferential results on the G, E, and G × E parameters. We implement a class of shrinkage estimators to data adaptively trade-off between the most restrictive to most flexible form of G-E dependence assumption and note that such class of compromise estimators can serve as a benchmark of model adequacy in LV models. We demonstrate the methods with an example from the Early Life Exposures in Mexico City to Neuro-Toxicants Study of lead exposure, iron metabolism genes, and birth weight. © 2011, The International Biometric Society.

A Proposal for Assessing Study Quality: Biomonitoring, Environmental Epidemiology, and Short-Lived Chemicals (BEES-C) Instrument

EPA Science Inventory

The quality of exposure assessment is a major determinant of the overall quality of any environmental epidemiology study. The use of biomonitoring as a tool for assessing exposure to ubiquitous chemicals with short physiologic half-lives began relatively recently. These chemicals...

DIETARY CHARACTERIZATIONS IN A STUDY OF HUMAN EXPOSURES IN THE LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY:II. HOUSEHOLD WATERS

EPA Science Inventory

The Lower Rio Grande Valley Environmental Study (LRGVES) was designed to evaluate multiple forms of exposure to Valley residents because of community concerns of possible adverse health effects from environmental conditions. This is the second of two papers that describe the diet...

The Exposure Dimension of Environmental Epidemiology: A Critical but Under-ExploredStudy Quality Issue in Environmental Health

EPA Science Inventory

Epidemiological research plays a critical role in assessing the effects of various chemical, physical, oiological, and social exposures on human health both in the general population and the workplace. However, even epidemiological studies that are specifically designed to test c...

A Citizen-Science Study Documents Environmental Exposures and Asthma Prevalence in Two Communities

EPA Science Inventory

A citizen-science study was conducted in two low-income, flood-prone communities in Atlanta, Georgia, in order to document environmental exposures and the prevalence of occupant asthma. Teams consisting of a public-health graduate student and a resident from one of the two commun...

THE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S STUDY OF ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ON CHILD HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT

EPA Science Inventory

Increasing recognition that children may be more susceptible than adults to environmental exposures and that they experience potentially life-long consequences of such exposures has led to widespread support for a large new cohort study in the United States. In this article, we p...

Perception of Environmental Risks and Health Promotion Attitudes of French Perinatal Health Professionals.

PubMed

Marie, Cécile; Lémery, Didier; Vendittelli, Françoise; Sauvant-Rochat, Marie-Pierre

2016-12-18

The exposure of pregnant women to environmental contaminants is a subject of international concern. However, the risk perception of these contaminants by health professionals (HP) has not been extensively investigated. The main objective of the PERI-HELPE study (Perception of Risk-HEaLth Professionals & Environment Study) was to assess the risk perception of environmental exposure of pregnant women by perinatal HPs. The secondary objectives were to describe the preventive attitudes of perinatal HPs concerning chemicals exposure of pregnant women and to identify the barriers to preventive attitude. A cross-sectional study was performed in 2015 in France. One hundred eighty-nine HPs (obstetricians, midwives, and general practitioners) replied to an online self-administered questionnaire (participation rate: 11%). Carbon monoxide, pesticides and lead were the contaminants most frequently perceived as a high risk for pregnant women. A minority of HPs asked women about their chemical exposure and advised them to reduce exposure. The lack of information, training and scientific evidence in environmental health were the main difficulties declared by the HPs to advise pregnant women. Despite the low response rate, our findings provide important information to encourage French health authorities to take into account the difficulties encountered by HPs and set up appropriate training programs in Environmental health.

Perception of Environmental Risks and Health Promotion Attitudes of French Perinatal Health Professionals

PubMed Central

Marie, Cécile; Lémery, Didier; Vendittelli, Françoise; Sauvant-Rochat, Marie-Pierre

2016-01-01

The exposure of pregnant women to environmental contaminants is a subject of international concern. However, the risk perception of these contaminants by health professionals (HP) has not been extensively investigated. The main objective of the PERI–HELPE study (Perception of Risk–HEaLth Professionals & Environment Study) was to assess the risk perception of environmental exposure of pregnant women by perinatal HPs. The secondary objectives were to describe the preventive attitudes of perinatal HPs concerning chemicals exposure of pregnant women and to identify the barriers to preventive attitude. A cross-sectional study was performed in 2015 in France. One hundred eighty-nine HPs (obstetricians, midwives, and general practitioners) replied to an online self-administered questionnaire (participation rate: 11%). Carbon monoxide, pesticides and lead were the contaminants most frequently perceived as a high risk for pregnant women. A minority of HPs asked women about their chemical exposure and advised them to reduce exposure. The lack of information, training and scientific evidence in environmental health were the main difficulties declared by the HPs to advise pregnant women. Despite the low response rate, our findings provide important information to encourage French health authorities to take into account the difficulties encountered by HPs and set up appropriate training programs in Environmental health. PMID:27999342

Respiratory health in Turkish asbestos cement workers: the role of environmental exposure.

PubMed

Akkurt, Ibrahim; Onal, Buhara; Demir, Ahmet Uğur; Tüzün, Dilek; Sabir, Handan; Ulusoy, Lütfi; Karadağ, Kaan O; Ersoy, Nihat; Cöplü, Lütfi

2006-08-01

Benign and malignant pleural and lung diseases due to environmental asbestos exposure constitute an important health problem in Turkey. The country has widespread natural deposits of asbestos in rural parts of central and eastern regions. Few data exists about the respiratory health effects of occupational asbestos exposure in Turkey. A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate respiratory health effects of occupational asbestos exposure and the contribution of environmental asbestos exposure. Investigations included asbestos dust measurements in the workplace and application of an interviewer-administered questionnaire, a standard posteroanterior chest X-ray and spirometry. Information on birthplace of the workers was obtained in 406 workers and used to identify environmental exposure to asbestos, through a map of geographic locations with known asbestos exposure. Asbestos dust concentration in the ambient air of the work sites (fiber/ml) ranged between 0.2 and 0.76 (mean: 0.25, median: 0.22). Environmental exposure to asbestos was determined in 24.4% of the workers. After the adjustment for age, smoking, occupational asbestos exposure, and potential risk factors environmental asbestos exposure was associated with small irregular opacities grade > or = 1/0 (44.2% vs. 26.6%, P < 0.01), FVC% (97.8 vs. 104.5, P < 0.0001), and FEV1% (92.4 vs. 99.9, P < .0001). Occupational exposure to asbestos was associated with small irregular opacities grade > or = 1/0 (OR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.3-3.1, per 1 unit increase in the natural logarithm of fiber/ml) and FEV1/FVC% (beta: 1.1, SEM: 0.54; P < 0.05, per 1 unit increase in the natural logarithm of fiber/ml). Environmental exposure to asbestos could increase the risk of asbestosis and lung function impairment in workers occupationally exposed to asbestos, independent from occupational exposure and smoking. Copyright 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

[Impact of the Spanish smoking laws on the exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in Galicia (2005-2011)].

PubMed

Pérez-Ríos, Mónica; Santiago-Pérez, María Isolina; Malvar, Alberto; Jesús García, María; Seoane, Bernardo; Suanzes, Jorge; Hervada, Xurxo

2014-01-01

Prevalence of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke is a valuable index to assess the impact of the laws for tobacco control. The objective of this work is to analyse variations in the prevalence of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in Galicia (Spain) between 2005, before the Law 28/2005, and 2011, after the law 42/2010. Data were obtained from five population-based independent cross-sectional studies, telephone surveys, developed in Galicia between 2005 and 2011 among population aged 16 to 74 (n=34.419). Self-reported exposure among population aged between 16 and 74 was analysed by setting and tobacco consumption by prevalence with 95% confidence intervals. Environmental tobacco smoke exposure decreased dramatically in Galicia between 2005 and 2011. In 2005, before the Law 28/2005, 95% of the population reported exposure to environmental tobacco smoke compared to 28% in 2011, after the Law 42/2010. Decrease was greater in workplaces in 2006 and in leisure time venues in 2011. After an initial decrease in 2006, exposure at home remains unchanged. An important reduction in self-reported exposure to environmental tobacco smoke occurred in Galicia in the period 2005-2011, specially after the introduction of Laws 28/2005 and 42/2010. Nevertheless, one in four of the population aged 16 to 74 remained exposed in 2011. Copyright © 2013 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

DISTRIBUTIONS, ASSOCIATIONS, AND PARTIAL AGGREGATE EXPOSURE OF PESTICIDES AND POLYNUCLEAR AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN THE MINNESOTA CHILDREN'S PESTICIDE EXPOSURE STUDY (MNCPES)

EPA Science Inventory

The Minnesota Children's Pesticide Exposure Study (MNCPES) provides exposure, environmental, and biologic data relating to multi-pathway exposures of children for four primary pesticides (chlorpyrifos, malathion, diazinon, and atrazine), 14 secondary pesticides, and 13 polynucl...

Environmental exposure modeling and monitoring of human pharmaceutical concentrations in the environment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Versteeg, D.J.; Alder, A. C.; Cunningham, V. L.; Kolpin, D.W.; Murray-Smith, R.; Ternes, T.

2005-01-01

Human pharmaceuticals are receiving increased attention as environmental contaminants. This is due to their biological activity and the number of monitoring programs focusing on analysis of these compounds in various environmental media and compartments. Risk assessments are needed to understand the implications of reported concentrations; a fundamental part of the risk assessment is an assessment of environmental exposures. The purpose of this chapter is to provide guidance on the use of predictive tools (e.g., models) and monitoring data in exposure assessments for pharmaceuticals in the environment. Methods to predict environmental concentrations from equations based on first principles are presented. These equations form the basis of existing GIS (geographic information systems)-based systems for understanding the spatial distribution of pharmaceuticals in the environment. The pharmaceutical assessment and transport (PhATE), georeferenced regional exposure assessment tool for European rivers (GREAT-ER), and geographical information system (GIS)-ROUT models are reviewed and recommendations are provided concerning the design and execution of monitoring studies. Model predictions and monitoring data are compared to evaluate the relative utility of each approach in environmental exposure assessments. In summary, both models and monitoring data can be used to define representative exposure concentrations of pharmaceuticals in the environment in support of environmental risk assessments.

[Epidemiologic research on the environment and health: some methodologic aspects].

PubMed

Hémon, D

1995-01-01

Research in environmental epidemiology deals with physical, chemical and biological agents whose presence--or relative absence--within the different media coming into contract with human beings (air, water, soil, food, etc...) may be harmful to human health. Some "major" environmental risk factors are well known. In a number of situations, however, environment-disease associations are "weak". This does not rule out the possibility that the exposures involved have a significant impact on human health, considering their prevalence which is frequently high. However, this complicates their study owing to the potential importance of biases as well as that of sampling fluctuations. Although increasing study size is of crucial importance, it is not sufficient to establish a clearcut distinction between "weak" associations and "diluted" ones. To improve our knowledge of health risks which are associated with environmental exposures, the basic methodological principles of epidemiological research--to define and adequately measure exposures, health outcomes, confounders and effect modifiers--may be very valuable to approach the study of "weak" associations: 1) identifying and quantifying the presence of the agents of interest in the environment, studying the distribution of environmental exposures among individuals and its determinants, taking into account the whole history of personal exposures and integrating adequately the short term time variability of exposures, giving special attention to the type and intensity of exposures may help in the definition and measurement of exposures; 2) carefully analyzing the interactions which may exist between the physical, chemical and biological agents of interest and the human body may greatly help in the elaboration, measurement and validation of relevant health outcomes (exposures to the target organs, early lesions and health impairments); 3) this same approach may also greatly contribute to the identification of constitutional or acquired individual characteristics which may interact with environmental agents in the development of diseases. While there is no guarantee that such approaches will successfully discriminate between "weak" and "diluted" associations, it is likely that inconclusive epidemiological evidence will be very difficult to avoid if such approaches are neglected by environmental epidemiologists.

Tracking contributions to human body burden of environmental chemicals by correlating environmental measurements with biomarkers.

PubMed

Shin, Hyeong-Moo; McKone, Thomas E; Sohn, Michael D; Bennett, Deborah H

2014-01-01

The work addresses current knowledge gaps regarding causes for correlations between environmental and biomarker measurements and explores the underappreciated role of variability in disaggregating exposure attributes that contribute to biomarker levels. Our simulation-based study considers variability in environmental and food measurements, the relative contribution of various exposure sources (indoors and food), and the biological half-life of a compound, on the resulting correlations between biomarker and environmental measurements. For two hypothetical compounds whose half-lives are on the order of days for one and years for the other, we generate synthetic daily environmental concentrations and food exposures with different day-to-day and population variability as well as different amounts of home- and food-based exposure. Assuming that the total intake results only from home-based exposure and food ingestion, we estimate time-dependent biomarker concentrations using a one-compartment pharmacokinetic model. Box plots of modeled R2 values indicate that although the R2 correlation between wipe and biological (e.g., serum) measurements is within the same range for the two compounds, the relative contribution of the home exposure to the total exposure could differ by up to 20%, thus providing the relative indication of their contribution to body burden. The novel method introduced in this paper provides insights for evaluating scenarios or experiments where sample, exposure, and compound variability must be weighed in order to interpret associations between exposure data.

Environmental pollutants and lifestyle factors induce oxidative stress and poor prenatal development.

PubMed

Al-Gubory, Kaïs H

2014-07-01

Developmental toxicity caused by exposure to a mixture of environmental pollutants has become a major health concern. Human-made chemicals, including xenoestrogens, pesticides and heavy metals, as well as unhealthy lifestyle behaviours, mainly tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and medical drug abuse, are major factors that adversely influence prenatal development and increase susceptibility of offspring to diseases. There is evidence to suggest that the developmental toxicological mechanisms of chemicals and lifestyle factors involve the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cellular oxidative damage. Overproduction of ROS induces oxidative stress, a state where increased ROS generation overwhelms antioxidant protection and subsequently leads to oxidative damage of cellular macromolecules. Data on the involvement of oxidative stress in the mechanism of developmental toxicity following exposure to environmental pollutants are reviewed in an attempt to provide an updated basis for future studies on the toxic effect of such pollutants, particularly the notion of increased risk for developmental toxicity due to combined and cumulative exposure to various environmental pollutants. The aims of such studies are to better understand the mechanisms by which environmental pollutants adversely affect conceptus development and to elucidate the impact of cumulative exposures to multiple pollutants on post-natal development and health outcomes. Developmental toxicity caused by exposure to mixture of environmental pollutants has become a major health concern. Human-made chemicals, including xenoestrogens, pesticides and heavy metals, as well as unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, mainly tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and medical drug abuse, are major factors that adversely influence prenatal development and increase the susceptibility of offspring to development complications and diseases. There is evidence to suggest that the developmental toxicological mechanisms of human-made chemicals and unhealthy lifestyle factors involve the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cellular oxidative damage. Overproduction of ROS induces oxidative stress, a state where increased generation of ROS overwhelms antioxidant protection and subsequently leads to oxidative damage of cellular macromolecules. Exposure to various environmental pollutants induces synergic and cumulative dose-additive adverse effects on prenatal development, pregnancy outcomes and neonate health. Data from the literature on the involvement of oxidative stress in the mechanism of developmental toxicity following in vivo exposure to environmental pollutants will be reviewed in an attempt to provide an updated basis for future studies on the toxic effect of such pollutants, particularly the notion of increased risk for developmental toxicity due to combined and cumulative exposure to various environmental pollutants. The aims of such studies are to better understand the mechanisms by which environmental pollutants adversely affect conceptus development and to elucidate the impact of cumulative exposures to multiple pollutants on postnatal development and health outcomes. Copyright © 2014 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Pregnancy Exposome: Multiple Environmental Exposures in the INMA-Sabadell Birth Cohort.

PubMed

Robinson, Oliver; Basagaña, Xavier; Agier, Lydiane; de Castro, Montserrat; Hernandez-Ferrer, Carles; Gonzalez, Juan R; Grimalt, Joan O; Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark; Sunyer, Jordi; Slama, Rémy; Vrijheid, Martine

2015-09-01

The "exposome" is defined as "the totality of human environmental exposures from conception onward, complementing the genome" and its holistic approach may advance understanding of disease etiology. We aimed to describe the correlation structure of the exposome during pregnancy to better understand the relationships between and within families of exposure and to develop analytical tools appropriate to exposome data. Estimates on 81 environmental exposures of current health concern were obtained for 728 women enrolled in The INMA (INfancia y Medio Ambiente) birth cohort, in Sabadell, Spain, using biomonitoring, geospatial modeling, remote sensors, and questionnaires. Pair-wise Pearson's and polychoric correlations were calculated and principal components were derived. The median absolute correlation across all exposures was 0.06 (5th-95th centiles, 0.01-0.54). There were strong levels of correlation within families of exposure (median = 0.45, 5th-95th centiles, 0.07-0.85). Nine exposures (11%) had a correlation higher than 0.5 with at least one exposure outside their exposure family. Effectively all the variance in the data set (99.5%) was explained by 40 principal components. Future exposome studies should interpret exposure effects in light of their correlations to other exposures. The weak to moderate correlation observed between exposure families will permit adjustment for confounding in future exposome studies.

Exposure Science: A View of the Past and Milestones for the Future

PubMed Central

Lioy, Paul J.

2010-01-01

Background The study of human exposure to environmental toxicants has evolved as a scientific field over the past 30 years. Objectives This review provides a historical perspective on the growth of exposure science as a field, with some emphasis on the results from initial observational studies in obtaining information needed for generating hypotheses on significant human contact with environmental agents, testing the performance of models, and reducing exposures to protect public health. Discussion Advances in activity pattern and behavioral research that established a suite of variables needed to accurately define contact and factors that influence contact are also discussed. The identification and characterization of these factors have played a pivotal role in the growth of the field and in developing exposure reduction strategies. Answers to two key questions on the relevance and fundamental value of exposure science to the fields of environmental health and risk management are presented as a path forward: a) What does one do with such exposure information? b) What roles does exposure science play in situations beyond observational analyses and interpretation? Conclusions The discussion identifies the need for more focused use of observational studies of exposure for epidemiologic analyses. Further, the introduction and use of new tools and approaches for hypothesis testing that can improve the use of exposure science in prevention research for risk management is needed to affect the source-to-effect continuum. A major restructuring of the field is not required to achieve innovation. However, additional resources for training and education are required to ensure that the potential for exposure science to play a central role in reducing and preventing excess risk within environmental/occupational health is achieved. PMID:20308034

Communicating their individual results to participants in an environmental exposure study: Insights from clinical ethics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Deck, W.; Kosatsky, T.

1999-02-01

A study measuring the uptake of chemical contaminants among sport fishers who consume fish caught in the St. Lawrence river is currently being conducted in Montreal, Canada. In this study, blood, hair, and urine collected from local sport fishers is being tested for heavy metals and persistent organochlorine chemicals. The objective of this study was to formulate a framework for determining what information to communicate to individual subjects of a study measuring biomarkers of exposure, consistent with the principles of ethical clinical and research practice. Methods consisted of review of the scope of environmental exposure studies, including the use ofmore » biomarker measurement in clinical medicine and environmental research and the relevant principles of clinical ethics and research practice. An exposure biomarker study is designed to elucidate constitutional, behavioral, and environmental determinants of tissue concentrations of exogenous substances. Ethical clinical and research practice, aiming to maximize autonomy and beneficence and to minimize harm, requires that study findings concerning the determinants of exposure be communicated to study participants. In addition, investigators should reference clinical action levels beyond which individual biomarker results are routinely communicated to participants. When biomarkers have no known relation to risk, or when levels fall below action levels, it may be preferable not co communicate individual results, if this arrangement has been formalized at the time of informed consent.« less

Impacts of Sublethal Mercury Exposure on Birds: A Detailed Review.

PubMed

Whitney, Margaret C; Cristol, Daniel A

Mercury is a ubiquitous environmental contaminant known to accumulate in, and negatively affect, fish-eating and oceanic bird species, and recently demonstrated to impact some terrestrial songbirds to a comparable extent. It can bioaccumulate to concentrations of >1 μg/g in tissues of prey organisms such as fish and insects. At high enough concentrations, exposure to mercury is lethal to birds. However, environmental exposures are usually far below the lethal concentrations established by dosing studies.The objective of this review is to better understand the effects of sublethal exposure to mercury in birds. We restricted our survey of the literature to studies with at least some exposures >5 μg/g. The majority of sublethal effects were subtle and some studies of similar endpoints reached different conclusions. Strong support exists in the literature for the conclusion that mercury exposure reduces reproductive output, compromises immune function, and causes avoidance of high-energy behaviors. For some endpoints, notably certain measures of reproductive success, endocrine and neurological function, and body condition, there is weak or contradictory evidence of adverse effects and further study is required. There was no evidence that environmentally relevant mercury exposure affects longevity, but several of the sublethal effects identified likely do result in fitness reductions that could adversely impact populations. Overall, 72% of field studies and 91% of laboratory studies found evidence of deleterious effects of mercury on some endpoint, and thus we can conclude that mercury is harmful to birds, and the many effects on reproduction indicate that bird population declines may already be resulting from environmental mercury pollution.

Performance of GPS-devices for environmental exposure assessment.

PubMed

Beekhuizen, Johan; Kromhout, Hans; Huss, Anke; Vermeulen, Roel

2013-01-01

Integration of individual time-location patterns with spatially resolved exposure maps enables a more accurate estimation of personal exposures to environmental pollutants than using estimates at fixed locations. Current global positioning system (GPS) devices can be used to track an individual's location. However, information on GPS-performance in environmental exposure assessment is largely missing. We therefore performed two studies. First, a commute-study, where the commute of 12 individuals was tracked twice, testing GPS-performance for five transport modes and two wearing modes. Second, an urban-tracking study, where one individual was tracked repeatedly through different areas, focused on the effect of building obstruction on GPS-performance. The median error from the true path for walking was 3.7 m, biking 2.9 m, train 4.8 m, bus 4.9 m, and car 3.3 m. Errors were larger in a high-rise commercial area (median error=7.1 m) compared with a low-rise residential area (median error=2.2 m). Thus, GPS-performance largely depends on the transport mode and urban built-up. Although ~85% of all errors were <10 m, almost 1% of the errors were >50 m. Modern GPS-devices are useful tools for environmental exposure assessment, but large GPS-errors might affect estimates of exposures with high spatial variability.

Early Life Precursors, Epigenetics, and the Development of Food Allergy1

PubMed Central

Hong, Xiumei; Wang, Xiaobin

2012-01-01

Food allergy (FA), a major clinical and public health concern worldwide, is caused by a complex interplay of environmental exposures, genetic variants, gene-environment interactions, and epigenetic alterations. This review summarizes recent advances surrounding these key factors, with a particular focus on the potential role of epigenetics in the development of FA. Epidemiologic studies have reported a number of non-genetic factors that may influence the risk of FA, such as timing of food introduction and feeding pattern, diet/nutrition, exposure to environmental tobacco smoking, prematurity and low birthweight, microbial exposure, and race/ethnicity. Current studies on the genetics of FA are mainly conducted using candidate gene approaches, which have linked more than 10 genes to the genetic susceptibility of FA. Studies on gene-environment interactions of FA are very limited. Epigenetic alteration has been proposed as one of the mechanisms to mediate the influence of early-life environmental exposures and gene-environment interactions on the development of diseases later in life. The role of epigenetics in the regulation of the immune system and the epigenetic effects of some FA-associated environmental exposures are discussed in this review. There is a particular lack of large-scale prospective birth cohort studies that simultaneously assess the inter-relationships of early life exposures, genetic susceptibility, epigenomic alterations and the development of FA. The identification of these key factors and their independent and joint contributions to FA will allow us to gain important insight into the biological mechanisms by which environmental exposures and genetic susceptibility affect the risk of FA, and will provide essential information to develop more effective new paradigms in the diagnosis, prevention and management of FA. PMID:22777545

Evaluating environmental modeling and sampling data with biomarker data to identify sources and routes of exposure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, Hyeong-Moo; McKone, Thomas E.; Bennett, Deborah H.

2013-04-01

Exposure to environmental chemicals results from multiple sources, environmental media, and exposure routes. Ideally, modeled exposures should be compared to biomonitoring data. This study compares the magnitude and variation of modeled polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exposures resulting from emissions to outdoor and indoor air and estimated exposure inferred from biomarker levels. Outdoor emissions result in both inhalation and food-based exposures. We modeled PAH intake doses using U.S. EPA's 2002 National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) county-level emissions data for outdoor inhalation, the CalTOX model for food ingestion (based on NATA emissions), and indoor air concentrations from field studies for indoor inhalation. We then compared the modeled intake with the measured urine levels of hydroxy-PAH metabolites from the 2001-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) survey as quantifiable human intake of PAH parent-compounds. Lognormal probability plots of modeled intakes and estimated intakes inferred from biomarkers suggest that a primary route of exposure to naphthalene, fluorene, and phenanthrene for the U.S. population is likely inhalation from indoor sources. For benzo(a)pyrene, the predominant exposure route is likely from food ingestion resulting from multi-pathway transport and bioaccumulation due to outdoor emissions. Multiple routes of exposure are important for pyrene. We also considered the sensitivity of the predicted exposure to the proportion of the total naphthalene production volume emitted to the indoor environment. The comparison of PAH biomarkers with exposure variability estimated from models and sample data for various exposure pathways supports that both indoor and outdoor models are needed to capture the sources and routes of exposure to environmental contaminants.

Hair and toenail arsenic concentrations of residents living in areas with high environmental arsenic concentrations.

PubMed Central

Hinwood, Andrea L; Sim, Malcolm R; Jolley, Damien; de Klerk, Nick; Bastone, Elisa B; Gerostamoulos, Jim; Drummer, Olaf H

2003-01-01

Surface soil and groundwater in Australia have been found to contain high concentrations of arsenic. The relative importance of long-term human exposure to these sources has not been established. Several studies have investigated long-term exposure to environmental arsenic concentrations using hair and toenails as the measure of exposure. Few have compared the difference in these measures of environmental sources of exposure. In this study we aimed to investigate risk factors for elevated hair and toenail arsenic concentrations in populations exposed to a range of environmental arsenic concentrations in both drinking water and soil as well as in a control population with low arsenic concentrations in both drinking water and soil. In this study, we recruited 153 participants from areas with elevated arsenic concentrations in drinking water and residential soil, as well as a control population with no anticipated arsenic exposures. The median drinking water arsenic concentrations in the exposed population were 43.8 micro g/L (range, 16.0-73 micro g/L) and median soil arsenic concentrations were 92.0 mg/kg (range, 9.1-9,900 mg/kg). In the control group, the median drinking water arsenic concentration was below the limit of detection, and the median soil arsenic concentration was 3.3 mg/kg. Participants were categorized based on household drinking water and residential soil arsenic concentrations. The geometric mean hair arsenic concentrations were 5.52 mg/kg for the drinking water exposure group and 3.31 mg/kg for the soil exposure group. The geometric mean toenail arsenic concentrations were 21.7 mg/kg for the drinking water exposure group and 32.1 mg/kg for the high-soil exposure group. Toenail arsenic concentrations were more strongly correlated with both drinking water and soil arsenic concentrations; however, there is a strong likelihood of significant external contamination. Measures of residential exposure were better predictors of hair and toenail arsenic concentrations than were local environmental concentrations. PMID:12573904

Gene-environment studies: any advantage over environmental studies?

PubMed

Bermejo, Justo Lorenzo; Hemminki, Kari

2007-07-01

Gene-environment studies have been motivated by the likely existence of prevalent low-risk genes that interact with common environmental exposures. The present study assessed the statistical advantage of the simultaneous consideration of genes and environment to investigate the effect of environmental risk factors on disease. In particular, we contemplated the possibility that several genes modulate the environmental effect. Environmental exposures, genotypes and phenotypes were simulated according to a wide range of parameter settings. Different models of gene-gene-environment interaction were considered. For each parameter combination, we estimated the probability of detecting the main environmental effect, the power to identify the gene-environment interaction and the frequency of environmentally affected individuals at which environmental and gene-environment studies show the same statistical power. The proportion of cases in the population attributable to the modeled risk factors was also calculated. Our data indicate that environmental exposures with weak effects may account for a significant proportion of the population prevalence of the disease. A general result was that, if the environmental effect was restricted to rare genotypes, the power to detect the gene-environment interaction was higher than the power to identify the main environmental effect. In other words, when few individuals contribute to the overall environmental effect, individual contributions are large and result in easily identifiable gene-environment interactions. Moreover, when multiple genes interacted with the environment, the statistical benefit of gene-environment studies was limited to those studies that included major contributors to the gene-environment interaction. The advantage of gene-environment over plain environmental studies also depends on the inheritance mode of the involved genes, on the study design and, to some extend, on the disease prevalence.

Context-sensitive ecological momentary assessments; integrating real-time exposure measurements, data-analytics and health assessment using a smartphone application.

PubMed

van Wel, Luuk; Huss, Anke; Bachmann, Philipp; Zahner, Marco; Kromhout, Hans; Fröhlich, Jürg; Vermeulen, Roel

2017-06-01

Modern sensor technology makes it possible to collect vast amounts of environmental, behavioural and health data. These data are often linked to contextual information on for example exposure sources which is separately collected with considerable lag time, leading to complications in assessing transient and/or highly spatially variable environmental exposures. Context-Sensitive Ecological Momentary Assessments 1 (CS-EMAs) could be used to address this. We present a case study using radiofrequency-electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) exposure as an example for implementing CS-EMA in environmental research. Participants were asked to install a custom application on their own smartphone and to wear an RF-EMF exposimeter for 48h. Questionnaires were triggered by the application based on a continuous data stream from the exposimeter. Triggers were divided into four categories: relative and absolute exposure levels, phone calls, and control condition. After the two days of use participants filled in an evaluation questionnaire. 74% of all CS-EMAs were completed, with an average time of 31s to complete a questionnaire once it was opened. Participants reported minimal influence on daily activities. There were no significant differences found between well-being and type of RF-EMF exposure. We show that a CS-EMA based method could be used in environmental research. Using several examples involving environmental stressors, we discuss both current and future applications of this methodology in studying potential health effects of environmental factors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN EXHALED BREATH ANALYSIS AND HUMAN EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT RESEARCH

EPA Science Inventory

This presentation will explore historical and newly emerging methods for the collection and analysis of exhaled breath for use in environmental exposure assessment studies. We will discuss their applicability and limitations with respect to environmental research. Particular em...

Environmental Exposure to Manganese in Air: Associations with Tremor and Motor Function

EPA Science Inventory

BACKGROUND: Manganese (Mn) inhalation has been associated with neuropsychological and neurological sequelae in exposed workers. Few environmental epidemiologic studies have examined the potentialy neurotoxic effects of Mn exposure in ambient air on motor function and han...

Occupational and Environmental Exposures Associated with Testicular Germ Cell Tumours: Systematic Review of Prenatal and Life-Long Exposures

PubMed Central

Béranger, Rémi; Le Cornet, Charlotte; Schüz, Joachim; Fervers, Béatrice

2013-01-01

Background Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCT) are the most common cancers in men aged between 15 and 44 years and the incidence has increased steeply over the past 30 years. The rapid increase in the incidence, the spatial variation and the evolution of incidence in migrants suggest that environmental risk factors play a role in TGCT aetiology. The purpose of our review is to summarise the current state of knowledge on occupational and environmental factors thought to be associated with TGCT. Methods A systematic literature search of PubMed. All selected articles were quality appraised by two independent researchers using the ‘Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale’. Results After exclusion of duplicate reports, 72 relevant articles were selected; 65 assessed exposure in adulthood, 7 assessed parental exposures and 2 assessed both. Associations with occupation was reported for agricultural workers, construction workers, firemen, policemen, military personnel, as well as workers in paper, plastic or metal industries. Electromagnetic fields, PCBs and pesticides were also suggested. However, results were inconsistent and studies showing positive associations tended to had lower quality ranking using the assessment scale (p=0.02). Discussion Current evidence does not allow concluding on existence of any clear association between TGCT and adulthood occupational or environmental exposure. The limitations of the studies may partly explain the inconsistencies observed. The lack of association with adulthood exposure is in line with current hypotheses supporting the prenatal origin of TGCT. Future research should focus on prenatal or early life exposure, as well as combined effect of prenatal and later life exposure. National and international collaborative studies should allow for more adequately powered epidemiological studies. More sophisticated methods for assessing exposure as well as evaluating gene–environment interactions will be necessary to establish clear conclusion. PMID:24155923

Occupational and environmental exposures associated with testicular germ cell tumours: systematic review of prenatal and life-long exposures.

PubMed

Béranger, Rémi; Le Cornet, Charlotte; Schüz, Joachim; Fervers, Béatrice

2013-01-01

Testicular germ cell tumours (TGCT) are the most common cancers in men aged between 15 and 44 years and the incidence has increased steeply over the past 30 years. The rapid increase in the incidence, the spatial variation and the evolution of incidence in migrants suggest that environmental risk factors play a role in TGCT aetiology. The purpose of our review is to summarise the current state of knowledge on occupational and environmental factors thought to be associated with TGCT. A systematic literature search of PubMed. All selected articles were quality appraised by two independent researchers using the 'Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale'. After exclusion of duplicate reports, 72 relevant articles were selected; 65 assessed exposure in adulthood, 7 assessed parental exposures and 2 assessed both. Associations with occupation was reported for agricultural workers, construction workers, firemen, policemen, military personnel, as well as workers in paper, plastic or metal industries. Electromagnetic fields, PCBs and pesticides were also suggested. However, results were inconsistent and studies showing positive associations tended to had lower quality ranking using the assessment scale (p=0.02). Current evidence does not allow concluding on existence of any clear association between TGCT and adulthood occupational or environmental exposure. The limitations of the studies may partly explain the inconsistencies observed. The lack of association with adulthood exposure is in line with current hypotheses supporting the prenatal origin of TGCT. Future research should focus on prenatal or early life exposure, as well as combined effect of prenatal and later life exposure. National and international collaborative studies should allow for more adequately powered epidemiological studies. More sophisticated methods for assessing exposure as well as evaluating gene-environment interactions will be necessary to establish clear conclusion.

Is Hypospadias Associated with Prenatal Exposure to Endocrine Disruptors? A French Collaborative Controlled Study of a Cohort of 300 Consecutive Children Without Genetic Defect.

PubMed

Kalfa, Nicolas; Paris, Françoise; Philibert, Pascal; Orsini, Mattea; Broussous, Sylvie; Fauconnet-Servant, Nadège; Audran, Françoise; Gaspari, Laura; Lehors, Hélène; Haddad, Myriam; Guys, Jean-Michel; Reynaud, Rachel; Alessandrini, Pierre; Merrot, Thierry; Wagner, Kathy; Kurzenne, Jean-Yves; Bastiani, Florence; Bréaud, Jean; Valla, Jean-Stéphane; Lacombe, Gérard Morisson; Dobremez, Eric; Zahhaf, Amel; Daures, Jean-Pierre; Sultan, Charles

2015-12-01

Numerous studies have focused on the association between endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and hypospadias. Phenotype variability, the absence of representative comparison groups and concomitant genetic testing prevent any definitive conclusions. To identify the role of occupational and environmental exposures to EDCs in nongenetic isolated hypospadias. A total of 408 consecutive children with isolated hypospadias and 302 normal boys were prospectively included (2009-2014) in a multi-institutional study in the south of France, the area of the country with the highest prevalence of hypospadias surgery. In patients without AR, SRD5A2, and MAMLD1 mutations, parental occupational and professional exposures to EDCs were evaluated based on European questionnaire QLK4-1999-01422 and a validated job-exposure matrix for EDCs. Environmental exposure was estimated using the zip code, the type of surrounding hazards, and distance from these hazards. Multivariate analysis was performed. Fetal exposure to EDCs around the window of genital differentiation was more frequent in the case of hypospadias (40.00% vs 17.55%, odds ratio 3.13, 95% confidence interval 2.11-4.65). The substances were paints/solvents/adhesives (16.0%), detergents (11.0%), pesticides (9.0%), cosmetics (5.6%), and industrial chemicals (4.0%). Jobs with exposure were more frequent in mothers of hypospadiac boys (19.73% vs 10.26%, p=0.0019), especially cleaners, hairdressers, beauticians, and laboratory workers. Paternal job exposure was more frequent in the cases of hypospadias (40.13% vs 27.48%, p=0.02). Industrial areas, incinerators, and waste areas were more frequent within a 3-km radius for mothers of hypospadiac boys (13.29% vs. 6.64%, p<0.00005). Association of occupational and environmental exposures increases this risk. This multicenter prospective controlled study with a homogeneous cohort of hypospadiac boys without genetic defects strongly suggests that EDCs are a risk factor for hypospadias through occupational and environmental exposure during fetal life. The association of various types of exposures may increase this risk. Our multi-institutional study showed that parental professional, occupational, and environmental exposures to chemical products increase the risk of hypospadias in children. Copyright © 2015 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Environment and asthma in adults.

PubMed

Le Moual, Nicole; Jacquemin, Bénédicte; Varraso, Raphaëlle; Dumas, Orianne; Kauffmann, Francine; Nadif, Rachel

2013-09-01

The present review addresses recent advances and especially challenging aspects regarding the role of environmental risk factors in adult-onset asthma, for which the causes are poorly established. In the first part of the review, we discuss aspects regarding some environmental risk factors for adult-onset asthma: air pollution, occupational exposures with a focus on an emerging risk represented by exposure to cleaning agents (both at home and in the workplace), and lifestyle and nutrition. The second part is focused on perspectives and challenges, regarding relevant topics on which research is needed to improve the understanding of the role of environmental factors in asthma. Aspects of exposure assessment, the complexity of multiple exposures, the interrelationships of the environment with behavioral characteristics and the importance of studying biological markers and gene-environment interactions to identify the role of the environment in asthma are discussed. We conclude that environmental and lifestyle exposures play an important role in asthma or related phenotypes. The changes in lifestyle and the environment in recent decades have modified the specific risk factors in asthma even for well-recognized risks such as occupational exposures. To better understand the role of the environment in asthma, the use of objective (quantitative measurement of exposures) or modern tools (bar code, GPS) and the development of multidisciplinary collaboration would be very promising. A better understanding of the complex interrelationships between socio-economic, nutritional, lifestyle and environmental conditions might help to study their joint and independent roles in asthma. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Biomonitoring - An Exposure Science Tool for Exposure and Risk Assessment

EPA Science Inventory

Biomonitoring studies of environmental stressors are useful for confirming exposures, estimating dose levels, and evaluating human health risks. However, the complexities of exposure-biomarker and biomarker-response relationships have limited the use of biomarkers in exposure sc...

Advancing the Selection of Neurodevelopmental Measures in Epidemiological Studies of Environmental Chemical Exposure and Health Effects

PubMed Central

Youngstrom, Eric; LaKind, Judy S.; Kenworthy, Lauren; Lipkin, Paul H.; Goodman, Michael; Squibb, Katherine; Mattison, Donald R.; Anthony, Bruno J.; Anthony, Laura Gutermuth

2010-01-01

With research suggesting increasing incidence of pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders, questions regarding etiology continue to be raised. Neurodevelopmental function tests have been used in epidemiology studies to evaluate relationships between environmental chemical exposures and neurodevelopmental deficits. Limitations of currently used tests and difficulties with their interpretation have been described, but a comprehensive critical examination of tests commonly used in studies of environmental chemicals and pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders has not been conducted. We provide here a listing and critical evaluation of commonly used neurodevelopmental tests in studies exploring effects from chemical exposures and recommend measures that are not often used, but should be considered. We also discuss important considerations in selecting appropriate tests and provide a case study by reviewing the literature on polychlorinated biphenyls. PMID:20195443

Environmental risk of mesothelioma in the United States: An emerging concern-epidemiological issues.

PubMed

Baumann, Francine; Carbone, Michele

2016-01-01

Despite predictions of decline in mesothelioma following the ban of asbestos in most industrial countries, the incidence is still increasing globally, particularly in women. Because occupational exposure to asbestos is the main cause of mesothelioma, it occurs four- to eightfold more frequently in men than women, at a median age of 74 years. When mesothelioma is due to an environmental exposure, the M:F sex ratio is 1:1 and the median age at diagnosis is ~60 years. Studying environmental risk of mesothelioma is challenging because of the long latency period and small numbers, and because this type of exposure is involuntary and unknown. Individual-based methods cannot be used, and new approaches need to be found. To better understand the most recent trends of mesothelioma in the United States, all mesothelioma deaths reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during 1999-2010 were analyzed. Among all mesothelioma deaths in the United States, the 1920s birth cohort significantly predominated, and the proportion of younger cohorts constantly decreased with time, suggesting a decline in occupational exposure in these cohorts. The M:F mesothelioma sex ratio fell with time, suggesting an increased proportion of environmental cases. Environmental exposures occur in specific geographic areas. At the large scale of a state, mesotheliomas related to environmental exposure are diluted among occupational cases. The spatial analysis at a smaller scale, such as county, enables detection of areas with higher proportions of female and young mesothelioma cases, thus indicating possible environmental exposure, where geological and environmental investigations need to be carried out.

DEMONSTRATION OF LOW COST, LOW BURDEN EXPOSURE MONITORING STRATEGIES FOR USE IN LONGITUDINAL COHORT STUDIES

EPA Science Inventory

A large longitudinal cohort study designed to evaluate the association between children's exposures to environmental agents and health outcomes presents many challenges for exposure monitoring. Exposure of the child must be measured for multiple chemicals through multiple path...

Integrating mitochondriomics in children’s environmental health

PubMed Central

Brunst, Kelly J.; Baccarelli, Andrea A.; Wright, Rosalind J.

2016-01-01

The amount of scientific research linking environmental exposures and childhood health outcomes continues to grow; yet few studies have teased out the mechanisms involved in environmentally-induced diseases. Cells can respond to environmental stressors in many ways: inducing oxidative stress/inflammation, changes in energy production and epigenetic alterations. Mitochondria, tiny organelles that each retains their own DNA, are exquisitely sensitive to environmental insults and are thought to be central players in these pathways. While it is intuitive that mitochondria play an important role in disease processes, given that every cell of our body is dependent on energy metabolism, it is less clear how environmental exposures impact mitochondrial mechanisms that may lead to enhanced risk of disease. Many of the effects of the environment are initiated in utero and integrating mitochondriomics into children’s environmental health studies is a critical priority. This review will highlight (i) the importance of exploring environmental mitochondriomics in children’s environmental health, (ii) why environmental mitochondriomics is well suited to biomarker development in this context, and (iii) how molecular and epigenetic changes in mitochondria and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) may reflect exposures linked to childhood health outcomes. PMID:26046650

Human Health Effects Associated with Exposure to Cyanobacteria and Cyanotoxins: What Do We Know?

EPA Science Inventory

The study of environmental health typically focuses on human populations. However, companion animals, livestock and wildlife also experience adverse health effects from environmental pollutants. Animals may experience direct exposure to pollutants unlike people in most ambient ex...

Protective influence of healthful nutrition on mechanisms of environmental pollutant toxicity and disease risks.

PubMed

Hoffman, Jessie B; Hennig, Bernhard

2017-06-01

Human exposures to environmental contaminants around the world contribute to the global burden of disease and thus require urgent attention. Exploring preventive measures against environmental exposure and disease risk is essential. While a sedentary lifestyle and/or poor dietary habits can exacerbate the deleterious effects resulting from exposure to toxic chemicals, much emerging evidence suggests that positive lifestyle changes (e.g., healthful nutrition) can modulate and/or reduce the toxicity of environmental pollutants. Our work has shown that diets high in anti-inflammatory bioactive food components (e.g., phytochemicals or polyphenols) are possible strategies for modulating and reducing the disease risks associated with exposure to toxic pollutants in the environment. Thus, consuming healthy diets rich in plant-derived bioactive nutrients may reduce the vulnerability to diseases linked to environmental toxic insults. This nutritional paradigm in environmental toxicology requires further study in order to improve our understanding of the relationships between nutrition and other lifestyle modifications and toxicant-induced diseases. © 2017 New York Academy of Sciences.

Alcohol, drugs, caffeine, tobacco, and environmental contaminant exposure: reproductive health consequences and clinical implications.

PubMed

Sadeu, J C; Hughes, Claude L; Agarwal, Sanjay; Foster, Warren G

2010-08-01

Reproductive function and fertility are thought to be compromised by behaviors such as cigarette smoking, substance abuse, and alcohol consumption; however, the strength of these associations are uncertain. Furthermore, the reproductive system is thought to be under attack from exposure to environmental contaminants, particularly those chemicals shown to affect endocrine homeostasis. The relationship between exposure to environmental contaminants and adverse effects on human reproductive health are frequently debated in the scientific literature and these controversies have spread into the lay press drawing increased public and regulatory attention. Therefore, the objective of the present review was to critically evaluate the literature concerning the relationship between lifestyle exposures and adverse effects on fertility as well as examining the evidence for a role of environmental contaminants in the purported decline of semen quality and the pathophysiology of subfertility, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and endometriosis. The authors conclude that whereas cigarette smoking is strongly associated with adverse reproductive outcomes, high-level exposures to other lifestyle factors are only weakly linked with negative fertility impacts. Finally, there is no compelling evidence that environmental contaminants, at concentrations representative of the levels measured in contemporary biomonitoring studies, have any effect, positive or negative, on reproductive health in the general population. Further research using prospective study designs with robust sample sizes are needed to evaluate testable hypotheses that address the relationship between exposure and adverse reproductive health effects.

Early life exposure to environmental tobacco smoke alters immune response to asbestos via a shift in inflammatory phenotype resulting in increased disease development.

PubMed

Brown, Traci Ann; Holian, Andrij; Pinkerton, Kent E; Lee, Joong Won; Cho, Yoon Hee

2016-07-01

Asbestos in combination with tobacco smoke exposure reportedly leads to more severe physiological consequences than asbestos alone; limited data also show an increased disease risk due to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure. Environmental influences during gestation and early lung development can result in physiological changes that alter risk for disease development throughout an individual's lifetime. Therefore, maternal lifestyle may impact the ability of offspring to subsequently respond to environmental insults and alter overall disease susceptibility. In this study, we examined the effects of exposure to ETS in utero and during early postnatal development on asbestos-related inflammation and disease in adulthood. ETS exposure in utero appeared to shift inflammation towards a Th2 phenotype, via suppression of Th1 inflammatory cytokine production. This effect was further pronounced in mice exposed to ETS in utero and during early postnatal development. In utero ETS exposure led to increased collagen deposition, a marker of fibrotic disease, when the offspring was later exposed to asbestos, which was further increased with additional ETS exposure during early postnatal development. These data suggest that ETS exposure in utero alters the immune responses and leads to greater disease development after asbestos exposure, which is further exacerbated when exposure to ETS continues during early postnatal development.

Evaluation of exposure-response relationships for health effects of microbial bioaerosols - A systematic review.

PubMed

Walser, Sandra M; Gerstner, Doris G; Brenner, Bernhard; Bünger, Jürgen; Eikmann, Thomas; Janssen, Barbara; Kolb, Stefanie; Kolk, Annette; Nowak, Dennis; Raulf, Monika; Sagunski, Helmut; Sedlmaier, Nadja; Suchenwirth, Roland; Wiesmüller, Gerhard; Wollin, Klaus-Michael; Tesseraux, Irene; Herr, Caroline E W

2015-10-01

Studies suggest adverse health effects following exposure to bioaerosols in the environment and in particular at workplaces. However, there is still a lack of health-related exposure limits based on toxicological or epidemiological studies from environmental health or from the working environment. The aim of this study was to derive health-based exposure limits for bioaerosols that can protect the general population as group "at risk" via environmental exposure using analysis of peer-reviewed studies related to occupational medicine, indoor air and environmental health. The derivation of exposure limits should be conducted by the members of a bioaerosol expert panel according to established toxicological criteria. A systematic review was performed in Medline (PubMed) including studies containing both data on exposure measurements and observed health outcomes. In addition, literature recommended by the experts was considered. A comprehensive search strategy was generated and resulted in a total of n=1569 studies in combination with the literature recommendations. Subsequently, abstracts were screened using defined exclusion criteria yielding a final number of n=44 studies. A standardized extraction sheet was used to combine data on health effects and exposure to different bioaerosols. After full-text screening and extraction according to the defined exclusion criteria n=20 studies were selected all related to occupational exposures comprising the working areas wood processing, farming, waste processing and others. These studies were analyzed in collaboration with the bioaerosol expert network in terms of suitability for derivation of health-related exposure limits. The bioaerosol expert network concluded that none of the analyzed studies provided suitable dose-response relationships for derivation of exposure limits. The main reasons were: (1) lack of studies with valid dose-response data; (2) diversity of employed measuring methods for microorganisms and bioaerosol-emitting facilities; (3) heterogeneity of health effects; (4) insufficient exposure assessment. However, several indicator parameters and exposure concentrations could be identified for different bioaerosol-emitting facilities. Nevertheless, health-related exposure limits are urgently needed especially in approval procedures of facilities like composting plants or livestock farms emitting bioaerosols in the neighbourhood of residents. In the regulatory toxicology framework, it is common to use animal experimental studies for derivation of general exposure limits if appropriate environmental epidemiological studies on harmful substances are lacking. This might be another possibility to obtain health-related exposure limits for specific bioaerosol parameters. Furthermore, we recommend to use suitable measurable outcome parameters related to bioaerosols; to measure bioaerosols according to a protocol representative for exposure pattern and duration at the particular work place; to develop standardized detection methods for indicator parameters; to combine different detection methods to compensate for the limitations of each method; to apply new analysis methods to identify the real risk potential. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Environmental Exposures and the Risk of Central Venous Catheter Complications and Readmissions in Home Infusion Therapy Patients

PubMed Central

Keller, Sara C.; Williams, Deborah; Gavgani, Mitra; Hirsch, David; Adamovich, John; Hohl, Dawn; Krosche, Amanda; Cosgrove, Sara; Perl, Trish M.

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND Patients are frequently discharged with central venous catheters (CVCs) for home infusion therapy. OBJECTIVE To study a prospective cohort of patients receiving home infusion therapy to identify environmental and other risk factors for complications. DESIGN Prospective cohort study between March and December 2015. SETTING Home infusion therapy after discharge from academic medical centers. PARTICIPANTS Of 368 eligible patients discharged from 2 academic hospitals to home with peripherally inserted central catheters and tunneled CVCs, 222 consented. Patients remained in the study until 30 days after CVC removal. METHODS Patients underwent chart abstraction and monthly telephone surveys while the CVC was in place, focusing on complications and environmental exposures. Multivariable analyses estimated adjusted odds ratios and adjusted incident rate ratios between clinical, demographic, and environmental risk factors and 30-day readmissions or CVC complications. RESULTS Of 222 patients, total parenteral nutrition was associated with increased 30-day readmissions (adjusted odds ratio, 4.80 [95% CI, 1.51–15.21) and CVC complications (adjusted odds ratio, 2.41 [95% CI, 1.09–5.33]). Exposure to soil through gardening or yard work was associated with a decreased likelihood of readmissions (adjusted odds ratio, 0.09 [95% CI, 0.01–0.74]). Other environmental exposures were not associated with CVC complications. CONCLUSIONS complications and readmissions were common and associated with the use of total parenteral nutrition. Common environmental exposures (well water, cooking with raw meat, or pets) did not increase the rate of CVC complications, whereas soil exposures were associated with decreased readmissions. Interventions to decrease home CVC complications should focus on total parenteral nutrition patients. PMID:27697084

Environmental Exposures and the Risk of Central Venous Catheter Complications and Readmissions in Home Infusion Therapy Patients.

PubMed

Keller, Sara C; Williams, Deborah; Gavgani, Mitra; Hirsch, David; Adamovich, John; Hohl, Dawn; Krosche, Amanda; Cosgrove, Sara; Perl, Trish M

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND Patients are frequently discharged with central venous catheters (CVCs) for home infusion therapy. OBJECTIVE To study a prospective cohort of patients receiving home infusion therapy to identify environmental and other risk factors for complications. DESIGN Prospective cohort study between March and December 2015. SETTING Home infusion therapy after discharge from academic medical centers. PARTICIPANTS Of 368 eligible patients discharged from 2 academic hospitals to home with peripherally inserted central catheters and tunneled CVCs, 222 consented. Patients remained in the study until 30 days after CVC removal. METHODS Patients underwent chart abstraction and monthly telephone surveys while the CVC was in place, focusing on complications and environmental exposures. Multivariable analyses estimated adjusted odds ratios and adjusted incident rate ratios between clinical, demographic, and environmental risk factors and 30-day readmissions or CVC complications. RESULTS Of 222 patients, total parenteral nutrition was associated with increased 30-day readmissions (adjusted odds ratio, 4.80 [95% CI, 1.51-15.21) and CVC complications (adjusted odds ratio, 2.41 [95% CI, 1.09-5.33]). Exposure to soil through gardening or yard work was associated with a decreased likelihood of readmissions (adjusted odds ratio, 0.09 [95% CI, 0.01-0.74]). Other environmental exposures were not associated with CVC complications. CONCLUSIONS complications and readmissions were common and associated with the use of total parenteral nutrition. Common environmental exposures (well water, cooking with raw meat, or pets) did not increase the rate of CVC complications, whereas soil exposures were associated with decreased readmissions. Interventions to decrease home CVC complications should focus on total parenteral nutrition patients. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;1-8.

Children's Cognitive Ability from 4 to 9 Years Old as a Function of Prenatal Cocaine Exposure, Environmental Risk, and Maternal Verbal Intelligence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, David S.; Bendersky, Margaret; Lewis, Michael

2008-01-01

This study examined the effects of prenatal cocaine exposure, environmental risk, and maternal verbal intelligence on children's cognitive ability. Gender and age were examined as moderators of potential cocaine exposure effects. The Stanford-Binet IV intelligence test was administered to 231 children (91 cocaine exposed, 140 unexposed) at ages 4,…

Modern environmental health hazards: a public health issue of increasing significance in Africa.

PubMed

Nweke, Onyemaechi C; Sanders, William H

2009-06-01

Traditional hazards such as poor sanitation currently account for most of Africa's environmentally related disease burden. However, with rapid development absent appropriate safeguards for environment and health, modern environmental health hazards (MEHHs) may emerge as critical contributors to the continent's disease burden. We review recent evidence of human exposure to and health effects from MEHHs, and their occurrence in environmental media and consumer products. Our purpose is to highlight the growing significance of these hazards as African countries experience urbanization, industrial growth, and development. We reviewed published epidemiologic, exposure, and environmental studies of chemical agents such as heavy metals and pesticides. The body of evidence demonstrates ongoing environmental releases of MEHHs and human exposures sometimes at toxicologically relevant levels. Several sources of MEHHs in environmental media have been identified, including natural resource mining and processing and automobile exhaust. Biomonitoring studies provided direct evidence of human exposure to metals such as mercury and lead and pesticides such as p,p'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and organophosphates. Land and water resource pollution and industrial air toxics are areas of significant data gaps, notwithstanding the presence of several emitting sources. Unmitigated MEHH releases and human exposure have implications for Africa's disease burden. For Africans encumbered by conditions such as malnutrition that impair resilience to toxicologic challenges, the burden may be higher. A shift in public health policy toward accommodating the emerging diversity in Africa's environmental health issues is necessary to successfully alleviate the burden of avoidable ill health and premature death for all its communities now and in the future.

Zebrafish as a model to study the role of DNA methylation in environmental toxicology.

PubMed

Kamstra, Jorke H; Aleström, Peter; Kooter, Jan M; Legler, Juliette

2015-11-01

Environmental epigenetics is a rapidly growing field which studies the effects of environmental factors such as nutrition, stress, and exposure to compounds on epigenetic gene regulation. Recent studies have shown that exposure to toxicants in vertebrates is associated with changes in DNA methylation, a major epigenetic mechanism affecting gene transcription. Zebra fish, a well-known model in toxicology and developmental biology, are emerging as a model species in environmental epigenetics despite their evolutionary distance to rodents and humans. In this review, recent insights in DNA methylation during zebra fish development are discussed and compared to mammalian models in order to evaluate zebra fish as a model to study the role of DNA methylation in environmental toxicology. Differences exist in DNA methylation reprogramming during early development, whereas in later developmental stages, tissue distribution of both 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine seems more conserved between species, as well as basic DNA (de)methylation mechanisms. All DNA methyl transferases identified so far in mammals are present in zebra fish, as well as a number of major demethylation pathways. However, zebra fish appear to lack some methylation pathways present in mammals, such as parental imprinting. Several studies report effects on DNA methylation in zebra fish following exposure to environmental contaminants, such as arsenic, benzo[a]pyrene, and tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate. Though more research is needed to examine heritable effects of contaminant exposure on DNA methylation, recent data suggests the usefulness of the zebra fish as a model in environmental epigenetics.

Social Science Collaboration with Environmental Health.

PubMed

Hoover, Elizabeth; Renauld, Mia; Edelstein, Michael R; Brown, Phil

2015-11-01

Social science research has been central in documenting and analyzing community discovery of environmental exposure and consequential processes. Collaboration with environmental health science through team projects has advanced and improved our understanding of environmental health and justice. We sought to identify diverse methods and topics in which social scientists have expanded environmental health understandings at multiple levels, to examine how transdisciplinary environmental health research fosters better science, and to learn how these partnerships have been able to flourish because of the support from National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). We analyzed various types of social science research to investigate how social science contributes to environmental health. We also examined NIEHS programs that foster social science. In addition, we developed a case study of a community-based participation research project in Akwesasne in order to demonstrate how social science has enhanced environmental health science. Social science has informed environmental health science through ethnographic studies of contaminated communities, analysis of spatial distribution of environmental injustice, psychological experience of contamination, social construction of risk and risk perception, and social impacts of disasters. Social science-environmental health team science has altered the way scientists traditionally explore exposure by pressing for cumulative exposure approaches and providing research data for policy applications. A transdisciplinary approach for environmental health practice has emerged that engages the social sciences to paint a full picture of the consequences of contamination so that policy makers, regulators, public health officials, and other stakeholders can better ameliorate impacts and prevent future exposure. Hoover E, Renauld M, Edelstein MR, Brown P. 2015. Social science collaboration with environmental health. Environ Health Perspect 123:1100-1106; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409283.

Social Science Collaboration with Environmental Health

PubMed Central

Hoover, Elizabeth; Renauld, Mia; Edelstein, Michael R.

2015-01-01

Background Social science research has been central in documenting and analyzing community discovery of environmental exposure and consequential processes. Collaboration with environmental health science through team projects has advanced and improved our understanding of environmental health and justice. Objective We sought to identify diverse methods and topics in which social scientists have expanded environmental health understandings at multiple levels, to examine how transdisciplinary environmental health research fosters better science, and to learn how these partnerships have been able to flourish because of the support from National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). Methods We analyzed various types of social science research to investigate how social science contributes to environmental health. We also examined NIEHS programs that foster social science. In addition, we developed a case study of a community-based participation research project in Akwesasne in order to demonstrate how social science has enhanced environmental health science. Results Social science has informed environmental health science through ethnographic studies of contaminated communities, analysis of spatial distribution of environmental injustice, psychological experience of contamination, social construction of risk and risk perception, and social impacts of disasters. Social science–environmental health team science has altered the way scientists traditionally explore exposure by pressing for cumulative exposure approaches and providing research data for policy applications. Conclusions A transdisciplinary approach for environmental health practice has emerged that engages the social sciences to paint a full picture of the consequences of contamination so that policy makers, regulators, public health officials, and other stakeholders can better ameliorate impacts and prevent future exposure. Citation Hoover E, Renauld M, Edelstein MR, Brown P. 2015. Social science collaboration with environmental health. Environ Health Perspect 123:1100–1106; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409283 PMID:25966491

Adverse childhood experiences and adult smoking, Nebraska, 2011.

PubMed

Yeoman, Kristin; Safranek, Thomas; Buss, Bryan; Cadwell, Betsy L; Mannino, David

2013-09-19

Smoking is a public health risk; the prevalence of smoking among adults in Nebraska is 18.4%. Studies indicate that maltreatment of children alters their brain development, possibly increasing risk for tobacco use. Previous studies have documented associations between childhood maltreatment and adult health behaviors, demonstrating the influence of adverse experiences on tobacco use. We examined prevalence and associations between adverse childhood experiences and smoking among Nebraskans. We analyzed 2011 Nebraska Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (Adverse Childhood Experience module) data, defining adverse childhood experience exposures as physical, sexual, and verbal abuse (ie, direct exposures), and household dysfunction associated with mental illness, substance abuse, divorce, domestic violence, and living with persons with incarceration histories (ie, environmental exposures). We estimated prevalence of exposures, taking into account the complex survey design. We used logistic regression with predicted margins to estimate adjusted relative risk for smoking by direct or environmental exposure. Approximately 51% of Nebraskans experienced 1 or more adverse childhood events; 7% experienced 5 or more. Prevalence of environmental exposures (42%) was significantly higher than that of direct exposures (31%). Prevalence of individual exposures ranged from 6% (incarceration of a household member) to 25% (verbal abuse). Adjusted relative risks of smoking for direct and environmental exposures were 1.5 and 1.8, respectively. We present a new method of evaluating adverse childhood experience data. Prevalence of adverse childhood experiences is high among Nebraskans, and these exposures are associated with smoking. State-specific strategies to monitor adverse events among children and provide interventions might help to decrease the smoking rate in this population.

Research Review: Environmental exposures, neurodevelopment and child mental health – new paradigms for the study of brain and behavioral effects

PubMed Central

Rauh, Virginia A.; Margolis, Amy

2016-01-01

Background Environmental exposures play a critical role in the genesis of some child mental health problems. Methods We open with a discussion of children’s vulnerability to neurotoxic substances, changes in the distribution of toxic exposures, and co-occurrence of social and physical exposures. We address trends in prevalence of mental health disorders, and approaches to the definition of disorders that are sensitive to the subtle effects of toxic exposures. We suggest broadening outcomes to include dimensional measures of autism spectrum disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and child learning capacity, as well as direct assessment of brain function. Findings We consider the impact of two important exposures on children’s mental health: lead and pesticides. We argue that longitudinal research designs may capture the cascading effects of exposures across biological systems and the full-range of neuropsychological endpoints. Neuroimaging is a valuable tool for observing brain maturation under varying environmental conditions. A dimensional approach to measurement may be sensitive to subtle sub-clinical toxic effects, permitting the development of exposure-related profiles and testing of complex functional relationships between brain and behavior. Questions about the neurotoxic effects of chemicals become more pressing when viewed through the lens of environmental justice. Conclusions Reduction in the burden of child mental health disorders will require longitudinal study of neurotoxic exposures, incorporating dimensional approaches to outcome assessment and measures of brain function. Research that seeks to identify links between toxic exposures and mental health outcomes has enormous public health and societal value. PMID:26987761

Research Review: Environmental exposures, neurodevelopment, and child mental health - new paradigms for the study of brain and behavioral effects.

PubMed

Rauh, Virginia A; Margolis, Amy E

2016-07-01

Environmental exposures play a critical role in the genesis of some child mental health problems. We open with a discussion of children's vulnerability to neurotoxic substances, changes in the distribution of toxic exposures, and cooccurrence of social and physical exposures. We address trends in prevalence of mental health disorders, and approaches to the definition of disorders that are sensitive to the subtle effects of toxic exposures. We suggest broadening outcomes to include dimensional measures of autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and child learning capacity, as well as direct assessment of brain function. We consider the impact of two important exposures on children's mental health: lead and pesticides. We argue that longitudinal research designs may capture the cascading effects of exposures across biological systems and the full-range of neuropsychological endpoints. Neuroimaging is a valuable tool for observing brain maturation under varying environmental conditions. A dimensional approach to measurement may be sensitive to subtle subclinical toxic effects, permitting the development of exposure-related profiles and testing of complex functional relationships between brain and behavior. Questions about the neurotoxic effects of chemicals become more pressing when viewed through the lens of environmental justice. Reduction in the burden of child mental health disorders will require longitudinal study of neurotoxic exposures, incorporating dimensional approaches to outcome assessment, and measures of brain function. Research that seeks to identify links between toxic exposures and mental health outcomes has enormous public health and societal value. © 2016 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Overall environmental quality and incidence of childhood cancers

EPA Science Inventory

Childhood cancer is associated with individual ambient environmental exposures such as hazardous air pollutants and pesticides. However, the role of cumulative ambient environmental exposures is not well-understood. To estimate cumulative environmental exposures, an Environmental...

Effects from environmental Mn exposures: a review of the evidence from non-occupational exposure studies.

PubMed

Hudnell, H K

1999-01-01

The risk posed to human health by environmental manganese exposure is unknown. Occupational-exposure outcomes may not extrapolate to environmental exposures due to the healthy worker effect and differences in dosage parameters which may affect the biological response. This paper attempts to combine the existing literature on non-occupational Mn exposures with results from our current study in SW Quebec on environmental Mn exposure (Mergler et al., this issue) within the framework of a biologically-based, dose-response (BBDR) model. BBDR MODEL: The basic BBDR model consists of seven stages relating exposure to health effects. The stages are: 1) sources, 2) applied dose, 3) absorbed dose, 4) target-site dose, 5) toxic event, 6) measurable change, and 7) health outcome. Several air monitoring programs, such as the PTEAM study (Riverside, CA, 1990, mean PM10 Mn outdoor-airborne 24 h average = 0.045 microgram/m3), provided data relevant to the estimation of Mn applied dose, but did not include measures of body burden. Data from the SW Quebec study showed a mean total-particulate airborne Mn concentration of 0.022 microgram/m3 with a range of 0.009 to 0.035 microgram/m3 across four sampling sites, whereas the EPA reference concentration (RfC) is 0.05 microgram/m3. EPA has considered tap water levels to be safe below 200 micrograms/l Mn, and mean Mn tap-water (MnW) level in the participants' homes was 6.38 +/- 11.95 micrograms/l with a range from 0.1 to 158.9 micrograms/l Mn. A previous study of MnW exposure in Greece reported Mn levels in areas with low, medium and high MnW ranging from 4 to 2,300 micrograms/l and a significant association with Mn in hair but not Mn in blood (MnB). The mean absorbed dose of the SW Quebec study participants, as indicated by MnB, was 7.5 +/- 2.3 micrograms/l with a range of 2.5 to 15.9 micrograms/l. Our study and others on environmental Mn exposure did not provide an estimate of target-site dose. However, a significant correlation (r = 0.65) between MnB and signal intensity in T1-weighted MRI images has been reported in liver-disease patients with Parkinson-like signs who had MnB levels as low as 6.6 micrograms/l. Only animal and in vitro studies have provided evidence on the mechanisms of toxicity caused by Mn in the CNS. Several studies reported measurable changes in endpoints suggestive of a Parkinson-like syndrome in subjects with MnB levels ranging from 7.5 to 25.0 micrograms/l. Among other effects on neurobehavioral function observed in the current study was a significant relationship between MnB and the direction and speed of body-sway in men. The effects observed in these participants are sub-clinical and no health outcomes have been diagnosed. However, the Parkinson's disease incidence in the study area was previously reported to be 2-5 times higher than in the rest of Quebec, and several studies indicate that 25-35% of idiopathic Parkinson disease diagnoses are incorrect. Our study, the Greek study, and some clinical studies suggest that the risk of a Parkinson-like syndrome diagnosis may increase with continued Mn exposure and aging. The limited data available for the BBDR model point to the need for evidence, particularly on relationships between Mn species, exposure route, MnB with chronic environmental exposure, ageing, and susceptibility factors, to improve human-health risk assessments for chronic, environmental Mn exposure.

Environmental hazards and stress: evidence from the Texas City Stress and Health Study.

PubMed

Peek, M K; Cutchin, M P; Freeman, D; Stowe, R P; Goodwin, J S

2009-10-01

Substantial research has suggested that exposure to environmental health hazards, such as polluting industrial activity, has deleterious effects on psychological and physiological well-being. However, one gap in the existing literature is comparative analysis of objective and subjective exposure's relative association with various measurable outcomes of exposure. These relationships were explored within a community sample of 2604 respondents living near a large petrochemical complex in Texas City, Texas, USA. Objective exposure was investigated using distance of residence from a cluster of petrochemical plants and subjective exposure using residents' concern about potential health effects from those plants. Regression models were then used to examine how each type of exposure predicts perceived stress, physiological markers of stress and perceived health. Results suggest that objective exposure was associated primarily with markers of physiological stress (interleukin-6 and viral reactivation), and subjective exposure (concern about petrochemical health risk) was associated with variables assessing perceived health. From the analysis, it can be inferred that, in the context of an environmental hazard of this type, subjective exposure may be at least as important a predictor of poor health outcomes as objective exposure.

Environmental chemicals and breast cancer: An updated review of epidemiological literature informed by biological mechanisms.

PubMed

Rodgers, Kathryn M; Udesky, Julia O; Rudel, Ruthann A; Brody, Julia Green

2018-01-01

Many common environmental chemicals are mammary gland carcinogens in animal studies, activate relevant hormonal pathways, or enhance mammary gland susceptibility to carcinogenesis. Breast cancer's long latency and multifactorial etiology make evaluation of these chemicals in humans challenging. For chemicals previously identified as mammary gland toxicants, we evaluated epidemiologic studies published since our 2007 review. We assessed whether study designs captured relevant exposures and disease features suggested by toxicological and biological evidence of genotoxicity, endocrine disruption, tumor promotion, or disruption of mammary gland development. We systematically searched the PubMed database for articles with breast cancer outcomes published in 2006-2016 using terms for 134 environmental chemicals, sources, or biomarkers of exposure. We critically reviewed the articles. We identified 158 articles. Consistent with experimental evidence, a few key studies suggested higher risk for exposures during breast development to dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), dioxins, perfluorooctane-sulfonamide (PFOSA), and air pollution (risk estimates ranged from 2.14 to 5.0), and for occupational exposure to solvents and other mammary carcinogens, such as gasoline components (risk estimates ranged from 1.42 to 3.31). Notably, one 50-year cohort study captured exposure to DDT during several critical windows for breast development (in utero, adolescence, pregnancy) and when this chemical was still in use. Most other studies did not assess exposure during a biologically relevant window or specify the timing of exposure. Few studies considered genetic variation, but the Long Island Breast Cancer Study Project reported higher breast cancer risk for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in women with certain genetic variations, especially in DNA repair genes. New studies that targeted toxicologically relevant chemicals and captured biological hypotheses about genetic variants or windows of breast susceptibility added to evidence of links between environmental chemicals and breast cancer. However, many biologically relevant chemicals, including current-use consumer product chemicals, have not been adequately studied in humans. Studies are challenged to reconstruct exposures that occurred decades before diagnosis or access biological samples stored that long. Other problems include measuring rapidly metabolized chemicals and evaluating exposure to mixtures. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A systematic review of associations between environmental exposures and development of asthma in children aged up to 9 years

PubMed Central

Dick, S; Friend, A; Dynes, K; AlKandari, F; Doust, E; Cowie, H; Ayres, J G; Turner, S W

2014-01-01

Objectives Childhood asthma is a complex condition where many environmental factors are implicated in causation. The aim of this study was to complete a systematic review of the literature describing associations between environmental exposures and the development of asthma in young children. Setting A systematic review of the literature up to November 2013 was conducted using key words agreed by the research team. Abstracts were screened and potentially eligible papers reviewed. Papers describing associations between exposures and exacerbation of pre-existing asthma were not included. Papers were placed into the following predefined categories: secondhand smoke (SHS), inhaled chemicals, damp housing/mould, inhaled allergens, air pollution, domestic combustion, dietary exposures, respiratory virus infection and medications. Participants Children aged up to 9 years. Primary outcomes Diagnosed asthma and wheeze. Results 14 691 abstracts were identified, 207 papers reviewed and 135 included in the present review of which 15 were systematic reviews, 6 were meta-analyses and 14 were intervention studies. There was consistent evidence linking exposures to SHS, inhaled chemicals, mould, ambient air pollutants, some deficiencies in maternal diet and respiratory viruses to an increased risk for asthma (OR typically increased by 1.5–2.0). There was less consistent evidence linking exposures to pets, breast feeding and infant dietary exposures to asthma risk, and although there were consistent associations between exposures to antibiotics and paracetamol in early life, these associations might reflect reverse causation. There was good evidence that exposures to house dust mites (in isolation) was not associated with asthma risk. Evidence from observational and intervention studies suggest that interactions between exposures were important to asthma causation, where the effect size was typically 1.5–3.0. Conclusions There are many publications reporting associations between environmental exposures and modest changes in risk for asthma in young children, and this review highlights the complex interactions between exposures that further increase risk. PMID:25421340

Qualitative environmental health research: an analysis of the literature, 1991-2008.

PubMed

Scammell, Madeleine Kangsen

2010-08-01

Recent articles have advocated for the use of qualitative methods in environmental health research. Qualitative research uses nonnumeric data to understand people's opinions, motives, understanding, and beliefs about events or phenomena. In this analysis of the literature, I report the use of qualitative methods and data in the study of the relationship between environmental exposures and human health. A primary search on ISI Web of Knowledge/Web of Science for peer-reviewed journal articles dated from 1991 through 2008 included the following three terms: qualitative, environ*, and health. Inclusion and exclusion criteria are described. Searches resulted in 3,155 records. Data were extracted and findings of articles analyzed to determine where and by whom qualitative environmental health research is conducted and published, the types of methods and analyses used in qualitative studies of environmental health, and the types of information qualitative data contribute to environmental health. Ninety-one articles met inclusion criteria. These articles were published in 58 different journals, with a maximum of eight for a single journal. The results highlight a diversity of disciplines and techniques among researchers who used qualitative methods to study environmental health, with most studies relying on one-on-one interviews. Details of the analyses were absent from a large number of studies. Nearly all of the studies identified increased scientific understanding of lay perceptions of environmental health exposures. Qualitative data are published in traditionally quantitative environmental health studies to a limited extent. However, this analysis demonstrates the potential of qualitative data to improve understanding of complex exposure pathways, including the influence of social factors on environmental health, and health outcomes.

ALTERNATIVE EXPOSURE MEASUREMENT DESIGNS TO IMPROVE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY DESIGNS: DETERMINANTS OF TEMPORAL VARIABILITY IN ENVIRONMENTAL CONCENTRATIONS, EXPOSURES, AND BIOMARKERS

EPA Science Inventory

The National Human Exposure Assessment Survey in Maryland (NHEXAS-MD) was a longitudinal study of multimedia exposure to metals, pesticides, and polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAHs). Measurements were made and questionnaires were concurrently administered to identify sources o...

Exposure information in environmental health research: Current opportunities and future directions for particulate matter, ozone, and toxic air pollutants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McKone, Thomas E.; Ryan, P. Barry; Ozkaynak, Haluk

2007-02-01

Understanding and quantifying outdoor and indoor sources of human exposure are essential but often not adequately addressed in health-effects studies for air pollution. Air pollution epidemiology, risk assessment, health tracking and accountability assessments are examples of health-effects studies that require but often lack adequate exposure information. Recent advances in exposure modeling along with better information on time-activity and exposure factors data provide us with unique opportunities to improve the assignment of exposures for both future and ongoing studies linking air pollution to health impacts. In September 2006, scientists from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Diseasemore » Control and Prevention (CDC) along with scientists from the academic community and state health departments convened a symposium on air pollution exposure and health in order to identify, evaluate, and improve current approaches for linking air pollution exposures to disease. This manuscript presents the key issues, challenges and recommendations identified by the exposure working group, who used cases studies of particulate matter, ozone, and toxic air pollutant exposure to evaluate health-effects for air pollution. One of the over-arching lessons of this workshop is that obtaining better exposure information for these different health-effects studies requires both goal-setting for what is needed and mapping out the transition pathway from current capabilities to meeting these goals. Meeting our long-term goals requires definition of incremental steps that provide useful information for the interim and move us toward our long-term goals. Another over-arching theme among the three different pollutants and the different health study approaches is the need for integration among alternate exposure assessment approaches. For example, different groups may advocate exposure indicators, biomonitoring, mapping methods (GIS), modeling, environmental media monitoring, and/or personal exposure modeling. However, emerging research reveals that the greatest progress comes from integration among two or more of these efforts.« less

Low-Level Environmental Phthalate Exposure Associates with Urine Metabolome Alteration in a Chinese Male Cohort.

PubMed

Zhang, Jie; Liu, Liangpo; Wang, Xiaofei; Huang, Qingyu; Tian, Meiping; Shen, Heqing

2016-06-07

The general population is exposed to phthalates through various sources and routes. Integration of omics data and epidemiological data is a key step toward directly linking phthalate biomonitoring data with biological response. Urine metabolomics is a powerful tool to identify exposure biomarkers and delineate the modes of action of environmental stressors. The objectives of this study are to investigate the association between low-level environmental phthalate exposure and urine metabolome alteration in male population, and to unveil the metabolic pathways involved in the mechanisms of phthalate toxicity. In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we studied the urine metabolomic profiles of 364 male subjects exposed to low-level environmental phthalates. Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) are the most widely used phthalates. ∑DEHP and MBP (the major metabolite of DBP) were associated with significant alteration of global urine metabolome in the male population. We observed significant increase in the levels of acetylneuraminic acid, carnitine C8:1, carnitine C18:0, cystine, phenylglycine, phenylpyruvic acid and glutamylphenylalanine; and meanwhile, decrease in the levels of carnitine C16:2, diacetylspermine, alanine, taurine, tryptophan, ornithine, methylglutaconic acid, hydroxyl-PEG2 and keto-PGE2 in high exposure group. The observations indicated that low-level environmental phthalate exposure associated with increased oxidative stress and fatty acid oxidation and decreased prostaglandin metabolism. Urea cycle, tryptophan and phenylalanine metabolism disruption was also observed. The urine metabolome disruption effects associated with ∑DEHP and MBP were similar, but not identical. The multibiomarker models presented AUC values of 0.845 and 0.834 for ∑DEHP and MBP, respectively. The predictive accuracy rates of established models were 81% for ΣDEHP and 73% for MBP. Our results suggest that low-level environmental phthalate exposure associates with urine metabolome disruption in male population, providing new insight into the early molecular events of phthalate exposure.

HUMAN EXPOSURE ACTIVITY PATTERNS

EPA Science Inventory

Human activity/uptake rate data are necessary to estimate potential human exposure and intake dose to environmental pollutants and to refine human exposure models. Personal exposure monitoring studies have demonstrated the critical role that activities play in explaining and pre...

Workplace, Household, and Personal Predictors of Pesticide Exposure for Farmworkers

PubMed Central

Quandt, Sara A.; Hernández-Valero, María A.; Grzywacz, Joseph G.; Hovey, Joseph D.; Gonzales, Melissa; Arcury, Thomas A.

2006-01-01

In this article we identify factors potentially associated with pesticide exposure among farmworkers, grade the evidence in the peer-reviewed literature for such associations, and propose a minimum set of measures necessary to understand farmworker risk for pesticide exposure. Data sources we reviewed included Medline, Science Citation Index, Social Science Citation Index, PsycINFO, and AGRI-COLA databases. Data extraction was restricted to those articles that reported primary data collection and analysis published in 1990 or later. We read and summarized evidence for pesticide exposure associations. For data synthesis, articles were graded by type of evidence for association of risk factor with pesticide exposure as follows: 1 = association demonstrated in farmworkers; 2 = association demonstrated in nonfarmworker sample; 3 = plausible association proposed for farmworkers; or 4 = association plausible but not published for farmworkers. Of more than 80 studies we identified, only a third used environmental or biomarker evidence to document farmworker exposure to pesticides. Summaries of articles were compiled by level of evidence and presented in tabular form. A minimum list of data to be collected in farmworker pesticide studies was derived from these evidence tables. Despite ongoing concern about pesticide exposure of farmworkers and their families, relatively few studies have tried to test directly the association of behavioral and environmental factors with pesticide exposure in this population. Future studies should attempt to use similar behavioral, environmental, and psychosocial measures to build a body of evidence with which to better understand the risk factors for pesticide exposure among farmworkers. PMID:16759999

Exposure of eyes to perfume: a double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment.

PubMed

Elberling, J; Duus Johansen, J; Dirksen, A; Mosbech, H

2006-08-01

Environmental perfume exposure can elicit bothersome respiratory symptoms. Symptoms are induced at exposure levels which most people find tolerable, and the mechanisms are unclear. The aim of the study was to investigate patients with eye and respiratory symptoms related to environmental perfume, by exposing the eyes to perfume in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.Twenty-one eczema patients with respiratory symptoms elicited by perfume were compared with 21 healthy volunteers in a sex- and age-matched case-control study. The participants completed a symptom questionnaire, and underwent a double-blind, placebo-controlled exposure to perfume. Of the 42 individuals tested, 10 had more eye symptoms (irritation, itching, and tears) during perfume exposure than during placebo exposures, and eight of these individuals (P = 0.07, Fisher's exact test) belonged to the patient group. A true positive eye reaction to perfume was significantly associated with identification of perfume as an active exposure (P < 0.05). In this study, vapor of perfume elicited irritation in the eyes independently of olfaction, but the relative importance of ocular chemoperception in relation to elicitation of respiratory symptoms from common environmental exposures to perfume remains unclear. We investigated the hypothesis of an association between respiratory symptoms related to perfume and ocular perfume sensitivity by exposing the eyes to perfume in a double blind, placebo-controlled experiment. Vapors of perfume provoked symptoms in the relevant eye in some patients and healthy control persons, but under our exposure conditions, ocular chemesthesis failed to elicit respiratory symptoms.

ENVIRONMENTAL MEASUREMENTS OF ORGANOPHOSPHATE AND PYRETHROID PESTICIDES TO ASSESS EXPOSURES OF YOUNG CHILDREN LIVING IN JACKSONVILLE, FL

EPA Science Inventory

The Duval County Health Department (DCHD, Jacksonville, FL), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), conducted a research study to characterize young children's potential exposures to organopho...

Environmental factors associated with a spectrum of neurodevelopmental deficits.

PubMed

Mendola, Pauline; Selevan, Sherry G; Gutter, Suzanne; Rice, Deborah

2002-01-01

A number of environmental agents have been shown to demonstrate neurotoxic effects either in human or laboratory animal studies. Critical windows of vulnerability to the effects of these agents occur both pre- and postnatally. The nervous system is relatively unique in that different parts are responsible for different functional domains, and these develop at different times (e.g., motor control, sensory, intelligence and attention). In addition, the many cell types in the brain have different windows of vulnerability with varying sensitivities to environmental agents. This review focuses on two environmental agents, lead and methylmercury, to illustrate the neurobehavioral and cognitive effects that can result from early life exposures. Special attention is paid to distinguishing between the effects detected following episodes of poisoning and those detected following lower dose exposures. Perinatal and childhood exposure to high doses of lead results in encephalopathy and convulsions. Lower-dose lead exposures have been associated with impairment in intellectual function and attention. At high levels of prenatal exposure, methylmercury produces mental retardation, cerebral palsy and visual and auditory deficits in children of exposed mothers. At lower levels of methylmercury exposure, the effects in children have been more subtle. Other environmental neurotoxicants that have been shown to produce developmental neurotoxicity include polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, pesticides, ionizing radiation, environmental tobacco smoke, and maternal use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and cocaine. Exposure to environmental agents with neurotoxic effects can result in a spectrum of adverse outcomes from severe mental retardation and disability to more subtle changes in function depending on the timing and dose of the chemical agent. Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT FROM THE NERL RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK PARTICULATE MATTER PANEL STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency performed a particulate matter (PM) exposure assessment based on data from the National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Research Triangle Park (RTP) Particulate Matter (PM) Panel Study. This study was a one-year investigation of PM ...

Assessing the relevance of ecotoxicological studies for regulatory decision making.

PubMed

Rudén, Christina; Adams, Julie; Ågerstrand, Marlene; Brock, Theo Cm; Poulsen, Veronique; Schlekat, Christian E; Wheeler, James R; Henry, Tala R

2017-07-01

Regulatory policies in many parts of the world recognize either the utility of or the mandate that all available studies be considered in environmental or ecological hazard and risk assessment (ERA) of chemicals, including studies from the peer-reviewed literature. Consequently, a vast array of different studies and data types need to be considered. The first steps in the evaluation process involve determining whether the study is relevant to the ERA and sufficiently reliable. Relevance evaluation is typically performed using existing guidance but involves application of "expert judgment" by risk assessors. In the present paper, we review published guidance for relevance evaluation and, on the basis of the practical experience within the group of authors, we identify additional aspects and further develop already proposed aspects that should be considered when conducting a relevance assessment for ecotoxicological studies. From a regulatory point of view, the overarching key aspect of relevance concerns the ability to directly or indirectly use the study in ERA with the purpose of addressing specific protection goals and ultimately regulatory decision making. Because ERA schemes are based on the appropriate linking of exposure and effect estimates, important features of ecotoxicological studies relate to exposure relevance and biological relevance. Exposure relevance addresses the representativeness of the test substance, environmental exposure media, and exposure regime. Biological relevance deals with the environmental significance of the test organism and the endpoints selected, the ecological realism of the test conditions simulated in the study, as well as a mechanistic link of treatment-related effects for endpoints to the protection goal identified in the ERA. In addition, uncertainties associated with relevance should be considered in the assessment. A systematic and transparent assessment of relevance is needed for regulatory decision making. The relevance aspects also need to be considered by scientists when designing, performing, and reporting ecotoxicological studies to facilitate their use in ERA. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:652-663. © 2016 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC). © 2016 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

Social distribution of internal exposure to environmental pollution in Flemish adolescents.

PubMed

Morrens, Bert; Bruckers, Liesbeth; Hond, Elly Den; Nelen, Vera; Schoeters, Greet; Baeyens, Willy; Van Larebeke, Nicolas; Keune, Hans; Bilau, Maaike; Loots, Ilse

2012-07-01

Environmental justice research suggests that inequalities in the distribution of environmental exposure to chemical pollution systematically disadvantage the lower social strata of society. The effects of these inequalities on the human exposure to pollution are however to a large extend unknown. The purpose of this study is to assess social gradients in human biomonitoring results of a representative sample of Flemish adolescents. We investigate the associations between individual socioeconomic status (SES), measured by parental educational attainments, and internal body concentration of seven chemical compounds in biological samples of 1642 adolescents aged 14-15 in Flanders (Belgium): PCBs, HCB, DDE, lead, cadmium, benzene and PAHs. Social gradients in average and high exposure to these biomarkers were examined with geometric means and odds ratios (with 95% confidence intervals), using multiple regression models, controlling for covariates and confounders. Depending on the (type of) pollutant, adolescents with a lower SES either have higher or lower internal concentrations. Chlorinated compounds (PCBs and pesticides HCB and DDE) are positively associated with SES (higher exposures for higher SES), while heavy metals (lead and cadmium) are negatively associated (higher exposures for lower SES). For metabolites of organic compounds (benzene and PAHs) we find no association with SES. Socially constructed factors, such as dietary and lifestyle habits, play an important role in these relations. Our study suggests that the association between individual SES and the internal body concentration of exposure to environmental pollutants in Flemish adolescents is more complex than can be assumed on the basis of the environmental justice hypothesis. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Cohort profile: the maternal-infant research on environmental chemicals research platform.

PubMed

Arbuckle, Tye E; Fraser, William D; Fisher, Mandy; Davis, Karelyn; Liang, Chun Lei; Lupien, Nicole; Bastien, Stéphanie; Velez, Maria P; von Dadelszen, Peter; Hemmings, Denise G; Wang, Jingwei; Helewa, Michael; Taback, Shayne; Sermer, Mathew; Foster, Warren; Ross, Greg; Fredette, Paul; Smith, Graeme; Walker, Mark; Shear, Roberta; Dodds, Linda; Ettinger, Adrienne S; Weber, Jean-Philippe; D'Amour, Monique; Legrand, Melissa; Kumarathasan, Premkumari; Vincent, Renaud; Luo, Zhong-Cheng; Platt, Robert W; Mitchell, Grant; Hidiroglou, Nick; Cockell, Kevin; Villeneuve, Maya; Rawn, Dorothea F K; Dabeka, Robert; Cao, Xu-Liang; Becalski, Adam; Ratnayake, Nimal; Bondy, Genevieve; Jin, Xiaolei; Wang, Zhongwen; Tittlemier, Sheryl; Julien, Pierre; Avard, Denise; Weiler, Hope; Leblanc, Alain; Muckle, Gina; Boivin, Michel; Dionne, Ginette; Ayotte, Pierre; Lanphear, Bruce; Séguin, Jean R; Saint-Amour, Dave; Dewailly, Eric; Monnier, Patricia; Koren, Gideon; Ouellet, Emmanuel

2013-07-01

The Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) Study was established to obtain Canadian biomonitoring data for pregnant women and their infants, and to examine potential adverse health effects of prenatal exposure to priority environmental chemicals on pregnancy and infant health. Women were recruited during the first trimester from 10 sites across Canada and were followed through delivery. Questionnaires were administered during pregnancy and post-delivery to collect information on demographics, occupation, life style, medical history, environmental exposures and diet. Information on the pregnancy and the infant was abstracted from medical charts. Maternal blood, urine, hair and breast milk, as well as cord blood and infant meconium, were collected and analysed for an extensive list of environmental biomarkers and nutrients. Additional biospecimens were stored in the study's Biobank. The MIREC Research Platform encompasses the main cohort study, the Biobank and follow-up studies. Of the 8716 women approached at early prenatal clinics, 5108 were eligible and 2001 agreed to participate (39%). MIREC participants tended to smoke less (5.9% vs. 10.5%), be older (mean 32.2 vs. 29.4 years) and have a higher education (62.3% vs. 35.1% with a university degree) than women giving birth in Canada. The MIREC Study, while smaller in number of participants than several of the international cohort studies, has one of the most comprehensive datasets on prenatal exposure to multiple environmental chemicals. The biomonitoring data and biological specimen bank will make this research platform a significant resource for examining potential adverse health effects of prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada. Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Health.

Child health and the environment: the INMA Spanish Study.

PubMed

Ribas-Fitó, Núria; Ramón, Rosa; Ballester, Ferran; Grimalt, Joan; Marco, Alfredo; Olea, Nicolás; Posada, Manuel; Rebagliato, Marisa; Tardón, Adonina; Torrent, Maties; Sunyer, Jordi

2006-09-01

The INMA (INfancia y Medio Ambiente [Environment and Childhood]) is a population-based cohort study in different Spanish cities, that focuses on prenatal environmental exposures and growth, development and health from early fetal life until childhood. The study focuses on five primary areas of research: (1) growth and physical development; (2) behavioural and cognitive development; (3) asthma and allergies; (4) sexual and reproductive development; and (5) environmental exposure pathways. The general aims of the project are: (1) to describe the degree of individual prenatal exposure to environmental pollutants, and the internal dose of chemicals during pregnancy, at birth and during childhood in Spain; (2) to evaluate the impact of the exposure to different contaminants on fetal and infant growth, health and development; (3) to evaluate the role of diet on fetal and infant growth, health and development; and (4) to evaluate the interaction between persistent pollutants, nutrients and genetic determinants on fetal and infant growth, health and development. Extensive assessments will be carried out on 3100 pregnant women and children. Data will be collected by physical examinations, questionnaires, interviews, ultrasound and biological samples. Pregnant women are being assessed at 12, 20 and 32 weeks of gestation to collect information about environmental exposures and fetal growth. The children will be followed until the age of 4 years.

LESSONS LEARNED FROM FOUR EXPOSURE PANEL STUDIES: THE U.S. EPA'S PARTICULATE MATTER STUDIES INVOLVING ELDERLY COHORTS

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and its collaborators are conducting a series of human exposure panel studies on elderly (65+ years) subpopulations. The primary objectives of these studies are

-To determine personal and indoor exposures to particles and relate...

Effects of environmental noise exposure on DNA methylation in the brain and metabolic health.

PubMed

Guo, Liqiong; Li, Peng-Hui; Li, Hua; Colicino, Elena; Colicino, Silvia; Wen, Yi; Zhang, Ruiping; Feng, Xiaotian; Barrow, Timothy M; Cayir, Akin; Baccarelli, Andrea A; Byun, Hyang-Min

2017-02-01

Environmental noise exposure is associated with adverse effects on human health including hearing loss, heart disease, and changes in stress-related hormone levels. Alteration in DNA methylation in response to environmental exposures is a well-known phenomenon and it is implicated in many human diseases. Understanding how environmental noise exposures affect DNA methylation patterns may help to elucidate the link between noise and adverse effects on health. In this pilot study we examined the effects of environmental noise exposure on DNA methylation of genes related to brain function and investigated whether these changes are related with metabolic health. We exposed four groups of male Wistar rats to moderate intensity noise (70-75dB with 20-4000Hz) at night for three days as short-term exposure, and for three weeks as long-term exposure. Noise exposure was limited to 45dB during the daytime. Control groups were exposed to only 45dB, day and night. We measured DNA methylation in the Bdnf, Comt, Crhr1, Mc2r, and Snca genes in tissue from four brain regions of the rats (hippocampus, frontal lobe, medulla oblongata, and inferior colliculus). Further, we measured blood pressure and body weight after long-term noise exposure. We found that environmental noise exposure is associated with gene-specific DNA methylation changes in specific regions of the brain. Changes in DNA methylation are significantly associated with changes in body weight (between Bdnf DNA methylation and Δ body weight: r=0.59, p=0.018; and between LINE-1 ORF DNA methylation and Δ body weight: =-0.80, p=0.0004). We also observed that noise exposure decreased blood pressure (p=0.038 for SBP, p=0.017 for DBP and p 0. 017 for MAP) and decreased body weight (β=-26g, p=0.008). In conclusion, environmental noise exposures can induce changes in DNA methylation in the brain, which may be associated with adverse effects upon metabolic health through modulation of response to stress-related hormones. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

LOW COST, LOW BURDEN, EXPOSURE MONITORING STRATEGIES

EPA Science Inventory

A birth cohort study designed to evaluate the association between exposures to environmental agents and health outcomes presents many challenges for exposure monitoring. Exposure of the child must be measured for multiple chemicals through multiply pathways over an extended peri...

Validity of self-reported intensity of exposure to second-hand smoke at home against environmental and personal markers.

PubMed

Martínez-Sánchez, José M; González-Marrón, Adrián; Martín-Sánchez, Juan Carlos; Sureda, Xisca; Fu, Marcela; Pérez-Ortuño, Raúl; Lidón-Moyano, Cristina; Galán, Iñaki; Pascual, José Antonio; Fernández, Esteve

2017-11-02

The objective of this study was to assess the validity of two questions about the perception of intensity of exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) at home using as a reference environmental markers (airborne nicotine and benzene) and biomarkers of exposure (cotinine in saliva and urine). This was a cross-sectional study in a convenience sample of 49 non-smoking volunteers. We found a high correlation between self-reported SHS exposure and airborne nicotine (r sp =0.806, p<0.05), salivary cotinine (r sp =0.752, p<0.05), and urinary cotinine (r sp =0.626, p<0.05). We did not find differences between the score question and the conventional ones (p >0.05). In conclusion, the significant correlation of the two questions proposed with environmental markers and personal markers indicates their potential validity to assess exposure to SHS at home. Copyright © 2017 SESPAS. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Environmental health risks of toxic waste site exposures--an epidemiological perspective.

PubMed

von Schirnding, Y E; Ehrlich, R I

1992-06-06

A general account is given of the problems of assessing the impact of human exposure to toxic waste sites, including the identification of truly exposed populations and of exposure pathways. Epidemiological studies of populations at risk are briefly reviewed and methodological problems summarised. These include the use of relatively weak study designs, inadequate exposure assessment and recall biases associated with symptom reporting among anxious residents living in the vicinity of waste sites. In South Africa, health risks associated with exposure to toxic waste sites need to be viewed in the context of current community health concerns, competing causes of disease and ill-health, and the relative lack of knowledge about environmental contamination and associated health effects. A nonspecific deterioration of health and well-being is more likely to result from waste site exposures than is overt clinical disease. Socially acceptable policies and controls may have to be based on criteria other than demonstrable ill-health. Detailed inventories and registries of the nature of disposed materials need to be maintained, sites of poorly controlled disposal in the past identified and selective environmental monitoring conducted. Epidemiological studies may be justified in situations where exposures well in excess of acceptable norms are demonstrated. An integrated national waste management policy for the country is urgently needed.

FIELD DEPLOYABLE TECHNIQUES TO MONITOR EXPOSURE TO ENVIRONMENTAL ESTROGENS THROUGHOUT THE REPRODUCTIVE CYCLE OF WILD BIRDS

EPA Science Inventory

Concern about potential for endocrine disrupting chemicals to interfere with normal breeding behaviors of wildlife prompted this study of effects of exposure to environmental estrogens during the breeding cycle of wild birds. The house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) was selected as...

Hurricane exposure and county fetal death rates, utilization of a county environmental quality index for confounding control.

EPA Science Inventory

The effects of natural disasters on public health are a rising concern, with increasing severity of disaster events. Many disaster studies utilize county-level analysis, however most do not control for county level environmental factors. Hurricane exposure during pregnancy could ...

An Overview of Exposure Assessment Models Used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

EPA Science Inventory

Models are often used in addition to or in lieu of monitoring data to estimate environmental concentrations and exposures for use in risk assessments or epidemiological studies, and to support regulatory standards and voluntary programs (Jayjock et al., 2007; US EPA, 1989, 1992)....

Early life exposure to environmental tobacco smoke alters immune response to asbestos via a shift in inflammatory phenotype resulting in increased disease development

PubMed Central

Brown, Traci A.; Holian, Andrij; Pinkerton, Kent E.; Lee, Joong Won; Cho, Yoon Hee

2016-01-01

Asbestos in combination with tobacco smoke exposure reportedly leads to more severe physiological consequences than asbestos alone; limited data also show an increased disease risk due to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure. Environmental influences during gestation and early lung development can result in physiological changes that alter risk for disease development throughout an individual’s lifetime. Therefore, maternal lifestyle may impact the ability of offspring to subsequently respond to environmental insults and alter overall disease susceptibility. In this study, we examined the effects of exposure to ETS in utero and during early postnatal development on asbestos-related inflammation and disease in adulthood. ETS exposure in utero appeared to shift inflammation towards a Th2 phenotype, via suppression of Th1 inflammatory cytokine production. This effect was further pronounced in mice exposed to ETS in utero and during early postnatal development. In utero ETS exposure led to increased collagen deposition, a marker of fibrotic disease, when the offspring was later exposed to asbestos, which was further increased with additional ETS exposure during early postnatal development. These data suggest that ETS exposure in utero alters the immune responses and leads to greater disease development after asbestos exposure, which is further exacerbated when exposure to ETS continues during early postnatal development. PMID:27138493

Chemical Risk Assessment: Traditional vs Public Health ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Preventing adverse health impacts from exposures to environmental chemicals is fundamental to protecting individual and public health. When done efficiently and properly, chemical risk assessment enables risk management actions that minimize the incidence and impacts of environmentally-induced diseases related to chemical exposure. However, traditional chemical risk assessment is faced with multiple challenges with respect to predicting and preventing disease in human populations, and epidemiological studies increasingly report observations of adverse health effects at exposure levels predicted from animal studies to be safe for humans. This discordance reinforces concerns about the adequacy of contemporary risk assessment practices (Birnbaum, Burke, & Jones, 2016) for protecting public health. It is becoming clear that to protect public health more effectively, future risk assessments will need to use the full range of available data, draw on innovative methods to integrate diverse data streams, and consider health endpoints that also reflect the range of subtle effects and morbidities observed in human populations. Given these factors, there is a need to reframe chemical risk assessment to be more clearly aligned with the public health goal of minimizing environmental exposures associated with disease. Preventing adverse health impacts from exposures to environmental chemicals is fundamental to protecting individual and public health. Chemical risk assessments

Female non-smokers' environmental tobacco smoking exposure by public transportation mode.

PubMed

Kim, Seyoung; Park, Jin-Soo; Park, Minkyu; Kim, Yeji; Lim, Sinye; Lee, Hye-Eun

2018-01-01

This study aimed to analyze environmental tobacco smoking exposure in female nonsmokers by public transportation mode using representative data of Koreans. Data from the Second Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2012-2014) were analyzed. Urine cotinine was analyzed by public transport behavior, secondhand smoke exposure, socioeconomic factors, and health-related factors. Participants were 1322 adult females; those with the top 75% urine cotinine concentrations were assigned to the high exposure group. A logistic regression analysis was performed considering appropriate weights and stratification according to the sample design of the Second Korean National Environmental Health Survey. The geometric mean of urine cotinine concentrations differed according to public transportation modes: subway (1.66 μg/g creatinine) bus (1.77 μg/g creatinine), and taxi (1.94 μg/g creatinine). The odds ratio [OR] was calculated for the high exposure group. The OR of the taxi (2.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-5.69) was statistically significantly higher than the subway value (reference), and marginally significant after adjusted with life style, sociodemographic factors and involuntary smoking frequency (2.42, 95% confidence interval, 0.97-6.04). The odds ratio of passengers who mainly used taxis was marginally significantly higher than those of passengers who used subways and buses after adjusted with life style and sociodemographic factors. Implementation of supplementary measures and further studies on exposure to environmental tobacco smoking in taxis are warranted.

Recurrence quantification analysis to characterize cyclical components of environmental elemental exposures during fetal and postnatal development

PubMed Central

Austin, Christine; Gennings, Chris; Tammimies, Kristiina; Bölte, Sven; Arora, Manish

2017-01-01

Environmental exposures to essential and toxic elements may alter health trajectories, depending on the timing, intensity, and mixture of exposures. In epidemiologic studies, these factors are typically analyzed as a function of elemental concentrations in biological matrices measured at one or more points in time. Such an approach, however, fails to account for the temporal cyclicity in the metabolism of environmental chemicals, which if perturbed may lead to adverse health outcomes. Here, we conceptualize and apply a non-linear method–recurrence quantification analysis (RQA)–to quantify cyclical components of prenatal and early postnatal exposure profiles for elements essential to normal development, including Zn, Mn, Mg, and Ca, and elements associated with deleterious health effects or narrow tolerance ranges, including Pb, As, and Cr. We found robust evidence of cyclical patterns in the metabolic profiles of nutrient elements, which we validated against randomized twin-surrogate time-series, and further found that nutrient dynamical properties differ from those of Cr, As, and Pb. Furthermore, we extended this approach to provide a novel method of quantifying dynamic interactions between two environmental exposures. To achieve this, we used cross-recurrence quantification analysis (CRQA), and found that elemental nutrient-nutrient interactions differed from those involving toxicants. These rhythmic regulatory interactions, which we characterize in two geographically distinct cohorts, have not previously been uncovered using traditional regression-based approaches, and may provide a critical unit of analysis for environmental and dietary exposures in epidemiological studies. PMID:29112980

Interpretation of biomonitoring data in clinical medicine and the exposure sciences

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williams, Bryan L.; Barr, Dana B.; Wright, J. Michael

2008-11-15

Biomonitoring has become a fundamental tool in both exposure science and clinical medicine. Despite significant analytical advances, the clinical use of environmental biomarkers remains in its infancy. Clinical use of environmental biomarkers poses some complex scientific and ethical challenges. The purpose of this paper is compare how the clinical and exposure sciences differ with respect to their interpretation and use of biological data. Additionally, the clinical use of environmental biomonitoring data is discussed. A case study is used to illustrate the complexities of conducting biomonitoring research on highly vulnerable populations in a clinical setting.

Epigenetic Mechanisms of Transmission of Metabolic Disease across Generations.

PubMed

Sales, Vicencia Micheline; Ferguson-Smith, Anne C; Patti, Mary-Elizabeth

2017-03-07

Both human and animal studies indicate that environmental exposures experienced during early life can robustly influence risk for adult disease. Moreover, environmental exposures experienced by parents during either intrauterine or postnatal life can also influence the health of their offspring, thus initiating a cycle of disease risk across generations. In this Perspective, we focus on epigenetic mechanisms in germ cells, including DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNAs, which collectively may provide a non-genetic molecular legacy of prior environmental exposures and influence transcriptional regulation, developmental trajectories, and adult disease risk in offspring. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modern Environmental Health Hazards: A Public Health Issue of Increasing Significance in Africa

PubMed Central

Nweke, Onyemaechi C.; Sanders III, William H.

2009-01-01

Objectives Traditional hazards such as poor sanitation currently account for most of Africa’s environmentally related disease burden. However, with rapid development absent appropriate safeguards for environment and health, modern environmental health hazards (MEHHs) may emerge as critical contributors to the continent’s disease burden. We review recent evidence of human exposure to and health effects from MEHHs, and their occurrence in environmental media and consumer products. Our purpose is to highlight the growing significance of these hazards as African countries experience urbanization, industrial growth, and development. Data sources We reviewed published epidemiologic, exposure, and environmental studies of chemical agents such as heavy metals and pesticides. Data synthesis The body of evidence demonstrates ongoing environmental releases of MEHHs and human exposures sometimes at toxicologically relevant levels. Several sources of MEHHs in environmental media have been identified, including natural resource mining and processing and automobile exhaust. Biomonitoring studies provided direct evidence of human exposure to metals such as mercury and lead and pesticides such as p,p′-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and organophosphates. Land and water resource pollution and industrial air toxics are areas of significant data gaps, notwithstanding the presence of several emitting sources. Conclusion Unmitigated MEHH releases and human exposure have implications for Africa’s disease burden. For Africans encumbered by conditions such as malnutrition that impair resilience to toxicologic challenges, the burden may be higher. A shift in public health policy toward accommodating the emerging diversity in Africa’s environmental health issues is necessary to successfully alleviate the burden of avoidable ill health and premature death for all its communities now and in the future. PMID:19590675

Design and Clinical Feasibility of Personal Wearable Monitor for Measurement of Activity and Environmental Exposure

PubMed Central

Ribón Fletcher, Richard; Oreskovic, Nicolas M.; Robinson, Alyssa I.

2015-01-01

Human exposure to specific environmental factors (e.g. air quality, lighting, and sound) is known to play an important role in the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases (e.g. asthma) and mental health disorders (e.g. anxiety). However, conventional fixed environmental monitoring stations are sparsely located and, despite environmental models, cannot adequately assess individual exposure levels. New forms of low-cost portable monitors have begun to emerge that enable the collection of higher spatial density “crowd sourced” data; however, the first generation of these low-cost environmental monitors have generally not been suitable for clinical environmental health studies due to practical challenges such as calibration, reproducibility, form factor, and battery life. In this paper, we present a wearable environmental monitor that overcomes these challenges and can be used in clinical studies The new device, called “Eco-Mini,” can be used without a smart phone and is capable of locally sampling and recording a variety of environmental parameters (Ozone, Sulfur Dioxide, Volatile Organic Compounds, humidity, temperature, ambient light color balance, and sound level) as well as individual activity (3-axis accelerometer) and location (GPS). In this paper, we also report findings and discuss lessons learned from a feasibility study conducted for one week with pediatric patients as part of an ongoing asthma research study. PMID:25570098

Spatial Assessment of the Association between Long-Term Exposure to Environmental Factors and the Occurrence of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in Catalonia, Spain: A Population-Based Nested Case-Control Study.

PubMed

Povedano, Mònica; Saez, Marc; Martínez-Matos, Juan-Antonio; Barceló, Maria Antònia

2018-05-31

It is believed that an interaction between genetic and non-genetic factors may be involved in the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). With the exception of exposure to agricultural chemicals like pesticides, evidence of an association between environmental risk factors and ALS is inconsistent. Our objective here was to investigate the association between long-term exposure to environmental factors and the occurrence of ALS in Catalonia, Spain, and to provide evidence that spatial clusters of ALS related to these environmental factors exist. We carried out a nested case-control study constructed from a retrospective population-based cohort, covering the entire region. Environmental variables were the explanatory variables of interest. We controlled for both observed and unobserved confounders. We have found some spatial clusters of ALS. The results from the multivariate model suggest that these clusters could be related to some of the environmental variables, in particular agricultural chemicals. In addition, in high-risk clusters, besides corresponding to agricultural areas, key road infrastructures with a high density of traffic are also located. Our results indicate that some environmental factors, in particular those associated with exposure to pesticides and air pollutants as a result of urban traffic, could be associated with the occurrence of ALS. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Nitric acid poisoning

MedlinePlus

... Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology; Division on Earth and Life Studies; National Research Council. Nitric acid: ... Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology; Division on Earth and Life Studies; National Research Council. Acute Exposure ...

SUMMARY OF BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING RESULTS FROM THE AGRICULTURAL HEALTH STUDY/PESTICIDE EXPOSURE STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

The Agricultural Health Study (AHS) is a prospective epidemiologic study of pesticide applicators and spouses in Iowa and North Carolina. Exposure to 2,4-D or chlorpyrifos was measured for a subset of applicators and their families in the AHS Pesticide Exposure Study to assess...

A Review of the Field on Children’s Exposure to Environmental Contaminants: A Risk Assessment Approach

PubMed Central

Ferguson, Alesia; Penney, Rosalind; Solo-Gabriele, Helena

2017-01-01

Background: Children must be recognized as a sensitive population based on having biological systems and organs in various stages of development. The processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination of environmental contaminants within a child’s body are considered less advanced than those of adults, making them more susceptible to disease outcomes following even small doses. Children’s unique activities of crawling and practicing increased hand-to-mouth ingestion also make them vulnerable to greater exposures by certain contaminants within specific environments. Approach: There is a need to review the field of children’s environmental exposures in order to understand trends and identify gaps in research, which may lead to better protection of this vulnerable and sensitive population. Therefore, explored here are previously published contemporary works in the broad area of children’s environmental exposures and potential impact on health from around the world. A discussion of children’s exposure to environmental contaminants is best organized under the last four steps of a risk assessment approach: hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment (including children’s activity patterns) and risk characterization. We first consider the many exposure hazards that exist in the indoor and outdoor environments, and emerging contaminants of concern that may help guide the risk assessment process in identifying focus areas for children. A section on special diseases of concern is also included. Conclusions: The field of children’s exposures to environmental contaminants is broad. Although there are some well-studied areas offering much insight into children exposures, research is still needed to further our understanding of exposures to newer compounds, growing disease trends and the role of gene-environment interactions that modify adverse health outcomes. It is clear that behaviors of adults and children play a role in reducing or increasing a child’s exposure, where strategies to better communicate and implement risk modifying behaviors are needed, and can be more effective than implementing   changes in the physical environment. PMID:28273865

A Review of the Field on Children's Exposure to Environmental Contaminants: A Risk Assessment Approach.

PubMed

Ferguson, Alesia; Penney, Rosalind; Solo-Gabriele, Helena

2017-03-04

Background : Children must be recognized as a sensitive population based on having biological systems and organs in various stages of development. The processes of absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination of environmental contaminants within a child's body are considered less advanced than those of adults, making them more susceptible to disease outcomes following even small doses. Children's unique activities of crawling and practicing increased hand-to-mouth ingestion also make them vulnerable to greater exposures by certain contaminants within specific environments. Approach : There is a need to review the field of children's environmental exposures in order to understand trends and identify gaps in research, which may lead to better protection of this vulnerable and sensitive population. Therefore, explored here are previously published contemporary works in the broad area of children's environmental exposures and potential impact on health from around the world. A discussion of children's exposure to environmental contaminants is best organized under the last four steps of a risk assessment approach: hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment (including children's activity patterns) and risk characterization. We first consider the many exposure hazards that exist in the indoor and outdoor environments, and emerging contaminants of concern that may help guide the risk assessment process in identifying focus areas for children. A section on special diseases of concern is also included. Conclusions : The field of children's exposures to environmental contaminants is broad. Although there are some well-studied areas offering much insight into children exposures, research is still needed to further our understanding of exposures to newer compounds, growing disease trends and the role of gene-environment interactions that modify adverse health outcomes. It is clear that behaviors of adults and children play a role in reducing or increasing a child's exposure, where strategies to better communicate and implement risk modifying behaviors are needed, and can be more effective than implementing   changes in the physical environment.

Environmental risk factors for dementia: a systematic review.

PubMed

Killin, Lewis O J; Starr, John M; Shiue, Ivy J; Russ, Tom C

2016-10-12

Dementia risk reduction is a major and growing public health priority. While certain modifiable risk factors for dementia have been identified, there remains a substantial proportion of unexplained risk. There is evidence that environmental risk factors may explain some of this risk. Thus, we present the first comprehensive systematic review of environmental risk factors for dementia. We searched the PubMed and Web of Science databases from their inception to January 2016, bibliographies of review articles, and articles related to publically available environmental data. Articles were included if they examined the association between an environmental risk factor and dementia. Studies with another outcome (for example, cognition), a physiological measure of the exposure, case studies, animal studies, and studies of nutrition were excluded. Data were extracted from individual studies which were, in turn, appraised for methodological quality. The strength and consistency of the overall evidence for each risk factor identified was assessed. We screened 4784 studies and included 60 in the review. Risk factors were considered in six categories: air quality, toxic heavy metals, other metals, other trace elements, occupational-related exposures, and miscellaneous environmental factors. Few studies took a life course approach. There is at least moderate evidence implicating the following risk factors: air pollution; aluminium; silicon; selenium; pesticides; vitamin D deficiency; and electric and magnetic fields. Studies varied widely in size and quality and therefore we must be circumspect in our conclusions. Nevertheless, this extensive review suggests that future research could focus on a short list of environmental risk factors for dementia. Furthermore, further robust, longitudinal studies with repeated measures of environmental exposures are required to confirm these associations.

MIXED MODELS ANALYSIS OR URBANIZATION LEVEL ON CHLORPYRIFOS EXPOSURE

EPA Science Inventory

The National Human Exposure Assessment Survey (NHEXAS) pilot studies were conducted from 1995 through 1997 to examine human population exposure to a wide range of environmental contaminants. In one of the studies, NHEXAS-Maryland, a longitudinal design was used to repeatedly m...

Environmental triggers of COPD symptoms: a case cross-over study.

PubMed

Sama, Susan R; Kriebel, David; Gore, Rebecca J; DeVries, Rebecca; Rosiello, Richard

2017-01-01

This study investigated the hypothesis that common environmental chemical exposures with known irritant or sensitising properties trigger exacerbations for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We conducted a case cross-over study in 168 patients with COPD who were members of a disease management group in central Massachusetts. Participants completed a baseline health survey and several short exposure surveys. Exposure surveys were administered by a nurse when a participant telephoned to report an exacerbation (case periods) and at a maximum of three randomly identified control periods when they were not experiencing an exacerbation. We compared exposures in the week preceding an exacerbation with exposures in normal (non-exacerbation) weeks. The questionnaire assessed short-term (1 week) home, community and workplace activities and exposures that may be associated with COPD exacerbation. Self-reported exercise was negatively associated with exacerbation (OR=0.59, 95% CI: 0.35 to 1.00). Among the environmental chemical exposures, car and truck exhaust (OR=4.36, 95% CI: 1.76 to 10.80) and use of scented laundry products (OR=2.69, 95% CI: 1.31 to 5.52) showed strong positive effects. Self-reported respiratory infections were strongly associated with exacerbation (OR=7.90, 95% CI 4.29 to 14.50). Variations in outdoor temperature were associated with COPD exacerbation risk (moderate versus cold temperature OR=1.95, 95% CI 1.09 to 3.49 and warm versus cold OR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.26 to 0.70). These results suggest that some environmental chemical exposures may play a role in triggering COPD exacerbations. If confirmed, they may provide useful guidance for patients with COPD to better manage their disease.

Environmental triggers of COPD symptoms: a case cross-over study

PubMed Central

Sama, Susan R; Kriebel, David; Gore, Rebecca J; DeVries, Rebecca; Rosiello, Richard

2017-01-01

Introduction This study investigated the hypothesis that common environmental chemical exposures with known irritant or sensitising properties trigger exacerbations for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods We conducted a case cross-over study in 168 patients with COPD who were members of a disease management group in central Massachusetts. Participants completed a baseline health survey and several short exposure surveys. Exposure surveys were administered by a nurse when a participant telephoned to report an exacerbation (case periods) and at a maximum of three randomly identified control periods when they were not experiencing an exacerbation. We compared exposures in the week preceding an exacerbation with exposures in normal (non-exacerbation) weeks. The questionnaire assessed short-term (1 week) home, community and workplace activities and exposures that may be associated with COPD exacerbation. Results Self-reported exercise was negatively associated with exacerbation (OR=0.59, 95% CI: 0.35 to 1.00). Among the environmental chemical exposures, car and truck exhaust (OR=4.36, 95% CI: 1.76 to 10.80) and use of scented laundry products (OR=2.69, 95% CI: 1.31 to 5.52) showed strong positive effects. Self-reported respiratory infections were strongly associated with exacerbation (OR=7.90, 95% CI 4.29 to 14.50). Variations in outdoor temperature were associated with COPD exacerbation risk (moderate versus cold temperature OR=1.95, 95% CI 1.09 to 3.49 and warm versus cold OR=0.43, 95% CI: 0.26 to 0.70). Conclusions These results suggest that some environmental chemical exposures may play a role in triggering COPD exacerbations. If confirmed, they may provide useful guidance for patients with COPD to better manage their disease. PMID:29071071

A time-series analysis of any short-term effects of meteorological and air pollution factors on preterm births in London, UK.

PubMed

Lee, Sue J; Hajat, Shakoor; Steer, Philip J; Filippi, Veronique

2008-02-01

Although much is known about the incidence and burden of preterm birth, its biological mechanisms are not well understood. While several studies have suggested that high levels of air pollution or exposure to particular climatic factors may be associated with an increased risk of preterm birth, other studies do not support such an association. To determine whether exposure to various environmental factors place a large London-based population at higher risk for preterm birth, we analyzed 482,568 births that occurred between 1988 and 2000 from the St. Mary's Maternity Information System database. Using an ecological study design, any short-term associations between preterm birth and various environmental factors were investigated using time-series regression techniques. Environmental exposures included air pollution (ambient ozone and PM(10)) and climatic factors (temperature, rainfall, sunshine, relative humidity, barometric pressure, and largest drop in barometric pressure). In addition to exposure on the day of birth, cumulative exposure up to 1 week before birth was investigated. The risk of preterm birth did not increase with exposure to the levels of ambient air pollution or meteorological factors experienced by this population. Cumulative exposure from 0 to 6 days before birth also did not show any significant effect on the risk of preterm birth. This large study, covering 13 years, suggests that there is no association between preterm births and recent exposure to ambient air pollution or recent changes in the weather.

USEPA RESEARCH ACTIVITIES TO CHARACTERIZE CHILDREN'S ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES

EPA Science Inventory

Given the vulnerability of children to effects from environmental exposures, understanding links between children's health and environmental exposures is critical. In recent years, significant research has been initiated at USEPA to characterize children's exposures.

OBGYN screening for environmental exposures: A call for action.

PubMed

Grindler, N M; Allshouse, A A; Jungheim, E; Powell, T L; Jansson, T; Polotsky, A J

2018-01-01

Prenatal exposures have known adverse effects on maternal and neonatal outcomes. Professional societies recommend routine screening for environmental, occupational, and dietary exposures to reduce exposures and their associated sequelae. Our objective was to determine the frequency of environmental exposure screening by obstetricians and gynecologists (OBGYNs) at initial patient visits. Practicing OBGYNs were approached at the University of Colorado and by social media. The survey instrument queried demographics, environmental literacy, and screening practices. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square and two-sample t-test. We received 312 online survey responses (response rate of 12%). Responding OBGYNs were predominantly female (96%), board-certified (78%), generalists (65%) with a mean age of 37.1 years. Fewer than half of physicians screened for the following factors: occupational exposures, environmental chemicals, air pollution, pesticide use, personal care products, household cleaners, water source, use of plastics for food storage, and lead and mercury exposure. Eighty five percent of respondents reported that they did not feel comfortable obtaining an environmental history and 58% respondents reported that they performed no regular screening of environmental exposures. A higher frequency of screening was associated with > 4 years of practice (p = 0.001), and having read the environmental committee opinion (p = <0.001). The majority of OBGYNs did not incorporate screening for known environmental exposures into routine practice. Reading the environmental committee opinions was strongly and significantly associated with a higher rate of screening. Improving physician comfort in counseling patients may enhance screening for exposures that affect reproductive health.

Pollution Comes Home and Gets Personal: Women's Experience of Household Chemical Exposure*

PubMed Central

Altman, Rebecca Gasior; Morello-Frosch, Rachel; Brody, Julia Green; Rudel, Ruthann; Brown, Phil; Averick, Mara

2009-01-01

We report on interviews conducted with participants in a novel study about environmental chemicals in body fluids and household air and dust. Interviews reveal how personal and collective environmental history influence the interpretation of exposure data, and how participants fashion an emergent understanding of environmental health problems from the articulation of science and experience. To the illness experience literature, we contribute a framework for analyzing a new category of embodied narratives—“exposure experience”—that examines the mediating role of science. We update social scientific knowledge about social responses to toxic chemicals during a period in which science alters public understanding of chemical pollution. This article is among the first published accounts of participants' responses to learning personal exposure data, research identified as critical to environmental science and public health. Our findings raise the importance of reporting even uncertain science and underscore the value of a community-based reporting strategy. PMID:19181047

Qualitative Environmental Health Research: An Analysis of the Literature, 1991–2008

PubMed Central

Scammell, Madeleine Kangsen

2010-01-01

Background Recent articles have advocated for the use of qualitative methods in environmental health research. Qualitative research uses nonnumeric data to understand people’s opinions, motives, understanding, and beliefs about events or phenomena. Objective In this analysis of the literature, I report the use of qualitative methods and data in the study of the relationship between environmental exposures and human health. Data sources A primary search on ISI Web of Knowledge/Web of Science for peer-reviewed journal articles dated from 1991 through 2008 included the following three terms: qualitative, environ*, and health. Inclusion and exclusion criteria are described. Data extraction Searches resulted in 3,155 records. Data were extracted and findings of articles analyzed to determine where and by whom qualitative environmental health research is conducted and published, the types of methods and analyses used in qualitative studies of environmental health, and the types of information qualitative data contribute to environmental health. Data synthesis Ninety-one articles met inclusion criteria. These articles were published in 58 different journals, with a maximum of eight for a single journal. The results highlight a diversity of disciplines and techniques among researchers who used qualitative methods to study environmental health, with most studies relying on one-on-one interviews. Details of the analyses were absent from a large number of studies. Nearly all of the studies identified increased scientific understanding of lay perceptions of environmental health exposures. Discussion and conclusions Qualitative data are published in traditionally quantitative environmental health studies to a limited extent. However, this analysis demonstrates the potential of qualitative data to improve understanding of complex exposure pathways, including the influence of social factors on environmental health, and health outcomes. PMID:20421191

Disentangling the Exposure Experience: The Roles of Community Context and Report-back of Environmental Exposure Data

PubMed Central

Adams, Crystal; Brown, Phil; Morello-Frosch, Rachel; Brody, Julia Green; Rudel, Ruthann; Zota, Ami; Dunagan, Sarah; Tovar, Jessica; Patton, Sharyle

2011-01-01

This article examines participants’ responses to receiving their results in a study of household exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds and other pollutants. We study how the “exposure experience” —the embodied, personal experience and understanding of chronic exposure to environmental pollutants— is shaped by community context and the report-back process itself. In addition, we investigate an activist, collective form of exposure experience. We analyze themes of expectations and learning, trust, and action. The findings reveal that while participants interpret scientific results to affirm lay knowledge of urban industrial toxics, they also absorb new information regarding other pollutant sources. By linking the public understanding of science literature to the illness and exposure experience concepts, this study unravels the complex relationship between lay experience and lay understanding of science. It also shows that to support policy development and/or social change, community-based participatory research efforts must attend to participants’ understanding of science. PMID:21673146

Environmental determinants of allergy and asthma in early life.

PubMed

Burbank, Allison J; Sood, Amika K; Kesic, Matthew J; Peden, David B; Hernandez, Michelle L

2017-07-01

Allergic disease prevalence has increased significantly in recent decades. Primary prevention efforts are being guided by study of the exposome (or collective environmental exposures beginning during the prenatal period) to identify modifiable factors that affect allergic disease risk. In this review we explore the evidence supporting a relationship between key components of the external exposome in the prenatal and early-life periods and their effect on atopy development focused on microbial, allergen, and air pollution exposures. The abundance and diversity of microbial exposures during the first months and years of life have been linked with risk of allergic sensitization and disease. Indoor environmental allergen exposure during early life can also affect disease development, depending on the allergen type, dose, and timing of exposure. Recent evidence supports the role of ambient air pollution in allergic disease inception. The lack of clarity in the literature surrounding the relationship between environment and atopy reflects the complex interplay between cumulative environmental factors and genetic susceptibility, such that no one factor dictates disease development in all subjects. Understanding the effect of the summation of environmental exposures throughout a child's development is needed to identify cost-effective interventions that reduce atopy risk in children. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Molecular epidemiology in environmental health: the potential of tumor suppressor gene p53 as a biomarker.

PubMed Central

Semenza, J C; Weasel, L H

1997-01-01

One of the challenges in environmental health is to attribute a certain health effect to a specific environmental exposure and to establish a cause-effect relationship. Molecular epidemiology offers a new approach to addressing these challenges. Mutations in the tumor suppressor gene p53 can shed light on past environmental exposure, and carcinogenic agents and doses can be distinguished on the basis of mutational spectra and frequency. Mutations in p53 have successfully been used to establish links between dietary aflatoxin exposure and liver cancer, exposure to ultraviolet light and skin cancer, smoking and cancers of the lung and bladder, and vinyl chloride exposure and liver cancer. In lung cancer, carcinogens from tobacco smoke have been shown to form adducts with DNA. The location of these adducts correlates with those positions in the p53 gene that are mutated in lung cancer, confirming a direct etiologic link between exposure and disease. Recent investigations have also explored the use of p53 as a susceptibility marker for cancer. Furthermore, studies in genetic toxicology have taken advantage of animals transgenic for p53 to screen for carcinogens in vivo. In this review, we summarize recent developments in p53 biomarker research and illustrate applications to environmental health. PMID:9114284

Can Exposure to Environmental Chemicals Increase the Risk of Diabetes Type 1 Development?

PubMed Central

Stene, Lars Christian

2015-01-01

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune disease, where destruction of beta-cells causes insulin deficiency. The incidence of T1DM has increased in the last decades and cannot entirely be explained by genetic predisposition. Several environmental factors are suggested to promote T1DM, like early childhood enteroviral infections and nutritional factors, but the evidence is inconclusive. Prenatal and early life exposure to environmental pollutants like phthalates, bisphenol A, perfluorinated compounds, PCBs, dioxins, toxicants, and air pollutants can have negative effects on the developing immune system, resulting in asthma-like symptoms and increased susceptibility to childhood infections. In this review the associations between environmental chemical exposure and T1DM development is summarized. Although information on environmental chemicals as possible triggers for T1DM is sparse, we conclude that it is plausible that environmental chemicals can contribute to T1DM development via impaired pancreatic beta-cell and immune-cell functions and immunomodulation. Several environmental factors and chemicals could act together to trigger T1DM development in genetically susceptible individuals, possibly via hormonal or epigenetic alterations. Further observational T1DM cohort studies and animal exposure experiments are encouraged. PMID:25883945

Can exposure to environmental chemicals increase the risk of diabetes type 1 development?

PubMed

Bodin, Johanna; Stene, Lars Christian; Nygaard, Unni Cecilie

2015-01-01

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is an autoimmune disease, where destruction of beta-cells causes insulin deficiency. The incidence of T1DM has increased in the last decades and cannot entirely be explained by genetic predisposition. Several environmental factors are suggested to promote T1DM, like early childhood enteroviral infections and nutritional factors, but the evidence is inconclusive. Prenatal and early life exposure to environmental pollutants like phthalates, bisphenol A, perfluorinated compounds, PCBs, dioxins, toxicants, and air pollutants can have negative effects on the developing immune system, resulting in asthma-like symptoms and increased susceptibility to childhood infections. In this review the associations between environmental chemical exposure and T1DM development is summarized. Although information on environmental chemicals as possible triggers for T1DM is sparse, we conclude that it is plausible that environmental chemicals can contribute to T1DM development via impaired pancreatic beta-cell and immune-cell functions and immunomodulation. Several environmental factors and chemicals could act together to trigger T1DM development in genetically susceptible individuals, possibly via hormonal or epigenetic alterations. Further observational T1DM cohort studies and animal exposure experiments are encouraged.

Environmental asbestos exposure in rural Turkey and risk of lung cancer.

PubMed

Metintas, Selma; Metintas, Muzaffer; Ak, Guntulu; Kalyoncu, Cemalettin

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the risk of lung cancer in a cohort of villagers with environmental asbestos exposure. The study was carried out as a field-based epidemiological study. Information from 3143 individuals in 15 asbestos exposed villages and 2175 individuals in 12 control villages was obtained. Asbestos fiber type to which villagers were exposed mainly was tremolite or tremolite, actinolite, chrysotile mixtures. The cumulative fiber count of the villagers during their lifespan ranged from 0.19 to 4.61 fiber-years/ml. The annual average incidence ratio of lung cancer was 135.21/100,000 persons/year in men and 47.28 in women in the asbestos exposed villages. For the control villages, this ratio was 60.15/100,000 person/year in men and 15.06 in women. Being a male, advanced age, smoking and asbestos exposure were established to increase the risk of lung cancer. Environmental asbestos exposure in rural area is a risk factor for lung cancer independent of smoking.

Exposures of children to organophosphate pesticides and their potential adverse health effects.

PubMed Central

Eskenazi, B; Bradman, A; Castorina, R

1999-01-01

Recent studies show that young children can be exposed to pesticides during normal oral exploration of their environment and their level of dermal contact with floors and other surfaces. Children living in agricultural areas may be exposed to higher pesticide levels than other children because of pesticides tracked into their homes by household members, by pesticide drift, by breast milk from their farmworker mother, or by playing in nearby fields. Nevertheless, few studies have assessed the extent of children's pesticide exposure, and no studies have examined whether there are adverse health effects of chronic exposure. There is substantial toxicologic evidence that repeated low-level exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides may affect neurodevelopment and growth in developing animals. For example, animal studies have reported neurobehavorial effects such as impairment on maze performance, locomotion, and balance in neonates exposed (italic)in utero(/italic) and during early postnatal life. Possible mechanisms for these effects include inhibition of brain acetylcholinesterase, downregulation of muscarinic receptors, decreased brain DNA synthesis, and reduced brain weight in offspring. Research findings also suggest that it is biologically plausible that OP exposure may be related to respiratory disease in children through dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system. The University of California Berkeley Center for Children's Environmental Health Research is working to build a community-university partnership to study the environmental health of rural children. This Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas, or CHAMACOS in Monterey County, California, will assess (italic)in utero(/italic) and postnatal OP pesticide exposure and the relationship of exposure to neurodevelopment, growth, and symptoms of respiratory illness in children. The ultimate goal of the center is to translate research findings into a reduction of children's exposure to pesticides and other environmental agents, and thereby reduce the incidence of environmentally related disease. PMID:10346990

Linking air pollution data and adverse birth outcomes: environmental public health tracking in New York State.

PubMed

Brown, Jessica M; Harris, Gerald; Pantea, Cristian; Hwang, Syni-An; Talbot, Thomas O

2015-01-01

Studies investigating associations between ambient air pollution and fetal growth and gestational duration have reported inconclusive findings. The study goal was to use the Environmental Public Health Tracking Network to describe the association between exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone and term low birth weight (TLBW) in New York State. Birth data for the years 2001-2006 were linked to Census data and hierarchical Bayesian modeled air pollution data. Daily 8-hour maximums for ozone and daily average PM2.5 estimates were averaged by trimester and exposure quartiles. The Environmental Public Health Tracking Academic Center for Excellence at Rutgers University partnered with New York and several other states to create a statistical program that uses logistic regression to determine the association between air pollution exposure and TLBW. There were no consistent dose-response relationships between the pollutants and TLBW. Ozone exposure was associated with a higher risk of TLBW only in the first trimester, but these results were not statistically significant. Exposure to the third quartile of ozone for the full gestational period had negative associations with TLBW (odds ratio = 0.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.81-0.92). Collaboration within the Environmental Public Health Tracking Network to share methods and data for research proved feasible and efficient in assessing the relationship of air pollutants to adverse birth outcomes. This study finds little evidence to support positive associations between exposure to ozone or PM2.5 and TLBW in New York State.

Environmental hazards and stress: evidence from the Texas City Stress and Health Study

PubMed Central

Peek, MK; Cutchin, MP; Freeman, D; Stowe, RP; Goodwin, JS

2013-01-01

Background Substantial research has suggested that exposure to environmental health hazards, such as polluting industrial activity, has deleterious effects on psychological and physiological well-being. However, one gap in the existing literature is comparative analysis of objective and subjective exposure's relative association with various measurable outcomes of exposure. Methods These relationships were explored within a community sample of 2604 respondents living near a large petrochemical complex in Texas City, Texas, USA. Objective exposure was investigated using distance of residence from a cluster of petrochemical plants and subjective exposure using residents' concern about potential health effects from those plants. Regression models were then used to examine how each type of exposure predicts perceived stress, physiological markers of stress and perceived health. Results Results suggest that objective exposure was associated primarily with markers of physiological stress (interleukin-6 and viral reactivation), and subjective exposure (concern about petrochemical health risk) was associated with variables assessing perceived health. Conclusions From the analysis, it can be inferred that, in the context of an environmental hazard of this type, subjective exposure may be at least as important a predictor of poor health outcomes as objective exposure. PMID:19282316

Environmental exposure to pesticides and cancer risk in multiple human organ systems.

PubMed

Parrón, Tesifón; Requena, Mar; Hernández, Antonio F; Alarcón, Raquel

2014-10-15

There is growing evidence on the association between long-term exposure to pesticides in occupational settings and an elevated rate of chronic diseases, including different types of cancer. However, data on non-occupational exposures are scarce to draw any conclusion. The objective of this study was to investigate the putative associations of environmental pesticide exposures in the general population with several cancer sites and to discuss potential carcinogenic mechanisms by which pesticides develop cancer. A population-based case-control study was conducted among people residing in 10 Health districts from Andalusia (South Spain) to estimate the risk of cancer at different sites. Health districts were categorized into areas of high and low environmental pesticide exposure based on two quantitative criteria: number of hectares devoted to intensive agriculture and pesticide sales per capita. The study population consisted of 34,205 cancer cases and 1,832,969 age and health district matched controls. Data were collected by computerized hospital records (minimum dataset) between 1998 and 2005. Prevalence rates and the risk of cancer at most organ sites were significantly higher in districts with greater pesticide use related to those with lower pesticide use. Conditional logistic regression analyses showed that the population living in areas with high pesticide use had an increased risk of cancer at all sites studied (odds ratios between 1.15 and 3.45) with the exception of Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The results of this study support and extend previous evidence from occupational studies indicating that environmental exposure to pesticides may be a risk factor for different types of cancer at the level of the general population. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

RECRUITING AND RETAINING PARTICIPANTS FOR AN EXPOSURE STUDY IN SOUTHEAST RALEIGH

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently completed a study of African-Americans' exposure to particulate matter (PM) in Southeast Raleigh. A primary goal was to compare PM levels measured at ambient and residential sites with those from personal exposure monitors...

RESPIRATORY DOSE TO SUSCEPTIBLE POPULATIONS ASSESSED BY EXPOSURE AND DOSIMETRY STUDIES

EPA Science Inventory

Respiratory Dose to Susceptible Populations Assessed by Exposure and Dosimetry Studies

Chong Kim1 and Ronald Williams2, 1USEPA National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory and 2USEPA National Exposure Research Laboratory, RTP, NC.

Rationale: Parti...

Advances in Understanding Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Diseases: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution (MESA Air)

PubMed Central

Kaufman, Joel D.; Spalt, Elizabeth W.; Curl, Cynthia L.; Hajat, Anjum; Jones, Miranda R.; Kim, Sun-Young; Vedal, Sverre; Szpiro, Adam A.; Gassett, Amanda; Sheppard, Lianne; Daviglus, Martha L.; Adar, Sara D.

2016-01-01

The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution (MESA Air) leveraged the platform of the MESA cohort into a prospective longitudinal study of relationships between air pollution and cardiovascular health. MESA Air researchers developed fine-scale, state-of-the-art air pollution exposure models for the MESA Air communities, creating individual exposure estimates for each participant. These models combine cohort-specific exposure monitoring, existing monitoring systems, and an extensive database of geographic and meteorological information. Together with extensive phenotyping in MESA—and adding participants and health measurements to the cohort—MESA Air investigated environmental exposures on a wide range of outcomes. Advances by the MESA Air team included not only a new approach to exposure modeling but also biostatistical advances in addressing exposure measurement error and temporal confounding. The MESA Air study advanced our understanding of the impact of air pollutants on cardiovascular disease and provided a research platform for advances in environmental epidemiology. PMID:27741981

Strategies for Evaluating the Environment-Public Health Interaction of Long-Term Latency Disease: The Quandary of the Inconclusive Case-Control Study

EPA Science Inventory

Environmental links to disease are difficult to uncover because environmental exposures are variable in time and space, contaminants occur in complex mixtures, and many diseases have a long time delay between exposure and onset. Furthermore, individuals in a population have diff...

Knowledge, Attitudes and Preventive Efforts of Malaysian Medical Students Regarding Exposure to Environmental Tobacco and Cigarette Smoking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frisch, Ann Stirling; Kurtz, Margot; Shamsuddin, Khadijah

1999-01-01

Study examines changes in knowledge, attitudes, and preventive efforts of Malaysian students concerning cigarette smoking and environmental exposure to tobacco smoke from their first pre-clinical year in medical school until their final clinical year. Although there were significant improvements in knowledge about smoking and environmental…

ASSESSING ASTHMATIC CHILDREN'S EXPOSURES TO TOXIC AIR POLLUTANTS AND THE POTENTIAL INHALED DOSES USING TIME ACTIVITY INFORMATION AND ENERGY EXPENDITURE DATA

EPA Science Inventory

Accurately quantifying human exposures and the potential doses of various populations to environmental pollutants is critical for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assess and manage human health risks. The Tampa Asthmatic Children's Study (TACS) was a pilot research stu...

DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF IMMUNOCHEMICAL METHODS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS AT THE U.S. EPA, NERL, HERB-LV

EPA Science Inventory

The HERB-LV has developed several immunoassay methods for environmental and human exposure studies. Immunoassays to detect low levels (<10 ng/mL) chlorpyrifos in track-in dirt and house dust have been developed for indoor exposure surveys. An immunoassay for the urinary metabol...

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Negative Life Events from Late Childhood to Adolescence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Daniel P.; Rhee, Soo Hyun; Whisman, Mark A.; Corley, Robin P.; Hewitt, John K.

2013-01-01

This multiwave longitudinal study tested two quantitative genetic developmental models to examine genetic and environmental influences on exposure to negative dependent and independent life events. Participants (N = 457 twin pairs) completed measures of life events annually from ages 9 to 16. The same genetic factors influenced exposure to…

Effects of a television drama about environmental exposure to toxic substances.

PubMed

Kennedy, May G; Turf, Elizabeth Eustis; Wilson-Genderson, Maureen; Wells, Kristen; Huang, Grace C; Beck, Vicki

2011-01-01

This study assessed short-term outcomes of viewing an episode of a prime-time television drama in which a child developed cancer after environmental exposure to an illegal pesticide. The study explored the effects among viewers of feeling transported into a narrative world. Respondents (n = 2,139) to a post-episode Internet panel survey were asked if they had seen the show and asked questions about their demographic information, their frequency of viewing the television show, the degree to which they had felt transported into a narrative world created by the drama, and their knowledge and beliefs about the health effects of environmental exposure. Conversations with key informants from federal agencies and advocacy groups were also held. Episode viewing and narrative transportation were positively associated with knowledge of toxic exposure effects, and transported viewers reported being more likely to report an unusually high number of cancer cases to authorities. The show also appeared to have prompted a clarification of federal pesticide-testing policy. Entertainment Education is a promising strategy for disseminating key points of information about environmental health.

Effects of a Television Drama about Environmental Exposure to Toxic Substances

PubMed Central

Kennedy, May G.; Eustis Turf, Elizabeth; Wilson-Genderson, Maureen; Wells, Kristen; Huang, Grace C.; Beck, Vicki

2011-01-01

Objective. This study assessed short-term outcomes of viewing an episode of a prime-time television drama in which a child developed cancer after environmental exposure to an illegal pesticide. The study explored the effects among viewers of feeling transported into a narrative world. Methods. Respondents (n=2,139) to a post-episode Internet panel survey were asked if they had seen the show and asked questions about their demographic information, their frequency of viewing the television show, the degree to which they had felt transported into a narrative world created by the drama, and their knowledge and beliefs about the health effects of environmental exposure. Conversations with key informants from federal agencies and advocacy groups were also held. Results. Episode viewing and narrative transportation were positively associated with knowledge of toxic exposure effects, and transported viewers reported being more likely to report an unusually high number of cancer cases to authorities. The show also appeared to have prompted a clarification of federal pesticide-testing policy. Conclusions. Entertainment Education is a promising strategy for disseminating key points of information about environmental health. PMID:21563723

The Hokkaido Birth Cohort Study on Environment and Children's Health: cohort profile-updated 2017.

PubMed

Kishi, Reiko; Araki, Atsuko; Minatoya, Machiko; Hanaoka, Tomoyuki; Miyashita, Chihiro; Itoh, Sachiko; Kobayashi, Sumitaka; Ait Bamai, Yu; Yamazaki, Keiko; Miura, Ryu; Tamura, Naomi; Ito, Kumiko; Goudarzi, Houman

2017-05-18

The Hokkaido Study on Environment and Children's Health is an ongoing study consisting of two birth cohorts of different population sizes: the Sapporo cohort and the Hokkaido cohort. Our primary study goals are (1) to examine the effects of low-level environmental chemical exposures on birth outcomes, including birth defects and growth retardation; (2) to follow the development of allergies, infectious diseases, and neurobehavioral developmental disorders and perform a longitudinal observation of child development; (3) to identify high-risk groups based on genetic susceptibility to environmental chemicals; and (4) to identify the additive effects of various chemicals, including tobacco smoking. The purpose of this report is to update the progress of the Hokkaido Study, to summarize the recent results, and to suggest future directions. In particular, this report provides the basic characteristics of the cohort populations, discusses the population remaining in the cohorts and those who were lost to follow-up at birth, and introduces the newly added follow-up studies and case-cohort study design. In the Sapporo cohort of 514 enrolled pregnant women, various specimens, including maternal and cord blood, maternal hair, and breast milk, were collected for the assessment of exposures to dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides, perfluoroalkyl substances, phthalates, bisphenol A, and methylmercury. As follow-ups, face-to-face neurobehavioral developmental tests were conducted at several different ages. In the Hokkaido cohort of 20,926 enrolled pregnant women, the prevalence of complicated pregnancies and birth outcomes, such as miscarriage, stillbirth, low birth weight, preterm birth, and small for gestational age were examined. The levels of exposure to environmental chemicals were relatively low in these study populations compared to those reported previously. We also studied environmental chemical exposure in association with health outcomes, including birth size, neonatal hormone levels, neurobehavioral development, asthma, allergies, and infectious diseases. In addition, genetic and epigenetic analyses were conducted. The results of this study demonstrate the effects of environmental chemical exposures on genetically susceptible populations and on DNA methylation. Further study and continuous follow-up are necessary to elucidate the combined effects of chemical exposure on health outcomes.

Atrazine exposure in public drinking water and preterm birth.

PubMed

Rinsky, Jessica L; Hopenhayn, Claudia; Golla, Vijay; Browning, Steve; Bush, Heather M

2012-01-01

Approximately 13% of all births occur prior to 37 weeks gestation in the U.S. Some established risk factors exist for preterm birth, but the etiology remains largely unknown. Recent studies have suggested an association with environmental exposures. We examined the relationship between preterm birth and exposure to a commonly used herbicide, atrazine, in drinking water. We reviewed Kentucky birth certificate data for 2004-2006 to collect duration of pregnancy and other individual-level covariates. We assessed existing data sources for atrazine levels in public drinking water for the years 2000-2008, classifying maternal county of residence into three atrazine exposure groups. We used logistic regression to analyze the relationship between atrazine exposure and preterm birth, controlling for maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, smoking, and prenatal care. An increase in the odds of preterm birth was found for women residing in the counties included in the highest atrazine exposure group compared with women residing in counties in the lowest exposure group, while controlling for covariates. Analyses using the three exposure assessment approaches produced odds ratios ranging from 1.20 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14, 1.27) to 1.26 (95% CI 1.19, 1.32), for the highest compared with the lowest exposure group. Suboptimal characterization of environmental exposure and variables of interest limited the analytical options of this study. Still, our findings suggest a positive association between atrazine and preterm birth, and illustrate the need for an improved assessment of environmental exposures to accurately address this important public health issue.

Review of research on residential mobility during pregnancy: consequences for assessment of prenatal environmental exposures

PubMed Central

Bell, Michelle L.; Belanger, Kathleen

2012-01-01

Studies on environmental exposures during pregnancy often have limited residential history (e.g., at delivery), potentially introducing exposure misclassification. We reviewed studies reporting residential mobility during pregnancy to summarize current evidence and discuss research implications. A meaningful quantitative combination of results (e.g., meta-analysis), was infeasible owing to variation in study designs. Fourteen studies were identified, of which half were from the US. Most were case-control studies examining birth defects. Residential history was typically assessed after delivery. Overall mobility rates were 9–32% and highest in the second trimester. Mobility generally declined with age, parity, and socioeconomic status, although not consistently. Married mothers moved less frequently. Findings were dissimilar by race, smoking, or alcohol use. On the basis of the few studies reporting distance moved, most distances were short (median often <10 km). Results indicate potential misclassification for environmental exposures estimated with incomplete residential information. This misclassification could be associated with potential confounders, such as socioeconomics, thereby affecting risk estimates. As most moves were short distances, exposures that are homogenous within a community may be well estimated with limited residential data. Future research should consider the implications of residential mobility during pregnancy in relation to the exposure’s spatial heterogeneity and factors associated with the likelihood of moving and distance moved. PMID:22617723

The Influence of Environmental Sound Training on the Perception of Spectrally Degraded Speech and Environmental Sounds

PubMed Central

Sheft, Stanley; Gygi, Brian; Ho, Kim Thien N.

2012-01-01

Perceptual training with spectrally degraded environmental sounds results in improved environmental sound identification, with benefits shown to extend to untrained speech perception as well. The present study extended those findings to examine longer-term training effects as well as effects of mere repeated exposure to sounds over time. Participants received two pretests (1 week apart) prior to a week-long environmental sound training regimen, which was followed by two posttest sessions, separated by another week without training. Spectrally degraded stimuli, processed with a four-channel vocoder, consisted of a 160-item environmental sound test, word and sentence tests, and a battery of basic auditory abilities and cognitive tests. Results indicated significant improvements in all speech and environmental sound scores between the initial pretest and the last posttest with performance increments following both exposure and training. For environmental sounds (the stimulus class that was trained), the magnitude of positive change that accompanied training was much greater than that due to exposure alone, with improvement for untrained sounds roughly comparable to the speech benefit from exposure. Additional tests of auditory and cognitive abilities showed that speech and environmental sound performance were differentially correlated with tests of spectral and temporal-fine-structure processing, whereas working memory and executive function were correlated with speech, but not environmental sound perception. These findings indicate generalizability of environmental sound training and provide a basis for implementing environmental sound training programs for cochlear implant (CI) patients. PMID:22891070

Linking ‘toxic outliers’ to environmental justice communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collins, Mary B.; Munoz, Ian; JaJa, Joseph

2016-01-01

Several key studies have found that a small minority of producers, polluting at levels far exceeding group averages, generate the majority of overall exposure to industrial toxics. Frequently, such patterns go unnoticed and are understudied outside of the academic community. To our knowledge, no research to date has systematically described the scope and extent of extreme variations in industrially based exposure estimates and sought to link inequities in harm produced to inequities in exposure. In an analysis of all permitted industrial facilities across the United States, we show that there exists a class of hyper-polluters—the worst-of-the-worst—that disproportionately expose communities of color and low income populations to chemical releases. This study hopes to move beyond a traditional environmental justice research frame, bringing new computational methods and perspectives aimed at the empirical study of societal power dynamics. Our findings suggest the possibility that substantial environmental gains may be made through selective environmental enforcement, rather than sweeping initiatives.

Use of land surface remotely sensed satellite and airborne data for environmental exposure assessment in cancer research

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maxwell, S.K.; Meliker, J.R.; Goovaerts, P.

2010-01-01

In recent years, geographic information systems (GIS) have increasingly been used for reconstructing individual-level exposures to environmental contaminants in epidemiological research. Remotely sensed data can be useful in creating space-time models of environmental measures. The primary advantage of using remotely sensed data is that it allows for study at the local scale (e.g., residential level) without requiring expensive, time-consuming monitoring campaigns. The purpose of our study was to identify how land surface remotely sensed data are currently being used to study the relationship between cancer and environmental contaminants, focusing primarily on agricultural chemical exposure assessment applications. We present the results of a comprehensive literature review of epidemiological research where remotely sensed imagery or land cover maps derived from remotely sensed imagery were applied. We also discuss the strengths and limitations of the most commonly used imagery data (aerial photographs and Landsat satellite imagery) and land cover maps.

Radiofrequency-electromagnetic field exposures in kindergarten children.

PubMed

Bhatt, Chhavi Raj; Redmayne, Mary; Billah, Baki; Abramson, Michael J; Benke, Geza

2017-09-01

The aim of this study was to assess environmental and personal radiofrequency-electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposures in kindergarten children. Ten children and 20 kindergartens in Melbourne, Australia participated in personal and environmental exposure measurements, respectively. Order statistics of RF-EMF exposures were computed for 16 frequency bands between 88 MHz and 5.8 GHz. Of the 16 bands, the three highest sources of environmental RF-EMF exposures were: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) 900 MHz downlink (82 mV/m); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) 2100MHz downlink (51 mV/m); and GSM 900 MHz uplink (45 mV/m). Similarly, the three highest personal exposure sources were: GSM 900 MHz downlink (50 mV/m); UMTS 2100 MHz downlink, GSM 900 MHz uplink and GSM 1800 MHz downlink (20 mV/m); and Frequency Modulation radio, Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz and Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial (10 mV/m). The median environmental exposures were: 179 mV/m (total all bands), 123 mV/m (total mobile phone base station downlinks), 46 mV/m (total mobile phone base station uplinks), and 16 mV/m (Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz). Similarly, the median personal exposures were: 81 mV/m (total all bands), 62 mV/m (total mobile phone base station downlinks), 21 mV/m (total mobile phone base station uplinks), and 9 mV/m (Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz). The measurements showed that environmental RF-EMF exposure levels exceeded the personal RF-EMF exposure levels at kindergartens.

Latent variable models for gene-environment interactions in longitudinal studies with multiple correlated exposures.

PubMed

Tao, Yebin; Sánchez, Brisa N; Mukherjee, Bhramar

2015-03-30

Many existing cohort studies designed to investigate health effects of environmental exposures also collect data on genetic markers. The Early Life Exposures in Mexico to Environmental Toxicants project, for instance, has been genotyping single nucleotide polymorphisms on candidate genes involved in mental and nutrient metabolism and also in potentially shared metabolic pathways with the environmental exposures. Given the longitudinal nature of these cohort studies, rich exposure and outcome data are available to address novel questions regarding gene-environment interaction (G × E). Latent variable (LV) models have been effectively used for dimension reduction, helping with multiple testing and multicollinearity issues in the presence of correlated multivariate exposures and outcomes. In this paper, we first propose a modeling strategy, based on LV models, to examine the association between repeated outcome measures (e.g., child weight) and a set of correlated exposure biomarkers (e.g., prenatal lead exposure). We then construct novel tests for G × E effects within the LV framework to examine effect modification of outcome-exposure association by genetic factors (e.g., the hemochromatosis gene). We consider two scenarios: one allowing dependence of the LV models on genes and the other assuming independence between the LV models and genes. We combine the two sets of estimates by shrinkage estimation to trade off bias and efficiency in a data-adaptive way. Using simulations, we evaluate the properties of the shrinkage estimates, and in particular, we demonstrate the need for this data-adaptive shrinkage given repeated outcome measures, exposure measures possibly repeated and time-varying gene-environment association. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

NATIONAL WWTP EFFLUENT STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

Reports of potential wildlife risk from exposure to environmental estrogens emphasize the need to better understand both estrogenic presence and persistence in treated wastewater effluents. In addition to wildlife exposure, human exposure should also be examined, especially in si...

VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS AS EXPOSURE BIOMARKERS

EPA Science Inventory

Alveolar breath sampling and analysis can be extremely useful in exposure assessment studies involving volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Over recent years scientists from the US Environmental Protection Agency's National Exposure Research Laboratory have developed and refined...

Benzene exposure: An overview of monitoring methods and their findings

PubMed Central

Weisel, Clifford P.

2014-01-01

Benzene has been measured throughout the environment and is commonly emitted in several industrial and transportation settings leading to widespread environmental and occupational exposures. Inhalation is the most common exposure route but benzene rapidly penetrates the skin and can contaminant water and food resulting in dermal and ingestion exposures. While less toxic solvents have been substituted for benzene, it still is a component of petroleum products, including gasoline, and is a trace impurity in industrial products resulting in continued sub to low ppm occupational exposures, though higher exposures exist in small, uncontrolled workshops in developing countries. Emissions from gasoline/petrochemical industry are its main sources to the ambient air, but a person’s total inhalation exposure can be elevated from emissions from cigarettes, consumer products and gasoline powered engines/tools stored in garages attached to homes. Air samples are collected in canisters or on adsorbent with subsequent quantification by gas chromatography. Ambient air concentrations vary from sub-ppb range, low ppb, and tens of ppb in rural/suburban, urban, and source impacted areas, respectively. Short-term environmental exposures of ppm occur during vehicle fueling. Indoor air concentrations of tens of ppb occur in microenvironments containing indoor sources. Occupational and environmental exposures have declined where regulations limit benzene in gasoline (<1%) and cigarette smoking has been banned from public and work places. Similar controls should be implemented worldwide to reduce benzene exposure. Biomarkers of benzene used to estimate exposure and risk include: benzene in breath, blood and urine; its urinary metabolites: phenol, t,t-muconic acid (t,tMA) and S-phenylmercapturic acid (sPMA); and blood protein adducts. The biomarker studies suggest benzene environmental exposures are in the sub to low ppb range though non-benzene sources for urinary metabolites, differences in metabolic rates compared to occupational or animal doses, and the presence of polymorphisms need to be considered when evaluating risks from environmental exposures to individuals or potentially susceptible populations. PMID:20056112

Adverse Respiratory Symptoms and Environmental Exposures Among Children and Adolescents Following Hurricane Katrina

PubMed Central

Rath, Barbara; Young, Elizabeth A.; Harris, Amy; Perrin, Keith; Bronfin, Daniel R.; Ratard, Raoult; VanDyke, Russell; Goldshore, Matthew; Magnus, Manya

2011-01-01

Objectives Children and adolescents are especially vulnerable to environmental exposures and their respiratory effects. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, residents experienced multiple adverse environmental exposures. We characterized the association between upper respiratory symptoms (URS) and lower respiratory symptoms (LRS) and environmental exposures among children and adolescents affected by Hurricane Katrina. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study following the return of the population to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina (October 2005 and February 2006) among a convenience sample of children and adolescents attending New Orleans health facilities. We used uni-, bi-, and multivariable analyses to describe participants, exposures, and associations with URS/LRS. Results Of 1,243 participants, 47% were Caucasian, 50% were male, and 72% were younger than 11 years of age. Multiple environmental exposures were identified during and after the storm and at current residences: roof/glass/storm damage (50%), outside mold (22%), dust (18%), and flood damage (15%). Self-reported URS and LRS (76% and 36%, respectively) were higher after the hurricane than before the hurricane (22% and 9%, respectively, p<0.0001). Roof/glass/storm damage at home was associated with URS (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.15, 2.21) and LRS (AOR=1.35, 95% CI 1.01, 1.80), while mold growth at home was associated with LRS (AOR=1.47, 95% CI 1.02, 2.12). Conclusions Children and adolescents affected by Hurricane Katrina experienced environmental exposures associated with increased prevalence of reported URS and LRS. Additional research is needed to investigate the long-term health impacts of Hurricane Katrina. PMID:22043101

Adverse respiratory symptoms and environmental exposures among children and adolescents following Hurricane Katrina.

PubMed

Rath, Barbara; Young, Elizabeth A; Harris, Amy; Perrin, Keith; Bronfin, Daniel R; Ratard, Raoult; Vandyke, Russell; Goldshore, Matthew; Magnus, Manya

2011-01-01

Children and adolescents are especially vulnerable to environmental exposures and their respiratory effects. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, residents experienced multiple adverse environmental exposures. We characterized the association between upper respiratory symptoms (URS) and lower respiratory symptoms (LRS) and environmental exposures among children and adolescents affected by Hurricane Katrina. We conducted a cross-sectional study following the return of the population to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina (October 2005 and February 2006) among a convenience sample of children and adolescents attending New Orleans health facilities. We used uni-, bi-, and multivariable analyses to describe participants, exposures, and associations with URS/LRS. Of 1,243 participants, 47% were Caucasian, 50% were male, and 72% were younger than 11 years of age. Multiple environmental exposures were identified during and after the storm and at current residences: roof/glass/storm damage (50%), outside mold (22%), dust (18%), and flood damage (15%). Self-reported URS and LRS (76% and 36%, respectively) were higher after the hurricane than before the hurricane (22% and 9%, respectively, p<0.0001). Roof/glass/storm damage at home was associated with URS (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.15, 2.21) and LRS (AOR=1.35, 95% CI 1.01, 1.80), while mold growth at home was associated with LRS (AOR=1.47, 95% CI 1.02, 2.12). Children and adolescents affected by Hurricane Katrina experienced environmental exposures associated with increased prevalence of reported URS and LRS. Additional research is needed to investigate the long-term health impacts of Hurricane Katrina.

Parent's knowledge and perceptions of the health effects of environmental hazards in Sakarya, Turkey.

PubMed

Nursan, Cinar; Müge, Alvur Tuncay; Cemile, Dede; Pinar, Topsever; Sevin, Altinkaynak

2014-01-01

To assess the knowledge and perception of parents of high school students about the health effects of environmental hazards in Sakarya province of Turkey. The cross-section study was conducted in May 2009 in which randomly assigned 362 parents answered a questionnaire inquiring about the sociodemographics and a list of environmental hazards such as tobacco smoking, sunlight exposure and skin cancer, global climate change, air pollution, noise exposure, smoking during pregnancy and low birth-weight, exposure to radon and lung cancer, reducing radon, air pollution and cardiovascular diseases, base station and childhood leukaemia, extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields and brain tumour.The participants were also asked about water pollution, environmental tobacco smoke, air pollution, ozone depletion, exposure to radon gas, soil pollution, noise pollution, formaldehyde related with furniture, ground ozone and pesticides etc. SPSS 15 was used for statistical analysis. Among the participants 226 (62.4%) were females, and 284 (78.5%) were in the 31-45 age group. There were 246 (68%) high school or university graduates. Of the participants, 357 (98.6%) knew that smoking was a health risk, but exposure to radon gas was not that prevalent (n=194; 53.6%). The most intimidating risk was claimed as unsafe water (n=311; 85.9%), while noise exposure was the least source of worry among the environmental risks (n=134; 37.0%). There is a necessity to inform the public about less-known but significant environmental risks such as radon gas and noise exposure which may cause health problems.

Public health implications of environmental noise associated with unconventional oil and gas development.

PubMed

Hays, Jake; McCawley, Michael; Shonkoff, Seth B C

2017-02-15

Modern oil and gas development frequently occurs in close proximity to human populations and increased levels of ambient noise have been documented throughout some phases of development. Numerous studies have evaluated air and water quality degradation and human exposure pathways, but few have evaluated potential health risks and impacts from environmental noise exposure. We reviewed the scientific literature on environmental noise exposure to determine the potential concerns, if any, that noise from oil and gas development activities present to public health. Data on noise levels associated with oil and gas development are limited, but measurements can be evaluated amidst the large body of epidemiology assessing the non-auditory effects of environmental noise exposure and established public health guidelines for community noise. There are a large number of noise dependent and subjective factors that make the determination of a dose response relationship between noise and health outcomes difficult. However, the literature indicates that oil and gas activities produce noise at levels that may increase the risk of adverse health outcomes, including annoyance, sleep disturbance, and cardiovascular disease. More studies that investigate the relationships between noise exposure and human health risks from unconventional oil and gas development are warranted. Finally, policies and mitigation techniques that limit human exposure to noise from oil and gas operations should be considered to reduce health risks. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A COMMUNITY-BASED CHILDREN'S PESTICIDE EXPOSURE MEASUREMENT STUDY IN JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA

EPA Science Inventory

Children's exposures to pesticides and chemicals in consumer products may be different, and in some cases, higher than exposures for adults. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is conducting research to gain a better understanding of children's exposures and the fac...

International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics opinion on reproductive health impacts of exposure to toxic environmental chemicals.

PubMed

Di Renzo, Gian Carlo; Conry, Jeanne A; Blake, Jennifer; DeFrancesco, Mark S; DeNicola, Nathaniel; Martin, James N; McCue, Kelly A; Richmond, David; Shah, Abid; Sutton, Patrice; Woodruff, Tracey J; van der Poel, Sheryl Ziemin; Giudice, Linda C

2015-12-01

Exposure to toxic environmental chemicals during pregnancy and breastfeeding is ubiquitous and is a threat to healthy human reproduction. There are tens of thousands of chemicals in global commerce, and even small exposures to toxic chemicals during pregnancy can trigger adverse health consequences. Exposure to toxic environmental chemicals and related health outcomes are inequitably distributed within and between countries; universally, the consequences of exposure are disproportionately borne by people with low incomes. Discrimination, other social factors, economic factors, and occupation impact risk of exposure and harm. Documented links between prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals and adverse health outcomes span the life course and include impacts on fertility and pregnancy, neurodevelopment, and cancer. The global health and economic burden related to toxic environmental chemicals is in excess of millions of deaths and billions of dollars every year. On the basis of accumulating robust evidence of exposures and adverse health impacts related to toxic environmental chemicals, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) joins other leading reproductive health professional societies in calling for timely action to prevent harm. FIGO recommends that reproductive and other health professionals advocate for policies to prevent exposure to toxic environmental chemicals, work to ensure a healthy food system for all, make environmental health part of health care, and champion environmental justice. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

RECRUITING AND RETAINING AFRICAN-AMERICANS FOR AN EXPOSURE STUDY IN SOUTHEAST RALEIGH

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently completed a study of African-Americans' exposure to particulate matter (PM) in Southeast Raleigh. A primary goal was to compare PM levels measured at ambient and residential sites with those from personal exposure monitors...

Environmental perfluorooctane sulfonate exposure drives T cell activation in bottlenose dolphins.

PubMed

Soloff, Adam C; Wolf, Bethany Jacobs; White, Natasha D; Muir, Derek; Courtney, Sean; Hardiman, Gary; Bossart, Gregory D; Fair, Patricia A

2017-09-01

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are highly stable compounds that have been associated with immunotoxicity in epidemiologic studies and experimental rodent models. Lengthy half-lives and resistance to environmental degradation result in bioaccumulation of PFAAs in humans and wildlife. Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), the most prevalent PFAA detected within the environment, is found at high levels in occupationally exposed humans. We have monitored the environmental exposure of dolphins in the Charleston, SC region for over 10 years and levels of PFAAs, and PFOS in particular, were significantly elevated. As dolphins may serve as large mammal sentinels to identify the impact of environmental chemical exposure on human disease, we sought to assess the effect of environmental PFAAs on the cellular immune system in highly exposed dolphins. Herein, we utilized a novel flow cytometry-based assay to examine T cell-specific responses to environmental PFAA exposure ex vivo and to exogenous PFOS exposure in vitro. Baseline PFOS concentrations were associated with significantly increased CD4 + and CD8 + T cell proliferation from a heterogeneous resident dolphin population. Further analysis demonstrated that in vitro exposure to environmentally relevant levels of PFOS promoted proinflammatory cytokine production and proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Collectively, these findings indicate that PFOS is capable of inducing proinflammatory interferon-gamma, but not immunoregulatory interleukin-4 production in T cells, which may establish a state of chronic immune activation known to be associated with susceptibility to disease. These findings suggest that PFOS directly dysregulates the dolphin cellular immune system and has implications for health hazards. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Environmental exposure effects on composite materials for commercial aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gibbins, M. N.; Hoffman, D. J.

1982-01-01

The effects of environmental exposure on composite materials are studied. The environments considered are representative of those experienced by commercial jet aircraft. Initial results have been compiled for the following material systems: T300/5208, T300/5209 and T300/934. Specimens were exposed on the exterior and interior of Boeing 737 airplanes of three airlines, and to continuous ground level exposure at four locations. In addition specimens were exposed in the laboratory to conditions such as: simulated ground-air-ground, weatherometer, and moisture. Residual strength results are presented for specimens exposed for up to two years at three ground level exposure locations and on airplanes from two airlines. Test results are also given for specimens exposed to the laboratory simulated environments. Test results indicate that short beam shear strength is sensitive to environmental exposure and dependent on the level of absorbed moisture.

Metals and Disease: A Global Primary Health Care Perspective

PubMed Central

Mamtani, Ravinder; Stern, Penny; Dawood, Ismail; Cheema, Sohaila

2011-01-01

Metals are an important and essential part of our daily lives. Their ubiquitous presence and use has not been without significant consequences. Both industrial and nonindustrial exposures to metals are characterized by a variety of acute and chronic ailments. Underreporting of illnesses related to occupational and environmental exposures to chemicals including metals is of concern and presents a serious challenge. Many primary care workers rarely consider occupational and environmental exposures to chemicals in their clinical evaluation. Their knowledge and training in the evaluation of health problems related to such exposures is inadequate. This paper presents documented research findings from various studies that have examined the relationship between metal exposures and their adverse health effects both in developing and developed countries. Further, it provides some guidance on essential elements of a basic occupational and environmental evaluation to health care workers in primary care situations. PMID:22007209

The risk of coronary artery disease estimated non-invasively in patients with essential hypertension environmentally exposed to cigarette smoke.

PubMed

Gać, Paweł; Jaźwiec, Przemysław; Poręba, Małgorzata; Mazur, Grzegorz; Pawlas, Krystyna; Sobieszczańska, Małgorzata; Poręba, Rafał

2017-12-01

The relationship between environmental exposure of non-smokers to cigarette smoke and the coronary artery calcium scores has not been sufficiently documented. The aim of the study was to identify the relationship between environmental exposure to cigarette smoke and the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) estimated non-invasively through measurement of coronary artery calcium score by computed tomography in patients with essential hypertension. The study was conducted on 67 patients with essential hypertension, non-smokers environmentally exposed to cigarette smoke (group A) and on 67 patients with essential hypertension, non-smokers not exposed to cigarette smoke (group B), selected using the case to case. Environmental exposure to cigarette smoke was evaluated using a questionnaire. The risk of development of coronary artery disease was estimated non-invasively through measurement of coronary artery calcium score (CA CS ) by computed tomography. Group A was characterised by significantly higher CA CS and left anterior descending (LAD CS ) calcium scores than group B. Compared to group B, group A had significantly higher percentage of patients with significant risk of CAD estimated on the basis of CA CS values, and significantly lower percentage of patients with practically no risk of CAD estimated with the same method. Advanced age, peripheral artery diseases and environmental exposure to cigarette smoke are independent risk factors associated with increased CA CS and LAD CS values. In addition, higher BMI and hypercholesterolemia are independent risk factors for increased values of LAD CS . In patients with essential hypertension environmental exposure to cigarette smoke may result in elevated risk of coronary artery disease estimated non-invasively through measurement of coronary artery calcium score by computed tomography. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sexual Orientation, Gender, and Environmental Injustice: Unequal Carcinogenic Air Pollution Risks in Greater Houston

PubMed Central

Collins, Timothy W.; Grineski, Sara E.; Morales, Danielle X.

2017-01-01

Disparate residential hazard exposures based on disadvantaged gender status (e.g., among female-headed households) have been documented in the distributive environmental justice literature, yet no published studies have examined whether disproportionate environmental risks exist based on minority sexual orientation. To address this gap, we use data from the US Census, American Community Survey and the Environmental Protection Agency at the 2010 census tract level to examine the spatial relationships between same-sex partner households and cumulative cancer risk from exposure to hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) emitted by all ambient emission sources in Greater Houston (Texas). Findings from generalized estimating equation analyses demonstrate that increased cancer risks from HAPs are significantly associated with neighborhoods having relatively high concentrations of resident same-sex partner households, adjusting for geographic clustering and variables known to influence risk (i.e., race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, renter status, income inequality, and population density). However, HAP exposures are distributed differently for same-sex male versus same-sex female partner households. Neighborhoods with relatively high proportions of same-sex male partner households are associated with significantly greater exposure to cancer-causing HAPs while those with high proportions of same-sex female partner households are associated with less exposure. This study provides initial empirical documentation of a previously unstudied pattern, and infuses current theoretical understanding of environmental inequality formation with knowledge emanating from the sexualities and space literature. Practically, results suggest that other documented health risks experienced in gay neighborhoods may be compounded by disparate health risks associated with harmful exposures to air toxics. PMID:29098204

Sexual Orientation, Gender, and Environmental Injustice: Unequal Carcinogenic Air Pollution Risks in Greater Houston.

PubMed

Collins, Timothy W; Grineski, Sara E; Morales, Danielle X

2017-01-01

Disparate residential hazard exposures based on disadvantaged gender status (e.g., among female-headed households) have been documented in the distributive environmental justice literature, yet no published studies have examined whether disproportionate environmental risks exist based on minority sexual orientation. To address this gap, we use data from the US Census, American Community Survey and the Environmental Protection Agency at the 2010 census tract level to examine the spatial relationships between same-sex partner households and cumulative cancer risk from exposure to hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) emitted by all ambient emission sources in Greater Houston (Texas). Findings from generalized estimating equation analyses demonstrate that increased cancer risks from HAPs are significantly associated with neighborhoods having relatively high concentrations of resident same-sex partner households, adjusting for geographic clustering and variables known to influence risk (i.e., race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, renter status, income inequality, and population density). However, HAP exposures are distributed differently for same-sex male versus same-sex female partner households. Neighborhoods with relatively high proportions of same-sex male partner households are associated with significantly greater exposure to cancer-causing HAPs while those with high proportions of same-sex female partner households are associated with less exposure. This study provides initial empirical documentation of a previously unstudied pattern, and infuses current theoretical understanding of environmental inequality formation with knowledge emanating from the sexualities and space literature. Practically, results suggest that other documented health risks experienced in gay neighborhoods may be compounded by disparate health risks associated with harmful exposures to air toxics.

The Use of Biomonitoring Data in Exposure and Human Health Risk Assessments

PubMed Central

Albertini, Richard; Bird, Michael; Doerrer, Nancy; Needham, Larry; Robison, Steven; Sheldon, Linda; Zenick, Harold

2006-01-01

Biomonitoring uses analytic methods that permit the accurate measurement of low levels of environmental chemicals in human tissues. However, depending on the intended use, biomonitoring, like all exposure tools, may not be a stand-alone exposure assessment tool for some of its environmental public health uses. Although biomonitoring data demonstrate that many environmental chemicals are absorbed in human tissues, uncertainty exists regarding if and at what concentrations many of these chemicals cause adverse health outcomes. Moreover, without exposure pathway information, it is difficult to relate biomonitoring results to sources and routes of exposure and develop effective health risk management strategies. In September 2004, the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, and International Council of Chemical Associations co-sponsored the International Biomonitoring Workshop, which explored the processes and information needed for placing biomonitoring data into perspective for risk assessment purposes, with special emphasis on integrating biomarker measurements of exposure, internal dose, and potential health outcome. Scientists from international governments, academia, and industry recommended criteria for applying biomonitoring data for various uses. Six case studies, which are part of this mini-monograph, were examined: inorganic arsenic, methyl eugenol, organophosphorus pesticides, perfluorooctanesulfonate, phthalates, and polybrominated diphenyl ethers. Based on the workshop and follow-up discussions, this overview article summarizes lessons learned, identifies data gaps, outlines research needs, and offers guidance for designing and conducting biomonitoring studies, as well as interpreting biomonitoring data in the context of risk assessment and risk management. PMID:17107864

REPORTING NEEDS FOR STUDIES OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS IN HUMAN MILK

EPA Science Inventory

Studies of environmental chemicals in human milk have been carried out in many countries, but few have been conducted in the U.S. These studies are useful for monitoring populations trends in exposure to chemiclas, for research in the determinants of environmental chemicals in m...

The impact of PFOS on health in the general population: a review.

PubMed

Saikat, Sohel; Kreis, Irene; Davies, Bethan; Bridgman, Stephen; Kamanyire, Robie

2013-02-01

Perfluorooctane sulphonate (PFOS) is a persistent organic pollutant that is toxic, bioaccumulative and undergoes wide transportation across all environmental media. It has been widely detected in environmental samples but there is limited information about the health effects on humans from environmental exposure. This paper presents the findings of a review of the literature on the impact of PFOS on the health of the general population. Fifteen relevant epidemiological studies were identified that looked at the association between human PFOS exposure and a range of health related outcomes. Small but statistically significant associations have been reported with PFOS and total cholesterol, glucose metabolism, body mass index (BMI), thyroid function, infertility, breast feeding, uric acid and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The true significance of these findings is uncertain due to the inconsistencies in some of the study results and the limitations of the literature. The majority of studies were cross-sectional and considered surrogate markers of health (e.g. cholesterol levels). The available literature is also limited in ascertaining the link between PFOS concentrations in the environment, exposure pathways and health effects. We conclude that the current evidence is inconclusive and further large-scale prospective cohort studies would be useful to assess the association between environmental exposure to PFOS, appropriate biomarkers (e.g. serum levels of PFOS) and health outcomes.

The Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) - Article in National Ambient Air Quality Status and Trends through 2007

EPA Science Inventory

A research study that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted in Detroit, Michigan, named the Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS), will help develop data that improves our understanding of human exposure to various air pollutants in our environment.

Using exposomics to assess cumulative risks and promote health.

PubMed

Smith, Martyn T; de la Rosa, Rosemarie; Daniels, Sarah I

2015-12-01

Under the exposome paradigm all nongenetic factors contributing to disease are considered to be 'environmental' including chemicals, drugs, infectious agents, and psychosocial stress. We can consider these collectively as environmental stressors. Exposomics is the comprehensive analysis of exposure to all environmental stressors and should yield a more thorough understanding of chronic disease development. We can operationalize exposomics by studying all the small molecules in the body and their influence on biological pathways that lead to impaired health. Here, we describe methods by which this may be achieved and discuss the application of exposomics to cumulative risk assessment in vulnerable populations. Since the goal of cumulative risk assessment is to analyze, characterize, and quantify the combined risks to health from exposures to multiple agents or stressors, it seems that exposomics is perfectly poised to advance this important area of environmental health science. We should therefore support development of tools for exposomic analysis and begin to engage impacted communities in participatory exposome research. A first step may be to apply exposomics to vulnerable populations already studied by more conventional cumulative risk approaches. We further propose that recent migrants, low socioeconomic groups with high environmental chemical exposures, and pregnant women should be high priority populations for study by exposomics. Moreover, exposomics allows us to study interactions between chronic stress and environmental chemicals that disrupt stress response pathways (i.e., 'stressogens'). Exploring the impact of early life exposures and maternal stress may be an interesting and accessible topic for investigation by exposomics using biobanked samples. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Can environmental or occupational hazards alter the sex ratio at birth? A systematic review

PubMed Central

Terrell, Metrecia L.; Hartnett, Kathleen P.; Marcus, Michele

2011-01-01

More than 100 studies have examined whether environmental or occupational exposures of parents affect the sex ratio of their offspring at birth. For this review, we searched Medline and Web of Science using the terms ‘sex ratio at birth’ and ‘sex ratio and exposure’ for all dates, and reviewed bibliographies of relevant studies to find additional articles. This review focuses on exposures that have been the subject of at least four studies including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, pesticides, lead and other metals, radiation, boron, and g-forces. For paternal exposures, only dioxins and PCBs were consistently associated with sex ratios higher or lower than the expected 1.06. Dioxins were associated with a decreased proportion of male births, whereas PCBs were associated with an increased proportion of male births. There was limited evidence for a decrease in the proportion of male births after paternal exposure to DBCP, lead, methylmercury, non-ionizing radiation, ionizing radiation treatment for childhood cancer, boron, or g-forces. Few studies have found higher or lower sex ratios associated with maternal exposures. Studies in humans and animals have found a reduction in the number of male births associated with lower male fertility, but the mechanism by which environmental hazards might change the sex ratio has not yet been established. PMID:24149027

Are environmental exposures to chlorophenoxy herbicides associated with adverse human health effects?

EPA Science Inventory

Background: Exposures to environmental pollutants are suspected of playing a role in the observed increases of many diseases. However, it is difficult to establish a firm link between exposure and disease, because environmental exposures are usually widespread, low-dose in natu...

Modeling approaches for characterizing and evaluating environmental exposure to engineered nanomaterials in support of risk-based decision making.

PubMed

Hendren, Christine Ogilvie; Lowry, Michael; Grieger, Khara D; Money, Eric S; Johnston, John M; Wiesner, Mark R; Beaulieu, Stephen M

2013-02-05

As the use of engineered nanomaterials becomes more prevalent, the likelihood of unintended exposure to these materials also increases. Given the current scarcity of experimental data regarding fate, transport, and bioavailability, determining potential environmental exposure to these materials requires an in depth analysis of modeling techniques that can be used in both the near- and long-term. Here, we provide a critical review of traditional and emerging exposure modeling approaches to highlight the challenges that scientists and decision-makers face when developing environmental exposure and risk assessments for nanomaterials. We find that accounting for nanospecific properties, overcoming data gaps, realizing model limitations, and handling uncertainty are key to developing informative and reliable environmental exposure and risk assessments for engineered nanomaterials. We find methods suited to recognizing and addressing significant uncertainty to be most appropriate for near-term environmental exposure modeling, given the current state of information and the current insufficiency of established deterministic models to address environmental exposure to engineered nanomaterials.

Environmental and occupational health research and training needs in Colombia: A Delphi study

PubMed Central

Rodríguez-Villamizar, Laura A.; González, Beatriz Elena; Vera, Lina María; Patz, Jonathan; Bautista, Leonelo E.

2015-01-01

Introduction Environmental factors contribute with 16% of the burden of disease in Colombia. A main obstacle in implementing national and regional environmental and occupational health policies is the limited knowledge on the local ability to study and control the impact of harmful exposures on health. Objective To identify needs for research and training in environmental and occupational health in Colombia. Materials and methods We conducted a three-round hybrid Delphi study. A group of environmental and occupational health Colombian experts (n=16) from government agencies, universities, and research centers was recruited to participate in the study. Expert’s opinions on research and training needs were gathered through online questionnaires, followed by an in-person meeting. The percentage of agreement and the coefficient of variation were used to measure consensus. Results Air pollution and chemical products were considered the most important environmental and occupational exposures, due to their significant impact on chronic non-communicable diseases, such as respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Research on the effects of outdoor air pollution on cardiovascular and respiratory diseases was considered of the greatest importance. Priority training areas included environmental and occupational health risk assessment, exposure modeling, advanced statistical methods, urban planning, occupational safety and hygiene, and epidemiology and toxicology. Conclusions These findings provide a valuable input for the definition and implementation of national environmental and occupational health policies and for the development of a regional hub aimed at strengthening the capacity for research and training in Colombia. PMID:26535742

Environmental and occupational health research and training needs in Colombia: A Delphi study.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Villamizar, Laura A; González, Beatriz Elena; Vera, Lina María; Patz, Jonathan; Bautista, Leonelo E

2015-08-01

Environmental factors contribute with 16% of the burden of disease in Colombia. A main obstacle in implementing national and regional environmental and occupational health policies is the limited knowledge on the local ability to study and control the impact of harmful exposures on health. To identify needs for research and training in environmental and occupational health in Colombia. We conducted a three-round hybrid Delphi study. A group of environmental and occupational health Colombian experts (n=16) from government agencies, universities, and research centers was recruited to participate in the study. Expert´s opinions on research and training needs were gathered through online questionnaires, followed by an in-person meeting. The percentage of agreement and the coefficient of variation were used to measure consensus. Air pollution and chemical products were considered the most important environmental and occupational exposures, due to their significant impact on chronic non-communicable diseases, such as respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. Research on the effects of outdoor air pollution on cardiovascular and respiratory diseases was considered of the greatest importance. Priority training areas included environmental and occupational health risk assessment, exposure modeling, advanced statistical methods, urban planning, occupational safety and hygiene, and epidemiology and toxicology. These findings provide a valuable input for the definition and implementation of national environmental and occupational health policies and for the development of a regional hub aimed at strengthening the capacity for research and training in Colombia.

PM ACTIVITY PATTERN RESEARCH

EPA Science Inventory

Human activity/uptake rate data are necessary to estimate potential human exposure and intake dose to environmental pollutants and to refine human exposure models. Personal exposure monitoring studies have demonstrated the critical role that activities play in explaining and pre...

Concentrations of environmental organic contaminants in meat and meat products and human dietary exposure: A review.

PubMed

Domingo, José L

2017-09-01

Meat and meat products is one of the most relevant food groups in an important number of human diets. Recently, the IARC, based on results of a number of epidemiological studies, classified the consumptions of red meat and processed meat as "probably carcinogenic to humans" and as "carcinogenic to humans", respectively. It was suggested that the substances responsible of the potential carcinogenicity would be mainly generated during meat processing, such as curing and smoking, or when meat is heated at high temperatures. However, the exposure to environmental pollutants through meat consumption was not discussed. The purpose of the present paper was to review recent studies reporting the concentrations of PCDD/Fs, DL-PCBs and PAHs in meat and meat products, as well as the human exposure to these pollutants through the diet. It is concluded that the health risks derived from exposure to carcinogenic environmental contaminants must be considered in the context of each specific diet, which besides meat and meat products, includes other foodstuffs containing also chemical pollutants, some of them with carcinogenic potential. Anyhow, meat and meat products are not the main food group responsible of the dietary exposure to carcinogenic (or probably carcinogenic) environmental organic pollutants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Medaka as a model for studying environmentally induced epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of phenotypes

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Abstract Ability of environmental stressors to induce transgenerational diseases has been experimentally demonstrated in plants, worms, fish, and mammals, indicating that exposures affect not only human health but also fish and ecosystem health. Small aquarium fish have been reliable model to study genetic and epigenetic basis of development and disease. Additionally, fish can also provide better, economic opportunity to study transgenerational inheritance of adverse health and epigenetic mechanisms. Molecular mechanisms underlying germ cell development in fish are comparable to those in mammals and humans. This review will provide a short overview of long-term effects of environmental chemical contaminant exposure in various models, associated epigenetic mechanisms, and a perspective on fish as model to study environmentally induced transgenerational inheritance of altered phenotypes. PMID:29492282

Disease and Health Inequalities Attributable to Air Pollutant Exposure in Detroit, Michigan

PubMed Central

Milando, Chad W.; Williams, Guy O.; Batterman, Stuart A.

2017-01-01

The environmental burden of disease is the mortality and morbidity attributable to exposures of air pollution and other stressors. The inequality metrics used in cumulative impact and environmental justice studies can be incorporated into environmental burden studies to better understand the health disparities of ambient air pollutant exposures. This study examines the diseases and health disparities attributable to air pollutants for the Detroit urban area. We apportion this burden to various groups of emission sources and pollutants, and show how the burden is distributed among demographic and socioeconomic subgroups. The analysis uses spatially-resolved estimates of exposures, baseline health rates, age-stratified populations, and demographic characteristics that serve as proxies for increased vulnerability, e.g., race/ethnicity and income. Based on current levels, exposures to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are responsible for more than 10,000 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) per year, causing an annual monetized health impact of $6.5 billion. This burden is mainly driven by PM2.5 and O3 exposures, which cause 660 premature deaths each year among the 945,000 individuals in the study area. NO2 exposures, largely from traffic, are important for respiratory outcomes among older adults and children with asthma, e.g., 46% of air-pollution related asthma hospitalizations are due to NO2 exposures. Based on quantitative inequality metrics, the greatest inequality of health burdens results from industrial and traffic emissions. These metrics also show disproportionate burdens among Hispanic/Latino populations due to industrial emissions, and among low income populations due to traffic emissions. Attributable health burdens are a function of exposures, susceptibility and vulnerability (e.g., baseline incidence rates), and population density. Because of these dependencies, inequality metrics should be calculated using the attributable health burden when feasible to avoid potentially underestimating inequality. Quantitative health impact and inequality analyses can inform health and environmental justice evaluations, providing important information to decision makers for prioritizing strategies to address exposures at the local level. PMID:29048385

A Case Study of Environmental Injustice: The Failure in Flint

PubMed Central

Campbell, Carla; Greenberg, Rachael; Mankikar, Deepa; Ross, Ronald D.

2016-01-01

The failure by the city of Flint, Michigan to properly treat its municipal water system after a change in the source of water, has resulted in elevated lead levels in the city’s water and an increase in city children’s blood lead levels. Lead exposure in young children can lead to decrements in intelligence, development, behavior, attention and other neurological functions. This lack of ability to provide safe drinking water represents a failure to protect the public’s health at various governmental levels. This article describes how the tragedy happened, how low-income and minority populations are at particularly high risk for lead exposure and environmental injustice, and ways that we can move forward to prevent childhood lead exposure and lead poisoning, as well as prevent future Flint-like exposure events from occurring. Control of the manufacture and use of toxic chemicals to prevent adverse exposure to these substances is also discussed. Environmental injustice occurred throughout the Flint water contamination incident and there are lessons we can all learn from this debacle to move forward in promoting environmental justice. PMID:27690065

Conceptualization and measurement of environmental exposure in epidemiology: accounting for activity space related to daily mobility.

PubMed

Perchoux, Camille; Chaix, Basile; Cummins, Steven; Kestens, Yan

2013-05-01

A considerable body of literature has investigated how environmental exposures affect health through various pathways. These studies have generally adopted a common approach to define environmental exposures, focusing on the local residential environment, using census tracts or postcodes to delimit exposures. However, use of such administrative units may not be appropriate to evaluate contextual effets on health because they are generally not a 'true' representation of the environments to which individuals are exposed. Recent work has suggested that advances may be made if an activity-space approach is adopted. The present paper investigates how various disciplines may contribute to the refinement of the concept of activity space for use in health research. In particular we draw on seminal work in time geography, which provides a framework to describe individual behavior in space and time, and can help the conceptualization of activity space. In addition we review work in environmental psychology and social networks research, which provides insights on how people and places interact and offers new theories for improving the spatial definition of contextual exposures. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Racial Differences in Perceptions of Air Pollution Health Risk: Does Environmental Exposure Matter?

PubMed Central

Chakraborty, Jayajit; Collins, Timothy W.; Grineski, Sara E.; Maldonado, Alejandra

2017-01-01

This article extends environmental risk perception research by exploring how potential health risk from exposure to industrial and vehicular air pollutants, as well as other contextual and socio-demographic factors, influence racial/ethnic differences in air pollution health risk perception. Our study site is the Greater Houston metropolitan area, Texas, USA—a racially/ethnically diverse area facing high levels of exposure to pollutants from both industrial and transportation sources. We integrate primary household-level survey data with estimates of excess cancer risk from ambient exposure to industrial and on-road mobile source emissions of air toxics obtained from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Statistical analysis is based on multivariate generalized estimation equation models which account for geographic clustering of surveyed households. Our results reveal significantly higher risk perceptions for non-Hispanic Black residents and those exposed to greater cancer risk from industrial pollutants, and also indicate that gender influences the relationship between race/ethnicity and air pollution risk perception. These findings highlight the need to incorporate measures of environmental health risk exposure in future analysis of social disparities in risk perception. PMID:28125059

A Case Study of Environmental Injustice: The Failure in Flint.

PubMed

Campbell, Carla; Greenberg, Rachael; Mankikar, Deepa; Ross, Ronald D

2016-09-27

The failure by the city of Flint, Michigan to properly treat its municipal water system after a change in the source of water, has resulted in elevated lead levels in the city's water and an increase in city children's blood lead levels. Lead exposure in young children can lead to decrements in intelligence, development, behavior, attention and other neurological functions. This lack of ability to provide safe drinking water represents a failure to protect the public's health at various governmental levels. This article describes how the tragedy happened, how low-income and minority populations are at particularly high risk for lead exposure and environmental injustice, and ways that we can move forward to prevent childhood lead exposure and lead poisoning, as well as prevent future Flint-like exposure events from occurring. Control of the manufacture and use of toxic chemicals to prevent adverse exposure to these substances is also discussed. Environmental injustice occurred throughout the Flint water contamination incident and there are lessons we can all learn from this debacle to move forward in promoting environmental justice.

Application of the IEUBK model for linking Children's blood lead with environmental exposure in a mining site, south China.

PubMed

Zhang, Xin-Ying; Carpenter, David O; Song, Yong-Jin; Chen, Ping; Qin, Yaoming; Wei, Ni-Yu; Lin, Shan-Chun

2017-12-01

This study consisted of a site- and age-specific investigation linking children's blood lead level (BLL) to environmental exposures in a historic mining site in south China. A total of 151 children, aged 3-7 years, were included in this study. The geometric mean (GM) BLL was 8.22 μg/dl, indicating an elevated BLL. The Integrated Exposure Uptake Bio-Kinetic (IEUBK) model has proven useful at many sites for study of routes of exposure. Application of the IEUBK model to these children indicated that the GM difference between observed and predicted BLL levels was only 1.07 μg/dl. It was found that the key environmental exposure pathway was soil/dust intake, which contributed 86.3% to the total risk. Younger children had higher BLL than did older children. Therefore, of the various low risk-high benefit solutions, interventions for the children living near the site should be focused on the dust removal and soil remediation. Implementation of the China Eco-village Construction Plan and China New Rural Reconstruction Movement of the government may be a better solution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application environmental epidemiology to vehicular air pollution and health effects research

PubMed Central

Patil, Rajan R.; Chetlapally, Satish Kumar; Bagvandas, M.

2015-01-01

Vehicular pollution is one of the major contributors to the air pollution in urban areas and perhaps and accounts for the major share of anthropogenic green-house gases such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides. Knowledge of human health risks related to environmental exposure to vehicular pollution is a current concern. Analyze the range health effects are attributed varied constituents of vehicular air pollution examine evidence for a causal association to specific health effect. In many instances scenario involves exposure to very low doses of putative agents for extended periods, sometimes the period could mean over a lifetime of an individual and yet may result in small increase in health risk that may be imperceptible. Secondary data analysis and literature review. In environmental exposures, traditional epidemiological approaches evaluating mortality and morbidity indicators display many limiting factors such as nonspecificity of biological effects latency time between exposure and magnitude of the effect. Long latency period between exposure and resultant disease, principally for carcinogenic effects and limitation of epidemiological studies for detecting small risk increments. The present paper discusses the methodological challenges in studying vehicular epidemiology and highlights issues that affect the validity of epidemiological studies in vehicular pollution. PMID:26023265

Using NASA Remotely Sensed Data to Help Characterize Environmental Risk Factors for National Public Health Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Al-Hamdan, Mohammad; Crosson, William; Estes, Maury; Estes, Sue; Hemmings, Sarah; Quattrochi, Dale; McClure, Keslie; Kent, Shia; Economou, Sigrid; Puckett, Mark;

EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT IMPLICATIONS FOR THE DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

Examining the influence of environmental exposures on various health indices is a critical component of the planned National Children¿s Study (NCS). An ideal strategy for the exposure monitoring component of the NCS is to measure indoor and outdoor concentrations and personal exp...

Occupational and environmental lead exposure in Port Harcourt, Nigeria: analysis of its association with renal function indices.

PubMed

Alasia, D D; Emem-Chioma, P C; Wokoma, F S

2010-01-01

In spite of the high risk of lead exposure in Nigeria, there is a paucity of data on the occupational and environmental burden of lead exposure and its impact on human health especially its nephrotoxic effects. This study aims to assess the degree of occupational and environmental lead exposure in Port Harcourt Nigeria and the relationship between lead exposure and indices of renal function. A cross sectional comparative study of 190 aduIt subjects with occupational lead exposure and 80 matched controls. Blood lead was used as the biomarker of lead exposure. Serum urea, creatinine, uric acid, urine albumin and glomerular filtration rate were the renal function indices measured. Occupationally lead exposed subjects had higher mean blood lead 50.37 +/- 24.58 ug/dI, than controls 41.40 +/- 26.85 ug/dl (p = 0.008). The mean values of serum urea, creatinine and uric acid were significantly higher in study subjects compared to controls 3.06 +/- 0.81 mmol/L vs. 2.7 +/- 0.84 mmol/L (p = 0.002), 87.2 +/- 14.30 umol/L vs. 80.68 +/- 14.70 umol/L (p = 0.001) and 271.93 +/- 71.18 umol/L vs. 231.1 +/- 62.70 umol/L (p = 0.000) respectively. Creatinine clearance was significantly lower in subjects compared to controls 98.86 +/- 21.26 mI/min/1.72m2 vs. 108.18 +/- 25.16 mI/min/1.72m2 (p = 0.002). Blood lead correlated positively only with blood urea [r = .031, r2 = .017, p = .031] and negatively [r = -.144, r2 = .02 1, p = .018] with serum phosphate. The level of environmental and occupational lead exposure in Port Harcourt, Nigeria is high, with occupational lead exposure increasing the risk of lead toxicity and renal function impairment.

Biologic Monitoring of Exposure to Environmental Chemicals throughout the Life Stages: Requirements and Issues for Consideration for the National Children’s Study

PubMed Central

Barr, Dana B.; Wang, Richard Y.; Needham, Larry L.

2005-01-01

Biomonitoring of exposure is a useful tool for assessing environmental exposures. The matrices available for analyses include blood, urine, breast milk, adipose tissue, and saliva, among others. The sampling can be staged to represent the particular time period of concern: preconceptionally from both parents, from a pregnant woman during each of the three trimesters, during and immediately after childbirth, from the mother postnatally, and from the child as it develops to 21 years of age. The appropriate sample for biomonitoring will depend upon matrix availability, the time period of concern for a particular exposure or health effect, and the different classes of environmental chemicals to be monitored. This article describes the matrices available for biomonitoring during the life stages being evaluated in the National Children’s Study; the best biologic matrices for exposure assessment for each individual chemical class, including consideration of alternative matrices; the analytical methods used for analysis, including quality control procedures and less costly alternatives; the costs of analysis; optimal storage conditions; and chemical and matrix stability during long-term storage. PMID:16079083

Dialkyl phosphate urinary metabolites and chromosomal abnormalities in human sperm.

PubMed

Figueroa, Zaida I; Young, Heather A; Meeker, John D; Martenies, Sheena E; Barr, Dana Boyd; Gray, George; Perry, Melissa J

2015-11-01

The past decade has seen numerous human health studies seeking to characterize the impacts of environmental exposures, such as organophosphate (OP) insecticides, on male reproduction. Despite an extensive literature on OP toxicology, many hormone-mediated effects on the testes are not well understood. This study investigated environmental exposures to OPs and their association with the frequency of sperm chromosomal abnormalities (i.e., disomy) among adult men. Men (n=159) from a study assessing the impact of environmental exposures on male reproductive health were included in this investigation. Multi-probe fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for chromosomes X, Y, and 18 was used to determine XX18, YY18, XY18 and total disomy in sperm nuclei. Urine was analyzed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry for concentrations of dialkyl phosphate (DAP) metabolites of OPs [dimethylphosphate (DMP); dimethylthiophosphate (DMTP); dimethyldithiophosphate (DMDTP); diethylphosphate (DEP); diethylthiophosphate (DETP); and diethyldithiophosphate (DEDTP)]. Poisson regression was used to model the association between OP exposures and disomy measures. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated for each disomy type by exposure quartiles for most metabolites, controlling for age, race, BMI, smoking, specific gravity, total sperm concentration, motility, and morphology. A significant positive trend was seen for increasing IRRs by exposure quartiles of DMTP, DMDTP, DEP and DETP in XX18, YY18, XY18 and total disomy. A significant inverse association was observed between DMP and total disomy. Findings for total sum of DAP metabolites concealed individual associations as those results differed from the patterns observed for each individual metabolite. Dose-response relationships appeared nonmonotonic, with most of the increase in disomy rates occurring between the second and third exposure quartiles and without additional increases between the third and fourth exposure quartiles. This is the first epidemiologic study of this size to examine the relationship between environmental OP exposures and human sperm disomy outcomes. Our findings suggest that increased disomy rates were associated with specific DAP metabolites, suggesting that the impacts of OPs on testis function need further characterization in epidemiologic studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

BIOMONITORING OF EXPOSURE IN FARMWORKER STUDIES

EPA Science Inventory

Though biomonitoring has been used in many occupational and environmental health and exposure studies, we are only beginning to understand the complexities and uncertainties involved with the biomonitoring process -- from study design, to sample collection, to chemical analysis -...

Bisphenol a exposure causes meiotic aneuploidy in the female mouse.

PubMed

Hunt, Patricia A; Koehler, Kara E; Susiarjo, Martha; Hodges, Craig A; Ilagan, Arlene; Voigt, Robert C; Thomas, Sally; Thomas, Brian F; Hassold, Terry J

2003-04-01

There is increasing concern that exposure to man-made substances that mimic endogenous hormones may adversely affect mammalian reproduction. Although a variety of reproductive complications have been ascribed to compounds with androgenic or estrogenic properties, little attention has been directed at the potential consequences of such exposures to the genetic quality of the gamete. A sudden, spontaneous increase in meiotic disturbances, including aneuploidy, in studies of oocytes from control female mice in our laboratory coincided with the accidental exposure of our animals to an environmental source of bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is an estrogenic compound widely used in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. We identified damaged caging material as the source of the exposure, as we were able to recapitulate the meiotic abnormalities by intentionally damaging cages and water bottles. In subsequent studies of female mice, we administered daily oral doses of BPA to directly test the hypothesis that low levels of BPA disrupt female meiosis. Our results demonstrated that the meiotic effects were dose dependent and could be induced by environmentally relevant doses of BPA. Both the initial inadvertent exposure and subsequent experimental studies suggest that BPA is a potent meiotic aneugen. Specifically, in the female mouse, short-term, low-dose exposure during the final stages of oocyte growth is sufficient to elicit detectable meiotic effects. These results provide the first unequivocal link between mammalian meiotic aneuploidy and an accidental environmental exposure and suggest that the oocyte and its meiotic spindle will provide a sensitive assay system for the study of reproductive toxins.

A systematic review of Bisphenol A "low dose" studies in the context of human exposure: a case for establishing standards for reporting "low-dose" effects of chemicals.

PubMed

Teeguarden, Justin G; Hanson-Drury, Sesha

2013-12-01

Human exposure to the chemical Bisphenol A is almost ubiquitous in surveyed industrialized societies. Structural features similar to estrogen confer the ability of Bisphenol A (BPA) to bind estrogen receptors, giving BPA membership in the group of environmental pollutants called endocrine disruptors. References by scientists, the media, political entities, and non-governmental organizations to many toxicity studies as "low dose" has led to the belief that exposure levels in these studies are similar to humans, implying that BPA is toxic to humans at current exposures. Through systematic, objective comparison of our current, and a previous compilation of the "low-dose" literature to multiple estimates of human external and internal exposure levels, we found that the "low-dose" moniker describes exposures covering 8-12 orders of magnitude, the majority (91-99% of exposures) being greater than the upper bound of human exposure in the general infant, child and adult U.S. Population. "low dose" is therefore a descriptor without specific meaning regarding human exposure. Where human exposure data are available, for BPA and other environmental chemicals, reference to toxicity study exposures by direct comparison to human exposure would be more informative, more objective, and less susceptible to misunderstanding. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Infertility, Pregnancy Loss and Adverse Birth Outcomes in Relation to Maternal Secondhand Tobacco Smoke Exposure

PubMed Central

Meeker, John D.; Benedict, Merle D.

2013-01-01

A substantial proportion of the etiology involved in female infertility and adverse pregnancy outcomes remains idiopathic. Recent scientific research has suggested a role for environmental factors in these conditions. Secondhand tobacco smoke (STS) contains a number of known or suspected reproductive toxins, and human exposure to STS is prevalent worldwide. Robust evidence exists for the toxic effects of active smoking on fertility and pregnancy, but studies of passive exposure are much more limited in number. While the association between maternal STS exposure and declined birth weight has been fairly well-documented, only recently have epidemiologic studies begun to provide suggestive evidence for delayed conception, altered menstrual cycling, early pregnancy loss (e.g. spontaneous abortion), preterm delivery, and congenital malformations in relation to STS exposure. There is also new evidence that developmental exposures to tobacco smoke may be associated with reproductive effects in adulthood. To date, most studies have estimated maternal STS exposure through self-report even though exposure biomarkers are less prone to error and recall bias. In addition to utilizing biomarkers of STS exposure, future studies should aim to identify vital windows of STS exposure, important environmental co-exposures, individual susceptibility factors, and specific STS constituents associated with female infertility and adverse pregnancy outcomes. The role of paternal exposures/factors should also be investigated. PMID:23888128

Spatial clustering of childhood leukaemia with the integration of the Paediatric Environmental History.

PubMed

Cárceles-Álvarez, Alberto; Ortega-García, Juan A; López-Hernández, Fernando A; Orozco-Llamas, Mayra; Espinosa-López, Blanca; Tobarra-Sánchez, Esther; Alvarez, Lizbeth

2017-07-01

Leukaemia remains the most common type of paediatric cancer and its aetiology remains unknown, but considered to be multifactorial. It is suggested that the initiation in utero by relevant exposures and/or inherited genetic variants and, other promotional postnatal exposures are probably required to develop leukaemia. This study aimed to map the incidence and analyse possible clusters in the geographical distribution of childhood acute leukaemia during the critical periods and to evaluate the factors that may be involved in the aetiology by conducting community and individual risk assessments. We analysed all incident cases of acute childhood leukaemia (<15 years) diagnosed in a Spanish region during the period 1998-2013. At diagnosis, the addresses during pregnancy, early childhood and diagnosis were collected and codified to analyse the spatial distribution of acute leukaemia. Scan statistical test methodology was used for the identification of high-incidence spatial clusters. Once identified, individual and community risk assessments were conducted using the Paediatric Environmental History. A total of 158 cases of acute leukaemia were analysed. The crude rate for the period was 42.7 cases per million children. Among subtypes, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia had the highest incidence (31.9 per million children). A spatial cluster of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia was detected using the pregnancy address (p<0.05). The most common environmental risk factors related with the aetiology of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, identified by the Paediatric Environmental History were: prenatal exposure to tobacco (75%) and alcohol (50%); residential and community exposure to pesticides (62.5%); prenatal or neonatal ionizing radiation (42.8%); and parental workplace exposure (37.5%) CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that environmental exposures in utero may be important in the development of childhood leukaemia. Due to the presence of high-incidence clusters using pregnancy address, it is necessary to introduce this address into the childhood cancer registers. The Paediatric Environmental History which includes pregnancy address and a careful and comprehensive evaluation of the environmental exposures will allow us to build the knowledge of the causes of childhood leukaemia. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cardiovascular effects of environmental noise: research in The Netherlands.

PubMed

Kempen, Elise van

2011-01-01

The impact of environmental noise on public health, in The Netherlands, is limited: Less than 1% of the myocardial infarction cases per year are attributable to long-term exposure to road traffic noise. Furthermore, although the Dutch noise policy is not directed to prevent cardiovascular disease due to noise exposure, health does play a role in Dutch noise policy. These are the main conclusions of a systematic review of Dutch observational studies, investigating the possible impact of road traffic and aircraft noise exposure on the cardiovascular system. Since 1970, 14 Dutch studies were published investigating the possible impact of road traffic and aircraft noise exposure on the cardiovascular system. Within these studies a large variety of outcomes were investigated, ranging from blood pressure changes to cardiovascular mortality. The results of the studies were not consistent and only weak associations were found.

Mapping the spatio-temporal risk of lead exposure in apex species for more effective mitigation

PubMed Central

Mateo-Tomás, Patricia; Olea, Pedro P.; Jiménez-Moreno, María; Camarero, Pablo R.; Sánchez-Barbudo, Inés S.; Rodríguez Martín-Doimeadios, Rosa C.; Mateo, Rafael

2016-01-01

Effective mitigation of the risks posed by environmental contaminants for ecosystem integrity and human health requires knowing their sources and spatio-temporal distribution. We analysed the exposure to lead (Pb) in griffon vulture Gyps fulvus—an apex species valuable as biomonitoring sentinel. We determined vultures' lead exposure and its main sources by combining isotope signatures and modelling analyses of 691 bird blood samples collected over 5 years. We made yearlong spatially explicit predictions of the species risk of lead exposure. Our results highlight elevated lead exposure of griffon vultures (i.e. 44.9% of the studied population, approximately 15% of the European, showed lead blood levels more than 200 ng ml−1) partly owing to environmental lead (e.g. geological sources). These exposures to environmental lead of geological sources increased in those vultures exposed to point sources (e.g. lead-based ammunition). These spatial models and pollutant risk maps are powerful tools that identify areas of wildlife exposure to potentially harmful sources of lead that could affect ecosystem and human health. PMID:27466455

Environmental factors in causing human cancers: emphasis on tumorigenesis.

PubMed

Sankpal, Umesh T; Pius, Hima; Khan, Moeez; Shukoor, Mohammed I; Maliakal, Pius; Lee, Chris M; Abdelrahim, Maen; Connelly, Sarah F; Basha, Riyaz

2012-10-01

The environment and dietary factors play an essential role in the etiology of cancer. Environmental component is implicated in ~80 % of all cancers; however, the causes for certain cancers are still unknown. The potential players associated with various cancers include chemicals, heavy metals, diet, radiation, and smoking. Lifestyle habits such as smoking and alcohol consumption, exposure to certain chemicals (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, organochlorines), metals and pesticides also pose risk in causing human cancers. Several studies indicated a strong association of lung cancer with the exposure to tobacco products and asbestos. The contribution of excessive sunlight, radiation, occupational exposure (e.g., painting, coal, and certain metals) is also well established in cancer. Smoking, excessive alcohol intake, consumption of an unhealthy diet, and lack of physical activity can act as risk factors for cancer and also impact the prognosis. Even though the environmental disposition is linked to cancer, the level and duration of carcinogen-exposure and associated cellular and biochemical aspects determine the actual risk. Modulations in metabolism and DNA adduct formation are considered central mechanisms in environmental carcinogenesis. This review describes the major environmental contributors in causing cancer with an emphasis on molecular aspects associated with environmental disposition in carcinogenesis.

Indoor air pollution and childhood asthma: effective environmental interventions.

PubMed Central

Etzel, R A

1995-01-01

Exposure to indoor air pollutants such as tobacco smoke and dust mites may exacerbate childhood asthma. Environmental interventions to reduce exposures to these pollutants can help prevent exacerbations of the disease. Among the most important interventions is the elimination of environmental tobacco smoke from the environments of children with asthma. However, the effectiveness of reducing asthmatic children's exposure to environmental tobacco smoke on the severity of their symptoms has not yet been systematically evaluated. Dust mite reduction is another helpful environmental intervention. This can be achieved by enclosing the child's mattresses, blankets, and pillows in zippered polyurethane-coated casings. Primary prevention of asthma is not as well understood. It is anticipated that efforts to reduce smoking during pregnancy could reduce the incidence of asthma in children. European studies have suggested that reducing exposure to food and house dust mite antigens during lactation and for the first 12 months of life diminishes the development of allergic disorders in infants with high total IgE in the cord blood and a family history of atopy. Many children with asthma and their families are not receiving adequate counseling about environmental interventions from health care providers or other sources. PMID:8549490

Biomarkers of environmental benzene exposure.

PubMed Central

Weisel, C; Yu, R; Roy, A; Georgopoulos, P

1996-01-01

Environmental exposures to benzene result in increases in body burden that are reflected in various biomarkers of exposure, including benzene in exhaled breath, benzene in blood and urinary trans-trans-muconic acid and S-phenylmercapturic acid. A review of the literature indicates that these biomarkers can be used to distinguish populations with different levels of exposure (such as smokers from nonsmokers and occupationally exposed from environmentally exposed populations) and to determine differences in metabolism. Biomarkers in humans have shown that the percentage of benzene metabolized by the ring-opening pathway is greater at environmental exposures than that at higher occupational exposures, a trend similar to that found in animal studies. This suggests that the dose-response curve is nonlinear; that potential different metabolic mechanisms exist at high and low doses; and that the validity of a linear extrapolation of adverse effects measured at high doses to a population exposed to lower, environmental levels of benzene is uncertain. Time-series measurements of the biomarker, exhaled breath, were used to evaluate a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model. Biases were identified between the PBPK model predictions and experimental data that were adequately described using an empirical compartmental model. It is suggested that a mapping of the PBPK model to a compartmental model can be done to optimize the parameters in the PBPK model to provide a future framework for developing a population physiologically based pharmacokinetic model. PMID:9118884

Environmental exposures to lead and cadmium measured in human placenta.

PubMed

Falcón, María; Viñas, Pilar; Osuna, Eduardo; Luna, Aurelio

2002-01-01

Pregnant women exposed to even low levels of environmental lead and cadmium may experience adverse perinatal effects. To evaluate the usefulness of the placenta for monitoring environmental lead and cadmium exposure, concentrations of both metals were measured in placentas (n = 86) with atomic absorption spectrometry. Environmental exposure was assessed in accordance with the degree of industrial activity and transport pollution near the places of residence. The authors found significantly higher lead and cadmium levels in placentas of women living in urban-industrial areas than in placentas of women living in rural areas. Lead concentrations in placenta reflect environmental exposures; smoking during gestation explained a large portion of placental cadmium. This finding suggests that when a pregnant woman is a heavy smoker, tobacco exposure masks environmental cadmium exposure, especially in areas with low levels of cadmium pollution.

MODELING POPULATION EXPOSURES TO OUTDOOR SOURCES OF HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS

EPA Science Inventory

Accurate assessment of human exposures is an important part of environmental health effects research. However, most air pollution epidemiology studies rely upon imperfect surrogates of personal exposures, such as information based on available central-site outdoor concentration ...

Predicting Maternal Rat and Pup Exposures: How Different Are They?

EPA Science Inventory

Risk and safety assessments for early life exposures to environmental chemicals or pharmaceuticals based on cross-species extrapolation would greatly benefit from information on chemical dosimetry in the young. Although relevant toxicity studies involve exposures during multiple ...

DESIGN STRATEGY FOR ASSESSING MULTI-PATHWAY EXPOSURE FOR CHILDREN: THE MINNESOTA CHILDREN'S PESTICIDE EXPOSURE STUDY (MNCPES)

EPA Science Inventory

Although children are exposed to a variety of environmental hazards, including pesticides, there is a scarcity of information available to estimate exposures realistically. This article reports on one of the first attempts to measure multi-pathway pesticide exposures in a popu...

THE INFLUENCE OF HUMAN ACTIVITY PATTERNS ON PERSONAL PM EXPOSURE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF FILTER-BASED AND CONTINUOUS PARTICLE MEASUREMENTS

EPA Science Inventory

Particulate matter (PM) exposure data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sponsored 1998 Baltimore and 1999 Fresno PM Exposure Studies were analyzed to identify important microenvironments and activities that may lead to increased particle exposure for select elderly ...

ANALYSIS OF CONCORDANCE OF PROBABILISTIC AGGREGATE EXPOSURE PREDICTIONS WITH OBSERVED BIOMONITORING RESULTS: AN EXAMPLE USING CTEPP DATA

EPA Science Inventory

Three key areas of scientific inquiry in the study of human exposure to environmental contaminants are 1) assessment of aggregate (i.e., multi-pathway, multi-route) exposures, 2) application of probabilistic methods to exposure prediction, and 3) the interpretation of biomarker m...

IMMUNOCHEMISTRY AT THE U.S. EPA, NATIONAL EXPOSURE RESEARCH LABORATORY'S HUMAN EXPOSURE RESEARCH BRANCH

EPA Science Inventory

The HERB has developed several immunoassay methods for environmental and human exposure studies. Immunoassays to detect low levels (<10 ng/mL) chlorpyrifos in food, track-in dirt and house dust have been developed for dietary and indoor exposure surveys. An immunoassay for th...

The Taiwan Birth Panel Study: a prospective cohort study for environmentally- related child health

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The Taiwan Birth Panel Study (TBPS) is a prospective follow-up study to investigate the development of child health and disease in relation to in-utero and/or early childhood environmental exposures. The rationale behind the establishment of such a cohort includes the magnitude of potential environmental exposures, the timing of exposure window, fatal and children's susceptibility to toxicants, early exposure delayed effects, and low-level or unknown neurodevelopmental toxicants. Methods A total of 486 mother-infant paired was enrolled from April 2004 to January 2005 in this study. Maternal blood before delivery, placenta and umbilical cord blood at birth, and mothers' urine after delivery were collected. The follow-up was scheduled at birth, 4, 6 months, and 1, 2, 3 and 5 years. The children's blood, urine, hair, and saliva were collected at 2 years of age and children's urine was collected at 5 years of age as well. The study has been approved by the ethical committee of National Taiwan University Hospital. All the subjects signed the inform consent on entering the study and each of the follow up. Results Through this prospective birth cohort, the main health outcomes were focused on child growth, neurodevelopment, behaviour problem and atopic diseases. We investigated the main prenatal and postnatal factors including smoking, heavy metals, perfluorinated chemicals, and non-persistent pesticides under the consideration of interaction of the environment and genes. Conclusions This cohort study bridges knowledge gaps and answers unsolved issues in the low-level, prenatal or postnatal, and multiple exposures, genetic effect modification, and the initiation and progression of "environmentally-related childhood diseases." PMID:21838884

Geographic Model and Biomarker-Derived Measures of Pesticide Exposure and Parkinson’s Disease

PubMed Central

RITZ, BEATE; COSTELLO, SADIE

2013-01-01

For more than two decades, reports have suggested that pesticides and herbicides may be an etiologic factor in idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD). To date, no clear associations with any specific pesticide have been demonstrated from epidemiological studies perhaps, in part, because methods of reliably estimating exposures are lacking. We tested the validity of a Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based exposure assessment model that estimates potential environmental exposures at residences from pesticide applications to agricultural crops based on California Pesticide Use Reports (PUR). Using lipid-adjusted dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) serum levels as the “gold standard” for pesticide exposure, we conducted a validation study in a sample taken from an ongoing, population-based case–control study of PD in Central California. Residential, occupational, and other risk factor data were collected for 22 cases and 24 controls from Kern county, California. Environmental GIS–PUR-based organochlorine (OC) estimates were derived for each subject and compared to lipid-adjusted DDE serum levels. Relying on a linear regression model, we predicted log-transformed lipid-adjusted DDE serum levels. GIS–PUR-derived OC measure, body mass index, age, gender, mixing and loading pesticides by hand, and using pesticides in the home, together explained 47% of the DDE serum level variance (adjusted r2 = 0.47). The specificity of using our environmental GIS–PUR-derived OC measures to identify those with high-serum DDE levels was reasonably good (87%). Our environmental GIS–PUR-based approach appears to provide a valid model for assessing residential exposures to agricultural pesticides. PMID:17119217

Formaldehyde exposures from tobacco smoke: a review.

PubMed Central

Godish, T

1989-01-01

Reports of formaldehyde levels in mainstream, sidestream, and environmental tobacco smoke from nine studies are reviewed. Considerable disparity exists between formaldehyde production rates determined from mainstream-sidestream studies and those reporting levels in environmental tobacco smoke. Tobacco smoke does not appear to increase vapor-phase formaldehyde levels significantly in indoor environments, but formaldehyde exposure in mainstream smoke may pose a risk of upper respiratory system cancer and increase the risk of cancer in smokers. PMID:2665532

Global Characteristics of Childhood Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia

PubMed Central

Zhang, L; Samad, A; Pombo-de-Oliveira, MS; Scelo, G; Smith, MT; Feusner, J; Wiemels, JL; Metayer, C

2014-01-01

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) comprises approximately 5–10% of childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases in the US. While variation in this percentage among other populations was noted previously, global patterns of childhood APL have not been thoroughly characterized. In this comprehensive review of childhood APL, we examined its geographic pattern and the potential contribution of environmental factors to observed variation. In 142 studies (spanning >60 countries) identified, variation was apparent—de novo APL represented from 2% (Switzerland) to >50% (Nicaragua) of childhood AML in different geographic regions. Because a limited number of previous studies addressed specific environmental exposures that potentially underlie childhood APL development, we gathered 28 childhood cases of therapy-related APL, which exemplified associations between prior exposures to chemotherapeutic drugs/radiation and APL diagnosis. Future population-based studies examining childhood APL patterns and the potential association with specific environmental exposures and other risk factors are needed. PMID:25445717

Gender differences in autoimmunity associated with exposure to environmental factors

PubMed Central

Pollard, K. Michael

2011-01-01

Autoimmunity is thought to result from a combination of genetics, environmental triggers, and stochastic events. Gender is also a significant risk factor with many diseases exhibiting a female bias. Although the role of environmental triggers, especially medications, in eliciting autoimmunity is well established less is known about the interplay between gender, the environment and autoimmunity. This review examines the contribution of gender in autoimmunity induced by selected chemical, physical and biological agents in humans and animal models. Epidemiological studies reveal that environmental factors can be associated with a gender bias in human autoimmunity. However many studies show that the increased risk of autoimmunity is often influenced by occupational exposure or other gender biased activities. Animal studies, although often prejudiced by the exclusive use of female animals, reveal that gender bias can be strain specific suggesting an interaction between sex chromosome complement and background genes. This observation has important implications because it argues that within a gender biased disease there may be individuals in which gender does not contribute to autoimmunity. Exposure to environmental factors, which encompasses everything around us, adds an additional layer of complexity. Understanding how the environment influences the relationship between sex chromosome complement and innate and adaptive immune responses will be essential in determining the role of gender in environmentally-induced autoimmunity. PMID:22137891

Some factors influencing the nonexpert's perception and evaluation of environmental risks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vaughan, E.

Policy makers and decision analysts have been limited somewhat in their ability to predict public reactions to regulatory decisions about hazardous substances or technologies. Most studies of the nonexpert's evaluation of environmental risks have relied on survey data and correlational analyses which preclude the determination of interactive effects, effects that could explain apparent inconsistencies. Three experimental studies were designed to test empirically the effect of six dimensions of environmental risk on judgments of (1) perceived risk, (2) acceptability of risk, (3) subjective probability of negative outcomes due to exposure, and (4) perceived severity of consequences. Factors examined included: (a) familiaritymore » with the terms used to describe a hazard, (b) environmental persistence of a chemical, (c) personal relevance of data used to evaluate cancer-causing potential, (d) personal relevance of possible adverse consequences, (e) perceived control over exposure, and (f) vividness of the exposure pathway. The findings were discussed in terms of their implications for the nonexpert's formulation of risk perceptions, and public policy in the domain of environmental risks.« less

Environmental proxies of antigen exposure explain variation in immune investment better than indices of pace of life.

PubMed

Horrocks, Nicholas P C; Hegemann, Arne; Ostrowski, Stéphane; Ndithia, Henry; Shobrak, Mohammed; Williams, Joseph B; Matson, Kevin D; Tieleman, B I

2015-01-01

Investment in immune defences is predicted to covary with a variety of ecologically and evolutionarily relevant axes, with pace of life and environmental antigen exposure being two examples. These axes may themselves covary directly or inversely, and such relationships can lead to conflicting predictions regarding immune investment. If pace of life shapes immune investment then, following life history theory, slow-living, arid zone and tropical species should invest more in immunity than fast-living temperate species. Alternatively, if antigen exposure drives immune investment, then species in antigen-rich tropical and temperate environments are predicted to exhibit higher immune indices than species from antigen-poor arid locations. To test these contrasting predictions we investigated how variation in pace of life and antigen exposure influence immune investment in related lark species (Alaudidae) with differing life histories and predicted risks of exposure to environmental microbes and parasites. We used clutch size and total number of eggs laid per year as indicators of pace of life, and aridity, and the climatic variables that influence aridity, as correlates of antigen abundance. We quantified immune investment by measuring four indices of innate immunity. Pace of life explained little of the variation in immune investment, and only one immune measure correlated significantly with pace of life, but not in the predicted direction. Conversely, aridity, our proxy for environmental antigen exposure, was predictive of immune investment, and larks in more mesic environments had higher immune indices than those living in arid, low-risk locations. Our study suggests that abiotic environmental variables with strong ties to environmental antigen exposure can be important correlates of immunological variation.

Analysis of an Environmental Exposure Health Questionnaire in a Metropolitan Minority Population Utilizing Logistic Regression and Support Vector Machines

PubMed Central

Chen, Chau-Kuang; Bruce, Michelle; Tyler, Lauren; Brown, Claudine; Garrett, Angelica; Goggins, Susan; Lewis-Polite, Brandy; Weriwoh, Mirabel L; Juarez, Paul D.; Hood, Darryl B.; Skelton, Tyler

2014-01-01

The goal of this study was to analyze a 54-item instrument for assessment of perception of exposure to environmental contaminants within the context of the built environment, or exposome. This exposome was defined in five domains to include 1) home and hobby, 2) school, 3) community, 4) occupation, and 5) exposure history. Interviews were conducted with child-bearing-age minority women at Metro Nashville General Hospital at Meharry Medical College. Data were analyzed utilizing DTReg software for Support Vector Machine (SVM) modeling followed by an SPSS package for a logistic regression model. The target (outcome) variable of interest was respondent's residence by ZIP code. The results demonstrate that the rank order of important variables with respect to SVM modeling versus traditional logistic regression models is almost identical. This is the first study documenting that SVM analysis has discriminate power for determination of higher-ordered spatial relationships on an environmental exposure history questionnaire. PMID:23395953

Analysis of an environmental exposure health questionnaire in a metropolitan minority population utilizing logistic regression and Support Vector Machines.

PubMed

Chen, Chau-Kuang; Bruce, Michelle; Tyler, Lauren; Brown, Claudine; Garrett, Angelica; Goggins, Susan; Lewis-Polite, Brandy; Weriwoh, Mirabel L; Juarez, Paul D; Hood, Darryl B; Skelton, Tyler

2013-02-01

The goal of this study was to analyze a 54-item instrument for assessment of perception of exposure to environmental contaminants within the context of the built environment, or exposome. This exposome was defined in five domains to include 1) home and hobby, 2) school, 3) community, 4) occupation, and 5) exposure history. Interviews were conducted with child-bearing-age minority women at Metro Nashville General Hospital at Meharry Medical College. Data were analyzed utilizing DTReg software for Support Vector Machine (SVM) modeling followed by an SPSS package for a logistic regression model. The target (outcome) variable of interest was respondent's residence by ZIP code. The results demonstrate that the rank order of important variables with respect to SVM modeling versus traditional logistic regression models is almost identical. This is the first study documenting that SVM analysis has discriminate power for determination of higher-ordered spatial relationships on an environmental exposure history questionnaire.

Effect of postnatal low-dose exposure to environmental chemicals on the gut microbiome in a rodent model.

PubMed

Hu, Jianzhong; Raikhel, Vincent; Gopalakrishnan, Kalpana; Fernandez-Hernandez, Heriberto; Lambertini, Luca; Manservisi, Fabiana; Falcioni, Laura; Bua, Luciano; Belpoggi, Fiorella; L Teitelbaum, Susan; Chen, Jia

2016-06-14

This proof-of-principle study examines whether postnatal, low-dose exposure to environmental chemicals modifies the composition of gut microbiome. Three chemicals that are widely used in personal care products-diethyl phthalate (DEP), methylparaben (MPB), triclosan (TCS)-and their mixture (MIX) were administered at doses comparable to human exposure to Sprague-Dawley rats from birth through adulthood. Fecal samples were collected at two time points: postnatal day (PND) 62 (adolescence) and PND 181 (adulthood). The gut microbiome was profiled by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing, taxonomically assigned and assessed for diversity. Metagenomic profiling revealed that the low-dose chemical exposure resulted in significant changes in the overall bacterial composition, but in adolescent rats only. Specifically, the individual taxon relative abundance for Bacteroidetes (Prevotella) was increased while the relative abundance of Firmicutes (Bacilli) was reduced in all treated rats compared to controls. Increased abundance was observed for Elusimicrobia in DEP and MPB groups, Betaproteobacteria in MPB and MIX groups, and Deltaproteobacteria in TCS group. Surprisingly, these differences diminished by adulthood (PND 181) despite continuous exposure, suggesting that exposure to the environmental chemicals produced a more profound effect on the gut microbiome in adolescents. We also observed a small but consistent reduction in the bodyweight of exposed rats in adolescence, especially with DEP and MPB treatment (p < 0.05), which is consistent with our findings of a reduced Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio at PND 62 in exposed rats. This study provides initial evidence that postnatal exposure to commonly used environmental chemicals at doses comparable to human exposure is capable of modifying the gut microbiota in adolescent rats; whether these changes lead to downstream health effects requires further investigation.

The influence of insecticide exposure and environmental stimuli on the movement behaviour and dispersal of a freshwater isopod.

PubMed

Augusiak, Jacqueline; Van den Brink, Paul J

2016-09-01

Behaviour links physiological function with ecological processes and can be very sensitive towards environmental stimuli and chemical exposure. As such, behavioural indicators of toxicity are well suited for assessing impacts of pesticides at sublethal concentrations found in the environment. Recent developments in video-tracking technologies offer the possibility of quantifying behavioural patterns, particularly locomotion, which in general has not been studied and understood very well for aquatic macroinvertebrates to date. In this study, we aim to determine the potential effects of exposure to two neurotoxic pesticides with different modes of action at different concentrations (chlorpyrifos and imidacloprid) on the locomotion behaviour of the water louse Asellus aquaticus. We compare the effects of the different exposure regimes on the behaviour of Asellus with the effects that the presence of food and shelter exhibit to estimate the ecological relevance of behavioural changes. We found that sublethal pesticide exposure reduced dispersal distances compared to controls, whereby exposure to chlorpyrifos affected not only animal activity but also step lengths while imidacloprid only slightly affected step lengths. The presence of natural cues such as food or shelter induced only minor changes in behaviour, which hardly translated to changes in dispersal potential. These findings illustrate that behaviour can serve as a sensitive endpoint in toxicity assessments. However, under natural conditions, depending on the exposure concentration, the actual impacts might be outweighed by environmental conditions that an organism is subjected to. It is, therefore, of importance that the assessment of toxicity on behaviour is done under relevant environmental conditions.

Breast cancer and personal environmental risk factors in Marin County - Pilot study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Erdmann, C.A.; Farren, G.; Baltzell, K.

The purpose of the Personal Environmental Risk Factor Study (PERFS) pilot project was to develop methodologies and a questionnaire for a future population-based case-control study to investigate the role of selected environmental exposures in breast cancer development. Identification of etiologically relevant exposures during a period of potential vulnerability proximate to disease onset offers the possibility of clinical disease prevention even when disease initiation may have already occurred many years earlier. Certain personal environmental agents or combinations of agents may influence disease promotion. Therefore, this pilot study focused on exposures that occurred during the ten-year period prior to diagnosis for casesmore » and the last ten years for controls, rather than more historic exposures. For this pilot study, they used a community-based research approach. In the collaborative efforts, community members participated with academic researchers in all phases of the research, including research question identification, study design, development of research tools, development of the human subjects protocol, and report writing. Community member inclusion was based upon the concept that community participation could improve the relevance of scientific studies and ultimate success of the research by encouraging an ongoing dialogue between community members and academic representatives. Early activities of this project focused on the collection of input from the community regarding the possible role of environmental factors in the incidence of breast cancer in Marin County. The intent was to inform the scientists of community concerns, enhance the research team's understanding of the community being studied, and provide interested community members with a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of traditional research methods through active participation in the research process.« less

Community Engagement in Observational Human Exposure Studies

EPA Science Inventory

Although observational human exposure studies do not deliberately expose participants to chemicals or environmental conditions, merely involving people as research participants and conducting research inside homes raises ethical issues. Community engagement offers a promising st...

Multicentric study on malignant pleural mesothelioma and non-occupational exposure to asbestos.

PubMed

Magnani, C; Agudo, A; González, C A; Andrion, A; Calleja, A; Chellini, E; Dalmasso, P; Escolar, A; Hernandez, S; Ivaldi, C; Mirabelli, D; Ramirez, J; Turuguet, D; Usel, M; Terracini, B

2000-07-01

Insufficient evidence exists on the risk of pleural mesothelioma from non-occupational exposure to asbestos. A population-based case-control study was carried out in six areas from Italy, Spain and Switzerland. Information was collected for 215 new histologically confirmed cases and 448 controls. A panel of industrial hygienists assessed asbestos exposure separately for occupational, domestic and environmental sources. Classification of domestic and environmental exposure was based on a complete residential history, presence and use of asbestos at home, asbestos industrial activities in the surrounding area, and their distance from the dwelling. In 53 cases and 232 controls without evidence of occupational exposure to asbestos, moderate or high probability of domestic exposure was associated with an increased risk adjusted by age and sex: odds ratio (OR) 4.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.8-13.1. This corresponds to three situations: cleaning asbestos-contaminated clothes, handling asbestos material and presence of asbestos material susceptible to damage. The estimated OR for high probability of environmental exposure (living within 2000 m of asbestos mines, asbestos cement plants, asbestos textiles, shipyards, or brakes factories) was 11.5 (95% CI 3.5-38.2). Living between 2000 and 5000 m from asbestos industries or within 500 m of industries using asbestos could also be associated with an increased risk. A dose-response pattern appeared with intensity of both sources of exposure. It is suggested that low-dose exposure to asbestos at home or in the general environment carries a measurable risk of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Epigenetics and epidemiology: models of study and examples.

PubMed

van Veldhoven, Karin; Rahman, Shati; Vineis, Paolo

2014-01-01

Epidemiological studies have successfully identified several environmental causes of disease, but often these studies are limited by methodological problems (e.g. lack of sensitivity and specificity in exposure assessment; confounding). Proposed approaches to improve observational studies of environmental associations are Mendelian randomization and the meet-in-the-middle (MITM) approach. The latter uses signals from the growing field of -omics as putative intermediate biomarkers in the pathogenetic process that links exposure with disease. The first part of this approach consists in the association between exposure and disease. The next step consists in the study of the relationship between (biomarkers of) exposure and intermediate -omic biomarkers of early effect; thirdly, the relation between the disease outcome and intermediate -omic biomarkers is assessed. We propose that when an association is found in all three steps it is possible that there is a casual association. One of the associations that have been investigated extensively in the recent years but is not completely understood is that between environmental endocrine disruptors and breast cancer. Here we present an example of how the "meet-in-the-middle" approach can be used to address the role of endocrine disruptors, by reviewing the relevant literature.

Effect of Environment on Fatigue Behavior of a Nicalon(TM)/Si-N-C Ceramic Matrix Composite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kalluri, Sreeramesh; Ojard, Greg C.; Verrilli, Michael J.; Kiraly, Louis J. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The effect of environmental exposure on the fatigue life of Nicalon(TM) /Si-N-C composite was investigated in this study. Test specimens with arrays of 1.8 mm diameter holes and two different open areas, 25 and 35%, were machined. Three environmental conditions were studied: 1) continuous fatigue cycling in air, 2) fatigue cycling in air alternating with humidity exposure, and 3) fatigue cycling in air alternating with exposure to a salt-fog environment. All fatigue testing on specimens with holes was performed with a load ratio, R = 0.05, and at a temperature of 910 C. In general, fatigue lives were shortest for specimens subjected to salt-fog exposure and longest for specimens subjected to continuous fatigue cycling in air. The fatigue data generated on the specimens with holes were compared with fatigue data generated in air on specimens with no holes. Fatigue strength reduction factors for different environmental conditions and open areas investigated in the study were calculated for the Nicalon(TM) /Si-N-C composite.

Skewed Riskscapes and Gentrified Inequities: Environmental Exposure Disparities in Seattle, Washington

PubMed Central

White, Jonah

2011-01-01

Objectives. Few studies have considered the sociohistorical intersection of environmental injustice and gentrification; a gap addressed by this case study of Seattle, Washington. This study explored the advantages of integrating air toxic risk screening with gentrification research to enhance proximity and health equity analysis methodologies. It was hypothesized that Seattle's industrial air toxic exposure risk was unevenly dispersed, that gentrification stratified the city's neighborhoods, and that the inequities of both converged. Methods. Spatial characterizations of air toxic pollution risk exposures from 1990 to 2007 were combined with longitudinal cluster analysis of census block groups in Seattle, Washington, from 1990 to 2000. Results. A cluster of air toxic exposure inequality and socioeconomic inequity converged in 1 area of south central Seattle. Minority and working class residents were more concentrated in the same neighborhoods near Seattle's worst industrial pollution risks. Conclusions. Not all pollution was distributed equally in a dynamic urban landscape. Using techniques to examine skewed riskscapes and socioeconomic urban geographies provided a foundation for future research on the connections among environmental health hazard sources, socially vulnerable neighborhoods, and health inequity. PMID:21836115

Skewed riskscapes and gentrified inequities: environmental exposure disparities in Seattle, Washington.

PubMed

Abel, Troy D; White, Jonah

2011-12-01

Few studies have considered the sociohistorical intersection of environmental injustice and gentrification; a gap addressed by this case study of Seattle, Washington. This study explored the advantages of integrating air toxic risk screening with gentrification research to enhance proximity and health equity analysis methodologies. It was hypothesized that Seattle's industrial air toxic exposure risk was unevenly dispersed, that gentrification stratified the city's neighborhoods, and that the inequities of both converged. Spatial characterizations of air toxic pollution risk exposures from 1990 to 2007 were combined with longitudinal cluster analysis of census block groups in Seattle, Washington, from 1990 to 2000. A cluster of air toxic exposure inequality and socioeconomic inequity converged in 1 area of south central Seattle. Minority and working class residents were more concentrated in the same neighborhoods near Seattle's worst industrial pollution risks. Not all pollution was distributed equally in a dynamic urban landscape. Using techniques to examine skewed riskscapes and socioeconomic urban geographies provided a foundation for future research on the connections among environmental health hazard sources, socially vulnerable neighborhoods, and health inequity.

IMPLICATIONS OF PARTICULATE MATTER RESEARCH PROGRAM UPON EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT AND APPORTIONMENT AND ATTRIBUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS

EPA Science Inventory

Recent personal exposure panel studies and monitoring programs addressing fine particulate matter (PM) and associated co-pollutants have elucidated the physical and statistical relationships between personal exposures, residential indoor concentrations (and sources), concentratio...

DETERMINATION OF PYRETHROID PESTICIDES IN COMPOSITE DIETARY SAMPLES

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) conducts aggregate exposure studies for determining an individual's exposure to a broad range of target analytes in composite dietary samples. The objective of this work is to develop an anal...

Female college student awareness of exposures to environmental toxins in personal care products and their effect on preconception health.

PubMed

Chan, Lisa M; Chalupka, Stephanie M; Barrett, Roseann

2015-02-01

This research study investigated college women's usage of personal care products and their views on health effects from exposures during the preconception period. Many personal care products and cosmetics contain chemical ingredients that have been known to disrupt human endocrine and neurological systems, and contribute to infertility and adverse birth outcomes. Seventy-two female college students from a single, medium-sized university campus completed a researcher-developed questionnaire. Findings provide insight into the daily exposures young women experience during their reproductive years. Results can inform occupational and environmental health nurses about the personal daily exposures of young women when conducting risk assessments in the workplace or at a school, and can aid in developing interventions that support the environmental health of employees or future employees. © 2015 The Author(s).

Environmental and occupational causes of cancer: new evidence 2005-2007.

PubMed

Clapp, Richard W; Jacobs, Molly M; Loechler, Edward L

2008-01-01

What do we currently know about the occupational and environmental causes of cancer? As of 2007, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) identified 415 known or suspected carcinogens. Cancer arises through an extremely complicated web of multiple causes, and we will likely never know the full range of agents or combinations of agents. We do know that preventing exposure to individual carcinogens prevents the disease. Declines in cancer rates-such as the drop in male lung cancer cases from the reduction in tobacco smoking or the drop in bladder cancer among cohorts of dye workers from the elimination of exposure to specific aromatic amines-provides evidence that preventing cancer is possible when we act on what we know. Although the overall age-adjusted cancer incidence rates in the United States among both men and women have declined in the last decade, the rates of several types of cancers are on the rise; some of which are linked to environmental and occupational exposures. This report chronicles the most recent epidemiologic evidence linking occupational and environmental exposures with cancer. Peer-reviewed scientific studies published from January 2005 to June 2007 were reviewed, supplementing our state-of-the-evidence report published in September 2005. Despite weaknesses in certain individual studies, we consider the evidence linking the increased risk of several types of cancer with specific exposures somewhat strengthened by recent publications, among them brain cancer from exposure to non-ionizing radiation, particularly radiofrequency fields emitted by mobile telephones; breast cancer from exposure to the pesticide dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) before puberty; leukemia from exposure to 1,3-butadiene; lung cancer from exposure to air pollution; non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) from exposure to pesticides and solvents; and prostate cancer from exposure to pesticides, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and metal working fluids or mineral oils. In addition to NHL and prostate cancer, early findings from the National Institutes of Health Agricultural Health Study suggest that several additional cancers may be linked to a variety of pesticides. Our report also briefly describes the toxicological evidence related to the carcinogenic effect of specific chemicals and mechanisms that are difficult to study in humans, namely exposures to bis-phenol A and epigenetic, trans-generational effects. To underscore the multi-factorial, multi-stage nature of cancer, we also present a technical description of cancer causation summarizing current knowledge in molecular biology. We argue for a new cancer prevention paradigm, one based on an understanding that cancer is ultimately caused by multiple interacting factors rather than a paradigm based on dubious attributable fractions. This new cancer prevention paradigm demands that we limit exposure to avoidable environmental and occupational carcinogens, in combination with additional important risk factors like diet and lifestyle. The research literature related to environmental and occupational causes of cancer is constantly growing, and future updates will be carried out in light of new biological understanding of the mechanisms and new methods for studying exposures in human populations. The current state of knowledge is sufficient to compel us to act on what we know. We repeat the call of ecologist Sandra Steingraber: "From the right to know and the duty to inquire flows the obligation to act."

Environmental and Occupational Causes of Cancer New Evidence, 2005–2007

PubMed Central

Clapp, Richard W.; Jacobs, Molly M.; Loechler, Edward L

2009-01-01

Executive Summary What do we currently know about the occupational and environmental causes of cancer? As of 2007, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has identified 415 known or suspected carcinogens. Cancer arises through an extremely complicated web of multiple causes. We will likely never know the full range of agents or combinations of agents that cause cancer. However, we do know that preventing exposure to individual carcinogens prevents the disease. Declines in cancer rates – such as the drop in male lung cancer cases from the reduction in tobacco smoking or the drop in bladder cancer among cohorts of dye workers from the elimination of exposure to specific aromatic amines – provides evidence that preventing cancer is possible when we act on what we know. Although the overall age-adjusted cancer incidence rates in the U.S. among both men and women have declined in the last decade, rates of several types of cancers are on the rise; some of these cancers are linked to environmental and occupational exposures. This report chronicles the most recent epidemiological evidence linking occupational and environmental exposures with cancer. Peer-reviewed scientific studies published from January 2005-June 2007 were reviewed, supplementing our state-of-the-evidence report published in September 2005. Despite weaknesses in some individual studies, we consider the evidence linking the increased risk of several types of cancer with specific exposures somewhat strengthened by recent publications, among them: brain cancer from exposure to non-ionizing radiation, particularly radiofrequency fields emitted by mobile telephones;breast cancer from exposure to the pesticide dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT) prior to puberty;leukemia from exposure to 1,3-butadiene;lung cancer from exposure to air pollution;non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) from exposure to pesticides and solvents; andprostate cancer from exposure to pesticides, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and metal working fluids or mineral oils. In addition to NHL and prostate cancer, early findings from the Agricultural Health Study suggest that several additional cancers may be linked to a variety of pesticides. Our report also briefly describes the toxicological evidence related to the carcinogenic effect of specific chemicals and mechanisms that are difficult to study in humans, namely exposures to bis-phenol A and epigenetic, trans-generational effects. To underscore the multi-factorial, multi-stage nature of cancer, we also present a technical description of cancer causation summarizing current knowledge in molecular biology. We argue for a new cancer prevention paradigm, one that is based on an understanding that cancer is ultimately caused by multiple interacting factors rather than a paradigm based on dubious attributable fractions. This new cancer prevention paradigm demands that we limit exposures to avoidable environmental and occupational carcinogens in combination with additional important risk factors such as diet and lifestyle. The research literature related to environmental and occupational causes of cancer is constantly growing and future updates will be carried out in light of new biological understanding of the mechanisms and new methods for studying exposures in human populations. However, the current state of knowledge is sufficient to compel us to act on what we know. We repeat the call of ecologist Sandra Steingraber, “From the right to know and the duty to inquire flows the obligation to act.” 1 PMID:18557596

A latent process model for forecasting multiple time series in environmental public health surveillance.

PubMed

Morrison, Kathryn T; Shaddick, Gavin; Henderson, Sarah B; Buckeridge, David L

2016-08-15

This paper outlines a latent process model for forecasting multiple health outcomes arising from a common environmental exposure. Traditionally, surveillance models in environmental health do not link health outcome measures, such as morbidity or mortality counts, to measures of exposure, such as air pollution. Moreover, different measures of health outcomes are treated as independent, while it is known that they are correlated with one another over time as they arise in part from a common underlying exposure. We propose modelling an environmental exposure as a latent process, and we describe the implementation of such a model within a hierarchical Bayesian framework and its efficient computation using integrated nested Laplace approximations. Through a simulation study, we compare distinct univariate models for each health outcome with a bivariate approach. The bivariate model outperforms the univariate models in bias and coverage of parameter estimation, in forecast accuracy and in computational efficiency. The methods are illustrated with a case study using healthcare utilization and air pollution data from British Columbia, Canada, 2003-2011, where seasonal wildfires produce high levels of air pollution, significantly impacting population health. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Assessing the safety of Pseudomonas putida introduction in the environment: an overview of ecotoxicological tests.

PubMed

de Castro, Vera Lúcia S S; Jonsson, Cláudio Martin; Silva, Célia Maria M; de Holanda Nunes Maia, Aline

2010-04-01

Risk assessment guidelines for the environmental release of microbial agents are performed in a tiered sequence which includes evaluation of exposure effects on non-target organisms. However, it becomes important to verify whether environmental risk assessment from temperate studies is applicable to tropical countries, as Brazil. Pseudomonas putida is a bacteria showing potential to be used for environmental applications as bioremediation and plant disease control. This study investigates the effects of this bacteria exposure on rodents and aquatic organisms (Daphnia similis) that are recommended to be used as non-target organism in environmental risk assessments. Also, the microbial activity in three different soils under P. putida exposure was evaluated. Rats did not show clinical alterations, although the agent was recovered 16h after the exposure in lung homogenates. The bacteria did not reduce significantly the reproduction and survival of D. similis. The soil enzymatic activities presented fluctuating values after inoculation with bacteria. The measurement of perturbations in soil biochemical characteristics is presented as an alternative way of monitoring the overall effects of the microbial agent to be introduced even in first stage (Tier I) of the risk assessment in tropical ecosystems. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An Evaluation of Gestational Exposure to Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA): Effects on Body Composition and Physiological Factors

EPA Science Inventory

Exposure to environmental pollutants can be a factor for induction of metabolic disorders. This study examined if exposure to PFOA during development could alter body composition and other physiological outcomes. Study 1: Pregnant CD-1 mice were gavaged with PFOA at 0,0.001,0.01,...

Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and health effects among hospitality workers in Sweden--before and after the implementation of a smoke-free law.

PubMed

Larsson, Matz; Boëthius, Göran; Axelsson, Sara; Montgomery, Scott M

2008-08-01

This study attempted to identify changes in exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, as well as symptoms and attitudes among hospitality workers after the introduction of extended smoke-free workplace legislation. A total of 37 volunteers working in bingo halls and casinos (gaming workers) and 54 bars and restaurant employees (other workers) in nine Swedish communities participated in the study. Altogether 71 of 91 persons (14 daily smokers and 57 nonsmokers) participated in both the pre-ban baseline survey and the follow-up 12 months after the ban. Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, smoking habits, respiratory and sensory symptoms, and attitudes towards the ban were recorded, and spirometry was carried out. The frequency of reported respiratory and sensory symptoms was approximately halved among the nonsmokers in both occupational groups after the introduction of the ban. Initially 87% had exposure to environmental tobacco smoke that was over the nicotine cut-off level chosen to identify possible health risk ( <0.5 microg/m3) while, after the ban, it was only 22%, a relative risk of 0.25 (95% confidence interval 0.15-0.41). The risk decreased in both occupational groups, but gaming workers experienced the highest pre-ban exposure levels. Attitudes towards the legislation were largely positive, particularly after the ban. However, there was no notable change in lung function, and there was no notable reduction in the number of cigarettes consumed by smokers. The introduction of smoke-free legislation was associated with a substantial reduction in respiratory and sensory symptoms, as well as reduced exposure to environmental tobacco smoke at work, particularly among gaming workers.

CT Characteristics of Pleural Plaques Related to Occupational or Environmental Asbestos Exposure from South Korean Asbestos Mines.

PubMed

Kim, Yookyung; Myong, Jun-Pyo; Lee, Jeong Kyong; Kim, Jeung Sook; Kim, Yoon Kyung; Jung, Soon-Hee

2015-01-01

This study evaluated the CT characteristics of pleural plaques in asbestos-exposed individuals and compared occupational versus environmental exposure groups. This study enrolled 181 subjects with occupational exposure and 98 with environmental exposure from chrysotile asbestos mines, who had pleural plaques confirmed by a chest CT. The CT scans were analyzed for morphological characteristics, the number and distribution of pleural plaques and combined pulmonary fibrosis. Furthermore, the CT findings were compared between the occupational and environmental exposure groups. Concerning the 279 subjects, the pleural plaques were single in 2.2% and unilateral in 3.6%, and showed variable widths (range, 1-20 mm; mean, 5.4 ± 2.7 mm) and lengths (5-310 mm; 72.6 ± 54.8 mm). The chest wall was the most commonly involved (98.6%), with an upper predominance on the ventral side (upper, 77.8% vs. lower, 55.9%, p < 0.001) and a lower predominance on the dorsal side (upper, 74.9% vs. lower, 91.8%, p = 0.02). Diaphragmatic involvement (78.1%) showed a right-side predominance (right, 73.8% vs. left, 55.6%, p < 0.001), whereas mediastinal plaques (42.7%) were more frequent on the left (right, 17.6% vs. left, 39.4%, p < 0.001). The extent and maximum length of plaques, and presence and severity of combined asbestosis, were significantly higher in the occupational exposure group (p < 0.05). Pleural plaques in asbestos-exposed individuals are variable in number and size; and show a predominant distribution in the upper ventral and lower dorsal chest walls, right diaphragm, and left mediastinum. Asbestos mine workers have a higher extent of plaques and pulmonary fibrosis versus environmentally exposed individuals.

Bone lead levels in an environmentally exposed elderly population in shanghai, China.

PubMed

Specht, Aaron J; Lin, Yanfen; Xu, Jian; Weisskopf, Marc; Nie, Linda H

2018-06-01

This study looked at measurements of lead (Pb) in a pilot population of environmentally exposed elderly residents of Shanghai, China and presented the first set of bone Pb data on an elderly Chinese population. We found that with environmental exposures in this population using K-shell x-ray fluorescence (KXRF) bone Pb measurements 40% of the individuals had bone Pb levels above the nominal detection limit with an average bone lead level of 4.9 ± 3.6 μg/g. This bone lead level is lower than comparable values from previous studies of community dwelling adults in US cities. This population had a slightly higher geometric mean blood Pb of 2.6 μg/dL than the adult US population. The main conclusion of this data is that in Shanghai there is environmental exposure to Pb, measured through blood and bone, which should be further investigated to assess the health impact of this exposure. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The environment and susceptibility to schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Brown, Alan S.

2012-01-01

In the present article the putative role of environmental factors in schizophrenia is reviewed and synthesized. Accumulating evidence from recent studies suggests that environmental exposures may play a more significant role in the etiopathogenesis of this disorder than previously thought. This expanding knowledge base is largely a consequence of refinements in the methodology of epidemiologic studies, including birth cohort investigations, and in preclinical research that has been inspired by the evolving literature on animal models of environmental exposures. This paper is divided into four sections. In the first, the descriptive epidemiology of schizophrenia is reviewed. This includes general studies on incidence, prevalence, and differences in these measures by urban–rural, neighborhood, migrant, and season of birth status, as well as time trends. In the second section, we discuss the contribution of environmental risk factors acting during fetal and perinatal life; these include infections [e.g. rubella, influenza, Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2)], nutritional deficiencies (e.g., famine, folic acid, iron, vitamin D), paternal age, fetal/neonatal hypoxic and other obstetric insults and complications, maternal stress and other exposures [e.g. lead, rhesus (Rh) incompatibility, maternal stress]. Other putative neurodevelopmental determinants, including cannabis, socioeconomic status, trauma, and infections during childhood and adolescence are also covered. In the third section, these findings are synthesized and their implications for prevention and uncovering biological mechanisms, including oxidative stress, apoptosis, and inflammation, are discussed. Animal models, including maternal immune activation, have yielded evidence suggesting that these exposures cause brain and behavioral phenotypes that are analogous to findings observed in patients with schizophrenia. In the final section, future studies including new, larger, and more rigorous epidemiologic investigations, and research on translational and clinical neuroscience, gene–environment interactions, epigenetics, developmental trajectories and windows of vulnerability, are elaborated upon. These studies are aimed at confirming observed risk factors, identifying new environmental exposures, elucidating developmental mechanisms, and shedding further light on genes and exposures that may not be identified in the absence of these integrated approaches. The study of environmental factors in schizophrenia may have important implications for the identification of causes and prevention of this disorder, and offers the potential to complement, and refine, existing efforts on explanatory neurodevelopmental models. PMID:20955757

Characterisation of exposure to non-ionising electromagnetic fields in the Spanish INMA birth cohort: study protocol.

PubMed

Gallastegi, Mara; Guxens, Mònica; Jiménez-Zabala, Ana; Calvente, Irene; Fernández, Marta; Birks, Laura; Struchen, Benjamin; Vrijheid, Martine; Estarlich, Marisa; Fernández, Mariana F; Torrent, Maties; Ballester, Ferrán; Aurrekoetxea, Juan J; Ibarluzea, Jesús; Guerra, David; González, Julián; Röösli, Martin; Santa-Marina, Loreto

2016-02-18

Analysis of the association between exposure to electromagnetic fields of non-ionising radiation (EMF-NIR) and health in children and adolescents is hindered by the limited availability of data, mainly due to the difficulties on the exposure assessment. This study protocol describes the methodologies used for characterising exposure of children to EMF-NIR in the INMA (INfancia y Medio Ambiente- Environment and Childhood) Project, a prospective cohort study. Indirect (proximity to emission sources, questionnaires on sources use and geospatial propagation models) and direct methods (spot and fixed longer-term measurements and personal measurements) were conducted in order to assess exposure levels of study participants aged between 7 and 18 years old. The methodology used varies depending on the frequency of the EMF-NIR and the environment (homes, schools and parks). Questionnaires assessed the use of sources contributing both to Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) and Radiofrequency (RF) exposure levels. Geospatial propagation models (NISMap) are implemented and validated for environmental outdoor sources of RFs using spot measurements. Spot and fixed longer-term ELF and RF measurements were done in the environments where children spend most of the time. Moreover, personal measurements were taken in order to assess individual exposure to RF. The exposure data are used to explore their relationships with proximity and/or use of EMF-NIR sources. Characterisation of the EMF-NIR exposure by this combination of methods is intended to overcome problems encountered in other research. The assessment of exposure of INMA cohort children and adolescents living in different regions of Spain to the full frequency range of EMF-NIR extends the characterisation of environmental exposures in this cohort. Together with other data obtained in the project, on socioeconomic and family characteristics and development of the children and adolescents, this will enable to evaluate the complex interaction between health outcomes in children and adolescents and the various environmental factors that surround them.

Toxic Environmental Chemicals: The Role of Reproductive Health Professionals In Preventing Harmful Exposures

PubMed Central

SUTTON, Patrice; WOODRUFF, Tracey J.; PERRON, Joanne; STOTLAND, Naomi; CONRY, Jeanne A.; MILLER, Mark D.; GIUDICE, Linda C.

2015-01-01

Every pregnant woman in the U.S. is exposed to many and varied environmental chemicals. Rapidly accumulating scientific evidence documents that widespread exposure to environmental chemicals at levels encountered in daily life can adversely impact reproductive and developmental health. Preconception and prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals are of particular import because they may have a profound and lasting impact on health across the life course. Thus, preventing developmental exposures to environmental chemicals would benefit greatly from the active participation of reproductive health professionals in clinical and policy arenas. PMID:22405527

Self-reported tinnitus and ototoxic exposures among deployed Australian Defence Force personnel.

PubMed

Kirk, Katherine M; McGuire, Annabel; Nielsen, Lisa; Cosgrove, Tegan; McClintock, Christine; Nasveld, Peter E; Treloar, Susan A

2011-04-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of chemical and environmental exposures during deployment on tinnitus among Australian Defence Force personnel previously deployed to Bougainville and East Timor. Participants were asked to self-report recent occurrence and severity of "ringing in the ears," and identify any chemical and environmental exposures during their deployment. Self-reported exposure to loud noises, heavy metals, intense smoke, engine exhaust, solvents and degreasing agents, and chemical spills increased the risk of self-assessed moderate or severe tinnitus. Daily exposure to 4 or more ototoxic factors was associated with 2- to 4-fold increase in the risk. In addition to loud noises, chemical exposures may also play a role in the development of tinnitus among Australian Defence Force personnel serving overseas.

MECHANISTIC INDICATORS OF CHILDHOOD ASTHMA (MICA)

EPA Science Inventory

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is interested in the interplay of environmental and genetic factors on the development and exacerbation of asthma. The Mechanistic Indicators of Childhood Asthma (MICA) study will use exposure measurements and markers of environmental ...

Environment-wide association study (EWAS) for type 2 diabetes in the Marshfield Personalized Medicine Research Project Biobank.

PubMed

Hall, Molly A; Dudek, Scott M; Goodloe, Robert; Crawford, Dana C; Pendergrass, Sarah A; Peissig, Peggy; Brilliant, Murray; McCarty, Catherine A; Ritchie, Marylyn D

2014-01-01

Environment-wide association studies (EWAS) provide a way to uncover the environmental mechanisms involved in complex traits in a high-throughput manner. Genome-wide association studies have led to the discovery of genetic variants associated with many common diseases but do not take into account the environmental component of complex phenotypes. This EWAS assesses the comprehensive association between environmental variables and the outcome of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in the Marshfield Personalized Medicine Research Project Biobank (Marshfield PMRP). We sought replication in two National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). The Marshfield PMRP currently uses four tools for measuring environmental exposures and outcome traits: 1) the PhenX Toolkit includes standardized exposure and phenotypic measures across several domains, 2) the Diet History Questionnaire (DHQ) is a food frequency questionnaire, 3) the Measurement of a Person's Habitual Physical Activity scores the level of an individual's physical activity, and 4) electronic health records (EHR) employs validated algorithms to establish T2D case-control status. Using PLATO software, 314 environmental variables were tested for association with T2D using logistic regression, adjusting for sex, age, and BMI in over 2,200 European Americans. When available, similar variables were tested with the same methods and adjustment in samples from NHANES III and NHANES 1999-2002. Twelve and 31 associations were identified in the Marshfield samples at p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively. Seven and 13 measures replicated in at least one of the NHANES at p<0.01 and p<0.05, respectively, with the same direction of effect. The most significant environmental exposures associated with T2D status included decreased alcohol use as well as increased smoking exposure in childhood and adulthood. The results demonstrate the utility of the EWAS method and survey tools for identifying environmental components of complex diseases like type 2 diabetes. These high-throughput and comprehensive investigation methods can easily be applied to investigate the relation between environmental exposures and multiple phenotypes in future analyses.

Exposure-Response Estimates for Diesel Engine Exhaust and Lung Cancer Mortality Based on Data from Three Occupational Cohorts

PubMed Central

Silverman, Debra T.; Garshick, Eric; Vlaanderen, Jelle; Portengen, Lützen; Steenland, Kyle

2013-01-01

Background: Diesel engine exhaust (DEE) has recently been classified as a known human carcinogen. Objective: We derived a meta-exposure–response curve (ERC) for DEE and lung cancer mortality and estimated lifetime excess risks (ELRs) of lung cancer mortality based on assumed occupational and environmental exposure scenarios. Methods: We conducted a meta-regression of lung cancer mortality and cumulative exposure to elemental carbon (EC), a proxy measure of DEE, based on relative risk (RR) estimates reported by three large occupational cohort studies (including two studies of workers in the trucking industry and one study of miners). Based on the derived risk function, we calculated ELRs for several lifetime occupational and environmental exposure scenarios and also calculated the fractions of annual lung cancer deaths attributable to DEE. Results: We estimated a lnRR of 0.00098 (95% CI: 0.00055, 0.0014) for lung cancer mortality with each 1-μg/m3-year increase in cumulative EC based on a linear meta-regression model. Corresponding lnRRs for the individual studies ranged from 0.00061 to 0.0012. Estimated numbers of excess lung cancer deaths through 80 years of age for lifetime occupational exposures of 1, 10, and 25 μg/m3 EC were 17, 200, and 689 per 10,000, respectively. For lifetime environmental exposure to 0.8 μg/m3 EC, we estimated 21 excess lung cancer deaths per 10,000. Based on broad assumptions regarding past occupational and environmental exposures, we estimated that approximately 6% of annual lung cancer deaths may be due to DEE exposure. Conclusions: Combined data from three U.S. occupational cohort studies suggest that DEE at levels common in the workplace and in outdoor air appear to pose substantial excess lifetime risks of lung cancer, above the usually acceptable limits in the United States and Europe, which are generally set at 1/1,000 and 1/100,000 based on lifetime exposure for the occupational and general population, respectively. Citation: Vermeulen R, Silverman DT, Garshick E, Vlaanderen J, Portengen L, Steenland K. 2014. Exposure-response estimates for diesel engine exhaust and lung cancer mortality based on data from three occupational cohorts. Environ Health Perspect 122:172–177; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1306880 PMID:24273233

Human primordial germ cell formation is diminished by exposure to environmental toxicants acting through the AHR signaling pathway.

PubMed

Kee, Kehkooi; Flores, Martha; Cedars, Marcelle I; Reijo Pera, Renee A

2010-09-01

Historically, effects of environmental toxicants on human development have been deduced via epidemiological studies because direct experimental analysis has not been possible. However, in recent years, the derivation of human pluripotent stem cells has provided a potential experimental system to directly probe human development. Here, we used human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to study the effect of environmental toxicants on human germ cell development, with a focus on differentiation of the founding population of primordial germ cells (PGCs), which will go on to form the oocytes of the adult. We demonstrate that human PGC numbers are specifically reduced by exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a group of toxicants common in air pollutants released from gasoline combustion or tobacco smoke. Further, we demonstrate that the adverse effects of PAH exposure are mediated through the aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) and BAX pathway. This study demonstrates the utility of hESCs as a model system for direct examination of the molecular and genetic pathways of environmental toxicants on human germ cell development.

Occupational and environmental risk factors for chronic rhinosinusitis in China: a multicentre cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Gao, Wen-Xiang; Ou, Chun-Quan; Fang, Shu-Bin; Sun, Yue-Qi; Zhang, Hua; Cheng, Lei; Wang, Yan-Jun; Zhu, Dong-Dong; Lv, Wei; Liu, Shi-Xi; Li, P Z; Xu, Geng; Shi, Jianbo; Fu, Qing-Ling

2016-05-17

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is defined as a condition of inflammation in the paranasal sinus mucosa persisting for more than 12 weeks. We previously reported that the prevalence of CRS was about 8 % in China. Here, we aim to investigate the occupational and environmental risk factors associated with CRS. Data were collected from seven Chinese cities: Urumqi, Changchun, Beijing, Wuhan, Chengdu, Huaian and Guangzhou. CRS was diagnosed according to the European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and Nasal Polyps (EP(3)OS) document. Participants were asked to complete a standardized questionnaire, which was developed by the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA(2)LEN) project and covered sociodemographic characteristics, CRS-related symptoms and occupational and environmental exposures. We evaluated the association between CRS and various occupational and environmental factors using odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs). The total study population consisted of 10,633 subjects, 850 (7.99 %) of whom were defined as having CRS according to the EP(3)OS criteria. We found that there were significant associations between occupational and environmental factors and CRS. Specifically, having a clearance-related job, occupational exposure to dust, occupational exposure to poisonous gas, a pet at home or carpet at home or at the workplace were risk factors for CRS. Additionally, the method used to keep warm in winter, the duration of time spent using air conditioning in summer and the frequency of exposure to mouldy or damp environments were significantly different in subjects with and without CRS. Our data showed that some occupational and environmental exposures are strongly associated with CRS, which aids in understanding the epidemiology of CRS.

Environmental chemicals and preterm birth: Biological mechanisms and the state of the science

PubMed Central

Ferguson, Kelly K.; Chin, Helen B.

2017-01-01

Purpose of review Preterm birth is a significant worldwide health problem of uncertain origins. The extant body of literature examining environmental contaminant exposures in relation to preterm birth is extensive but results remain ambiguous for most organic pollutants, metals and metalloids, and air pollutants. In the present review we examine recent epidemiologic studies investigating these associations, and identify recent advances and the state of the science. Additionally, we highlight biological mechanisms of action in the pathway between chemical exposures and preterm birth, including inflammation, oxidative stress, and endocrine disruption, that deserve more attention in this context. Recent findings Important advances have been made in the study of the environment and preterm birth, particularly in regard to exposure assessment methods, exploration of effect modification by co-morbidities and exposures, and in identification of windows of vulnerability during gestation. There is strong evidence for an association between maternal exposure to some persistent pesticides, lead, and fine particulate matter, but data on other contaminants is sparse and only suggestive trends can be noted with the current data. Summary Beyond replicating current findings, further work must be done to improve understanding of mechanisms underlying the associations observed between environmental chemical exposures and preterm birth. By examining windows of vulnerability, disaggregating preterm birth by phenotypes, and measuring biomarkers of mechanistic pathways in these epidemiologic studies we can improve our ability to detect associations with exposure, provide additional evidence for causality in an observational setting, and identify opportunities for intervention. PMID:28944158

Environmental chemicals and preterm birth: Biological mechanisms and the state of the science.

PubMed

Ferguson, Kelly K; Chin, Helen B

2017-03-01

Preterm birth is a significant worldwide health problem of uncertain origins. The extant body of literature examining environmental contaminant exposures in relation to preterm birth is extensive but results remain ambiguous for most organic pollutants, metals and metalloids, and air pollutants. In the present review we examine recent epidemiologic studies investigating these associations, and identify recent advances and the state of the science. Additionally, we highlight biological mechanisms of action in the pathway between chemical exposures and preterm birth, including inflammation, oxidative stress, and endocrine disruption, that deserve more attention in this context. Important advances have been made in the study of the environment and preterm birth, particularly in regard to exposure assessment methods, exploration of effect modification by co-morbidities and exposures, and in identification of windows of vulnerability during gestation. There is strong evidence for an association between maternal exposure to some persistent pesticides, lead, and fine particulate matter, but data on other contaminants is sparse and only suggestive trends can be noted with the current data. Beyond replicating current findings, further work must be done to improve understanding of mechanisms underlying the associations observed between environmental chemical exposures and preterm birth. By examining windows of vulnerability, disaggregating preterm birth by phenotypes, and measuring biomarkers of mechanistic pathways in these epidemiologic studies we can improve our ability to detect associations with exposure, provide additional evidence for causality in an observational setting, and identify opportunities for intervention.

Influence of environmental tobacco smoke on morphology and functions of cardiovascular system assessed using diagnostic imaging.

PubMed

Gać, Paweł; Poręba, Małgorzata; Pawlas, Krystyna; Sobieszczańska, Małgorzata; Poręba, Rafał

Exposure to tobacco smoke is a significant problem of environmental medicine. Tobacco smoke contains over one thousand identified chemicals including numerous toxicants. Cardiovascular system diseases are the major cause of general mortality. The recent development of diagnostic imaging provided methods which enable faster and more precise diagnosis of numerous diseases, also those of cardiovascular system. This paper reviews the most significant scientific research concerning relationship between environmental exposure to tobacco smoke and the morphology and function of cardiovascular system carried out using diagnostic imaging methods, i.e. ultrasonography, angiography, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. In the forthcoming future, the studies using current diagnostic imaging methods should contribute to the reliable documentation, followed by the wide-spreading knowledge of the harmful impact of the environmental tobacco smoke exposure on the cardiovascular system.

Environmental arsenic exposure of schoolchildren in a former tin mining and smelting community of southern Thailand.

PubMed

Vitayavirasak, Banjong; Rakwong, Kittiya; Chatchawej, Warangkana

2005-01-01

Risk behavior and environmental sources of exposure to arsenic for 10-year-old schoolchildren were studied in a high exposure area and a low exposure area of Ron Phibun Subdistrict, Ron Phibun District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province and compared to those in a control area. Arsenic concentrations of surface soil, ambient air and drinking water to which subjects in the high exposure group, the low exposure group and the control group were exposed, were significantly different (p < 0.05). Similarly, urinary concentrations of total arsenic and the sum of inorganic arsenic and its metabolites were significantly higher in the study groups than the control group. The arsenic content of locally grown agricultural produce was small with the exception of freshwater snails (Sinotaia ingallsiana). Drinking water and surface soil were found to be the main sources of exposure. The exposure was mediated by the subjects' risk behavior, such as playing with soil and no hand-washing before eating. The estimated cancer risk from arsenic for the schoolchildren in the study area was between 10(-5)-10(-6) which meant that their risk of developing cancer was probable. Measures to reduce the cancer risk are recommended.

How Sensors Might Help Define the External Exposome.

PubMed

Loh, Miranda; Sarigiannis, Dimosthenis; Gotti, Alberto; Karakitsios, Spyros; Pronk, Anjoeka; Kuijpers, Eelco; Annesi-Maesano, Isabella; Baiz, Nour; Madureira, Joana; Oliveira Fernandes, Eduardo; Jerrett, Michael; Cherrie, John W

2017-04-18

The advent of the exposome concept, the advancement of mobile technology, sensors, and the "internet of things" bring exciting opportunities to exposure science. Smartphone apps, wireless devices, the downsizing of monitoring technologies, along with lower costs for such equipment makes it possible for various aspects of exposure to be measured more easily and frequently. We discuss possibilities and lay out several criteria for using smart technologies for external exposome studies. Smart technologies are evolving quickly, and while they provide great promise for advancing exposure science, many are still in developmental stages and their use in epidemiology and risk studies must be carefully considered. The most useable technologies for exposure studies at this time relate to gathering exposure-factor data, such as location and activities. Development of some environmental sensors (e.g., for some air pollutants, noise, UV) is moving towards making the use of these more reliable and accessible to research studies. The possibility of accessing such an unprecedented amount of personal data also comes with various limitations and challenges, which are discussed. The advantage of improving the collection of long term exposure factor data is that this can be combined with more "traditional" measurement data to model exposures to numerous environmental factors.

How Sensors Might Help Define the External Exposome

PubMed Central

Loh, Miranda; Sarigiannis, Dimosthenis; Gotti, Alberto; Karakitsios, Spyros; Pronk, Anjoeka; Kuijpers, Eelco; Annesi-Maesano, Isabella; Baiz, Nour; Madureira, Joana; Oliveira Fernandes, Eduardo; Jerrett, Michael; Cherrie, John W.

2017-01-01

The advent of the exposome concept, the advancement of mobile technology, sensors, and the “internet of things” bring exciting opportunities to exposure science. Smartphone apps, wireless devices, the downsizing of monitoring technologies, along with lower costs for such equipment makes it possible for various aspects of exposure to be measured more easily and frequently. We discuss possibilities and lay out several criteria for using smart technologies for external exposome studies. Smart technologies are evolving quickly, and while they provide great promise for advancing exposure science, many are still in developmental stages and their use in epidemiology and risk studies must be carefully considered. The most useable technologies for exposure studies at this time relate to gathering exposure-factor data, such as location and activities. Development of some environmental sensors (e.g., for some air pollutants, noise, UV) is moving towards making the use of these more reliable and accessible to research studies. The possibility of accessing such an unprecedented amount of personal data also comes with various limitations and challenges, which are discussed. The advantage of improving the collection of long term exposure factor data is that this can be combined with more “traditional” measurement data to model exposures to numerous environmental factors. PMID:28420222

Principles and Practices of Neurodevelopmental Assessment in Children: Lessons Learned from the Centers for Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research

PubMed Central

Dietrich, Kim N.; Eskenazi, Brenda; Schantz, Susan; Yolton, Kimberly; Rauh, Virginia A.; Johnson, Caroline B.; Alkon, Abbey; Canfield, Richard L.; Pessah, Isaac N.; Berman, Robert F.

2005-01-01

Principles and practices of pediatric neurotoxicology are reviewed here with the purpose of guiding the design and execution of the planned National Children’s Study. The developing human central nervous system is the target organ most vulnerable to environmental chemicals. An investigation of the effects of environmental exposures on child development is a complex endeavor that requires consideration of numerous critical factors pertinent to a study’s concept, design, and execution. These include the timing of neurodevelopmental assessment, matters of biologic plausibility, site, child and population factors, data quality assurance and control, the selection of appropriate domains and measures of neurobehavior, and data safety and monitoring. Here we summarize instruments for the assessment of the neonate, infant, and child that are being employed in the Centers for Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research, sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, discuss neural and neurobiologic measures of development, and consider the promises of gene–environment studies. The vulnerability of the human central nervous system to environmental chemicals has been well established, but the contribution these exposures may make to problems such as attention deficit disorder, conduct problems, pervasive developmental disorder, or autism spectrum disorder remain uncertain. Large-scale studies such as the National Children’s Study may provide some important clues. The human neurodevelopmental phenotype will be most clearly represented in models that include environmental chemical exposures, the social milieu, and complex human genetic characteristics that we are just beginning to understand. PMID:16203260

1991 Gulf War exposures and adverse birth outcomes.

PubMed

Arnetz, Bengt; Drutchas, Alexis; Sokol, Robert; Kruger, Michael; Jamil, Hikmet

2013-01-01

We studied 1991 Gulf War (GW)-related environmental exposures and adverse birth outcomes in Iraqis. A random cross-sectional sample of 307 Iraqi families that immigrated to the United States responded to a structured interview covering socioeconomics, lifestyle, environmental exposures, and birth outcome. Data per each family was collected either from the man or the woman in the respective family. The respondents were divided into those that resided in Iraq during and following the GW (post-GW, n=185) and those that had left before (pre-GW, n=122). The primary outcome was lifetime prevalence of adverse birth outcomes, ie, congenital anomalies, stillbirth, low birth weight, and preterm delivery and its relationship to GW exposures. Mean number of adverse birth outcomes increased from 3.43 (SD=2.11) in the pre-GW to 4.63 (SD=2.63) in the post-GW group (P<.001). Mean chemical (Ch) and nonchemical (NCh) environmental exposure scores increased from pre-GW scores of 0.38 units (SD=1.76) and 0.43 (SD=1.86), respectively, to post-GW scores of 5.65 units (SD=6.23) and 7.26 (SD=5.67), P<.001 between groups for both exposures. There was a significant dose-response relationship between Ch environmental exposure (P=.001), but not NCh exposure, and number of adverse birth outcomes. Exposure to burning oil pits and mustard gas increased the risks for specific adverse birth outcomes by 2 to 4 times. Results indicate that Gulf War Ch, but not NCh exposures are related to adverse birth outcomes. Pregnancies in women with a history of war exposures might benefit from more intensive observation.

Capturing exposures: using automated cameras to document environmental determinants of obesity.

PubMed

Barr, Michelle; Signal, Louise; Jenkin, Gabrielle; Smith, Moira

2015-03-01

Children's exposure to food marketing across multiple everyday settings, a key environmental influence on health, has not yet been objectively documented. Wearable automated cameras (ACs) may have the potential to provide an objective account of this exposure. The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility of using ACs to document children's exposure to food marketing in multiple settings. A convenience sample of six participants (aged 12) wore a SenseCam device for two full days. Following which, participants attended a focus group to ascertain their experiences of using the device. The collected data were analysed to determine participants' daily and setting specific exposure to 'healthy' and 'unhealthy' food marketing (in minutes). The focus group transcript was analysed using thematic analysis to identify the common themes. Participants collected usable data that could be analysed to determine participant's daily exposure (in minutes) to 'unhealthy' food marketing across a number of everyday settings. Results from the focus group discussion indicated that participants were comfortable wearing the device, after an initial adjustment period. ACs may be an effective tool for documenting children's exposure to food marketing in multiple settings. ACs provide a new method for documenting environmental determinants of obesity and likely other environmental impacts on health. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

NATIONAL HUMAN EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT SURVEY (NHEXAS): ANALYSIS OF EXPOSURE PATHWAYS AND ROUTES FOR ARSENIC AND LEAD IN EPA REGION 5

EPA Science Inventory

The National Human Exposure Assessment Survey (NHEXAS) Phase I field study conducted in EPA Region 5 (Great Lakes Area) provides extensive exposure data on a representative sample of approximately 250 residents of the region. Associated environmental media and biomarker (blood...

Environmental Stressors and Their Impact on Health and Disease with Focus on Oxidative Stress.

PubMed

Münzel, Thomas; Daiber, Andreas

2018-03-20

Epidemiological, preclinical and interventional clinical studies have demonstrated that environmental stressors are associated with health problems, namely cardiovascular diseases. According to estimations of the World Health Organization (WHO), environmental risk factors account for an appreciable part of global deaths and life years spent with disability. This Forum addresses the impact of the environmental risk factors such as traffic noise exposure, air pollution by particulate matter (PM), mental stress/loneliness, and the life style risk factor (water-pipe) smoking on health and disease with focus on the cardiovascular system. We will critically discuss the use of observatory/modifiable biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation in environmental research on the aforementioned risk factors highlighting the need of exposome studies. Another focus will be on the epigenetic regulation via microRNAs in environmental stress upon exposure to noise and toxins/heavy metals as well as mental stress conditions, providing mechanistic insights into the modulation of microRNA signaling by oxidative stress, and vice versa the contribution of microRNAs to oxidative stress conditions. We will also provide an in-depth overview on the mechanistic pathways that lead to health problems (e.g., cardiovascular diseases) in response to environmental psychosocial stress, air pollution exposure in the form of ambient PM and diesel exhaust, traffic noise exposure, and the life style drug (water-pipe) smoking. Almost all stressors share the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis and of the sympathetic nervous system with subsequent onset of inflammation and oxidative stress, defining the here proposed therapeutic (antioxidant and exercise) strategies. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 28, 735-740.

Chemical and biological sensing needs for health effects studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breysse, Patrick N.

2012-06-01

Exposure assessment is an integral component of occupational and environmental epidemiology, risk assessment and management, as well as regulatory compliance. For the most part, air sampling and analysis tools used in occupational and environmental exposure assessments are based on technologies that have changed little since the 1970s. In many cases the lack of simple, inexpensive, exposure assessment technologies has limited epidemiologists' and risk assessors' ability to evaluate the environmental and occupational causes of disease. While there have been tremendous investments and advances in medical diagnostic and biomonitoring technologies (e.g., glucose testing, human genetics), there has been less effort invested in advancing the science of exposure assessment. Recent developments in sensor technology have focused on medical and homeland security applications. Developing and applying new sensors to health effects studies can revolutionize the way epidemiologic studies are conducted. Time-series studies that investigate short-term (hours to days) changes in exposure that are linked to changes in health care encounters, symptoms, and biological markers of preclinical disease and/or susceptibility are needed to more fully evaluate the impact of chemicals and other agents on health. Current sampling technology limits our ability to assess time-varying concentrations. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the current state of air sampling and health assessment and the potential application of novel sensor technology for use in health effects studies.

Biomarkers of human exposure to pesticides.

PubMed Central

Anwar, W A

1997-01-01

For centuries, several hundred pesticides have been used to control insects. These pesticides differ greatly in their mode of action, uptake by the body, metabolism, elimination from the body, and toxicity to humans. Potential exposure from the environment can be estimated by environmental monitoring. Actual exposure (uptake) is measured by the biological monitoring of human tissues and body fluids. Biomarkers are used to detect the effects of pesticides before adverse clinical health effects occur. Pesticides and their metabolites are measured in biological samples, serum, fat, urine, blood, or breast milk by the usual analytical techniques. Biochemical responses to environmental chemicals provide a measure of toxic effect. A widely used biochemical biomarker, cholinesterase depression, measures exposure to organophosphorus insecticides. Techniques that measure DNA damage (e.g., detection of DNA adducts) provide a powerful tool in measuring environmental effects. Adducts to hemoglobin have been detected with several pesticides. Determination of chromosomal aberration rates in cultured lymphocytes is an established method of monitoring populations occupationally or environmentally exposed to known or suspected mutagenic-carcinogenic agents. There are several studies on the cytogenetic effects of work with pesticide formulations. The majority of these studies report increases in the frequency of chromosomal aberrations and/or sister chromatid exchanges among the exposed workers. Biomarkers will have a major impact on the study of environmental risk factors. The basic aim of scientists exploring these issues is to determine the nature and consequences of genetic change or variation, with the ultimate purpose of predicting or preventing disease. PMID:9255564

Social inequalities in residential exposure to road traffic noise: an environmental justice analysis based on the RECORD Cohort Study.

PubMed

Havard, Sabrina; Reich, Brian J; Bean, Kathy; Chaix, Basile

2011-05-01

To explore social inequalities in residential exposure to road traffic noise in an urban area. Environmental injustice in road traffic noise exposure was investigated in Paris, France, using the RECORD Cohort Study (n = 2130) and modelled noise data. Associations were assessed by estimating noise exposure within the local area around participants' residence, considering various socioeconomic variables defined at both individual and neighbourhood level, and comparing different regression models attempting or not to control for spatial autocorrelation in noise levels. After individual-level adjustment, participants' noise exposure increased with neighbourhood educational level and dwelling value but also with proportion of non-French citizens, suggesting seemingly contradictory findings. However, when country of citizenship was defined according to its human development level, noise exposure in fact increased and decreased with the proportions of citizens from advantaged and disadvantaged countries, respectively. These findings were consistent with those reported for the other socioeconomic characteristics, suggesting higher road traffic noise exposure in advantaged neighbourhoods. Substantial collinearity between neighbourhood explanatory variables and spatial random effects caused identifiability problems that prevented successful control for spatial autocorrelation. Contrary to previous literature, this study shows that people living in advantaged neighbourhoods were more exposed to road traffic noise in their residential environment than their deprived counterparts. This case study demonstrates the need to systematically perform sensitivity analyses with multiple socioeconomic characteristics to avoid incorrect inferences about an environmental injustice situation and the complexity of effectively controlling for spatial autocorrelation when fixed and random components of the model are correlated.

Design Issues in Small-Area Studies of Environment and Health

PubMed Central

Elliott, Paul; Savitz, David A.

2008-01-01

Background Small-area studies are part of the tradition of spatial epidemiology, which is concerned with the analysis of geographic patterns of disease with respect to environmental, demographic, socioeconomic, and other factors. We focus on etiologic research, where the aim is to make inferences about spatially varying environmental factors influencing the risk of disease. Methods and results We illustrate the approach through three exemplars: a) magnetic fields from overhead electric power lines and the occurrence of childhood leukemia, which illustrates the use of geographic information systems to focus on areas with high exposure prevalence; b) drinking-water disinfection by-products and reproductive outcomes, taking advantage of large between- to within-area variability in exposures from the water supply; and c) chronic exposure to air pollutants and cardiorespiratory health, where issues of socioeconomic confounding are particularly important. Discussion The small-area epidemiologic approach assigns exposure estimates to individuals based on location of residence or other geographic variables such as workplace or school. In this way, large populations can be studied, increasing the ability to investigate rare exposures or rare diseases. The approach is most effective when there is well-defined exposure variation across geographic units, limited within-area variation, and good control for potential confounding across areas. Conclusions In conjunction with traditional individual-based approaches, small-area studies offer a valuable addition to the armamentarium of the environmental epidemiologist. Modeling of exposure patterns coupled with collection of individual-level data on subsamples of the population should lead to improved risk estimates (i.e., less potential for bias) and help strengthen etiologic inference. PMID:18709174

Improving substance information in USEtox® , part 2: Data for estimating fate and ecosystem exposure factors.

PubMed

Saouter, Erwan; Aschberger, Karin; Fantke, Peter; Hauschild, Michael Z; Kienzler, Aude; Paini, Alicia; Pant, Rana; Radovnikovic, Anita; Secchi, Michela; Sala, Serenella

2017-12-01

The scientific consensus model USEtox ® has been developed since 2003 under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme-Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Life Cycle Initiative as a harmonized approach for characterizing human and freshwater toxicity in life cycle assessment and other comparative assessment frameworks. Using physicochemical substance properties, USEtox quantifies potential human toxicity and freshwater ecotoxicity impacts by combining environmental fate, exposure, and toxicity effects information, considering multimedia fate and multipathway exposure processes. The main source to obtain substance properties for USEtox 1.01 and 2.0 is the Estimation Program Interface (EPI Suite™) from the US Environmental Protection Agency. However, since the development of the original USEtox substance databases, new chemical regulations have been enforced in Europe, such as the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) and the Plant Protection Products regulations. These regulations require that a chemical risk assessment for humans and the environment is performed before a chemical is placed on the European market. Consequently, additional physicochemical property data and new toxicological endpoints are now available for thousands of chemical substances. The aim of the present study was to explore the extent to which the new available data can be used as input for USEtox-especially for application in environmental footprint studies-and to discuss how this would influence the quantification of fate and exposure factors. Initial results show that the choice of data source and the parameters selected can greatly influence fate and exposure factors, leading to potentially different rankings and relative contributions of substances to overall human toxicity and ecotoxicity impacts. Moreover, it is crucial to discuss the relevance of the exposure factor for freshwater ecotoxicity impacts, particularly for persistent highly adsorbing and bioaccumulating substances. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:3463-3470. © 2017 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC. © 2017 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.

Assessment of Fecal Exposure Pathways in Low-Income Urban Neighborhoods in Accra, Ghana: Rationale, Design, Methods, and Key Findings of the SaniPath Study

PubMed Central

Robb, Katharine; Null, Clair; Teunis, Peter; Yakubu, Habib; Armah, George; Moe, Christine L.

2017-01-01

Abstract. Rapid urbanization has contributed to an urban sanitation crisis in low-income countries. Residents in low-income, urban neighborhoods often have poor sanitation infrastructure and services and may experience frequent exposure to fecal contamination through a range of pathways. There are little data to prioritize strategies to decrease exposure to fecal contamination in these complex and highly contaminated environments, and public health priorities are rarely considered when planning urban sanitation investments. The SaniPath Study addresses this need by characterizing pathways of exposure to fecal contamination. Over a 16 month period, an in-depth, interdisciplinary exposure assessment was conducted in both public and private domains of four neighborhoods in Accra, Ghana. Microbiological analyses of environmental samples and behavioral data collection techniques were used to quantify fecal contamination in the environment and characterize the behaviors of adults and children associated with exposure to fecal contamination. Environmental samples (n = 1,855) were collected and analyzed for fecal indicators and enteric pathogens. A household survey with 800 respondents and over 500 hours of structured observation of young children were conducted. Approximately 25% of environmental samples were collected in conjunction with structured observations (n = 441 samples). The results of the study highlight widespread and often high levels of fecal contamination in both public and private domains and the food supply. The dominant fecal exposure pathway for young children in the household was through consumption of uncooked produce. The SaniPath Study provides critical information on exposure to fecal contamination in low-income, urban environments and ultimately can inform investments and policies to reduce these public health risks. PMID:28722599

A Brief Targeted Review of Susceptibility Factors, Environmental Exposures, Asthma Incidence, and Recommendations for Future Asthma Incidence Research

PubMed Central

Yeatts, Karin; Sly, Peter; Shore, Stephanie; Weiss, Scott; Martinez, Fernando; Geller, Andrew; Bromberg, Philip; Enright, Paul; Koren, Hillel; Weissman, David; Selgrade, MaryJane

2006-01-01

Relative to research on effects of environmental exposures on exacerbation of existing asthma, little research on incident asthma and environmental exposures has been conducted. However, this research is needed to better devise strategies for the prevention of asthma. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences held a conference in October 2004 to collaboratively discuss a future research agenda in this area. The first three articles in this mini-monograph summarize the discussion on potential putative environmental exposure; they include an overview of asthma and conclusions of the workshop participants with respect to public health actions that could currently be applied to the problem and research needs to better understand and control the induction and incidence of asthma, the potential role of indoor/outdoor air pollutants in the induction of asthma), and biologics in the induction of asthma. Susceptibility is a key concept in the U.S. EPA “Asthma Research Strategy” document and is associated with the U.S. EPA framework of protecting vulnerable populations from potentially harmful environmental exposures. Genetics, age, and lifestyle (obesity, diet) are major susceptibility factors in the induction of asthma and can interact with environmental exposures either synergistically or antagonistically. Therefore, in this fourth and last article we consider a number of “susceptibility factors” that potentially influence the asthmatic response to environmental exposures and propose a framework for developing research hypotheses regarding the effects of environmental exposures on asthma incidence and induction. PMID:16581558

Oklahoma Fish Kill Study: Looking for a Toxic Needle in an Environmental Haystack

EPA Science Inventory

Since December 2011 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Research and Development, National Exposure Research Laboratory-Environmental Sciences Division (EPA/ORD-NERL-ESD) has assisted EPA Region 6 and the State of Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (OKD...

A logical starting point for developing priorities for lizard and snake ecotoxicology: a review of available data.

PubMed

Campbell, Kym Rouse; Campbell, Todd S

2002-05-01

Reptiles, specifically lizards and snakes, usually are excluded from environmental contamination studies and ecological risk assessments. This brief summary of available lizard and snake environmental contaminant data is presented to assist in the development of priorities for lizard and snake ecotoxicology. Most contaminant studies were not conducted recently, list animals found dead or dying after pesticide application, report residue concentrations after pesticide exposure, compare contaminant concentrations in animals from different areas, compare residue concentrations found in different tissues and organs, or compare changes in concentrations over time. The biological significance of the contaminant concentrations is rarely studied. A few recent studies, especially those conducted on modern pesticides, link the contaminant effects with exposure concentrations. Nondestructive sampling techniques for determining organic and inorganic contaminant concentrations in lizards and snakes recently have been developed. Studies that relate exposure, concentration, and effects of all types of environmental contaminants on lizards and snakes are needed. Because most lizards eat insects, studies on the exposure, effects, and accumulation of insecticides in lizards, and their predators, should be a top priority. Because all snakes are upper-trophic-level carnivores, studies on the accumulation and effects of contaminants that are known to bioaccumulate or biomagnify up the food chain should be the top priority.

Synchrotron macro ATR-FTIR microspectroscopic analysis of silica nanoparticle-embedded polyester coated steel surfaces subjected to prolonged UV and humidity exposure

PubMed Central

Vongsvivut, Jitraporn; Truong, Vi Khanh; Al Kobaisi, Mohammad; Maclaughlin, Shane; Tobin, Mark J.; Crawford, Russell J.

2017-01-01

Surface modification of polymers and paints is a popular and effective way to enhance the properties of these materials. This can be achieved by introducing a thin coating that preserves the bulk properties of the material, while protecting it from environmental exposure. Suitable materials for such coating technologies are inorganic oxides, such as alumina, titania and silica; however, the fate of these materials during long-term environmental exposure is an open question. In this study, polymer coatings that had been enhanced with the addition of silica nanoparticles (SiO2NPs) and subsequently subjected to environmental exposure, were characterized both before and after the exposure to determine any structural changes resulting from the exposure. High-resolution synchrotron macro ATR-FTIR microspectroscopy and surface topographic techniques, including optical profilometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM), were used to determine the long-term effect of the environment on these dual protection layers after 3 years of exposure to tropical and sub-tropical climates in Singapore and Queensland (Australia). Principal component analysis (PCA) based on the synchrotron macro ATR-FTIR spectral data revealed that, for the 9% (w/w) SiO2NP/polymer coating, a clear discrimination was observed between the control group (no environmental exposure) and those samples subjected to three years of environmental exposure in both Singapore and Queensland. The PCA loading plots indicated that, over the three year exposure period, a major change occurred in the triazine ring vibration in the melamine resins. This can be attributed to the triazine ring being very sensitive to hydrolysis under the high humidity conditions in tropical/sub-tropical environments. This work provides the first direct molecular evidence, acquired using a high-resolution mapping technique, of the climate-induced chemical evolution of a polyester coating. The observed changes in the surface topography of the coating are consistent with the changes in chemical composition. PMID:29253012

Synchrotron macro ATR-FTIR microspectroscopic analysis of silica nanoparticle-embedded polyester coated steel surfaces subjected to prolonged UV and humidity exposure.

PubMed

Vongsvivut, Jitraporn; Truong, Vi Khanh; Al Kobaisi, Mohammad; Maclaughlin, Shane; Tobin, Mark J; Crawford, Russell J; Ivanova, Elena P

2017-01-01

Surface modification of polymers and paints is a popular and effective way to enhance the properties of these materials. This can be achieved by introducing a thin coating that preserves the bulk properties of the material, while protecting it from environmental exposure. Suitable materials for such coating technologies are inorganic oxides, such as alumina, titania and silica; however, the fate of these materials during long-term environmental exposure is an open question. In this study, polymer coatings that had been enhanced with the addition of silica nanoparticles (SiO2NPs) and subsequently subjected to environmental exposure, were characterized both before and after the exposure to determine any structural changes resulting from the exposure. High-resolution synchrotron macro ATR-FTIR microspectroscopy and surface topographic techniques, including optical profilometry and atomic force microscopy (AFM), were used to determine the long-term effect of the environment on these dual protection layers after 3 years of exposure to tropical and sub-tropical climates in Singapore and Queensland (Australia). Principal component analysis (PCA) based on the synchrotron macro ATR-FTIR spectral data revealed that, for the 9% (w/w) SiO2NP/polymer coating, a clear discrimination was observed between the control group (no environmental exposure) and those samples subjected to three years of environmental exposure in both Singapore and Queensland. The PCA loading plots indicated that, over the three year exposure period, a major change occurred in the triazine ring vibration in the melamine resins. This can be attributed to the triazine ring being very sensitive to hydrolysis under the high humidity conditions in tropical/sub-tropical environments. This work provides the first direct molecular evidence, acquired using a high-resolution mapping technique, of the climate-induced chemical evolution of a polyester coating. The observed changes in the surface topography of the coating are consistent with the changes in chemical composition.

Scientific and Ethical Approaches for Observational Exposure ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Researchers conduct observational human exposure studies to understand how and the extent to which people come into contact with chemicals and environmental stressors in their everyday lives, through the air they breathe, the food and liquids they consume, and the things they touch. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) has conducted observational human exposure studies for several decades and uses the information and data from these studies to improve the Agency’s understanding of human exposures to chemicals and other stressors and ultimately to support efforts to improve public health. Because these studies involve people as research participants, they are complex and raise numerous scientific and ethical issues that have to be addressed prior to and during their design and implementation. To ensure that EPA’s research continues to be based on the most up-to-date science and the highest ethical standards, the Agency has developed this document that contains state-of-the-science approaches for conducting observational human exposure studies. This document is not meant to represent an official Agency “guidance document” but, rather, serves as a resource tool and source of information for NERL and other researchers on which to rely as they develop and conduct observational human exposure studies.

Increased risk of malignant mesothelioma of the pleura after residential or domestic exposure to asbestos: a case-control study in Casale Monferrato, Italy.

PubMed Central

Magnani, C; Dalmasso, P; Biggeri, A; Ivaldi, C; Mirabelli, D; Terracini, B

2001-01-01

The association of malignant mesothelioma (MM) and nonoccupational asbestos exposure is currently debated. Our study investigates environmental and domestic asbestos exposure in the city where the largest Italian asbestos cement (AC) factory was located. This population-based case-control study included pleural MM (histologically diagnosed) incidents in the area in 1987-1993, matched by age and sex to two controls (four if younger than 60). Diagnoses were confirmed by a panel of five pathologists. We interviewed 102 cases and 273 controls in 1993-1995, out of 116 and 330 eligible subjects. Information was checked and completed on the basis of factory and Town Office files. We adjusted analyses for occupational exposure in the AC industry. In the town there were no other relevant industrial sources of asbestos exposure. Twenty-three cases and 20 controls lived with an AC worker [odds ratio (OR) = 4.5; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.8-11.1)]. The risk was higher for the offspring of AC workers (OR = 7.4; 95% CI, 1.9-28.1). Subjects attending grammar school in Casale also showed an increased risk (OR = 3.3; 95% CI, 1.4-7.7). Living in Casale was associated with a very high risk (after selecting out AC workers: OR = 20.6; 95% CI, 6.2-68.6), with spatial trend with increasing distance from the AC factory. The present work confirms the association of environmental asbestos exposure and pleural MM, controlling for other sources of asbestos exposure, and suggests that environmental exposure caused a greater risk than domestic exposure. PMID:11673120

Improving tritium exposure reconstructions using accelerator mass spectrometry

PubMed Central

Hunt, J. R.; Vogel, J. S.; Knezovich, J. P.

2010-01-01

Direct measurement of tritium atoms by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) enables rapid low-activity tritium measurements from milligram-sized samples and permits greater ease of sample collection, faster throughput, and increased spatial and/or temporal resolution. Because existing methodologies for quantifying tritium have some significant limitations, the development of tritium AMS has allowed improvements in reconstructing tritium exposure concentrations from environmental measurements and provides an important additional tool in assessing the temporal and spatial distribution of chronic exposure. Tritium exposure reconstructions using AMS were previously demonstrated for a tree growing on known levels of tritiated water and for trees exposed to atmospheric releases of tritiated water vapor. In these analyses, tritium levels were measured from milligram-sized samples with sample preparation times of a few days. Hundreds of samples were analyzed within a few months of sample collection and resulted in the reconstruction of spatial and temporal exposure from tritium releases. Although the current quantification limit of tritium AMS is not adequate to determine natural environmental variations in tritium concentrations, it is expected to be sufficient for studies assessing possible health effects from chronic environmental tritium exposure. PMID:14735274

Assessing the impact of in-utero exposures: potential effects of paracetamol on male reproductive development.

PubMed

Kilcoyne, Karen R; Mitchell, Rod T

2017-12-01

Human male reproductive disorders (cryptorchidism, hypospadias, testicular cancer and low sperm counts) are common and some may be increasing in incidence worldwide. These associated disorders can arise from subnormal testosterone production during fetal life. This has resulted in a focus on in-utero environmental influences that may result in reproductive effects on the offspring in later life. Over recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the scientific literature describing associations between in-utero environmental exposures (eg, industrial chemicals and pharmaceuticals) and subsequent reproductive outcomes in male offspring. This includes studies investigating a potential role for in-utero analgesic exposure(s) on the fetal testis; however, providing definitive evidence of such effects presents numerous challenges. In this review, we describe an approach to assessing the potential clinical relevance of in-utero (and postnatal) environmental exposures on subsequent male reproductive function using exposure to the analgesic paracetamol as an example. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Lipid and Creatinine Adjustment to Evaluate Health Effects of Environmental Exposures.

PubMed

O'Brien, Katie M; Upson, Kristen; Buckley, Jessie P

2017-03-01

Urine- and serum-based biomarkers are useful for assessing individuals' exposure to environmental factors. However, variations in urinary creatinine (a measure of dilution) or serum lipid levels, if not adequately corrected for, can directly impact biomarker concentrations and bias exposure-disease association measures. Recent methodological literature has considered the complex relationships between creatinine or serum lipid levels, exposure biomarkers, outcomes, and other potentially relevant factors using directed acyclic graphs and simulation studies. The optimal measures of urinary dilution and serum lipids have also been investigated. Existing evidence supports the use of covariate-adjusted standardization plus creatinine adjustment for urinary biomarkers and standardization plus serum lipid adjustment for lipophilic, serum-based biomarkers. It is unclear which urinary dilution measure is best, but all serum lipid measures performed similarly. Future research should assess methods for pooled biomarkers and for studying diseases and exposures that affect creatinine or serum lipids directly.

Lipid and Creatinine Adjustment to Evaluate Health Effects of Environmental Exposures

PubMed Central

O’Brien, Katie M.; Upson, Kristen; Buckley, Jessie P.

2017-01-01

Purpose of review Urine- and serum-based biomarkers are useful for assessing individuals’ exposure to environmental factors. However, variations in urinary creatinine (a measure of dilution) or serum lipid levels, if not adequately corrected for, can directly impact biomarker concentrations and bias exposure-disease association measures. Recent findings Recent methodological literature has considered the complex relationships between creatinine or serum lipid levels, exposure biomarkers, outcomes, and other potentially relevant factors using directed acyclic graphs and simulation studies. The optimal measures of urinary dilution and serum lipids have also been investigated. Summary Existing evidence supports the use of covariate-adjusted standardization plus creatinine adjustment for urinary biomarkers and standardization plus serum lipid adjustment for lipophilic, serum-based biomarkers. It is unclear which urinary dilution measure is best, but all serum lipid measures performed similarly. Future research should assess methods for pooled biomarkers and for studying diseases and exposures that affect creatinine or serum lipids directly. PMID:28097619

Exposure Reconstruction: A Framework of Advancing Exposure Assessment

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) primary goal for environmental protection is to eliminate or minimize the exposure of humans and ecosystems to potential contaminants. With the number of environmental contaminants increasing annually – more than 2000 new chemical...

Characterizing Variability and Uncertainty in Exposure Assessments Improves links to Environmental Decision-Making

EPA Science Inventory

Environmental Decisions often rely upon observational data or model estimates. For instance, the evaluation of human health or ecological risks often includes information on pollutant emission rates, environmental concentrations, exposures, and exposure/dose-response data. Whet...

75 FR 22401 - Exposure Modeling Public Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-28

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [EPA-HQ-OPP-2009-0879; FRL-8821-7] Exposure Modeling Public Meeting AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: An Exposure Modeling... Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Pesticide Programs (OPP), One Potomac Yard (South Building), 1st...

Environmental exposure to asbestos: from geology to mesothelioma.

PubMed

Bayram, Mehmet; Bakan, Nur Dilek

2014-05-01

This article aims to review the geological background of environmental asbestos exposure and the distribution of asbestos-related disease (ARD) in association with naturally occurring asbestos (NOA), and discusses the potential health risks associated with exposure to non-occupational asbestos. With the motion of continental and oceanic plates, in some parts of the world serpentinites in the lower layer of the oceanic plate move into the continental plate and form the so-called ophiolites. Ophiolites consist of soil and rocks containing serpentine-type asbestos. There is an increase in ARDs in regions close to ophiolites. Indoor exposure and outdoor exposure to NOA, outdoor exposure to industrial asbestos and mines, urbanization and construction works in NOA regions are the known sources and types of environmental asbestos exposure. Although there is an expectance of decline in ARDs caused by industrial exposure to asbestos, the environmental exposure to asbestos is still a challenge waiting to be overcome.

An object-oriented software for fate and exposure assessments.

PubMed

Scheil, S; Baumgarten, G; Reiter, B; Schwartz, S; Wagner, J O; Trapp, S; Matthies, M

1995-07-01

The model system CemoS(1) (Chemical Exposure Model System) was developed for the exposure prediction of hazardous chemicals released to the environment. Eight different models were implemented involving chemicals fate simulation in air, water, soil and plants after continuous or single emissions from point and diffuse sources. Scenario studies are supported by a substance and an environmental data base. All input data are checked on their plausibility. Substance and environmental process estimation functions facilitate generic model calculations. CemoS is implemented in a modular structure using object-oriented programming.

Upland Farmers' Comprehension of Pictorial Messages on Environmental Protection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gravoso, R. S.; Stuart, T. H.

2000-01-01

A study to explore Filipino farmers' comprehension of pictorial messages on environmental protection found that educational attainment, visual exposure, and knowledge of environmental protection positively influenced visual comprehension. Color did not necessarily improve comprehension. (Contains 24 references.) (JOW)

County‐level cumulative environmental quality associated with cancer incidence

EPA Science Inventory

Background: Cancer risk is affected by a combination of behavioral, genetic, and environmental factors. Individual environmental exposures have been associated with cancer development; however, a variety of environmental exposures may occur simultaneously. The Environmental Quali...

Environmental health impacts: occurrence, exposure and significance, Lancaster University, UK, 9-10 September 2003.

PubMed

Martin, Francis L; Semple, Kirk T

2004-09-01

Speakers: John Ashby (Syngenta CTL, UK), Peter A. Behnisch (Eurofins GfA, Germany), Paul L. Carmichael (Unilever Colworth, UK), Curtis C.Harris (National Cancer Institute, USA), Kevin C. Jones (Lancaster University, UK), Andreas Kortenkamp (School of Pharmacy, London, UK), Caroline J. Langdon (Reading University, UK), Anthony M. Lynch (GlaxoSmithKline, UK), Francis L. Martin (Lancaster University, UK), Trevor J. McMillan (Lancaster University, UK), David H. Phillips (Institute of Cancer Research, UK), Huw J. Ricketts (University of Cardiff, UK), Michael N. Routledge (University of Leeds, UK), J. Thomas Sanderson (Utrecht University, The Netherlands) and Kirk T. Semple (Lancaster University, UK) The effects of many environmental exposures to either single contaminants or to mixtures still remain to be properly assessed in ecotoxicological and human toxicological settings. Such assessments need to be carried out using relevant biological assays. On a mechanistic basis, future studies need to be able to extrapolate exposure to disease risk. It is envisaged that such an approach would lead to the development of appropriate strategies to either reduce exposures or to initiate preventative measures in susceptible individuals or populations. To mark the opening of a new Institute, the Lancaster Environmental Centre, an environmental health workshop was held over 2 days (9-10 September 2003) at Lancaster University, UK. The fate, behaviour and movement of chemicals in the environment, together with environmental exposures and human health, biomarkers of such exposures, hormone-like compounds and appropriate genetic toxicology methodologies, were discussed.

Recent advances and opportunities in research on lupus: environmental influences and mechanisms of disease.

PubMed

Cooper, Glinda S; Gilbert, Kathleen M; Greidinger, Eric L; James, Judith A; Pfau, Jean C; Reinlib, Leslie; Richardson, Bruce C; Rose, Noel R

2008-06-01

In this review we summarize research on mechanisms through which environmental agents may affect the pathogenesis of lupus, discuss three exposures that have been the focus of research in this area, and propose recommendations for new research initiatives. We examined studies pertaining to key mechanistic events and specific exposures. Apoptosis leading to increased production or decreased clearance of immunogenic intracellular self-antigens and defective apoptosis of autoreactive immune cells both have been implicated in the loss of self-tolerance. The adjuvant or bystander effect is also needed to produce a sustained autoimmune response. Activation of toll-like receptors is one mechanism through which these effects may occur. Abnormal DNA methylation may also contribute to the pathogenesis of lupus. Each of the specific exposures we examined--Epstein-Barr virus, silica, and trichloroethylene--has been shown, in humans or in mice, to act upon one or more of these pathogenic steps. Specific recommendations for the continued advancement of our understanding of environmental influences on lupus and other autoimmune diseases include the development and use of mouse models with varying degrees of penetrance and manifestations of disease, identification of molecular or physiologic targets of specific exposures, development and use of improved exposure assessment methodologies, and multisite collaborations designed to examine understudied environmental exposures in humans. The advances made in the past decade concerning our understanding of mechanisms involved in the development of lupus and the influence of environmental agents on this process provide a strong foundation for further developments in this field.

[Gender inequity in health in contexts of environmental risk from mining and industrial activity in Mexico].

PubMed

Catalán-Vázquez, Minerva; Riojas-Rodríguez, Horacio

2015-06-01

Analyze how gender inequity manifests in contexts of poverty in different environmental risk scenarios in Mexico. Qualitative design based on six discussion groups and 54 in-depth interviews with women from six exposed communities: two to environmental manganese in a mining district, two in an industrial corridor, and two bordering a sanitary landfill. A document review of environmental and health studies in each area was done to relate them to the women's perspective on the problem. In the three case studies, by gender roles, women stay at home and do housework and, therefore, are subject to intense environmental exposure when carrying out their daily tasks, such as house cleaning. Interview and discussion group results were found to be related to epidemiological study results. In the case of the mining district, women's perceptions are consistent with study comments on adverse cognitive effects of manganese exposure. In all three cases, there are serious limitations on women's political participation in environmental risk management. Due to conditions of inequity, women are highly exposed to environmental health risks and their social participation in solving environmental problems is quite limited. These results have social and environmental policy implications in the areas studied, especially with regard to risk assessment, management, and communication.

Cadmium: Simulation of environmental control strategies to reduce exposure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yost, K. J.; Miles, L. J.; Greenkorn, R. A.

1981-07-01

The effects of selected environmental control strategies on human dietary and respiratory exposure to environmental cadmium (Cd) have been simulated. For each control strategy, mean Cd dietary and respiratory exposures are presented for a twenty-year simulation period. Human exposures related to cadmium are associated with both process waste disposal and product disposal. Dietary exposure is by far the dominant mechanism for Cd intake. Dietary exposure related to aqueous discharges is primarily a result of municipal sludge landspreading, whereas that associated with emissions to the atmosphere derives mainly from the deposition on cropland of airborne particulates from product incineration. Only relatively small dietary exposure reductions are possible through restrictions on any single Cd use. Combinations of waste management and environmental control measures promise greater reductions in dietary and respiratory exposure than those achievable through use restrictions.

Environmental and occupational interventions for primary prevention of cancer: a cross-sectorial policy framework.

PubMed

Espina, Carolina; Porta, Miquel; Schüz, Joachim; Aguado, Ildefonso Hernández; Percival, Robert V; Dora, Carlos; Slevin, Terry; Guzman, Julietta Rodriguez; Meredith, Tim; Landrigan, Philip J; Neira, Maria

2013-04-01

Nearly 13 million new cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths occur worldwide each year; 63% of cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. A substantial proportion of all cancers are attributable to carcinogenic exposures in the environment and the workplace. We aimed to develop an evidence-based global vision and strategy for the primary prevention of environmental and occupational cancer. We identified relevant studies through PubMed by using combinations of the search terms "environmental," "occupational," "exposure," "cancer," "primary prevention," and "interventions." To supplement the literature review, we convened an international conference titled "Environmental and Occupational Determinants of Cancer: Interventions for Primary Prevention" under the auspices of the World Health Organization, in Asturias, Spain, on 17-18 March 2011. Many cancers of environmental and occupational origin could be prevented. Prevention is most effectively achieved through primary prevention policies that reduce or eliminate involuntary exposures to proven and probable carcinogens. Such strategies can be implemented in a straightforward and cost-effective way based on current knowledge, and they have the added benefit of synergistically reducing risks for other noncommunicable diseases by reducing exposures to shared risk factors. Opportunities exist to revitalize comprehensive global cancer control policies by incorporating primary interventions against environmental and occupational carcinogens.

A model for the perception of environmental sound based on notice-events.

PubMed

De Coensel, Bert; Botteldooren, Dick; De Muer, Tom; Berglund, Birgitta; Nilsson, Mats E; Lercher, Peter

2009-08-01

An approach is proposed to shed light on the mechanisms underlying human perception of environmental sound that intrudes in everyday living. Most research on exposure-effect relationships aims at relating overall effects to overall exposure indicators in an epidemiological fashion, without including available knowledge on the possible underlying mechanisms. Here, it is proposed to start from available knowledge on audition and perception to construct a computational framework for the effect of environmental sound on individuals. Obviously, at the individual level additional mechanisms (inter-sensory, attentional, cognitive, emotional) play a role in the perception of environmental sound. As a first step, current knowledge is made explicit by building a model mimicking some aspects of human auditory perception. This model is grounded in the hypothesis that long-term perception of environmental sound is determined primarily by short notice-events. The applicability of the notice-event model is illustrated by simulating a synthetic population exposed to typical Flemish environmental noise. From these simulation results, it is demonstrated that the notice-event model is able to mimic the differences between the annoyance caused by road traffic noise exposure and railway traffic noise exposure that are also observed empirically in other studies and thus could provide an explanation for these differences.

STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE ANALYSIS OF THE NATIONAL HUMAN EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT SURVEY (NHEXAS) PILOT STUDY DATA

EPA Science Inventory

The Office of Research and Development (ORD) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated the National Human Exposure Assessment Survey (NHEXAS) in the early 1990's. It was a population-based pilot study of the exposure of over 500 people in three areas of the U....

Epigenomics in Environmental Health

PubMed Central

Christensen, Brock C.; Marsit, Carmen J.

2011-01-01

This review considers the emerging relationships between environmental factors and epigenetic alterations and the application of genome-wide assessments to better define these relationships. First we will briefly cover epigenetic programming in development, one-carbon metabolism, and exposures that may disrupt normal developmental programming of epigenetic states. In addition, because a large portion of epigenetic research has focused on cancer, we discuss exposures associated with carcinogenesis including asbestos, alcohol, radiation, arsenic, and air pollution. Research on other exposures that may affect epigenetic states such as endocrine disruptors is also described, and we also review the evidence for epigenetic alterations associated with aging that may reflect cumulative effects of exposures. From this evidence, we posit potential mechanisms by which exposures modify epigenetic states, noting that understanding the true effect of environmental exposures on the human epigenome will require additional research with appropriate epidemiologic studies and application of novel technologies. With a more comprehensive understanding of the affects of exposures on the epigenome, including consideration of genetic background, the prediction of the toxic potential of new compounds may be more readily achieved, and may lead to the development of more personalized disease prevention and treatment strategies. PMID:22303378

RECONSTRUCTING POPULATION EXPOSURES FROM DOSE BIOMARKERS: INHALATION OF TRICHLOROETHYLENE (TCE) AS A CASE STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling is a well-established toxicological tool designed to relate exposure to a target tissue dose. The emergence of federal and state programs for environmental health tracking and the availability of exposure monitoring through bi...

AIR CONTAMINANT EXPOSURE DURING THE OPERATION OF LAWN AND GARDEN EQUIPMENT

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated the Small Engine Exposure Study (SEES) to evaluate potential exposures among users of small, gasoline-powered, non-road spark-ignition (SI) lawn and garden engines. Equipment tested included riding tractors, walk-behind la...

SURVEY OF ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE AND HEALTH OUTCOMES AT BEACHES FOR THE NATIONAL EPIDEMIOLOGICAL A ND ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT OF RECREATIONAL (NEEAR) WATER STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

Abstract

Objective
In the of summer 2004, the US EPA and the CDC conducted the National Epidemiological and Environmental Assessment of Recreational (NEEAR) Water Study at Silver Beach and Washington Park Beach. This full-scale study is collecting the data necessary fo...

40 CFR 159.170 - Human epidemiological and exposure studies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... studies. 159.170 Section 159.170 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED... Information § 159.170 Human epidemiological and exposure studies. Information must be submitted which concerns any study that a person described in § 159.158(a) has concluded, or might reasonably conclude, shows...

European Birth Cohorts for Environmental Health Research

PubMed Central

Casas, Maribel; Bergström, Anna; Carmichael, Amanda; Cordier, Sylvaine; Eggesbø, Merete; Eller, Esben; Fantini, Maria P.; Fernández, Mariana F.; Fernández-Somoano, Ana; Gehring, Ulrike; Grazuleviciene, Regina; Hohmann, Cynthia; Karvonen, Anne M.; Keil, Thomas; Kogevinas, Manolis; Koppen, Gudrun; Krämer, Ursula; Kuehni, Claudia E.; Magnus, Per; Majewska, Renata; Andersen, Anne-Marie Nybo; Patelarou, Evridiki; Petersen, Maria Skaalum; Pierik, Frank H.; Polanska, Kinga; Porta, Daniela; Richiardi, Lorenzo; Santos, Ana Cristina; Slama, Rémy; Sram, Radim J.; Thijs, Carel; Tischer, Christina; Toft, Gunnar; Trnovec, Tomáš; Vandentorren, Stephanie; Vrijkotte, Tanja G.M.; Wilhelm, Michael; Wright, John; Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark

2011-01-01

Background: Many pregnancy and birth cohort studies investigate the health effects of early-life environmental contaminant exposure. An overview of existing studies and their data is needed to improve collaboration, harmonization, and future project planning. Objectives: Our goal was to create a comprehensive overview of European birth cohorts with environmental exposure data. Methods: Birth cohort studies were included if they a) collected data on at least one environmental exposure, b) started enrollment during pregnancy or at birth, c) included at least one follow-up point after birth, d) included at least 200 mother–child pairs, and e) were based in a European country. A questionnaire collected information on basic protocol details and exposure and health outcome assessments, including specific contaminants, methods and samples, timing, and number of subjects. A full inventory can be searched on www.birthcohortsenrieco.net. Results: Questionnaires were completed by 37 cohort studies of > 350,000 mother–child pairs in 19 European countries. Only three cohorts did not participate. All cohorts collected biological specimens of children or parents. Many cohorts collected information on passive smoking (n = 36), maternal occupation (n = 33), outdoor air pollution (n = 27), and allergens/biological organisms (n = 27). Fewer cohorts (n = 12–19) collected information on water contamination, ionizing or nonionizing radiation exposures, noise, metals, persistent organic pollutants, or other pollutants. All cohorts have information on birth outcomes; nearly all on asthma, allergies, childhood growth and obesity; and 26 collected information on child neurodevelopment. Conclusion: Combining forces in this field will yield more efficient and conclusive studies and ultimately improve causal inference. This impressive resource of existing birth cohort data could form the basis for longer-term and worldwide coordination of research on environment and child health. PMID:21878421

Climate change and occupational allergies: an overview on biological pollution, exposure and prevention.

PubMed

D'Ovidio, Maria Concetta; Annesi-Maesano, Isabella; D'Amato, Gennaro; Cecchi, Lorenzo

2016-01-01

Climate change, air pollution, temperature increase and other environmental variables are modifying air quality, contributing to the increase of prevalence of allergic respiratory diseases. Allergies are complex diseases characterized by multilevel interactions between individual susceptibility, response to immune modulation and environmental exposures to physical, chemical and biological agents. Occupational allergies introduce a further complexity to these relationships by adding occupational exposure to both the indoor and outdoor ones in the living environment. The aim of this paper is to overview climate-related allergy affecting environmental and occupational health, as literature data are scanty in this regard, and to suggest a management model of this risk based on a multidisciplinary approach, taking the case of biological pollution, with details on exposure and prevention. The management of climate-related occupational allergy should take into account preventive health strategies, environmental, public and occupational interventions, as well as to develop, implement, evaluate, and improve guidelines and standards protecting workers health under changing climatic conditions; new tools and strategies based on local conditions will have to be developed. Experimental studies and acquisition of environmental and personal data have to be matched to derive useful information for the scope of occupational health and safety.

Human environmental and occupational exposures to boric acid: reconciliation with experimental reproductive toxicity data.

PubMed

Bolt, Hermann M; Başaran, Nurşen; Duydu, Yalçın

2012-01-01

The reproductive toxicity of boric acid and borates is a matter of current regulatory concern. Based on experimental studies in rats, no-observed-adverse-effect levels (NOAELs) were found to be 17.5 mg boron (B)/kg body weight (b.w.) for male fertility and 9.6 mg B/kg b.w. for developmental toxicity. Recently, occupational human field studies in highly exposed cohorts were reported from China and Turkey, with both studies showing negative results regarding male reproduction. A comparison of the conditions of these studies with the experimental NOAEL conditions are based on reported B blood levels, which is clearly superior to a scaling according to estimated B exposures. A comparison of estimated daily B exposure levels and measured B blood levels confirms the preference of biomonitoring data for a comparison of human field studies. In general, it appears that high environmental exposures to B are lower than possible high occupational exposures. The comparison reveals no contradiction between human and experimental reproductive toxicity data. It clearly appears that human B exposures, even in the highest exposed cohorts, are too low to reach the blood (and target tissue) concentrations that would be required to exert adverse effects on reproductive functions.

Older Adults' Perceptions of Nutrition as Protective against Detrimental Effects of Environmental Pollution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunn, Kristina; Gaetke, Lisa; Stephenson, Tammy; Brewer, Dawn

2017-01-01

The aging process makes older adults vulnerable to the detrimental health effects of environmental contaminants. Our study assessed older adults' perceptions regarding diet as protective against environmental contaminants, levels of concern about exposure to environmental contaminants, and interest in learning about protective food-related…

Incidence of nephrolithiasis in relation to environmental exposure to lead and cadmium in a population study

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hara, Azusa; Yang, Wen-Yi; Petit, Thibault

Whether environmental exposure to nephrotoxic agents that potentially interfere with calcium homeostasis, such as lead and cadmium, contribute to the incidence of nephrolithiasis needs further clarification. We investigated the relation between nephrolithiasis incidence and environmental lead and cadmium exposure in a general population. In 1302 participants randomly recruited from a Flemish population (50.9% women; mean age, 47.9 years), we obtained baseline measurements (1985–2005) of blood lead (BPb), blood cadmium (BCd), 24-h urinary cadmium (UCd) and covariables. We monitored the incidence of kidney stones until October 6, 2014. We used Cox regression to calculate multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios for nephrolithiasis. At baseline,more » geometric mean BPb, BCd and UCd was 0.29 µmol/L, 9.0 nmol/L, and 8.5 nmol per 24 h, respectively. Over 11.5 years (median), nephrolithiasis occurred in 40 people. Contrasting the low and top tertiles of the distributions, the sex- and age-standardized rates of nephrolithiasis expressed as events per 1000 person-years were 0.68 vs. 3.36 (p=0.0016) for BPb, 1.80 vs. 3.28 (p=0.11) for BCd, and 1.65 vs. 2.95 (p=0.28) for UCd. In continuous analysis, with adjustments applied for sex, age, serum magnesium, and 24-h urinary volume and calcium, the hazard ratios expressing the risk associated with a doubling of the exposure biomarkers were 1.35 (p=0.015) for BPb, 1.13 (p=0.22) for BCd, and 1.23 (p=0.070) for UCd. In conclusion, our results suggest that environmental lead exposure is a risk factor for nephrolithiasis in the general population. - Highlights: • Prevalence and incidence rates of nephrolithiasis are increasing worldwide. • Lead and cadmium interfere with calcium homeostasis and might cause nephrolithiasis. • Environmental exposure to lead, not cadmium, predicts nephrolithiasis in the population. • Safety standards for environmental lead exposure need to account for nephrolithiasis. • Reducing environmental exposure to lead remains a priority.« less

I feel you-monitoring environmental variables related to asthma in an integrated real-time frame.

PubMed

Berenguer, Anabela Gonçalves

2015-09-11

The study of asthma and other complex diseases has proven to be a "moving target" for researchers due to its complex aetiology, difficulty in definition, and immeasurable environmental effects. A large number of studies regarding the contribution of both genetic and environmental factors often result in contradictory results, in part due to the highly heterogeneous nature of asthma. Recent literature has focused on the epigenetic signatures of asthma caused by environmental factors, highlighting the importance of environment. However, unlike the genetic techniques, environmental assessment still lacks accuracy. A plausible solution for this problem would be an individual-based environmental exposure assessment, relying on new technologies such as personal real-time environmental sensors. This could prove to enable the assessment of the whole environmental exposure-or exposome-matching in terms of precision the genome that is emphasized in most studies so far. In addition, the measurement of the whole array of biological molecules, in response to the environment action, could help understand the context of the disease. The current perspective comprises a beyond-genetics integrated vision of omics technology coupled with real-time environmental measures targeting to enhance our comprehension of the disease genesis.

Environmental Exposure to Arsenic and Chromium in Children is Associated with Kidney Injury Molecule-1

PubMed Central

Cárdenas-González, M; Osorio-Yáñez, C; Gaspar-Ramírez, O; Pavković, M; Ochoa-Martínez, A; López-Ventura, D; Medeiros, M; Barbier, OC; Pérez-Maldonado, IN; Sabbisetti, VS; Bonventre, JV; Vaidya, VS

2016-01-01

Environmental hazards from natural or anthropological sources are widespread, especially in the north-central region of Mexico. Children represent a susceptible population due to their unique routes of exposure and special vulnerabilities. In this study we evaluated the association of environmental kidney toxicants exposure and kidney injury biomarkers in children living in San Luis Potosi (SLP), Mexico. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 83 children (5-12 years of age) residents of Villa de Reyes, SLP. Exposure to arsenic, cadmium, chromium, fluoride and lead was assessed in urine, blood and drinking water samples. Almost all tap and well water samples had levels of arsenic (81.5%) and fluoride (100%) above the permissible levels recommended by the World Health Organization. Mean urine arsenic (45.6 ppb) and chromium (61.7 ppb) were higher than the biological exposure index, a reference value in occupational settings. Using multivariate adjusted models, we found a dose-dependent association between kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) across chromium exposure tertiles [(T1: reference, T2: 467 pg/mL; T3: 615 pg/mL) (p-trend=0.001)]. Chromium upper tertile was also associated with higher urinary miR-200c (500 copies/μL) and miR-423 (189 copies/μL). Arsenic upper tertile was also associated with higher urinary KIM-1 (372 pg/mL). Other kidney injury/functional biomarkers such as serum creatinine, glomerular filtration rate, albuminuria, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and miR-21 did not show any association with arsenic, chromium or any of the other toxicants evaluated. We conclude that KIM-1 might serve as a sensitive biomarker for environmental exposure risk assessment and kidney toxicity in children. PMID:27431456

Estimating the burden of disease attributable to four selected environmental risk factors in South Africa.

PubMed

Norman, Rosana; Bradshaw, Debbie; Lewin, Simon; Cairncross, Eugene; Nannan, Nadine; Vos, Theo

2010-01-01

The first South African National Burden of Disease study quantified the underlying causes of premature mortality and morbidity experienced in South Africa in the year 2000. This was followed by a Comparative Risk Assessment to estimate the contributions of 17 selected risk factors to burden of disease in South Africa. This paper describes the health impact of exposure to four selected environmental risk factors: unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene; indoor air pollution from household use of solid fuels; urban outdoor air pollution and lead exposure. The study followed World Health Organization comparative risk assessment methodology. Population-attributable fractions were calculated and applied to revised burden of disease estimates (deaths and disability adjusted life years, [DALYs]) from the South African Burden of Disease study to obtain the attributable burden for each selected risk factor. The burden attributable to the joint effect of the four environmental risk factors was also estimated taking into account competing risks and common pathways. Monte Carlo simulation-modeling techniques were used to quantify sampling, uncertainty. Almost 24 000 deaths were attributable to the joint effect of these four environmental risk factors, accounting for 4.6% (95% uncertainty interval 3.8-5.3%) of all deaths in South Africa in 2000. Overall the burden due to these environmental risks was equivalent to 3.7% (95% uncertainty interval 3.4-4.0%) of the total disease burden for South Africa, with unsafe water sanitation and hygiene the main contributor to joint burden. The joint attributable burden was especially high in children under 5 years of age, accounting for 10.8% of total deaths in this age group and 9.7% of burden of disease. This study highlights the public health impact of exposure to environmental risks and the significant burden of preventable disease attributable to exposure to these four major environmental risk factors in South Africa. Evidence-based policies and programs must be developed and implemented to address these risk factors at individual, household, and community levels.

The use of ultrasound measurements in environmental epidemiological studies of air pollution and fetal growth

PubMed Central

Smarr, Melissa M.; Vadillo-Ortega, Felipe; Castillo-Castrejon, Marisol; O’Neill, Marie S.

2015-01-01

Purpose of review Recently, several international research groups have suggested that studies about environmental contaminants and adverse pregnancy outcomes should be designed to elucidate potential underlying biological mechanisms. The purpose of this review is to examine the epidemiological studies addressing maternal exposure to air pollutants and fetal growth during gestation as assessed by ultrasound measurements. Recent findings The six studies published to date found that exposure to certain ambient air pollutants during pregnancy is negatively associated with the growth rates and average attained size of fetal parameters belonging to the growth profile. Fetal parameters may respond to maternal air pollution exposures uniquely, and this response may vary by pollutant and timing of gestational exposure. Current literature suggests that mean changes in head circumference, abdominal circumference, femur length, and biparietal diameter are negatively associated with early-pregnancy exposures to ambient and vehicle-related air pollution. Summary The use of more longitudinal studies, employing ultrasound measures to assess fetal outcomes, may assist with the better understanding of mechanisms responsible for air pollution-related pregnancy outcomes. PMID:23399571

Effects of Exposure to Environmental Groups on Student Awareness of Environmental Issues and Their Desire to Be Locally Involved

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burke, Ann M.

2017-01-01

This study investigated changes in high school students' awareness of environmental issues and their intent to be involved with local environmental groups after attendance at an environmental fair that exposed them to local environmental groups. A comparison of prefair and postfair surveys given to students indicated a highly significant increase…

Providing the Missing Link: the Exposure Science Ontology ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Although knowledge-discovery tools are new to the exposure science community, these tools are critical for leveraging exposure information to design health studies and interpret results for improved public health decisions. Standardized ontologies define relationships, allow for automated reasoning, and facilitate meta-analyses. ExO will facilitate development of biologically relevant exposure metrics, design of in vitro toxicity tests, and incorporation of information on susceptibility and background exposures for risk assessment. In this approach, there are multiple levels of organization, from the global environment down through ecosystems, communities, indoor spaces, populations, organisms, tissues, and cells. We anticipate that the exposure science and environmental health community will adopt and contribute to this work, as wide acceptance is key to integration and federated searching of exposure data to support environmental and public health research. In particular, we anticipate acceptance of the concept that exposure science provides the spatial/temporal narrative about the intensity (concentration) of a stressor at the boundary between two systems: one functioning as an “environment” (stressor) and one functioning as a target (receptor). An agreed-upon exposure ontology with clear definitions and relationships should help to facilitate decision-making, study design and prioritization of research initiatives by enhancing the capacity for data colle

Environmental tobacco smoke exposure and EGFR and ALK alterations in never smokers' lung cancer. Results from the LCRINS study.

PubMed

Torres-Durán, María; Ruano-Ravina, Alberto; Kelsey, Karl T; Parente-Lamelas, Isaura; Leiro-Fernández, Virginia; Abdulkader, Ihab; Provencio, Mariano; Abal-Arca, José; Castro-Añón, Olalla; Montero-Martínez, Carmen; Vidal-García, Iria; Amenedo, Margarita; Golpe-Gómez, Antonio; Martínez, Cristina; Guzmán-Taveras, Rosirys; Mejuto-Martí, María José; Fernández-Villar, Alberto; Barros-Dios, Juan Miguel

2017-12-28

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure is a main risk factor of lung cancer in never smokers. Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) mutations and ALK translocations are more frequent in never smokers' lung cancer than in ever-smokers. We performed a multicenter case-control study to assess if ETS exposure is associated with the presence of EGFR mutations and its types and if ALK translocations were related with ETS exposure. All patients were never smokers and had confirmed lung cancer diagnosis. ETS exposure during childhood showed a negative association on the probability of EGRF mutation though not significant. Exposure during adulthood, at home or at workplace, did not show any association with EGFR mutation. The mutation type L858R seemed the most associated with a lower probability of EGFR alterations for ETS exposure at home in adult life. There is no apparent association between ETS exposure and ALK translocation. These results might suggest that ETS exposure during childhood or at home in adult life could influence the EGFR mutations profile in lung cancer in never smokers, reducing the probability of presenting EFGR mutation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Structural and functional alterations in Malpighian tubules as biomarkers of environmental pollution: synopsis and prospective.

PubMed

Giglio, Anita; Brandmayr, Pietro

2017-08-01

Although a number of biomarkers of pollutant exposure have been identified in invertebrate species, little is known about the effect on Malpighian tubules playing an essential role in excretion and osmoregulation. Analyses of structural and functional alterations on this organ can be useful to predict the effects at the organism and population level in monitoring studies of environmental pollution. The aim of the present review is to provide a synthesis of existing knowledge on cellular damages induced by xenobiotics in Malpighian tubules both under laboratory and field conditions. We compared studies of exposure to pesticides and heavy metals as mainly environmental contaminants from anthropogenic activities. This report provided evidence that the exposure to xenobiotics has an effect on this organ and reinforces the need for further research integrating molecular biomarkers with analysis on Malpighian tubules. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Endotoxin Inhalation Alters Lung Development in Neonatal Mice

PubMed Central

Kulhankova, Katarina; George, Caroline L.S.; Kline, Joel N.; Darling, Melissa; Thorne, Peter S.

2012-01-01

Background Childhood asthma is a significant public health problem. Epidemiologic evidence suggests an association between childhood asthma exacerbations and early life exposure to environmental endotoxin. Although the pathogenesis of endotoxin-induced adult asthma is well studied, questions remain about the impact of environmental endotoxin on pulmonary responsiveness in early life. Methods We developed a murine model of neonatal/juvenile endotoxin exposures approximating those in young children and evaluated the lungs inflammatory and remodeling responses. Results Persistent lung inflammation induced by the inhalation of endotoxin in early life was demonstrated by the influx of inflammatory cells and pro-inflammatory mediators to the airways and resulted in abnormal alveolarization. Conclusions Results of this study advance the understanding of the impact early life endotoxin inhalation has on the lower airways, and demonstrates the importance of an experimental design that approximates environmental exposures as they occur in young children. PMID:22576659

Environmental genotoxicity: Probing the underlying mechanisms

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shugart, L.; Theodorakis, C.

1993-12-31

Environmental pollution is a complex issue because of the diversity of anthropogenic agents, both chemical and physical, that have been detected and catalogued. The consequences to biota from exposure to genotoxic agents present an additional problem because of the potential for these agents to produce adverse change at the cellular and organismal levels. Past studies in genetic toxicology at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory have focused on structural damage to the DNA of environmental species that may occur after exposure to genotoxic agents and the use of this information to document exposure and to monitor remediation. In an effort tomore » predict effects at the population, community and ecosystem levels, current studies in genetic ecotoxicology are attempting to characterize the biological mechanisms at the gene level that regulate and limit the response of an individual organism to genotoxic factors in their environment.« less

Childhood lead poisoning - United States: report to the Congress by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

The long-term consequences of unabated exposures to environmental lead sources can be serious, particularly for children. Recent scientific studies have shown a progressive decline in the lowest exposure levels of lead at which adverse effects can be reliably detected in children. In recognition of this, Congress directed the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to examine the nature and extent of childhood lead poisoning in the United States. The study was to address such areas as the long-term health implications of environmental lead exposure in children, the extent of leadmore » intoxication of children in terms of geographic areas and sources of lead in the United States, and methods and strategies for removing lead from the environment of US children. This article summarizes the key findings of the report.« less

Impairment of the reproductive potential of male fathead minnows by environmentally relevant exposures to 4-nonylphenolf

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schoenfuss, H.L.; Bartell, S.E.; Bistodeau, T.B.; Cediel, R.A.; Grove, K.J.; Zintek, Larry; Lee, K.E.; Barber, L.B.

2008-01-01

The synthetic organic compound 4-nonylphenol (NP) has been detected in many human-impacted surface waters in North America. In this study, we examined the ability of NP to alter reproductive competence in male fathead minnows after a 28 day flow-through exposure in a range of environmentally relevant concentrations bracketing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency toxicity-based NP chronic exposure criterion of 6.1 ??g NP/L. Exposure to NP at and above the EPA chronic exposure criterion resulted in an induction of plasma vitellogenin (VTG) within 14 days. However, 7 days after the cessation of exposure, VTG concentrations had dropped more than 50% and few males expressed VTG above the detection threshold. All of the morphological endpoints, including gonadosomatic index, hepatosomatic index, secondary sexual characters, and histopathology, were unaltered by all NP treatments. However, when NP-exposed male fish were allowed to compete with control males for access to nest sites and females, most treatments altered the reproductive competence of exposed males. At lower NP concentrations, exposed males out-competed control males, possibly by being primed through the estrogenic NP exposure in a fashion similar to priming by pheromones released from female fathead minnows. At higher NP exposure concentrations, this priming effect was negated by the adverse effects of the exposure and control males out-competed treated males. Results of this study indicate the complexity of endocrine disrupting effects and the need for multiple analysis levels to assess the effects of these compounds on aquatic organisms. ?? 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multicentric study on malignant pleural mesothelioma and non-occupational exposure to asbestos

PubMed Central

Magnani, C; Agudo, A; González, C A; Andrion, A; Calleja, A; Chellini, E; Dalmasso, P; Escolar, A; Hernandez, S; Ivaldi, C; Mirabelli, D; Ramirez, J; Turuguet, D; Usel, M; Terracini, B

2000-01-01

Insufficient evidence exists on the risk of pleural mesothelioma from non-occupational exposure to asbestos. A population-based case–control study was carried out in six areas from Italy, Spain and Switzerland. Information was collected for 215 new histologically confirmed cases and 448 controls. A panel of industrial hygienists assessed asbestos exposure separately for occupational, domestic and environmental sources. Classification of domestic and environmental exposure was based on a complete residential history, presence and use of asbestos at home, asbestos industrial activities in the surrounding area, and their distance from the dwelling. In 53 cases and 232 controls without evidence of occupational exposure to asbestos, moderate or high probability of domestic exposure was associated with an increased risk adjusted by age and sex: odds ratio (OR) 4.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.8–13.1. This corresponds to three situations: cleaning asbestos-contaminated clothes, handling asbestos material and presence of asbestos material susceptible to damage. The estimated OR for high probability of environmental exposure (living within 2000 m of asbestos mines, asbestos cement plants, asbestos textiles, shipyards, or brakes factories) was 11.5 (95% CI 3.5–38.2). Living between 2000 and 5000 m from asbestos industries or within 500 m of industries using asbestos could also be associated with an increased risk. A dose–response pattern appeared with intensity of both sources of exposure. It is suggested that low-dose exposure to asbestos at home or in the general environment carries a measurable risk of malignant pleural mesothelioma. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign PMID:10883677

Thinking Through Computational Exposure as an Evolving Paradign Shift for Exposure Science: Development and Application of Predictive Models from Big Data

EPA Science Inventory

Symposium Abstract: Exposure science has evolved from a time when the primary focus was on measurements of environmental and biological media and the development of enabling field and laboratory methods. The Total Exposure Assessment Method (TEAM) studies of the 1980s were class...

Evaluating the efficacy of a thermal exposure chamber designed for assessing workers' thermal hazard.

PubMed

Tsai, Perng-Jy; Lo, Chuh-Lun; Sun, Yih-Min; Juang, Yow-Jer; Liu, Hung-Hsin; Chen, Wang-Yi; Yeh, Wen-Yu

2003-05-01

This study was conducted on a thermal exposure chamber designed for assessing workers' thermal hazard. In order to assess the efficacy of the studied chamber, three environmental conditions were selected to simulate high, middle and low thermal impact situations, with air temperatures (Ta) of 43.12, 36.23 and 25.77 masculine C, globe temperatures (Tg) of 44.41, 41.07 and 29.24 masculine C, relative humidity (RH) of 77, 59 and 39%, and air flow velocities (Va) of 1.70, 0.91 and 0.25 m/s, respectively. For the three specified thermal impact conditions, results show that the coefficients of variation (CVs) for Ta, Tg, RH and Va measured in the chamber studied were consistently less than 10%, except for Va under the low thermal impact condition (=50%). For each specified thermal impact condition, we generated 1,000 environmental combinations by using the Monte Carlo simulation approach according to the variations obtained from the four environmental factors. We directly adopted the ISO 7933 approach to estimate the allowable exposure time (AET) for each simulated environmental condition. This study yielded a range in the 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of the estimated AETs for the three specified thermal impact conditions which were consistently less than 5 min. We further conducted the sensitivity analysis to examine the effect of the four environmental factors on estimating AETs. We found Va was the least important factor in estimating AETs for any specified thermal impact condition. In conclusion, although Va was found with great variation for the chamber specified in the low thermal impact condition, the exposure chamber studied can still be regarded as a feasible one for assessing workers' thermal hazard.

Occupational and environmental scleroderma. Systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Rubio-Rivas, Manuel; Moreno, Rafael; Corbella, Xavier

2017-03-01

The etiology of systemic sclerosis (SSc) remains unknown; however, several occupational and environmental factors have been implicated. Our objective was to perform a meta-analysis of all studies published on SSc associated with occupational and environmental exposure. The review was undertaken by means of MEDLINE and SCOPUS from 1960 to 2014 and using the terms: "systemic," "scleroderma," or "systemic sclerosis/chemically induced" [MesH]. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used for the qualifying assessment. The inverse variance-weighted method was performed. The meta-analysis of silica exposure included 15 case-control studies [overall OR 2.81 (95%CI 1.86-4.23; p < 0.001)] and 4 cohort studies [overall RR 17.52 (95%CI 5.98-51.37; p < 0.001)]; the meta-analysis of solvents exposure included 13 case-control studies (overall OR 2.00 [95%CI 1.32-3.02; p = 0.001); the meta-analysis of breast implants exposure included 4 case-control studies (overall OR 1.68 (95%CI 1.65-1.71; p < 0.001)) and 6 cohort studies (overall RR 2.13 (95%CI 0.86-5.27; p = 0.10)); the meta-analysis of epoxy resins exposure included 4 case-control studies (overall OR 2.97 (95%CI 2.31-3.83; p < 0.001)), the meta-analysis of pesticides exposure included 3 case-control studies (overall OR 1.02 (95%CI 0.78-1.32; p = 0.90)) and, finally, the meta-analysis of welding fumes exposure included 4 studies (overall OR 1.29 (95%CI 0.44-3.74; p = 0.64)). Not enough studies citing risks related to hair dyes have been published to perform an accurate meta-analysis. Silica and solvents were the two most likely substances related to the pathogenesis of SSc. While silica is involved in particular jobs, solvents are widespread and more people are at risk of having incidental contact with them.

Chemical mixtures and environmental effects: a pilot study to assess ecological exposure and effects in streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Buxton, Herbert T.; Reilly, Timothy J.; Kuivila, Kathryn; Kolpin, Dana W.; Bradley, Paul M.; Villeneuve, Daniel L.; Mills, Marc A.

2015-01-01

Assessment and management of the risks of exposure to complex chemical mixtures in streams are priorities for human and environmental health organizations around the world. The current lack of information on the composition and variability of environmental mixtures and a limited understanding of their combined effects are fundamental obstacles to timely identification and prevention of adverse human and ecological effects of exposure. This report describes the design of a field-based study of the composition and biological activity of chemical mixtures in U.S. stream waters affected by a wide range of human activities and contaminant sources. The study is a collaborative effort by the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Scientists sampled 38 streams spanning 24 States and Puerto Rico. Thirty-four of the sites were located in watersheds impacted by multiple contaminant sources, including industrial and municipal wastewater discharges, crop and animal agricultural runoff, urban runoff, and other point and nonpoint contaminant sources. The remaining four sites were minimally development reference watersheds. All samples underwent comprehensive chemical and biological characterization, including sensitive and specific direct analysis for over 700 dissolved organic and inorganic chemicals and field parameters, identification of unknown contaminants (environmental diagnostics), and a variety of bioassays to evaluate biological activity and toxicity.

Developmental sub-chronic exposure to chlorpyrifos reduces anxiety-related behavior in zebrafish larvae

PubMed Central

Richendrfer, Holly; Pelkowski, Sean D.; Colwill, Ruth M.; Créton, Robbert

2013-01-01

Neurobehavioral disorders such as anxiety, autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders are typically influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Although several genetic risk factors have been identified in recent years, little is known about the environmental factors that either cause neurobehavioral disorders or contribute to their progression in genetically predisposed individuals. One environmental factor that has raised concerns is chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate pesticide that is widely used in agriculture and is found ubiquitously in the environment. In the present study, we examined the effects of sub-chronic chlorpyrifos exposure on anxiety-related behavior during development using zebrafish larvae. We found that sub-chronic exposure to 0.01 or 0.1 μM chlorpyrifos during development induces specific behavioral defects in 7-day-old zebrafish larvae. The larvae displayed decreases in swim speed and thigmotaxis, yet no changes in avoidance behavior were seen. Exposure to 0.001 μM chlorpyrifos did not affect swimming, thigmotaxis, or avoidance behavior and exposure to 1 μM chlorpyrifos induced behavioral defects, but also induced defects in larval morphology. Since thigmotaxis, a preference for the edge, is an anxiety-related behavior in zebrafish larvae, we propose that sub-chronic chlorpyrifos exposure interferes with the development of anxiety-related behaviors. The results of this study provide a good starting point for examination of the molecular, cellular, developmental, and neural mechanisms that are affected by environmentally relevant concentrations of organophosphate pesticides. A more detailed understanding of these mechanisms is important for the development of predictive models and refined health policies to prevent toxicant-induced neurobehavioral disorders. PMID:22579535

AGRICULTURAL HEALTH STUDY/PESTICIDE EXPOSURE STUDY: STUDY DESIGN AND PRELIMINARY BIOMARKER RESULTS

EPA Science Inventory

The Agricultural Health Study (AHS) is a collaborative effort between the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to quantify cancer and non-cancer health risks in the agricultural communit...

Gene expression profiles in the cerebellum and hippocampus following exposure to a neurotoxicant, Aroclor 1254: Developmental effects.

EPA Science Inventory

The developmental consequences of exposure to the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been widely studied, making PCBs a unique model to understand issues related to environmental mixture of persistent chemicals. PCB exposure in humans adversely affects neurocognitive developm...

THE NATIONAL HUMAN EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT SURVEY (NHEXAS) STUDY IN ARIZONA-INTRODUCTION AND PRELIMINARY RESULTS

EPA Science Inventory

The objective of the National Human Exposure Assessment Survey (NHEXAS) in Arizona is to determine the multimedia distribution of total human exposure to environmental pollutants in the classes of metals, pesticides, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for the population of Ari...

Environmental Enrichment Alters Neurotrophin Levels After Fetal Alcohol Exposure in Rats

PubMed Central

Parks, Elizabeth A.; McMechan, Andrew P.; Hannigan, John H.; Berman, Robert F.

2014-01-01

Background Prenatal alcohol exposure causes abnormal brain development, leading to behavioral deficits, some of which can be ameliorated by environmental enrichment. As both environmental enrichment and prenatal alcohol exposure can individually alter neurotrophin expression, we studied the interaction of prenatal alcohol and postweaning environmental enrichment on brain neurotrophin levels in rats. Methods Pregnant rats received alcohol by gavage, 0, 4, or 6 g / kg / d (Zero, Low, or High groups), or no treatment (Naïve group), on gestational days 8 to 20. After weaning on postnatal day 21, offspring were housed for 6 weeks in Isolated, Social, or Enriched conditions. Levels of nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) were then measured in frontal cortex, occipital cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellar vermis. Results Prenatal alcohol exposure increased NGF levels in frontal cortex (High-dose group) and cerebellar vermis (High- and Low-dose groups); increased BDNF in frontal cortex, occipital cortex and hippocampus (Low-dose groups), and increased NT-3 in hippocampus and cerebellar vermis (High-dose). Environmental enrichment resulted in lower NGF, BDNF, and NT-3 levels in occipital cortex and lower NGF in frontal cortex. The only significant interaction between prenatal alcohol treatment and environment was in cerebellar vermis where NT-3 levels were higher for enriched animals after prenatal alcohol exposure, but not for animals housed under Isolated or Social conditions. Conclusions Both prenatal alcohol exposure and postweaning housing conditions alter brain neurotrophin levels, but the effects appear to be largely independent. Although environmental enrichment can improve functional outcomes, these results do not provide strong support for the hypothesis that rearing in a complex environment ameliorates prenatal alcohol effects on brain neurotrophin levels in rats. PMID:18652597

Zebrafish in Toxicology and Environmental Health

PubMed Central

Bambino, Kathryn; Chu, Jaime

2018-01-01

As manufacturing processes and development of new synthetic compounds increase to keep pace with the expanding global demand, environmental health, and the effects of toxicant exposure are emerging as critical public health concerns. Additionally, chemicals that naturally occur in the environment, such as metals, have profound effects on human and animal health. Many of these compounds are in the news: lead, arsenic, and endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol A have all been widely publicized as causing disease or damage to humans and wildlife in recent years. Despite the widespread appreciation that environmental toxins can be harmful, there is limited understanding of how many toxins cause disease. Zebrafish are at the forefront of toxicology research; this system has been widely used as a tool to detect toxins in water samples and to investigate the mechanisms of action of environmental toxins and their related diseases. The benefits of zebrafish for studying vertebrate development are equally useful for studying teratogens. Here, we review how zebrafish are being used both to detect the presence of some toxins as well as to identify how environmental exposures affect human health and disease. We focus on areas where zebrafish have been most effectively used in ecotoxicology and in environmental health, including investigation of exposures to endocrine disruptors, industrial waste byproducts, and arsenic. PMID:28335863

Zebrafish in Toxicology and Environmental Health.

PubMed

Bambino, Kathryn; Chu, Jaime

2017-01-01

As manufacturing processes and development of new synthetic compounds increase to keep pace with the expanding global demand, environmental health, and the effects of toxicant exposure are emerging as critical public health concerns. Additionally, chemicals that naturally occur in the environment, such as metals, have profound effects on human and animal health. Many of these compounds are in the news: lead, arsenic, and endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol A have all been widely publicized as causing disease or damage to humans and wildlife in recent years. Despite the widespread appreciation that environmental toxins can be harmful, there is limited understanding of how many toxins cause disease. Zebrafish are at the forefront of toxicology research; this system has been widely used as a tool to detect toxins in water samples and to investigate the mechanisms of action of environmental toxins and their related diseases. The benefits of zebrafish for studying vertebrate development are equally useful for studying teratogens. Here, we review how zebrafish are being used both to detect the presence of some toxins as well as to identify how environmental exposures affect human health and disease. We focus on areas where zebrafish have been most effectively used in ecotoxicology and in environmental health, including investigation of exposures to endocrine disruptors, industrial waste byproducts, and arsenic. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Preconceptional, prenatal and postnatal exposure to outdoor and indoor environmental factors on allergic diseases/symptoms in preschool children.

PubMed

Deng, Qihong; Lu, Chan; Ou, Cuiyun; Chen, Lv; Yuan, Hong

2016-06-01

Environmental factors have been found to be associated with allergic diseases, but it is unclear which environmental factor during which exposure window causes what kind of allergic diseases. We investigated association between exposure to some predominant outdoor and indoor environmental factors during preconceptional, prenatal, and postnatal periods and allergic diseases/symptoms in 2598 children in China. Children's lifetime incidence of allergic diseases and current prevalence of allergic symptoms and exposure to indoor new furniture/redecoration and mold/dampness was surveyed by a questionnaire. Exposure to outdoor air pollutants was estimated by the concentrations measured at air quality monitoring stations. Multiple logistic regression model was used to evaluate the associations between outdoor air pollutants and indoor environmental factors and allergic diseases (asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema) and symptoms (wheezing, night cough, and rhinitis-like). We found that preconceptional, prenatal, and postnatal exposure to outdoor industrial and traffic air pollutants were significantly associated with increase in the risk of childhood asthma, and also positively associated with allergic rhinitis and eczema. However, we cannot distinguish the effect of outdoor air pollutants and exposure windows because of their high correlations. New furniture was associated with eczema and allergic rhinitis during postnatal exposure, but redecoration associated with asthma and eczema during prenatal exposure. Indoor visible mold/damp stains was significant for eczema during prenatal exposure and asthma during postnatal exposure respectively, but window condensation was significant for all childhood allergic diseases during both prenatal and postnatal exposures. Allergic symptoms in children were found to be associated with exposure to indoor factors only. Associations between outdoor air pollutants and indoor environmental factors and childhood allergic diseases/symptoms were divergent and related to the timing of exposure. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bisphenol Analogues Other Than BPA: Environmental Occurrence, Human Exposure, and Toxicity-A Review.

PubMed

Chen, Da; Kannan, Kurunthachalam; Tan, Hongli; Zheng, Zhengui; Feng, Yong-Lai; Wu, Yan; Widelka, Margaret

2016-06-07

Numerous studies have investigated the environmental occurrence, human exposure, and toxicity of bisphenol A (BPA). Following stringent regulations on the production and usage of BPA, several bisphenol analogues have been produced as a replacement for BPA in various applications. The present review outlines the current state of knowledge on the occurrence of bisphenol analogues (other than BPA) in the environment, consumer products and foodstuffs, human exposure and biomonitoring, and toxicity. Whereas BPA was still the major bisphenol analogue found in most environmental monitoring studies, BPF and BPS were also frequently detected. Elevated concentrations of BPAF, BPF, and BPS (i.e., similar to or greater than that of BPA) have been reported in the abiotic environment and human urine from some regions. Many analogues exhibit endocrine disrupting effects, cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, dioxin-like effects, and neurotoxicity in laboratory studies. BPAF, BPB, BPF, and BPS have been shown to exhibit estrogenic and/or antiandrogenic activities similar to or even greater than that of BPA. Knowledge gaps and research needs have been identified, which include the elucidation of environmental occurrences, persistence, and fate of bisphenol analogues (other than BPA), sources and pathways for human exposure, effects on reproductive systems and the mammary gland, mechanisms of toxicity from coexposure to multiple analogues, metabolic pathways and products, and the impact of metabolic modification on toxicity.

A Pharmacokinetic Study of the Effects of Stress on Chemical Exposure.

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-03-01

CHEMICAL EXPOSURE THESIS Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Engineering and Management of the Air Force Institute of Technology Air...EFFECTS OF STRESS ON CHEMICAL EXPOSURE THESIS Sierra H. Suhajda, B.S. Lieutenant, USAF Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Engineering ...War Syndrome: Dueling studies focus on stress versus environmental exposures as cause of ills," Chemical and Engineering News, 75: 4-5 (13 January

A systematic review of US state environmental legislation and regulation with regards to the prevention of neurodevelopmental disabilities and asthma

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background While much attention is focused on national policies intended to protect human health from environmental hazards, states can also prevent environmentally mediated disease through legislation and regulation. However, relatively few analyses have examined the extent to which states protect children from chemical factors in the environment. Methods Using Lexis Nexis and other secondary sources, we systematically reviewed environmental regulation and legislation in the fifty states and the District of Columbia as of July 2007 intended to protect children against neurodevelopmental disabilities and asthma. Results States rarely address children specifically in environmental regulation and legislation, though many state regulations go far to limit children's exposures to environmental hazards. Northeast and Midwest states have implemented model regulation of mercury emissions, and regulations in five states set exposure limits to volatile organic compound emissions that are more stringent than US Environmental Protection Agency standards. Discussion Differences in state environmental regulation and legislation are likely to lead to differences in exposure, and thus to impacts on children's health. The need for further study should not inhibit other states and the federal government from pursuing the model regulation and legislation we identified to prevent diseases of environmental origin in children. PMID:19323818

A BRIEF TARGETED REVIEW OF SUSCEPTIBILITY FACTORS, ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES, ASHTMA INCIDENCE, AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE ASHTMA INCIDENCE RESEARCH

EPA Science Inventory

Genetics, obesity, age, and lifestyle are major susceptibility factors in the induction of asthma and can interact with environmental exposures either synergistically or antagonistically. Different environmental exposures that increase or decrease the likelihood of developing as...

Data Sources Available for Modeling Environmental Exposures in Older Adults

EPA Science Inventory

This report, “Data Sources Available for Modeling Environmental Exposures in Older Adults,” focuses on information sources and data available for modeling environmental exposures in the older U.S. population, defined here to be people 60 years and older, with an emphasis on those...

COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR APPLICATION OF CFD TO ESTIMATING HUMAN EXPOSURES TO ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS

EPA Science Inventory

Under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), Fluent, Inc. and the US EPA National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) propose to improve the ability of environmental scientists to use computer modeling for environmental exposure to air pollutants in human exp...

Cardiovascular effects of environmental noise exposure

PubMed Central

Münzel, Thomas; Gori, Tommaso; Babisch, Wolfgang; Basner, Mathias

2014-01-01

The role of noise as an environmental pollutant and its impact on health are being increasingly recognized. Beyond its effects on the auditory system, noise causes annoyance and disturbs sleep, and it impairs cognitive performance. Furthermore, evidence from epidemiologic studies demonstrates that environmental noise is associated with an increased incidence of arterial hypertension, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Both observational and experimental studies indicate that in particular night-time noise can cause disruptions of sleep structure, vegetative arousals (e.g. increases of blood pressure and heart rate) and increases in stress hormone levels and oxidative stress, which in turn may result in endothelial dysfunction and arterial hypertension. This review focuses on the cardiovascular consequences of environmental noise exposure and stresses the importance of noise mitigation strategies for public health. PMID:24616334

Ecotoxicology of mercury in fish and wildlife: Recent advances

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scheuhammer, Anton M.; Basu, Niladri; Evers, David C.; Heinz, Gary H.; Sandheinrich, Mark B.; Bank, Michael S.; edited by Bank, Michael S.; Bank, Michael S.

2012-01-01

A number of recent studies have documented subtle, yet potentially important effects of mercury on behavior, neurochemistry, and endocrine function in fish and wildlife at currently realistic levels of environmental exposure. Current levels of environmental methylmercury exposure are sufficient to cause significant biological impairment, both in individuals and in whole populations, in some ecosystems. Future toxicological studies on fish and wildlife will focus on linking biomarkers of methylmercury exposure and associated oxidative stress to effects on reproduction and population change; determining the genetic basis for mercury-related neurotoxic and other biological changes; determining the genetic basis for species differences in sensitivity to methylmercury; and linking toxic effects of methylmercury in individual animals to population-level changes.

Effectiveness of interventions to reduce exposure to lead through consumer products and drinking water: A systematic review.

PubMed

Pfadenhauer, Lisa Maria; Burns, Jacob; Rohwer, Anke; Rehfuess, Eva Annette

2016-05-01

The objective of this systematic review is to assess the effectiveness of regulatory, environmental and educational interventions for reducing blood lead levels (BLLs) and associated health outcomes in children, pregnant women and the general population. Searches were run in MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Global Health Library up until August 2015. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they assessed the impact of regulatory, environmental or educational interventions, stand-alone or in combination, on BLLs among children, pregnant women or the general population through randomized controlled trials (RCT), controlled before-after (CBA), interrupted time series (ITS), uncontrolled before-after (UBA) or repeated cross-sectional studies. Studies assessing the impact of interventions to reduce exposure to lead in paint or household dust as well as studies concerned exclusively with environmental concentrations of lead were not included. As documented in a detailed protocol, screening, data extraction and quality appraisal were largely undertaken according to Cochrane standards. Harvest plots were used to graphically summarize evidence of effectiveness. The searches yielded 6466 unique records, of which five met our eligibility criteria; two additional eligible studies were identified by experts. We did not find any studies regarding the effectiveness of regulatory, educational or environmental interventions targeting exposure to lead in consumer products. Evidence regarding the effectiveness of interventions in reducing BLLs from exposures through drinking water is limited in both quantity and quality. Stand-alone targeted educational interventions showed no statistically significant reductions in children's BLL (two RCT) when compared to general educational interventions. Likewise, instructing women to reduce or eliminate lead-contaminated drinking water showed no effect on BLL (one RCT). Stand-alone environmental interventions appeared more promising in reducing BLL (three UBA). Combining educational and environmental interventions and targeting multiple settings may be effective in reducing BLL, as suggested by one uncontrolled before-after study. No studies examining the effectiveness of regulatory interventions were found. The limited quantity and quality of the evidence measuring BLL and associated health outcomes points to an urgent need for more robust research into the effectiveness of interventions to reduce lead exposure from consumer products and drinking water, especially for regulatory interventions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ATR-FTIR spectroscopy reveals polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination despite relatively pristine site characteristics: Results of a field study in the Niger Delta.

PubMed

Obinaju, Blessing E; Martin, Francis L

2016-01-01

Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is an emerging technique to detect biochemical alterations in biological tissues, particularly changes due to sub-lethal exposures to environmental contaminants. We have previously shown the potential of attenuated total reflection FTIR (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy to detect real-time exposure to contaminants in sentinel organisms as well as the potential to relate spectral alterations to the presence of specific environmental agents. In this study based in the Niger Delta (Nigeria), changes occurring in fish tissues as a result of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure at contaminated sites are compared to the infrared (IR) spectra of the tissues obtained from a relatively pristine site. Multivariate analysis revealed that PAH contamination could be occurring at the pristine site, based on the IR spectra and significant (P<0.0001) differences between sites. The study provides evidence of the IR spectroscopy techniques' sensitivity and supports their potential application in environmental biomonitoring. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Levels of blood lead and urinary cadmium in industrial complex residents in Ulsan.

PubMed

Kim, Sang Hoon; Kim, Yang Ho; An, Hyun Chan; Sung, Joo Hyun; Sim, Chang Sun

2017-01-01

Populations neighboring industrial complexes are at an increased health risk, due to constant exposure to various potentially hazardous compounds released during industrial production activity. Although there are many previous studies that focus on occupational exposure to heavy metals, studies that focused on environmental exposure to lead and cadmium are relatively rare. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the extent of the environmental exposure of heavy metals in residents of industrial area. Four areas in close proximity to the Ulsan petrochemical industrial complex and the Onsan national industrial complex were selected to be included in the exposure group, and an area remotely located from these industrial complexes was selected as the non-exposure group. Among the residents of our study areas, a total of 1573 subjects aged 20 years and older were selected and all study subjects completed a written questionnaire. Blood and urine samples were obtained from about one third of the subjects (465 subjects) who provided informed consent for biological sample collection. Total 429 subjects (320 subjects from exposure area, 109 subjects from non-exposure area) were included in final analysis. The geometric mean blood lead level among the subjects in the exposed group was 2.449 μg/dL, which was significantly higher than the non-exposure group's level of 2.172 μg/dL. Similarly, the geometric mean urine cadmium levels between the two groups differed significantly, at 1.077 μg/g Cr. for the exposed group, and 0.709 μg/g Cr. for the non-exposure group. In a multiple linear regression analysis to determine the relationship between blood lead level and related factors, the results showed that blood lead level had a significant positive correlation with age, the male, exposure area, and non-drinkers. In the same way, urine cadmium level was positively correlated with age, the female, exposure area, and smokers. This study found that blood lead levels and urine cadmium levels were significantly higher among the residents of industrial areas than among the non-exposure area residents, which is thought to be due to the difference in environmental exposure of lead and cadmium. Furthermore, it was clear that at a low level of exposure, differences in blood lead or urine cadmium levels based on age, gender, and smoking status were greater than the differences based on area of residence. Therefore, when evaluating heavy metal levels in the body at a low level of exposure, age, gender, and smoking status must be adjusted, as they are significant confounding factors.

Environmental epigenomics: Current approaches to assess epigenetic effects of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC's) on human health.

PubMed

Tapia-Orozco, Natalia; Santiago-Toledo, Gerardo; Barrón, Valeria; Espinosa-García, Ana María; García-García, José Antonio; García-Arrazola, Roeb

2017-04-01

Environmental Epigenomics is a developing field to study the epigenetic effect on human health from exposure to environmental factors. Endocrine disrupting chemicals have been detected primarily in pharmaceutical drugs, personal care products, food additives, and food containers. Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has been associated with a high incidence and prevalence of many endocrine-related disorders in humans. Nevertheless, further evidence is needed to establish a correlation between exposure to EDC and human disorders. Conventional detection of EDCs is based on chemical structure and concentration sample analysis. However, substantial evidence has emerged, suggesting that cell exposure to EDCs leads to epigenetic changes, independently of its chemical structure with non-monotonic low-dose responses. Consequently, a paradigm shift in toxicology assessment of EDCs is proposed based on a comprehensive review of analytical techniques used to evaluate the epigenetic effects. Fundamental insights reported elsewhere are compared in order to establish DNA methylation analysis as a viable method for assessing endocrine disruptors beyond the conventional study approach of chemical structure and concentration analysis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical Risk Assessment: Traditional vs Public Health Perspectives

PubMed Central

Axelrad, Daniel A.; Bahadori, Tina; Bussard, David; Cascio, Wayne E.; Deener, Kacee; Dix, David; Thomas, Russell S.; Kavlock, Robert J.; Burke, Thomas A.

2017-01-01

Preventing adverse health effects of environmental chemical exposure is fundamental to protecting individual and public health. When done efficiently and properly, chemical risk assessment enables risk management actions that minimize the incidence and effects of environmentally induced diseases related to chemical exposure. However, traditional chemical risk assessment is faced with multiple challenges with respect to predicting and preventing disease in human populations, and epidemiological studies increasingly report observations of adverse health effects at exposure levels predicted from animal studies to be safe for humans. This discordance reinforces concerns about the adequacy of contemporary risk assessment practices for protecting public health. It is becoming clear that to protect public health more effectively, future risk assessments will need to use the full range of available data, draw on innovative methods to integrate diverse data streams, and consider health endpoints that also reflect the range of subtle effects and morbidities observed in human populations. Considering these factors, there is a need to reframe chemical risk assessment to be more clearly aligned with the public health goal of minimizing environmental exposures associated with disease. PMID:28520487

Evaluation of a rule-based method for epidemiological document classification towards the automation of systematic reviews.

PubMed

Karystianis, George; Thayer, Kristina; Wolfe, Mary; Tsafnat, Guy

2017-06-01

Most data extraction efforts in epidemiology are focused on obtaining targeted information from clinical trials. In contrast, limited research has been conducted on the identification of information from observational studies, a major source for human evidence in many fields, including environmental health. The recognition of key epidemiological information (e.g., exposures) through text mining techniques can assist in the automation of systematic reviews and other evidence summaries. We designed and applied a knowledge-driven, rule-based approach to identify targeted information (study design, participant population, exposure, outcome, confounding factors, and the country where the study was conducted) from abstracts of epidemiological studies included in several systematic reviews of environmental health exposures. The rules were based on common syntactical patterns observed in text and are thus not specific to any systematic review. To validate the general applicability of our approach, we compared the data extracted using our approach versus hand curation for 35 epidemiological study abstracts manually selected for inclusion in two systematic reviews. The returned F-score, precision, and recall ranged from 70% to 98%, 81% to 100%, and 54% to 97%, respectively. The highest precision was observed for exposure, outcome and population (100%) while recall was best for exposure and study design with 97% and 89%, respectively. The lowest recall was observed for the population (54%), which also had the lowest F-score (70%). The generated performance of our text-mining approach demonstrated encouraging results for the identification of targeted information from observational epidemiological study abstracts related to environmental exposures. We have demonstrated that rules based on generic syntactic patterns in one corpus can be applied to other observational study design by simple interchanging the dictionaries aiming to identify certain characteristics (i.e., outcomes, exposures). At the document level, the recognised information can assist in the selection and categorization of studies included in a systematic review. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measuring environmental attitudes of elementary school students

Treesearch

John C. Benjamin; George H. Moeller; Douglas A. Morrison

1977-01-01

A modified semantic differential was developed to measure environmental attitudes of sixth-graders. Classes were selected to represent different socioeconomic and residence backgrounds and degrees of previous exposure to structured environmental programs. Results indicate that: exposure to environmental education fosters favorable environmental attitudes; socioeconomic...

Environmental chemical exposures and human epigenetics

PubMed Central

Hou, Lifang; Zhang, Xiao; Wang, Dong; Baccarelli, Andrea

2012-01-01

Every year more than 13 million deaths worldwide are due to environmental pollutants, and approximately 24% of diseases are caused by environmental exposures that might be averted through preventive measures. Rapidly growing evidence has linked environmental pollutants with epigenetic variations, including changes in DNA methylation, histone modifications and microRNAs. Environ mental chemicals and epigenetic changes All of these mechanisms are likely to play important roles in disease aetiology, and their modifications due to environmental pollutants might provide further understanding of disease aetiology, as well as biomarkers reflecting exposures to environmental pollutants and/or predicting the risk of future disease. We summarize the findings on epigenetic alterations related to environmental chemical exposures, and propose mechanisms of action by means of which the exposures may cause such epigenetic changes. We discuss opportunities, challenges and future directions for future epidemiology research in environmental epigenomics. Future investigations are needed to solve methodological and practical challenges, including uncertainties about stability over time of epigenomic changes induced by the environment, tissue specificity of epigenetic alterations, validation of laboratory methods, and adaptation of bioinformatic and biostatistical methods to high-throughput epigenomics. In addition, there are numerous reports of epigenetic modifications arising following exposure to environmental toxicants, but most have not been directly linked to disease endpoints. To complete our discussion, we also briefly summarize the diseases that have been linked to environmental chemicals-related epigenetic changes. PMID:22253299

Environmental Exposure and Risk of Childhood Leukemia: An Overview.

PubMed

Schüz, Joachim; Erdmann, Friederike

2016-11-01

Childhood leukemia is the most common cancer diagnosed in children worldwide. However, only a few causes have been established so far, mainly some genetic syndromes and high doses of ionizing radiation. Major efforts have been undertaken to study the relationship between environmental factors and the risk of childhood leukemia, inspired by geographical variation in incidence rates. Some evidence has emerged for parental occupational exposures to pesticides, whereas there is less evidence for an association with postnatal pesticide exposure. Diagnostic radiation and radon exposure have been suggested but there remains a lack of convincing studies. Extremely low-frequency magnetic fields consistently showed a small increase in risk in numerous studies, but bias and confounding cannot be ruled out as possible explanations. From among factors other than environmental and radiation-related, the most promising candidate is abnormal patterns to common infections, but which children are most at risk and the pathways are not fully understood. In conclusion, although childhood leukemia shows some distinct incidence patterns by sex, age, and geography suggesting a role of the environment in its etiology, no major environmental risk factors including radiation have been established as major contributors to the global childhood leukemia burden. Due to the young age at diagnosis and evidence of chromosomal damage before birth in many of the affected children, parental exposures remain of high interest. Although cure rates of childhood leukemia are high in economically developed countries, because of the adverse late effects of the disease and its treatment, identification of modifiable risk factors for implementing primary prevention remains the ultimate goal. Copyright © 2016 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Childhood trauma- and cannabis-associated microstructural white matter changes in patients with psychotic disorder: a longitudinal family-based diffusion imaging study.

PubMed

Domen, Patrick; Michielse, Stijn; Peeters, Sanne; Viechtbauer, Wolfgang; van Os, Jim; Marcelis, Machteld

2018-05-29

Decreased white matter (WM) integrity in patients with psychotic disorder has been a consistent finding in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies. However, the contribution of environmental risk factors to these WM alterations is rarely investigated. The current study examines whether individuals with (increased risk for) psychotic disorder will show increased WM integrity change over time with increasing levels of childhood trauma and cannabis exposure. DTI scans were obtained from 85 patients with a psychotic disorder, 93 non-psychotic siblings and 80 healthy controls, of which 60% were rescanned 3 years later. In a whole-brain voxel-based analysis, associations between change in fractional anisotropy (ΔFA) and environmental exposures as well as interactions between group and environmental exposure in the model of FA and ΔFA were investigated. Analyses were adjusted for a priori hypothesized confounding variables: age, sex, and level of education. At baseline, no significant associations were found between FA and both environmental risk factors. At follow-up as well as over a 3-year interval, significant interactions between group and, respectively, cannabis exposure and childhood trauma exposure in the model of FA and ΔFA were found. Patients showed more FA decrease over time compared with both controls and siblings when exposed to higher levels of cannabis or childhood trauma. Higher levels of cannabis or childhood trauma may compromise connectivity over the course of the illness in patients, but not in individuals at low or higher than average genetic risk for psychotic disorder, suggesting interactions between the environment and illness-related factors.

Strengthening Community Capacity to Participate in Making Decisions to Reduce Disproportionate Environmental Exposures

PubMed Central

Pastor, Manuel; Israel, Barbara

2011-01-01

Environmental exposures impose a disproportionate health burden on low-income populations and communities of color. One contributing factor may be the obstacles such communities face to full participation in making policy decisions about environmental health. This study described and analyzed the characteristics that contributed to communities' capacity to participate in making environmental decisions and suggested steps public agencies could take to achieve more meaningful participation. By strengthening community capacity, advancing authentic participation, and building democratic power, it might be possible to alter current patterns of health inequities. Strengthening participation by working with communities to develop the capacities needed to be effective in such processes is a key role for local, state, and national environmental agencies. PMID:22021323

Evaluation of an Intensive Intervention Programme to Protect Children Aged 1-5 Years from Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure at Home in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yücel, U.; Öcek, Z. A.; Çiçeklioglu, M.

2014-01-01

The aim of this randomized-controlled trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of an intensive intervention to reduce children's environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure at their home compared with a minimal intervention. The target population of the study was the mothers of children aged 1-5 who lived in the Cengizhan district of Izmir in…

One Health and the Environment: Toxic Cyanobacteria A Case Study

EPA Science Inventory

The study of environmental health typically focuses on human populations. However, companion animals, livestock and wildlife also experience adverse health effects from environmental pollutants. Animals may experience direct exposure to pollutants unlike people in most ambient ex...

IMPROVING ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DISPARITIES: A FUNDAMENTAL CAUSE APPROACH

EPA Science Inventory

Specific aims of the study are to examine the interactions between exposure to environmental hazards, racial residential segregation and access to care; and the direct and indirect effects of such environmental factors on incidence and delay in diagnosis of breast, cervical...

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER DISASTER

EPA Science Inventory

The attack on the World Trade Center (WTC) created an acute environmental disaster of enormous magnitude. This study characterizes the environmental exposures resulting from destruction of the WTC and assesses their effects on health. Methods include ambient air sampling; analyse...

ENVIRONMENTAL RISK AND IMPACT IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES

EPA Science Inventory

Research has shown that communities of color and economically/educationally disadvantaged communities are at a greater risk of impact from environmental hazards. In many past studies in environmental justice (EJ) communities, scientists have used surrogate measures of exposure b...

Morphological changes in textile fibres exposed to environmental stresses: atomic force microscopic examination.

PubMed

Canetta, Elisabetta; Montiel, Kimberley; Adya, Ashok K

2009-10-30

The ability of the atomic force microscope (AFM) to investigate the nanoscopic morphological changes in the surfaces of fabrics was examined for the first time. This study focussed on two natural (cotton and wool), and a regenerated cellulose (viscose) textile fibres exposed to various environmental stresses for different lengths of times. Analyses of the AFM images allowed us to measure quantitatively the surface texture parameters of the environmentally stressed fabrics as a function of the exposure time. It was also possible to visualise at the nanoscale the finest details of the surfaces of three weathered fabrics and clearly distinguish between the detrimental effects of the imposed environmental conditions. This study confirmed that the AFM could become a very powerful tool in forensic examination of textile fibres to provide significant fibre evidence due to its capability of distinguishing between different environmental exposures or forced damages to fibres.

Biomarker as a Research Tool in Linking Exposure to Air Particles and Respiratory Health

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Some of the environmental toxicants from air pollution include particulate matter (PM10), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and ultrafine particles (UFP). Both short- and long-term exposure could result in various degrees of respiratory health outcomes among exposed persons, which rely on the individuals' health status. Methods. In this paper, we highlight a review of the studies that have used biomarkers to understand the association between air particles exposure and the development of respiratory problems resulting from the damage in the respiratory system. Data from previous epidemiological studies relevant to the application of biomarkers in respiratory system damage reported from exposure to air particles are also summarized. Results. Based on these analyses, the findings agree with the hypothesis that biomarkers are relevant in linking harmful air particles concentrations to increased respiratory health effects. Biomarkers are used in epidemiological studies to provide an understanding of the mechanisms that follow airborne particles exposure in the airway. However, application of biomarkers in epidemiological studies of health effects caused by air particles in both environmental and occupational health is inchoate. Conclusion. Biomarkers unravel the complexity of the connection between exposure to air particles and respiratory health. PMID:25984536

ADVANCES IN DIETARY EXPOSURE RESEARCH AT THE UNITED STATES

EPA Science Inventory

The United States Environmental Protection Agency-National Exposure Research Laboratory's (USEPA-NERL)dietary exposure research program investigates the role of diet, including drinking water, as a potential pathway of human exposure to environmental contaminants. A primary progr...

AN OVERVIEW OF HUMAN EXPOSURE MODELING ACTIVITIES AT THE U.S. EPA'S NATIONAL EXPOSURE RESEARCH LABORATORY

EPA Science Inventory

The computational modeling of human exposure to environmental pollutants is one of the primary activities of the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)'s National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL). Assessment of human exposures is a critical part of the overall risk assessm...

PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN FROM HARM: MEASURING ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS TO CHILDREN REQUIRES UNDERSTANDING THEIR UNIQUE MEANS OF EXPOSURE

EPA Science Inventory

Children's exposures to consumer products and environmental contaminants are expected to be different and, in some cases, much higher than adult's exposures. The objectives of our children's exposure research at the National Exposure Research Laboratory are to make use of exis...

Environmental Influences on Reproductive Health, the Importance of Chemical Exposures

PubMed Central

Wang, Aolin; Padula, Amy; Sirota, Marina; Woodruff, Tracey J.

2016-01-01

Unstructured Abstract Chemical exposures during pregnancy can have a profound and life-long impact on human health. Due to the omnipresence of chemicals in our daily life, there is continuous contact with chemicals in food, water, air and consumer products. Consequently, human biomonitoring studies show that pregnant women around the globe are exposed to a variety of chemicals. In this review, we provide a summary of current data on maternal and fetal exposure as well as health consequences from these exposures. We review several chemical classes including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), phenols, phthalates, pesticides, and metals. Additionally, we discuss environmental disparities and vulnerable populations, and future research directions. We conclude by providing some recommendations for prevention of chemical exposure and its adverse reproductive health consequences. PMID:27513554

Advancing the science of environmental exposures during pregnancy and the gene-environment through the National Children's Study.

PubMed

Pak, Victoria; Souders, Margaret C

2012-01-01

In this article we provide nurses with information on the importance of studying environmental exposures during fetal, infant, and childhood development in the National Children's Study. Nurses should be aware of this study to aid in mitigating the complex health problems that arise from environment-health interactions. Nurses may help to educate the public, patients, and caregivers and are in an ideal position to be strong advocates for policy change and regulatory monitoring and enforcement. © 2012 AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

A risk assessment framework for assessing metallic nanomaterials of environmental concern: aquatic exposure and behavior.

PubMed

O'Brien, Niall Joseph; Cummins, Enda J

2011-05-01

Nanomaterials are finding application in many different environmentally relevant products and processes due to enhanced catalytic, antimicrobial, and oxidative properties of materials at this scale. As the market share of nano-functionalized products increases, so too does the potential for environmental exposure and contamination. This study presents some exposure ranking methods that consider potential metallic nanomaterial surface water exposure and fate, due to nano-functionalized products, through a number of exposure pathways. These methods take into account the limited and disparate data currently available for metallic nanomaterials and apply variability and uncertainty principles, together with qualitative risk assessment principles, to develop a scientific ranking. Three exposure scenarios with three different nanomaterials were considered to demonstrate these assessment methods: photo-catalytic exterior paint (nano-scale TiO₂), antimicrobial food packaging (nano-scale Ag), and particulate-reducing diesel fuel additives (nano-scale CeO₂). Data and hypotheses from literature relating to metallic nanomaterial aquatic behavior (including the behavior of materials that may relate to nanomaterials in aquatic environments, e.g., metals, pesticides, surfactants) were used together with commercial nanomaterial characteristics and Irish natural aquatic environment characteristics to rank the potential concentrations, transport, and persistence behaviors within subjective categories. These methods, and the applied scenarios, reveal where data critical to estimating exposure and risk are lacking. As research into the behavior of metallic nanomaterials in different environments emerges, the influence of material and environmental characteristics on nanomaterial behavior within these exposure- and risk-ranking methods may be redefined on a quantitative basis. © 2010 Society for Risk Analysis.

Understanding Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Effects in Asthmatic Children through Determination of Urinary Cotinine and Targeted Metabolomics of Plasma

EPA Science Inventory

Understanding Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure and Effects in Asthmatic Children through Determination of Urinary Cotinine and Targeted Metabolomics of Plasma Introduction Asthma is a complex disease with multiple triggers and causal factors, Exposure to environmental tob...

The cumulative MeHg and PCBs exposure and risk of tribal ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Studies have shown that the U.S. population continues to be exposed to methyl mercury (MeHg) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) due to the long half-life of those environmental contaminants. Fish intake of Tribal populations is much higher than the U.S. general population due to dietary habits and unique cultural practices. Large fish tissue concentration data sets from the Environmental Protections Agency’s (EPA’s) Office of Water, USGS’s EMMMA program, and other data sources, were integrated, analyzed, and combined with recent tribal fish intake data for exposure analyses using the dietary module within EPA’s SHEDS-Multimedia model. SHEDS-Multimedia is a physically-based, probabilistic model, which can simulate cumulative (multiple chemicals) or aggregate (single chemical) exposures over time for a population via various pathways of exposure for a variety of multimedia, multipathway environmental chemicals. Our results show that MeHg and total PCBs exposure of tribal populations from fish are about 3 to 10 and 5 to 15 times higher than the US general population, respectively, and that the estimated exposures pose potential health risks. The cumulative exposures of MeHg and total PCBs will be assessed to generate the joint exposure profiles for Tribal and US general populations. Model sensitivity analyses will identify the important contributions of the cumulative exposures of MeHg and total PCBs such as fish types, locations, and size, and key expos

Ethics in studies on children and environmental health.

PubMed

Merlo, D F; Knudsen, L E; Matusiewicz, K; Niebrój, L; Vähäkangas, K H

2007-07-01

Children, because of age-related reasons, are a vulnerable population, and protecting their health is a social, scientific and emotional priority. The increased susceptibility of children and fetuses to environmental (including genotoxic) agents has been widely discussed by the scientific community. Children may experience different levels of chemical exposure than adults, and their sensitivity to chemical toxicities may be increased or decreased in comparison with adults. Such considerations also apply to unborn (fetal exposure) and newborn (neonatal exposure) children. Therefore, research on children is necessary in both clinical and environmental fields, to provide age-specific relevant data regarding the efficacy and safety of medical treatments, and regarding the assessment of risk from unintended environmental exposure. In this context, the stakeholders are many, including children and their parents, physicians and public health researchers, and the society as a whole, with its ethical, regulatory, administrative and political components. The important ethical issues are information of participants and consent to participate. Follow-up and protection of data (samples and information derived from samples) should be discussed in the context of biobanks, where children obtain individual rights when they become adults. It is important to realise that there are highly variable practices within European countries, which may have, in the past, led to differences in practical aspects of research in children. A number of recommendations are provided for research with children and environmental health. Environmental research with children should be scientifically justified, with sound research questions and valid study protocols of sufficient statistical power, ensuring the autonomy of the child and his/her family at the time of the study and later in life, if data and samples are used for follow-up studies. When children are enrolled, we recommend a consent dyad, including (1) parental (or legal guardian) informed consent and (2) the child's assent and/or informed consent from older minors. For evaluation of the studies including children, a paediatrician should always be involved in the research ethics committee.

Ethics in studies on children and environmental health

PubMed Central

Merlo, D F; Knudsen, L E; Matusiewicz, K; Niebrój, L; Vähäkangas, K H

2007-01-01

Children, because of age‐related reasons, are a vulnerable population, and protecting their health is a social, scientific and emotional priority. The increased susceptibility of children and fetuses to environmental (including genotoxic) agents has been widely discussed by the scientific community. Children may experience different levels of chemical exposure than adults, and their sensitivity to chemical toxicities may be increased or decreased in comparison with adults. Such considerations also apply to unborn (fetal exposure) and newborn (neonatal exposure) children. Therefore, research on children is necessary in both clinical and environmental fields, to provide age‐specific relevant data regarding the efficacy and safety of medical treatments, and regarding the assessment of risk from unintended environmental exposure. In this context, the stakeholders are many, including children and their parents, physicians and public health researchers, and the society as a whole, with its ethical, regulatory, administrative and political components. The important ethical issues are information of participants and consent to participate. Follow‐up and protection of data (samples and information derived from samples) should be discussed in the context of biobanks, where children obtain individual rights when they become adults. It is important to realise that there are highly variable practices within European countries, which may have, in the past, led to differences in practical aspects of research in children. A number of recommendations are provided for research with children and environmental health. Environmental research with children should be scientifically justified, with sound research questions and valid study protocols of sufficient statistical power, ensuring the autonomy of the child and his/her family at the time of the study and later in life, if data and samples are used for follow‐up studies. When children are enrolled, we recommend a consent dyad, including (1) parental (or legal guardian) informed consent and (2) the child's assent and/or informed consent from older minors. For evaluation of the studies including children, a paediatrician should always be involved in the research ethics committee. PMID:17601869

Maternal exposure to environmental DEHP exacerbated OVA-induced asthmatic responses in rat offspring.

PubMed

Wang, Bohan; Liu, Fangwei; Dong, Jing; You, Mingdan; Fu, Yuanyuan; Li, Chao; Lu, Yiping; Chen, Jie

2018-02-15

Di (ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a commonly used phthalates (PAEs) compound as plasticizer and becomes a severe environmental pollutant worldwide. Studies show that DEHP, as an environmental endocrine disruptor, has potential adverse effects on human. Epidemiologic studies indicate that DEHP is positively correlated to allergic diseases. Maternal exposure to DEHP may contribute to the increasing incidence of allergic diseases in offspring. However, the role of DEHP and its detailed mechanism in allergic disease of the offspring are still unclear. The aim of our study is to investigate whether DEHP maternal exposure could aggravate the allergic responses in offspring and its mechanism. Pregnant Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups and exposed to different doses of DEHP. Half of the offspring were challenged with OVA after birth. All the pups of each group were sacrificed at postnatal day (PND)14, PND21 and PND28. The number of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage was counted, lung pathological changes were observed, Th2 type cytokines expressions were checked, and the expression of TSLP signaling pathway were examined. Our results showed that maternal exposure to DEHP during pregnancy and lactation aggravated the eosinophils accumulation and the pathological inflammatory changes in pups' lung after OVA challenge. And maternal exposure to DEHP during pregnancy and lactation also elevated the levels of typical Th2 cytokines in OVA-challenged rats. What's more, maternal exposure to DEHP during pregnancy and lactation increased the levels of TSLP, TSLPR and IL-7R in the offspring after OVA challenge. Our study suggested that DEHP maternal exposure could aggravate the OVA-induced asthmatic responses in offspring. And this adjuvant effect of DEHP was related with the TSLP/TSLPR/IL-7R and its downstream signal pathways. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Gestational and Lactational Exposure to an Environmentally-Relevant Mixture of Brominated Flame Retardants: Effects on Neurodevelopment and Metabolism.

PubMed

Tung, Emily W Y; Kawata, Alice; Rigden, Marc; Bowers, Wayne J; Caldwell, Don; Holloway, Alison C; Robaire, Bernard; Hales, Barbara F; Wade, Michael G

2017-04-17

Developmental exposure to brominated flame retardants (BFRs), including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCDD), has been associated with impaired neurodevelopment and some symptoms of metabolic syndrome. However, there are inconsistencies in studies reporting neurodevelopmental effects with studies of pure substances more likely to report effects than studies of technical products. In addition, the influence of early BFR exposures on later development of metabolic disease-like symptoms has not been investigated. This study examined the effects of perinatal exposure to an environmentally relevant mixture of BFRs based on relative levels observed in house dust, on several markers of neurodevelopment and metabolism in offspring. Sprague-Dawley female rats were fed a diet estimated to deliver daily doses of 0, 0.06, 20, or 60 mg/kg of a mixture of PBDEs and HBCDD from before mating to weaning. Offspring were weaned to control diet and subjected to neurobehavioral and metabolic assessments. Exposure to BFRs decreased vertical movement in at postnatal day (PND) 32 and increased time to emerge to a lighted area on PND 105 in offspring of both sexes. Although early life exposure to the BFR mixture did not impact measures of glucose or insulin action, male offspring had significantly decreased fat pad weights at PND 46. Total cholesterol was increased in male and female offspring exposed to the highest dose at PND 21. These results suggest that gestational and lactational exposure to an environmentally relevant BFR mixture may induce changes in neurodevelopment and lipid metabolism in offspring. Birth Defects Research 109:497-512, 2017.© 2017 The Authors Birth Defects Research Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 The Authors Birth Defects Research Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Does low to moderate environmental exposure to noise and air pollution influence preterm delivery in medium-sized cities?

PubMed

Barba-Vasseur, Marie; Bernard, Nadine; Pujol, Sophie; Sagot, Paul; Riethmuller, Didier; Thiriez, Gérard; Houot, Hélène; Defrance, Jérôme; Mariet, Anne-Sophie; Luu, Vinh-Phuc; Barbier, Alice; Benzenine, Eric; Quantin, Catherine; Mauny, Frédéric

2017-12-01

Preterm birth (PB) is an important predictor of childhood morbidity and educational performance. Beyond the known risk factors, environmental factors, such as air pollution and noise, have been implicated in PB. In urban areas, these pollutants coexist. Very few studies have examined the effects of multi-exposure on the pregnancy duration. The objective of this study was to analyse the relationship between PB and environmental chronic multi-exposure to noise and air pollution in medium-sized cities. A case-control study was conducted among women living in the city of Besançon (121 671 inhabitants) or in the urban unit of Dijon (243 936 inhabitants) and who delivered in a university hospital between 2005 and 2009. Only singleton pregnancies without associated pathologies were considered. Four controls were matched to each case in terms of the mother's age and delivery location. Residential noise and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposures were calculated at the mother's address. Conditional logistic regression models were applied, and sensitivity analyses were performed. This study included 302 cases and 1204 controls. The correlation between noise and NO2 indices ranged from 0.41 to 0.59. No significant differences were found in pollutant exposure levels between cases and controls. The adjusted odds ratios ranged between 0.96 and 1.08. Sensitivity analysis conducted using different temporal and spatial exposure windows demonstrated the same results. The results are in favour of a lack of connection between preterm delivery and multi-exposure to noise and air pollution in medium-sized cities for pregnant women without underlying disease. © The Author 2017; all rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association

Scientific and Ethical Approaches for Observational Exposure Studies

EPA Science Inventory

Researchers conduct observational human exposure studies to understand how and the extent to which people come into contact with chemicals and environmental stressors in their everyday lives, through the air they breathe, the food and liquids they consume, and the things they tou...

EVALUATION OF EXPOSURE MEASUREMENT METHODS AND APPROACHES FOR THE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

Several hypotheses have been proposed for the National Children's Study to examine the role of environmental exposures to chemical pollutants in health outcomes including asthma and impaired neurobehaviorial or neurocognitive function. To address these hypotheses, it will be nec...

Episodic ozone exposure in adult and Senescent Brown Norway rats: Acute and delayed cardiovascular and thermoregulatory responses

EPA Science Inventory

Setting exposure standards for environmental pollutants may consider the aged as a susceptible population but the few published studies assessing susceptibility of the aged to air pollutants are inconsistent. Episodic ozone (O(3)) is more reflective of potential exposures occurri...

Developmental Exposure to Mild Variable Stress: Adult Offspring Performance in Trace Fear Conditioning after Prenatal and Postnatal Stress

EPA Science Inventory

In utero exposure to mild variable stress has been reported to influence learning and memory formation in offspring. Our research aims to examine whether nonchemical environmental stressors will exacerbate effects to chemical exposure. This study utilized a varying stress parad...

Combining Regional- and Local-Scale Air Quality Models with Exposure Models for Use in Environmental Health Studies

EPA Science Inventory

Population-based human exposure models predict the distribution of personal exposures to pollutants of outdoor origin using a variety of inputs, including: air pollution concentrations; human activity patterns, such as the amount of time spent outdoors vs. indoors, commuting, wal...

Integrating genetic and toxicogenomic information for determining underlying susceptibility to developmental disorders.

PubMed

Robinson, Joshua F; Port, Jesse A; Yu, Xiaozhong; Faustman, Elaine M

2010-10-01

To understand the complex etiology of developmental disorders, an understanding of both genetic and environmental risk factors is needed. Human and rodent genetic studies have identified a multitude of gene candidates for specific developmental disorders such as neural tube defects (NTDs). With the emergence of toxicogenomic-based assessments, scientists now also have the ability to compare and understand the expression of thousands of genes simultaneously across strain, time, and exposure in developmental models. Using a systems-based approach in which we are able to evaluate information from various parts and levels of the developing organism, we propose a framework for integrating genetic information with toxicogenomic-based studies to better understand gene-environmental interactions critical for developmental disorders. This approach has allowed us to characterize candidate genes in the context of variables critical for determining susceptibility such as strain, time, and exposure. Using a combination of toxicogenomic studies and complementary bioinformatic tools, we characterize NTD candidate genes during normal development by function (gene ontology), linked phenotype (disease outcome), location, and expression (temporally and strain-dependent). In addition, we show how environmental exposures (cadmium, methylmercury) can influence expression of these genes in a strain-dependent manner. Using NTDs as an example of developmental disorder, we show how simple integration of genetic information from previous studies into the standard microarray design can enhance analysis of gene-environment interactions to better define environmental exposure-disease pathways in sensitive and resistant mouse strains. © Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Parental smoking and adolescent problem behavior: an adoption study of general and specific effects.

PubMed

Keyes, Margaret; Legrand, Lisa N; Iacono, William G; McGue, Matt

2008-10-01

It is essential to understand the effect of parental smoking on offspring tobacco use. In biologically related families, parents who smoke may transmit a nonspecific genetic risk for offspring disinhibited behavior, including tobacco use. Studying adoptive families allows one to control for genetic confounding when examining the environmental effect of exposure to parental smoking. The purpose of this study was to examine the genetic and environmental contributions to the risk represented by exposure to parental smoking and to assess the specificity of that risk. Adolescents adopted in infancy were systematically ascertained from records of three private Minnesota adoption agencies; nonadopted adolescents were ascertained from Minnesota birth records. Adolescents and their rearing parents participated in all assessments in person. The main outcome measures were self-reports of behavioral deviance, substance use, and personality, as well as DSM-IV clinical assessments of childhood disruptive disorders. The data from adoptive families suggest that exposure to parental smoking represents an environmental risk for substance use in adolescent offspring. In biologically related families, the effect of exposure to parental smoking is larger and more diverse, including substance use, disruptive behavior disorders, delinquency, deviant peer affiliations, aggressive attitudes, and preference for risk taking. This study provides evidence for an environmentally mediated pathway by which parental smoking increases risk specifically for substance use in adolescent offspring. The data are also consistent with a genetically mediated pathway by which nonadoptive parents who smoke may also transmit a nonspecific genetic risk to their offspring for disinhibited behavior.

The effectiveness of breath carbon monoxide analyzer in screening for environmental tobacco smoke exposure in Saudi pregnant women.

PubMed

Alzeidan, Rasmieh Ayed; Mandil, Ahmed Amin; Fayed, Amel Ahmed; Wahabi, Hayfaa Abdulmajeed

2013-10-01

Exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) has harmful effects on the pregnancy outcomes similar to those observed in actively smoking pregnant women. The aim of this study was to estimate the sensitivity and specificity of the breath carbon monoxide (BCO) analysis in the assessment of smoking status among Saudi pregnant women, including ETS exposure compared to self-reported tobacco smoke exposure. A cross-sectional design was used during January 2012, 560 pregnant women, irrespective of their gestational age, agreed to undergo BCO testing and completed the data collection sheet for the study. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were calculated to compare the BCO test with self-reported exposure to ETS. Of the study population 151 (27%) women self-reported ETS exposure during the index pregnancy, 409 (73%) self-reported non-exposure. Sensitivity of the test was 32.5% (95% CI; 25.2-40.3%), the Specificity was much higher at 69.2% (95% CI; 64.4-73.5%), the positive predictive value was 28% (95% CI, 21.9-35.1%), and the negative predictive value was 73.5% (95% CI; 68.9-77.7%). The BCO test is an ineffective tool to detect the level of ETS exposure among Saudi pregnant women.

In utero exposure to low doses of environmental pollutants disrupts fetal ovarian development in sheep

PubMed Central

Fowler, Paul A.; Dorà, Natalie J.; McFerran, Helen; Amezaga, Maria R.; Miller, David W.; Lea, Richard G.; Cash, Phillip; McNeilly, Alan S.; Evans, Neil P.; Cotinot, Corinne; Sharpe, Richard M.; Rhind, Stewart M.

2008-01-01

Epidemiological studies of the impact of environmental chemicals on reproductive health demonstrate consequences of exposure but establishing causative links requires animal models using ‘real life’ in utero exposures. We aimed to determine whether prolonged, low-dose, exposure of pregnant sheep to a mixture of environmental chemicals affects fetal ovarian development. Exposure of treated ewes (n = 7) to pollutants was maximized by surface application of processed sewage sludge to pasture. Control ewes (n = 10) were reared on pasture treated with inorganic fertilizer. Ovaries and blood were collected from fetuses (n = 15 control and n = 8 treated) on Day 110 of gestation for investigation of fetal endocrinology, ovarian follicle/oocyte numbers and ovarian proteome. Treated fetuses were 14% lighter than controls but fetal ovary weights were unchanged. Prolactin (48% lower) was the only measured hormone significantly affected by treatment. Treatment reduced numbers of growth differentiation factor (GDF9) and induced myeloid leukaemia cell differentiation protein (MCL1) positive oocytes by 25–26% and increased pro-apoptotic BAX by 65% and 42% of protein spots in the treated ovarian proteome were differently expressed compared with controls. Nineteen spots were identified and included proteins involved in gene expression/transcription, protein synthesis, phosphorylation and receptor activity. Fetal exposure to environmental chemicals, via the mother, significantly perturbs fetal ovarian development. If such effects are replicated in humans, premature menopause could be an outcome. PMID:18436539

A Drosophila model for toxicogenomics: Genetic variation in susceptibility to heavy metal exposure

PubMed Central

Luoma, Sarah E.; St. Armour, Genevieve E.; Thakkar, Esha

2017-01-01

The genetic factors that give rise to variation in susceptibility to environmental toxins remain largely unexplored. Studies on genetic variation in susceptibility to environmental toxins are challenging in human populations, due to the variety of clinical symptoms and difficulty in determining which symptoms causally result from toxic exposure; uncontrolled environments, often with exposure to multiple toxicants; and difficulty in relating phenotypic effect size to toxic dose, especially when symptoms become manifest with a substantial time lag. Drosophila melanogaster is a powerful model that enables genome-wide studies for the identification of allelic variants that contribute to variation in susceptibility to environmental toxins, since the genetic background, environmental rearing conditions and toxic exposure can be precisely controlled. Here, we used extreme QTL mapping in an outbred population derived from the D. melanogaster Genetic Reference Panel to identify alleles associated with resistance to lead and/or cadmium, two ubiquitous environmental toxins that present serious health risks. We identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with variation in resistance to both heavy metals as well as SNPs associated with resistance specific to each of them. The effects of these SNPs were largely sex-specific. We applied mutational and RNAi analyses to 33 candidate genes and functionally validated 28 of them. We constructed networks of candidate genes as blueprints for orthologous networks of human genes. The latter not only provided functional contexts for known human targets of heavy metal toxicity, but also implicated novel candidate susceptibility genes. These studies validate Drosophila as a translational toxicogenomics gene discovery system. PMID:28732062

Arsenic Exposure and Hypertension: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Abhyankar, Lalita N.; Jones, Miranda R.; Guallar, Eliseo

2011-01-01

Background: Environmental exposure to arsenic has been linked to hypertension in persons living in arsenic-endemic areas. Objective: We summarized published epidemiologic studies concerning arsenic exposure and hypertension or blood pressure (BP) measurements to evaluate the potential relationship. Data sources and extraction: We searched PubMed, Embase, and TOXLINE and applied predetermined exclusion criteria. We identified 11 cross-sectional studies from which we abstracted or derived measures of association and calculated pooled odds ratios (ORs) using inverse-variance weighted random-effects models. Data synthesis: The pooled OR for hypertension comparing the highest and lowest arsenic exposure categories was 1.27 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09, 1.47; p-value for heterogeneity = 0.001; I2 = 70.2%]. In populations with moderate to high arsenic concentrations in drinking water, the pooled OR was 1.15 (95% CI: 0.96, 1.37; p-value for heterogeneity = 0.002; I2 = 76.6%) and 2.57 (95% CI: 1.56, 4.24; p-value for heterogeneity = 0.13; I2 = 46.6%) before and after excluding an influential study, respectively. The corresponding pooled OR in populations with low arsenic concentrations in drinking water was 1.56 (95% CI: 1.21, 2.01; p-value for heterogeneity = 0.27; I2 = 24.6%). A dose–response assessment including six studies with available data showed an increasing trend in the odds of hypertension with increasing arsenic exposure. Few studies have evaluated changes in systolic and diastolic BP (SBP and DBP, respectively) measurements by arsenic exposure levels, and those studies reported inconclusive findings. Conclusion: In this systematic review we identified an association between arsenic and the prevalence of hypertension. Interpreting a causal effect of environmental arsenic on hypertension is limited by the small number of studies, the presence of influential studies, and the absence of prospective evidence. Additional evidence is needed to evaluate the dose–response relationship between environmental arsenic exposure and hypertension. PMID:22138666

Assessment of Hair Aluminum, Lead, and Mercury in a Sample of Autistic Egyptian Children: Environmental Risk Factors of Heavy Metals in Autism.

PubMed

Mohamed, Farida El Baz; Zaky, Eman Ahmed; El-Sayed, Adel Bassuoni; Elhossieny, Reham Mohammed; Zahra, Sally Soliman; Salah Eldin, Waleed; Youssef, Walaa Yousef; Khaled, Rania Abdelmgeed; Youssef, Azza Mohamed

2015-01-01

The etiological factors involved in the etiology of autism remain elusive and controversial, but both genetic and environmental factors have been implicated. The aim of this study was to assess the levels and possible environmental risk factors and sources of exposure to mercury, lead, and aluminum in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as compared to their matched controls. One hundred ASD children were studied in comparison to 100 controls. All participants were subjected to clinical evaluation and measurement of mercury, lead, and aluminum through hair analysis which reflects past exposure. The mean Levels of mercury, lead, and aluminum in hair of the autistic patients were significantly higher than controls. Mercury, lead, and aluminum levels were positively correlated with maternal fish consumptions, living nearby gasoline stations, and the usage of aluminum pans, respectively. Levels of mercury, lead, and aluminum in the hair of autistic children are higher than controls. Environmental exposure to these toxic heavy metals, at key times in development, may play a causal role in autism.

Family environmental and dietary implications for low-level prenatal lead exposure in Wujiang City, China.

PubMed

Yan, Jin; Gao, Zhenyan; Wang, Ju; Ma, Wenjuan; Ying, Xiaolan; Zhou, Cancan; Yan, Chonghuai

2018-05-01

To explore the potential environmental and dietary factors during pregnancy affecting low-level prenatal lead exposure, we conducted a longitudinal study in Wujiang City, China. A total of 1976 mother-infant pairs were included from 2009 to 2010. An interviewed questionnaire was conducted and cord blood samples were collected. The geometric means of cord blood lead level was 30.3 μg/L (95% CI, 29.8-30.8) with 99.24% below 100 μg/L. Maternal age, passive smoking, and living in the countryside were significantly associated with cord blood lead concentrations. Multiple logistic models showed that some family environmental factors including using firewood and electricity as kitchen fuel were positively correlated with increased cord blood lead levels. Among dietary sources recorded in this study, meat consumption (> 3 times/week), fish consumption (1-3 times/week), vegetables consumption (> 1 times/day), and fruit intake (> 1 times/day) had inverse relationship with cord blood lead levels. In general, our findings may have important implications for family environmental and dietary direction during pregnancy to decrease prenatal lead exposure.

Assessment of Hair Aluminum, Lead, and Mercury in a Sample of Autistic Egyptian Children: Environmental Risk Factors of Heavy Metals in Autism

PubMed Central

Mohamed, Farida El Baz; Zaky, Eman Ahmed; El-Sayed, Adel Bassuoni; Elhossieny, Reham Mohammed; Zahra, Sally Soliman; Salah Eldin, Waleed; Youssef, Walaa Yousef; Khaled, Rania Abdelmgeed; Youssef, Azza Mohamed

2015-01-01

Background and Aims. The etiological factors involved in the etiology of autism remain elusive and controversial, but both genetic and environmental factors have been implicated. The aim of this study was to assess the levels and possible environmental risk factors and sources of exposure to mercury, lead, and aluminum in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as compared to their matched controls. Methods. One hundred ASD children were studied in comparison to 100 controls. All participants were subjected to clinical evaluation and measurement of mercury, lead, and aluminum through hair analysis which reflects past exposure. Results. The mean Levels of mercury, lead, and aluminum in hair of the autistic patients were significantly higher than controls. Mercury, lead, and aluminum levels were positively correlated with maternal fish consumptions, living nearby gasoline stations, and the usage of aluminum pans, respectively. Conclusion. Levels of mercury, lead, and aluminum in the hair of autistic children are higher than controls. Environmental exposure to these toxic heavy metals, at key times in development, may play a causal role in autism. PMID:26508811

Environmental noise and incident mental health problems: A prospective cohort study among school children in Germany.

PubMed

Dreger, Stefanie; Meyer, Nicole; Fromme, Hermann; Bolte, Gabriele

2015-11-01

Environmental noise is considered a threat to public health as 20% of the EU population is exposed to health influencing noise levels. An association of noise and mental health problems in children has been suggested by some studies, but results are not consistent and there are no longitudinal studies of this association. Our aim was to investigate the influence of different environmental noise sources at children's homes on incident mental health problems in school-aged children. A cohort study of children from first (t0) to fourth grade (t1) of primary school was conducted. Different environmental noise sources (day/night separately) at children's home were assessed via parental annoyance reports. Increased noise exposure between t0 and t1 was the exposure variable. Incident mental health problems were assessed with the parental version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). RRs and 95% CIs were analysed to investigate the association between different noise sources and incident mental health problems. The study population consisted of 583 boys and 602 girls. The most common increase in noise exposure between t0 and t1 was road traffic noise day (26.38%). After adjusting for covariates exposure to road traffic night was significantly associated with the total difficulties score (RR=2.06; 95% CI=1.25-3.40), emotional symptoms (RR=1.69, 95% CI=1.04-2.72), and conduct problems (RR=1.57, 95% CI=1.04-2.38). Noise by neighbours during the day was associated with conduct problems (RR=1.62, 95% CI=1.11-2.40) and hyperactivity (RR=1.69, 95% CI=1.08-2.65). Aircraft noise day and construction work day were not associated with any of the SDQ categories at a significant level. Environmental noise is an important public health problem. This is the first study to investigate the association of a broad range of noise sources and incident mental health problems in children in a cohort study. Our results suggest that exposure to noise at children's home is associated with mental health problems such as emotional symptoms, conduct problems and hyperactivity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Overall environmental quality and cancer incidence

EPA Science Inventory

Cancer is associated with individual ambient environmental exposures such as fine particulate matter and arsenic in drinking water. However, the role of the overall ambient environment is not well-understood. To estimate cumulative environmental exposures, an Environmental Qualit...

Physical and environmental hazards in the prosthetics and orthotics workshop: a pilot study

PubMed Central

ANDERSON, Sarah; STUCKEY, Rwth; POOLE, Diana; OAKMAN, Jodi

2017-01-01

Prosthetists and Orthotists (P&O) are exposed to physical hazards within the workshop environment. Concern regarding these exposures has been expressed by P&Os; however, little research has been undertaken. Exposures to noise and volatile organic compounds in amounts larger than statutorily allowed can have adverse short and long term consequences on people’s health. To identify and quantify hazardous noise and chemical exposures in a typical P&O workplace. Noise and volatile organic compound testing was undertaken in 2011 and 2013. Modifications to the workshop occurred between these testing times and the impact of these changes examined. The levels of volatile organic compounds was very low in all areas in 2011 and 2013. Noise levels were high and staff require the use of PPE to prevent exposure beyond levels prescribed in the Australian Standards. Conclusions. Occupational environmental exposures in P&O are of concern to the profession. A pilot study of one facility demonstrated that Occupational Noise exposures are high and may result in hearing loss and other adverse health outcomes. Occupational chemical exposures through volatile organic compound exposures are relatively low. Further, systematic investigation is required to develop evidence-based control strategies. PMID:28179609

OVERVIEW OF THE U.S. EPA NERL'S HUMAN EXPOSURE MODELING

EPA Science Inventory

Computational modeling of human exposure to environmental pollutants is one of the primary activities of the US Environmental Protection Agency's National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL). Assessment of human exposures is a critical part of the overall risk assessment para...

The National Asthma Campaign Manchester Asthma and Allergy Study.

PubMed

Custovic, Adnan; Simpson, Bridget M; Murray, Clare S; Lowe, Lesley; Woodcock, Ashley

2002-01-01

The NACManchester Asthma and Allergy Study is a prospective study of the development of asthma and allergies in childhood. The subjects (995 children at age 3 years) were recruited in utero by screening parents in the antenatal clinic using skin prick testing and a questionnaire regarding allergic diseases. Children were assigned to risk groups according to parental atopic status (high risk, both parents atopic; medium risk, one parent atopic; low risk, neither parent atopic). A subgroup of those at high risk (with no pets in the home) was randomized to stringent environmental control (allergen impermeable covers for the parental and infant bed, hot washing of bedding weekly, HEPA vacuum cleaner, hard floor for the nursery), and the remainder followed a normal regime. The children have been followed prospectively. The environmental influences are very clearly defined. Measurements of environmental exposures include levels of house dust mite; cat and dog allergens during pregnancy and early life; pet ownership and exposure; childcare arrangements; number of siblings; vaccination uptake; thorough dietary questionnaire; and endotoxin exposure. Further unique objective outcome in the cohort is the assessment of lung function in preschool children using specific airways resistance, which at age 3 years clearly reflects both genetic and environmental influences.

What causes autism? Exploring the environmental contribution.

PubMed

Landrigan, Philip J

2010-04-01

Autism is a biologically based disorder of brain development. Genetic factors--mutations, deletions, and copy number variants--are clearly implicated in causation of autism. However, they account for only a small fraction of cases, and do not easily explain key clinical and epidemiological features. This suggests that early environmental exposures also contribute. This review explores this hypothesis. Indirect evidence for an environmental contribution to autism comes from studies demonstrating the sensitivity of the developing brain to external exposures such as lead, ethyl alcohol and methyl mercury. But the most powerful proof-of-concept evidence derives from studies specifically linking autism to exposures in early pregnancy - thalidomide, misoprostol, and valproic acid; maternal rubella infection; and the organophosphate insecticide, chlorpyrifos. There is no credible evidence that vaccines cause autism. Expanded research is needed into environmental causation of autism. Children today are surrounded by thousands of synthetic chemicals. Two hundred of them are neurotoxic in adult humans, and 1000 more in laboratory models. Yet fewer than 20% of high-volume chemicals have been tested for neurodevelopmental toxicity. I propose a targeted discovery strategy focused on suspect chemicals, which combines expanded toxicological screening, neurobiological research and prospective epidemiological studies.

Regional differences in the potential exposure of US minority populations to hazardous facilities

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nieves, L.A.; Nieves, A.L.

1992-01-01

In the literature that examines the distribution of environmental disamenities of various types, there is considerable documentation that minority groups and lower income groups are more likely to be exposed. Such differential exposure has been attributed to environmental racism'' by some authors, but there has been no systematic investigation of the factors and dynamics underlying this exposure pattern. This study examines regional differences in the proximity of African-American, Hispanics, Asians, and non-Hispanic Whites to a broad range facility types and explores the degree to which this may be related to urban and income factors.

Epidemiology of Environmental Exposures and Human Autoimmune Diseases: Findings from a National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Expert Panel Workshop

PubMed Central

Alfredsson, Lars; Costenbader, Karen H.; Kamen, Diane L.; Nelson, Lorene; Norris, Jill M.; De Roos, Anneclaire J.

2012-01-01

Autoimmune diseases (AID) are a collection of many complex disorders of unknown etiology resulting in immune responses to self-antigens and are thought to result from interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Here we review the epidemiologic evidence for the role of environmental factors in the development of human AID, the conclusions that can be drawn from the existing data, critical knowledge gaps, and research needed to fill these gaps and to resolve uncertainties. We specifically summarize the state of knowledge and our levels of confidence in the role of specific agents in the development of autoimmune diseases, and we define the areas of greatest impact for future investigations. Among our consensus findings we are confident that: 1) crystalline silica exposure can contribute to the development of several AID; 2) solvent exposure can contribute to the development of systemic sclerosis; 3) smoking can contribute to the development of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis; and 4) an inverse association exists between ultraviolet radiation exposure and the risk of development of multiple sclerosis. We suggest that more studies of phenotypes, genotypes, and multiple exposures are needed. Additional knowledge gaps needing investigation include: defining important windows in the timing of exposures and latencies relating to age, developmental state, and hormonal changes; understanding dose-response relationships; and elucidating mechanisms for disease development. Addressing these essential issues will require more resources to support research, particularly of rare AID, but knowledge of the risks conferred by environmental factors in specific genetic contexts could pave the way for prevention of AID in the future. PMID:22739348

Exogenous and Endogenous Determinants of Blood Trihalomethane Levels after Showering

PubMed Central

Backer, Lorraine C.; Lan, Qing; Blount, Benjamin C.; Nuckols, J.R.; Branch, Robert; Lyu, Christopher W.; Kieszak, Stephanie M.; Brinkman, Marielle C.; Gordon, Sydney M.; Flanders, W. Dana; Romkes, Marjorie; Cantor, Kenneth P.

2008-01-01

Background We previously conducted a study to assess whether household exposures to tap water increased an individual’s internal dose of trihalomethanes (THMs). Increases in blood THM levels among subjects who showered or bathed were variable, with increased levels tending to cluster in two groups. Objectives Our goal was to assess the importance of personal characteristics, previous exposures, genetic polymorphisms, and environmental exposures in determining THM concentrations in blood after showering. Methods One hundred study participants completed a health symptom questionnaire, a 48-hr food and water consumption diary, and took a 10-min shower in a controlled setting. We examined THM levels in blood samples collected at baseline and 10 and 30 min after the shower. We assessed the significance of personal characteristics, previous exposures to THMs, and specific gene polymorphisms in predicting postshower blood THM concentrations. Results We did not observe the clustering of blood THM concentrations observed in our earlier study. We found that environmental THM concentrations were important predictors of blood THM concentrations immediately after showering. For example, the chloroform concentration in the shower stall air was the most important predictor of blood chloroform levels 10 min after the shower (p < 0.001). Personal characteristics, previous exposures to THMs, and specific polymorphisms in CYP2D6 and GSTT1 genes were significant predictors of both baseline and postshowering blood THM concentrations as well as of changes in THM concentrations associated with showering. Conclusion The inclusion of information about individual physiologic characteristics and environmental measurements would be valuable in future studies to assess human health effects from exposures to THMs in tap water. PMID:18197300

Bladder cancer, a review of the environmental risk factors.

PubMed

Letašiová, Silvia; Medve'ová, Alžbeta; Šovčíková, Andrea; Dušinská, Mária; Volkovová, Katarína; Mosoiu, Claudia; Bartonová, Alena

2012-06-28

Many epidemiological studies and reviews have been performed to identify the causes of bladder cancer. The aim of this review is to investigate the links between various environmental risk factors and cancer of the bladder. A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Scholar Google and Russian Google databases to identify reviews and epidemiological studies on bladder cancer risk factors associated with the environment published between 1998 and 2010. Only literature discussing human studies was considered. Smoking, mainly cigarette smoking, is a well known risk factor for various diseases, including bladder cancer. Another factor strongly associated with bladder cancer is exposure to arsenic in drinking water at concentrations higher than 300 µg/l. The most notable risk factor for development of bladder cancer is occupational exposure to aromatic amines (2-naphthylamine, 4-aminobiphenyl and benzidine) and 4,4'-methylenebis(2-chloroaniline), which can be found in the products of the chemical, dye and rubber industries as well as in hair dyes, paints, fungicides, cigarette smoke, plastics, metals and motor vehicle exhaust. There are also data suggesting an effect from of other types of smoking besides cigarettes (cigar, pipe, Egyptian waterpipe, smokeless tobacco and environmental tobacco smoking), and other sources of arsenic exposure such as air, food, occupational hazards, and tobacco. Other studies show that hairdressers and barbers with occupational exposure to hair dyes experience enhanced risk of bladder cancer. For example, a study related to personal use of hair dyes demonstrates an elevated bladder cancer risk for people who used permanent hair dyes at least once a month, for one year or longer. Smoking, in particular from cigarettes, exposure to arsenic in drinking water, and occupational exposure to aromatic amines and 4,4'-methylenebis(2-chloroaniline) are well known risk factors for various diseases including bladder cancer. Although the number of chemicals related to occupational exposure is still growing, it is worth noting that it may take several years or decades between exposure and the subsequent cancer.

Neonatal intensive care unit phthalate exposure and preterm infant neurobehavioral performance.

PubMed

Stroustrup, Annemarie; Bragg, Jennifer B; Andra, Syam S; Curtin, Paul C; Spear, Emily A; Sison, Denise B; Just, Allan C; Arora, Manish; Gennings, Chris

2018-01-01

Every year in the United States, more than 300,000 infants are admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICU) where they are exposed to a chemical-intensive hospital environment during a developmentally vulnerable period. The neurodevelopmental impact of environmental exposure to phthalates during the NICU stay is unknown. As phthalate exposure during the third trimester developmental window has been implicated in neurobehavioral deficits in term-born children that are strikingly similar to a phenotype of neurobehavioral morbidity common among children born premature, the role of early-life phthalate exposure on the neurodevelopmental trajectory of premature infants may be clinically important. In this study, premature newborns with birth weight <1500g were recruited to participate in a prospective environmental health cohort study, NICU-HEALTH (Hospital Exposures and Long-Term Health), part of the DINE (Developmental Impact of NICU Exposures) cohort of the ECHO (Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes) program. Seventy-six percent of eligible infants enrolled in the study. Sixty-four of 81 infants survived and are included in this analysis. 164 urine specimens were analyzed for phthalate metabolites using high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS) was performed prior to NICU discharge. Linear and weighted quantile sum regression quantified associations between phthalate biomarkers and NNNS performance, and between phthalate biomarkers and intensity of medical intervention. The sum of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate metabolites (∑DEHP) was associated with improved performance on the Attention and Regulation scales. Specific mixtures of phthalate biomarkers were also associated with improved NNNS performance. More intense medical intervention was associated with higher ∑DEHP exposure. NICU-based exposure to phthalates mixtures was associated with improved attention and social response. This suggests that the impact of phthalate exposure on neurodevelopment may follow a non-linear trajectory, perhaps accelerating the development of certain neural networks. The long-term neurodevelopmental impact of NICU-based phthalate exposure needs to be evaluated.

The joint effect of air pollution exposure and copy number variation on risk for autism.

PubMed

Kim, Dokyoon; Volk, Heather; Girirajan, Santhosh; Pendergrass, Sarah; Hall, Molly A; Verma, Shefali S; Schmidt, Rebecca J; Hansen, Robin L; Ghosh, Debashis; Ludena-Rodriguez, Yunin; Kim, Kyoungmi; Ritchie, Marylyn D; Hertz-Picciotto, Irva; Selleck, Scott B

2017-09-01

Autism spectrum disorder is a complex trait with a high degree of heritability as well as documented susceptibility from environmental factors. In this study the contributions of copy number variation, exposure to air pollutants, and the interaction between the two on autism risk, were evaluated in the population-based case-control Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and Environment (CHARGE) Study. For the current investigation, we included only those CHARGE children (a) who met criteria for autism or typical development and (b) for whom our team had conducted both genetic evaluation of copy number burden and determination of environmental air pollution exposures based on mapping addresses from the pregnancy and early childhood. This sample consisted of 158 cases of children with autism and 147 controls with typical development. Multiple logistic regression models were fit with and without environmental variable-copy number burden interactions. We found no correlation between average air pollution exposure from conception to age 2 years and the child's CNV burden. We found a significant interaction in which a 1SD increase in duplication burden combined with a 1SD increase in ozone exposure was associated with an elevated autism risk (OR 3.4, P < 0.005) much greater than the increased risks associated with either genomic duplication (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.25-2.73) or ozone (OR 1.20, 95% CI 0.93-1.54) alone. Similar results were obtained when CNV and ozone were dichotomized to compare those in the top quartile relative to those having a smaller CNV burden and lower exposure to ozone, and when exposures were assessed separately for pregnancy, the first year of life, and the second year of life. No interactions were observed for other air pollutants, even those that demonstrated main effects; ozone tends to be negatively correlated with the other pollutants examined. While earlier work has demonstrated interactions between the presence of a pathogenic CNV and an environmental exposure [Webb et al., 2016], these findings appear to be the first indication that global copy number variation may increase susceptibility to certain environmental factors, and underscore the need to consider both genomics and environmental exposures as well as the mechanisms by which each may amplify the risks for autism associated with the other. Autism Res 2017, 10: 1470-1480. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

EXPANDING THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMMUNOASSAYS: TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES REGULATORY ISSUES AND COMMUNICATION VEHICLES

EPA Science Inventory

Large numbers of samples are commonplace in environmental monitoring and human exposure assessment studies. When the goals of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of research and Development (sound methods, integrated with human and ecological health, common sense...

Health Risks Associated with Oil Pollution in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

PubMed Central

Nriagu, Jerome; Udofia, Emilia A.; Ekong, Ibanga; Ebuk, Godwin

2016-01-01

Background: Although there is considerable public concern about the environmental impacts of oil pollution in the Niger Delta of Nigeria, actual evidence on the pathological and psychological effects in the health of local communities is minimally known. We sought to associate the perspective measures of exposure to oil pollution with health outcomes (inventory of health symptoms and functional capacity limitations) and determine how emotional reactions to environmental risks moderate these health outcomes. Method: The study was conducted with 600 participants selected from five local government areas in Akwa Ibom State where oil pollution is rampant. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data on the respondents’ exposure to oil pollution, self-rated health and disease symptoms, perception of risk of exposure and emotional reactions to local oil pollution. Results: Most of the participants lived in areas with visible oil pollution and/or near gas flaring facilities and regularly suffered direct exposure to oil in their environment. High level of emotional distress was a part of everyone's life for the study population. Risk perception in the study area was mediated, to a large extent, by dreaded hazards (catastrophic fears of pipeline explosions and oil spill fire), visual cues (gas flares and smoke stacks) and chemosensory cues (off-flavor in drinking water). The exposure metrics were found to be significant predictors of the health effects and influencing factors (emotional reactions). Multi-levels models suggest that at the individual level, the demographic variables and direct contact with oil pollution were important mediators of functional capacity limitation. At the community level, emotional distress from fear of the sources of exposure was an important mediator of the health symptoms. Conclusions: This study documents high levels of disease symptoms and environmental distress (worry, annoyance and intolerance) associated with oil pollution in the Niger Delta areas of Nigeria. It highlights the need for some intervention to ameliorate the psychological distress associated with living under such environmental adversity. PMID:27007391

Towards validating use of self reported health (SRH) for community-based studies: Impact of environmental chemicals, sociodemographic variables, depression, and clinical indicators of health and nutrition

EPA Science Inventory

Environmental health impact assessment (HIA) studies, should consider social, behavioral, nutritional, dietary, environmental exposure and health risk factors at both the individual and community levels. Chemicals measured in blood or urine are often evaluated in relation to one ...

Environmental exposures as a risk factor for fibrolamellar carcinoma.

PubMed

Graham, Rondell P; Craig, John R; Jin, Long; Oliveira, Andre M; Bergquist, John R; Truty, Mark J; Mounajjed, Taofic; Greipp, Patricia T; Torbenson, Michael S

2017-06-01

Fibrolamellar carcinoma was first described in 1956. Subsequent large studies failed to identify cases before 1939 (the start of the World War II). This finding, combined with the presence of aryl hydrocarbon receptors on the tumor cells, have suggested that fibrolamellar carcinomas may be caused by environmental exposures that are new since World War II. To investigate this possibility, the surgical pathology files before 1939 were reviewed for hepatocellular carcinomas resected in young individuals. Two cases of fibrolamellar carcinoma were identified, from 1915 to 1924. The diagnosis of fibrolamellar carcinoma was confirmed at the histologic, ultrastructural and proteomic levels. These two fibrolamellar carcinoma cases clarify a key aspect of fibrolamellar carcinoma biology, reducing the likelihood that these tumors result exclusively from post World War II environmental exposures.

Human predisposition to cognitive impairment and its relation with environmental exposure to potentially toxic elements.

PubMed

Cabral Pinto, Marina M S; Marinho-Reis, A Paula; Almeida, Agostinho; Ordens, Carlos M; Silva, Maria M V G; Freitas, Sandra; Simões, Mário R; Moreira, Paula I; Dinis, Pedro A; Diniz, M Luísa; Ferreira da Silva, Eduardo A; Condesso de Melo, M Teresa

2017-03-09

New lines of evidence suggest that less than 10% of neurodegenerative diseases have a strict genetic aetiology and other factors may be prevalent. Environmental exposures to potentially toxic elements appear to be a risk factor for Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and sclerosis diseases. This study proposes a multidisciplinary approach combining neurosciences, psychology and environmental sciences while integrating socio-economic, neuropsychological, environmental and health data. We present the preliminary results of a neuropsychological assessment carried out in elderly residents of the industrial city of Estarreja. A battery of cognitive tests and a personal questionnaire were administered to the participants. Multivariate analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were used to identify potential relationships between the cognitive status of the participants and environmental exposure to potentially toxic elements. The results suggest a relationship between urinary PTEs levels and the incidence of cognitive disorders. They also point towards water consumption habits and profession as relevant factors of exposure. Linear regression models show that aluminium (R 2  = 38%), cadmium (R 2  = 11%) and zinc (R 2  = 6%) are good predictors of the scores of the Mini-Mental State Examination cognitive test. Median contents (µg/l) in groundwater are above admissible levels for drinking water for aluminium (371), iron (860), manganese (250), and zinc (305). While the World Health Organization does not provide health-based reference values for aluminium, results obtained from this study suggest that it may have an important role in the cognitive status of the elderly. Urine proved to be a suitable biomarker of exposure both to elements with low and high excretion rates.

Mechanism for initiation of food allergy: Dependence on skin barrier mutations and environmental allergen costimulation.

PubMed

Walker, Matthew T; Green, Jeremy E; Ferrie, Ryan P; Queener, Ashley M; Kaplan, Mark H; Cook-Mills, Joan M

2018-05-01

Mechanisms for the development of food allergy in neonates are unknown but clearly linked in patient populations to a genetic predisposition to skin barrier defects. Whether skin barrier defects contribute functionally to development of food allergy is unknown. The purpose of the study was to determine whether skin barrier mutations, which are primarily heterozygous in patient populations, contribute to the development of food allergy. Mice heterozygous for the filaggrin (Flg) ft and Tmem79 ma mutations were skin sensitized with environmental and food allergens. After sensitization, mice received oral challenge with food allergen, and then inflammation, inflammatory mediators, and anaphylaxis were measured. We define development of inflammation, inflammatory mediators, and food allergen-induced anaphylaxis in neonatal mice with skin barrier mutations after brief concurrent cutaneous exposure to food and environmental allergens. Moreover, neonates of allergic mothers have increased responses to suboptimal sensitization with food allergens. Importantly, responses to food allergens by these neonatal mice were dependent on genetic defects in skin barrier function and on exposure to environmental allergens. ST2 blockade during skin sensitization inhibited the development of anaphylaxis, antigen-specific IgE, and inflammatory mediators. Neonatal anaphylactic responses and antigen-specific IgE were also inhibited by oral pre-exposure to food allergen, but interestingly, this was blunted by concurrent pre-exposure of the skin to environmental allergen. These studies uncover mechanisms for food allergy sensitization and anaphylaxis in neonatal mice that are consistent with features of human early-life exposures and genetics in patients with clinical food allergy and demonstrate that changes in barrier function drive development of anaphylaxis to food allergen. Copyright © 2018 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Long-Term Neurotoxic Effects of Early Life Exposure to Tetrachloroethylene-contaminated Drinking Water

PubMed Central

Aschengrau, Ann; Janulewicz, Patricia A.; White, Roberta F.; Vieira, Veronica M.; Gallagher, Lisa G.; Getz, Kelly D.; Webster, Thomas F.; Ozonoff, David M.

2016-01-01

Background Tetrachloroethene (PCE) is a common environmental and occupational contaminant and an acknowledged neurotoxicant. From 1968 through 1983 widespread contamination of public drinking water supplies with PCE occurred in the Cape Cod region of Massachusetts. The source of the contamination was a vinyl liner applied to the inner surface of water distribution pipes. Objectives A retrospective cohort study (“the Cape Cod Health Study”) was undertaken to examine possible health consequences of early life exposure to PCE-contaminated drinking water. This review describes the study methods and findings regarding the impact of prenatal and childhood exposure on neurological outcomes during early adulthood, including vision, neuropsychological functioning, brain structure, risky behaviors, and mental illness. The review also describes the strengths and challenges of conducting population-based epidemiological research in this unique setting. Methods Subjects were identified by cross-matching birth certificate and water system data. Information on health outcomes and confounding variables was collected from self-administered surveys (N= 1,689), neuropsychological tests (N=63), vision exam (N=63), and magnetic resonance imaging (N=42). Early life exposure to PCE was estimated using a leaching and transport model. The data analysis compared the occurrence of each health outcome among subjects with prenatal and early childhood PCE exposure to unexposed subjects while considering the impact of confounding variables. Results The study found evidence that early life exposure to PCE-contaminated drinking water has long-term neurotoxic effects. The strongest associations were seen with illicit drug use, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Key strengths of the study were availability of historical data on affected water systems, a relatively high exposure prevalence and wide range of exposure levels, and little confounding. Challenges arose mainly from the historical nature of the exposure assessments. Conclusions The Cape Cod Health Study demonstrates how scientists can take advantage of unique “natural experiments” to learn about the health effects of environmental pollution. This body of work has improved our understanding of the long-term health effects of early life exposure to this common environmental contaminant and will help risk assessors and policy makers ensure that U.S. drinking water supplies are safe for vulnerable populations. PMID:27325074

Environmental asbestos exposure sources in Korea

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Background Because of the long asbestos-related disease latencies (10–50 years), detection, diagnosis, and epidemiologic studies require asbestos exposure history. However, environmental asbestos exposure source (EAES) data are lacking. Objectives To survey the available data for past EAES and supplement these data with interviews. Methods We constructed an EAES database using a literature review and interviews of experts, former traders, and workers. Exposure sources by time period and type were visualized using a geographic information system (ArcGIS), web-based mapping (Google Maps), and OpenWeatherMap. The data were mounted in the GIS to show the exposure source location and trend. Results The majority of asbestos mines, factories, and consumption was located in Chungnam; Gyeonggi, Busan, and Gyeongnam; and Gyeonggi, Daejeon, and Busan, respectively. Shipbuilding and repair companies were mostly located in Busan and Gyeongnam. Conclusions These tools might help evaluate past exposure from EAES and estimate the future asbestos burden in Korea. PMID:27726756

Environmental asbestos exposure sources in Korea.

PubMed

Kang, Dong-Mug; Kim, Jong-Eun; Kim, Ju-Young; Lee, Hyun-Hee; Hwang, Young-Sik; Kim, Young-Ki; Lee, Yong-Jin

2016-10-01

Because of the long asbestos-related disease latencies (10-50 years), detection, diagnosis, and epidemiologic studies require asbestos exposure history. However, environmental asbestos exposure source (EAES) data are lacking. To survey the available data for past EAES and supplement these data with interviews. We constructed an EAES database using a literature review and interviews of experts, former traders, and workers. Exposure sources by time period and type were visualized using a geographic information system (ArcGIS), web-based mapping (Google Maps), and OpenWeatherMap. The data were mounted in the GIS to show the exposure source location and trend. The majority of asbestos mines, factories, and consumption was located in Chungnam; Gyeonggi, Busan, and Gyeongnam; and Gyeonggi, Daejeon, and Busan, respectively. Shipbuilding and repair companies were mostly located in Busan and Gyeongnam. These tools might help evaluate past exposure from EAES and estimate the future asbestos burden in Korea.

Occupational and environmental risk factors of adult primary brain cancers: a systematic review.

PubMed

Gomes, J; Al Zayadi, A; Guzman, A

2011-04-01

The incidence of brain neoplasm has been progressively increasing in recent years in the industrialized countries. One of the reasons for this increased incidence could be better access to health care and improved diagnosis in the industrialized countries. It also appears that Caucasians have a higher incidence than blacks or Hispanics or Asians. A number of risk factors have been identified and described including the genetic, ethnic and age-based factors. Certain occupational and environmental factors are also believed to influence the risk of primary adult brain tumors. Potential occupational and environmental factors include exposure to diagnostic and therapeutic radiations, electromagnetic radiation from cellular phones and other wireless devices, infectious agents, air pollution and residence near landfills and high-voltage power lines and jobs as firefighters, farmers, physician, chemists and jobs in industries such as petrochemical, power generation, synthetic rubber manufacturing, agricultural chemicals manufacturing. The purpose of this systematic review is to examine occupational and environmental risk factors of brain neoplasm. A range of occupational and environmental exposures are evaluated for significance of their relationship with adult primary brain tumors. On the basis of this review we suggest a concurrent evaluation of multiple risk factors both within and beyond occupational and environmental domains. The concurrent approach needs to consider better exposure assessment techniques, lifetime occupational exposures, genotypic and phenotypic characteristics and lifestyle and dietary habits. This approach needs to be interdisciplinary with contributions from neurologists, oncologists, epidemiologists and molecular biologists. Conclusive evidence that has eluded multitude of studies with single focus and single exposure needs to multifaceted and multidisciplinary.

Blood-borne biomarkers and bioindicators for linking exposure to health effects in environmental health science.

PubMed

Wallace, M Ariel Geer; Kormos, Tzipporah M; Pleil, Joachim D

2016-01-01

Environmental health science aims to link environmental pollution sources to adverse health outcomes to develop effective exposure intervention strategies that reduce long-term disease risks. Over the past few decades, the public health community recognized that health risk is driven by interaction between the human genome and external environment. Now that the human genetic code has been sequenced, establishing this "G × E" (gene-environment) interaction requires a similar effort to decode the human exposome, which is the accumulation of an individual's environmental exposures and metabolic responses throughout the person's lifetime. The exposome is composed of endogenous and exogenous chemicals, many of which are measurable as biomarkers in blood, breath, and urine. Exposure to pollutants is assessed by analyzing biofluids for the pollutant itself or its metabolic products. New methods are being developed to use a subset of biomarkers, termed bioindicators, to demonstrate biological changes indicative of future adverse health effects. Typically, environmental biomarkers are assessed using noninvasive (excreted) media, such as breath and urine. Blood is often avoided for biomonitoring due to practical reasons such as medical personnel, infectious waste, or clinical setting, despite the fact that blood represents the central compartment that interacts with every living cell and is the most relevant biofluid for certain applications and analyses. The aims of this study were to (1) review the current use of blood samples in environmental health research, (2) briefly contrast blood with other biological media, and (3) propose additional applications for blood analysis in human exposure research.

Environmental Exposures and Cardiovascular Disease: A Challenge for Health and Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.

PubMed

Burroughs Peña, Melissa S; Rollins, Allman

2017-02-01

Environmental exposures in low- and middle-income countries lie at the intersection of increased economic development and the rising public health burden of cardiovascular disease. Increasing evidence suggests an association of exposure to ambient air pollution, household air pollution from biomass fuel, lead, arsenic, and cadmium with multiple cardiovascular disease outcomes, including hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular mortality. Although populations in low- and middle-income countries are disproportionately exposed to environmental pollution, evidence linking these exposures to cardiovascular disease is derived from populations in high-income countries. More research is needed to further characterize the extent of environmental exposures. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Environmental risks in the developing world: exposure indicators for evaluating interventions, programmes, and policies.

PubMed

Ezzati, Majid; Utzinger, Jürg; Cairncross, Sandy; Cohen, Aaron J; Singer, Burton H

2005-01-01

Monitoring and empirical evaluation are essential components of evidence based public health policies and programmes. Consequently, there is a growing interest in monitoring of, and indicators for, major environmental health risks, particularly in the developing world. Current large scale data collection efforts are generally disconnected from micro-scale studies in health sciences, which in turn have insufficiently investigated the behavioural and socioeconomic factors that influence exposure. A basic framework is proposed for development of indicators of exposure to environmental health risks that would facilitate the (a) assessment of the health effects of risk factors, (b) design and evaluation of interventions and programmes to deliver the interventions, and (c) appraisal and quantification of inequalities in health effects of risk factors, and benefits of intervention programmes and policies. Specific emphasis is put on the features of environmental risks that should guide the choice of indicators, in particular the interactions of technology, the environment, and human behaviour in determining exposure. The indicators are divided into four categories: (a) access and infrastructure, (b) technology, (c) agents and vectors, and (d) behaviour. The study used water and sanitation, indoor air pollution from solid fuels, urban ambient air pollution, and malaria as illustrative examples for this framework. Organised and systematic indicator selection and monitoring can provide an evidence base for design and implementation of more effective and equitable technological interventions, delivery programmes, and policies for environmental health risks in resource poor settings.

[Testicular germ cell tumours and early exposures to pesticides: The TESTEPERA pilot study].

PubMed

Béranger, Rémi; Blain, Jeffrey; Baudinet, Cédric; Faure, Elodie; Fléchon, Aude; Boyle, Helen; Chasles, Virginie; Charbotel, Barbara; Schüz, Joachim; Fervers, Béatrice

2014-03-01

Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT) represent the most frequent cancer in men aged between 15 and 45 years. Current hypotheses are focusing on environmental exposures occurring during prenatal periods. However, very few studies have explored intra-uterine environmental exposure related to TGCT. TESTEPERA is a pilot case-control study aiming to determine the effectiveness of different recruitment approaches in the French context and to verify our ability to collect relevant data on their prenatal periods. Between 2011 and 2012, 150 male subjects were contacted in the Rhône-Alpes region (58 cases from a cancer center and 92 controls from a regional maternity). Participation rate varied from 33% for cases diagnosed in 2008 vs 68% for cases diagnosed in 2010. Participation rate of controls varied depending on modalities of contact (13% for face-to-face recruitment; 0% for contact by phone only; 50% for face-to-face contact with phone reminder). Data collection allowed precise job identification and geolocation of subjects' addresses. Precision of geolocation was dependent upon the level of urbanization (p < 0.001) but not on the time period (p = 0.52). Our results support the feasibility of a case-control study focusing on the relation between TGCT and environmental pesticide exposures during early and later life.

Environmental and Occupational Interventions for Primary Prevention of Cancer: A Cross-Sectorial Policy Framework

PubMed Central

Espina, Carolina; Porta, Miquel; Schüz, Joachim; Aguado, Ildefonso Hernández; Percival, Robert V.; Dora, Carlos; Slevin, Terry; Guzman, Julietta Rodriguez; Meredith, Tim; Landrigan, Philip J.

2013-01-01

Background: Nearly 13 million new cancer cases and 7.6 million cancer deaths occur worldwide each year; 63% of cancer deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries. A substantial proportion of all cancers are attributable to carcinogenic exposures in the environment and the workplace. Objective: We aimed to develop an evidence-based global vision and strategy for the primary prevention of environmental and occupational cancer. Methods: We identified relevant studies through PubMed by using combinations of the search terms “environmental,” “occupational,” “exposure,” “cancer,” “primary prevention,” and “interventions.” To supplement the literature review, we convened an international conference titled “Environmental and Occupational Determinants of Cancer: Interventions for Primary Prevention” under the auspices of the World Health Organization, in Asturias, Spain, on 17–18 March 2011. Discussion: Many cancers of environmental and occupational origin could be prevented. Prevention is most effectively achieved through primary prevention policies that reduce or eliminate involuntary exposures to proven and probable carcinogens. Such strategies can be implemented in a straightforward and cost-effective way based on current knowledge, and they have the added benefit of synergistically reducing risks for other noncommunicable diseases by reducing exposures to shared risk factors. Conclusions: Opportunities exist to revitalize comprehensive global cancer control policies by incorporating primary interventions against environmental and occupational carcinogens. PMID:23384642

A school-based strategy to assess children's environmental exposures and related health effects in economically disadvantaged urban neighborhoods.

PubMed

Sexton, K; Greaves, I A; Church, T R; Adgate, J L; Ramachandran, G; Tweedie, R L; Fredrickson, A; Geisser, M; Sikorski, M; Fischer, G; Jones, D; Ellringer, P

2000-01-01

The School Health Initiative: Environment, Learning, Disease (SHIELD) study is a novel school-based investigation of children's environmental health in economically disadvantaged urban neighborhoods of Minneapolis. This article describes the study design and summarizes lessons learned about recruiting and monitoring this historically understudied population. The SHIELD study focused on measuring children's exposures to multiple environmental stressors [volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), environmental tobacco smoke, allergens, bioaerosols, metals, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), phthalates] and exploring related effects on respiratory health (e.g., lung function) and learning outcomes (e.g., standardized test scores, academic achievement). It involved intensive exposure monitoring, including environmental measurements inside and outside the children's schools and inside their homes, personal measurements with passive dosimeters worn by the children, and biological marker measurements in blood and urine. The SHIELD participants comprised a stratified random sample of 153 "index" children and 51 of their siblings enrolled in grades 2-5 at two adjacent elementary schools. The Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) assisted with identifying, contacting, recruiting, and monitoring this population, which traditionally is difficult to study because families/children are highly mobile, speak a diversity of languages, frequently do not have a telephone, endure economic hardships, often do not trust researchers, and have a spectrum of unconventional lifestyles and living arrangements. Using a school-based approach, the overall SHIELD enrollment (response) rate was 56.7%, with a wide disparity between English-speaking (41.7%) and non-English-speaking (71.0%) families/children. Most children remained involved in the study through both monitoring sessions and exhibited an acceptable degree of compliance with study protocols, including providing blood and urine samples. Results indicate that it is both practical and affordable to conduct probability-based exposure studies in this population, but that it is also important to improve our understanding of factors (e.g., cultural, economic, psychological, social) affecting the willingness of families/children to participate in such studies, with special emphasis on developing cost-effective recruitment methods.

Observations of Interference between Portable Particle Counters and NOx Monitors

EPA Science Inventory

Studies in environmental exposure science have developed a preference for smaller devices that can be easily co-located without need for gas standards, such as those instruments utilized in the Near-road Exposures and Effects from Urban Air Pollutants Study (NEXUS). One operatio...

The DEARS Data Analysis Workshops: Summary of Findings and Discussions

EPA Science Inventory

The Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study (DEARS) was a three-year study conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Office of Research and Development’s National Exposure Research Laboratory (EPA/ORD/NERL). Field data collections were completed in 200...