1
|
Payne-Sturges D, De Saram S, Cory-Slechta DA. Cumulative Risk Evaluation of Phthalates Under TSCA. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:6403-6414. [PMID: 37043345 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c08364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently conducting separate Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) risk evaluations for seven phthalates: dibutyl phthalate (DBP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP), di-isodecyl phthalate (DIDP), and diisononyl phthalate (DINP). Phthalates are highly abundant plastic additives used primarily to soften materials and make them flexible, and biomonitoring shows widespread human exposure to a mixture of phthalates. Evidence supports biological additivity of phthalate mixture exposures, including the enhancement of toxicity affecting common biological targets. Risk estimates based on individual phthalate exposure may not be protective of public health. Thus, a cumulative risk approach is warranted. While EPA initially did not signal that it would incorporate cumulative risk assessment (CRA) as part of its current risk evaluation for the seven phthalates, the agency recently announced that it is reconsidering if CRA for phthalates would be appropriate. Based on our review of existing chemical mixtures risk assessment guidance, current TSCA scoping documents for the seven phthalates, and pertinent peer-reviewed literature, we delineate a CRA approach that EPA can easily implement for phthalates. The strategy for using CRA to inform TSCA risk evaluation for existing chemicals is based upon integrative physiology and a common adverse health outcome algorithm for identifying and grouping relevant nonchemical and chemical stressors. We recommend adjustments for how hazard indices (HIs) or margins of exposure (MOEs) based on CRA are interpreted for determining "unreasonable risk" under TSCA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Devon Payne-Sturges
- Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, University of Maryland School of Public Health, 255 Valley Drive, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Sulakkhana De Saram
- Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health, University of Maryland School of Public Health, 255 Valley Drive, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Deborah A Cory-Slechta
- University of Rochester School of Medicine, Box EHSC, Rochester, New York 14642, United States
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Bradley PM, Kolpin DW, Thompson DA, Romanok KM, Smalling KL, Breitmeyer SE, Cardon MC, Cwiertny DM, Evans N, Field RW, Focazio MJ, Beane Freeman LE, Givens CE, Gray JL, Hager GL, Hladik ML, Hofmann JN, Jones RR, Kanagy LK, Lane RF, McCleskey RB, Medgyesi D, Medlock-Kakaley EK, Meppelink SM, Meyer MT, Stavreva DA, Ward MH. Juxtaposition of intensive agriculture, vulnerable aquifers, and mixed chemical/microbial exposures in private-well tapwater in northeast Iowa. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 868:161672. [PMID: 36657670 PMCID: PMC9976626 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
In the United States and globally, contaminant exposure in unregulated private-well point-of-use tapwater (TW) is a recognized public-health data gap and an obstacle to both risk-management and homeowner decision making. To help address the lack of data on broad contaminant exposures in private-well TW from hydrologically-vulnerable (alluvial, karst) aquifers in agriculturally-intensive landscapes, samples were collected in 2018-2019 from 47 northeast Iowa farms and analyzed for 35 inorganics, 437 unique organics, 5 in vitro bioassays, and 11 microbial assays. Twenty-six inorganics and 51 organics, dominated by pesticides and related transformation products (35 herbicide-, 5 insecticide-, and 2 fungicide-related), were observed in TW. Heterotrophic bacteria detections were near ubiquitous (94 % of the samples), with detection of total coliform bacteria in 28 % of the samples and growth on at least one putative-pathogen selective media across all TW samples. Health-based hazard index screening levels were exceeded frequently in private-well TW and attributed primarily to inorganics (nitrate, uranium). Results support incorporation of residential treatment systems to protect against contaminant exposure and the need for increased monitoring of rural private-well homes. Continued assessment of unmonitored and unregulated private-supply TW is needed to model contaminant exposures and human-health risks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Mary C Cardon
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Nicola Evans
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Rena R Jones
- National Cancer Institute/NIH, Rockville, MD, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Mary H Ward
- National Cancer Institute/NIH, Rockville, MD, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Bradley PM, Romanok KM, Smalling KL, Focazio MJ, Evans N, Fitzpatrick SC, Givens CE, Gordon SE, Gray JL, Green EM, Griffin DW, Hladik ML, Kanagy LK, Lisle JT, Loftin KA, Blaine McCleskey R, Medlock-Kakaley EK, Navas-Acien A, Roth DA, South P, Weis CP. Bottled water contaminant exposures and potential human effects. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2023; 171:107701. [PMID: 36542998 PMCID: PMC10123854 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bottled water (BW) consumption in the United States and globally has increased amidst heightened concern about environmental contaminant exposures and health risks in drinking water supplies, despite a paucity of directly comparable, environmentally-relevant contaminant exposure data for BW. This study provides insight into exposures and cumulative risks to human health from inorganic/organic/microbial contaminants in BW. METHODS BW from 30 total domestic US (23) and imported (7) sources, including purified tapwater (7) and spring water (23), were analyzed for 3 field parameters, 53 inorganics, 465 organics, 14 microbial metrics, and in vitro estrogen receptor (ER) bioactivity. Health-benchmark-weighted cumulative hazard indices and ratios of organic-contaminant in vitro exposure-activity cutoffs were assessed for detected regulated and unregulated inorganic and organic contaminants. RESULTS 48 inorganics and 45 organics were detected in sampled BW. No enforceable chemical quality standards were exceeded, but several inorganic and organic contaminants with maximum contaminant level goal(s) (MCLG) of zero (no known safe level of exposure to vulnerable sub-populations) were detected. Among these, arsenic, lead, and uranium were detected in 67 %, 17 %, and 57 % of BW, respectively, almost exclusively in spring-sourced samples not treated by advanced filtration. Organic MCLG exceedances included frequent detections of disinfection byproducts (DBP) in tapwater-sourced BW and sporadic detections of DBP and volatile organic chemicals in BW sourced from tapwater and springs. Precautionary health-based screening levels were exceeded frequently and attributed primarily to DBP in tapwater-sourced BW and co-occurring inorganic and organic contaminants in spring-sourced BW. CONCLUSION The results indicate that simultaneous exposures to multiple drinking-water contaminants of potential human-health concern are common in BW. Improved understandings of human exposures based on more environmentally realistic and directly comparable point-of-use exposure characterizations, like this BW study, are essential to public health because drinking water is a biological necessity and, consequently, a high-vulnerability vector for human contaminant exposures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Nicola Evans
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Emily M Green
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | | | | | - John T Lisle
- U.S. Geological Survey, Saint Petersburg, Florida, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Paul South
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, College Park, Maryland, USA
| | - Christopher P Weis
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences/NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Bengalli R, Zerboni A, Bonfanti P, Saibene M, Mehn D, Cella C, Ponti J, La Spina R, Mantecca P. Characterization of microparticles derived from waste plastics and their bio-interaction with human lung A549 cells. J Appl Toxicol 2022; 42:2030-2044. [PMID: 35929361 PMCID: PMC9805234 DOI: 10.1002/jat.4372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Microplastics (MPs) represent a worldwide emerging relevant concern toward human and environmental health due to their intentional or unintentional release. Human exposure to MPs by inhalation is predicted to be among the most hazardous. MPs include both engineered, or primary MPs, and secondary MPs, materials obtained by fragmentation from any plastic good. The major part of the environmental MPs is constituted by the second ones that are irregular in size, shape and composition. These features make the study of the biological impact of heterogenous MPs of extremely high relevance to better estimate the real toxicological hazards of these materials on human and environmental organisms. The smallest fractions of plastic granules, relying on the micron-sized scale, can be considered as the most abundant component of the environmental MPs, and for this reason, they are typically used to perform toxicity tests using in vitro systems representative of an inhalation exposure scenario. In the present work, MPs obtained from industrial treatment of waste plastics (wMPs < 50 μm) were investigated, and after the physico-chemical characterization, the cytotoxic, inflammatory and genotoxic responses, as well as the modality of wMPs interactions with alveolar lung cells, were determined. Obtained results indicated that, at high concentrations (100 μg/ml) and prolonged exposure time (48 h), wMPs affect biological responses by inducing inflammation and genotoxicity, as a result of the cell-wMP interactions, also including the uptake of the smaller particles.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Bengalli
- POLARIS Reaserch Center, Department of Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Milano – BicoccaMilanItaly
| | - Alessandra Zerboni
- POLARIS Reaserch Center, Department of Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Milano – BicoccaMilanItaly
| | - Patrizia Bonfanti
- POLARIS Reaserch Center, Department of Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Milano – BicoccaMilanItaly
| | - Melissa Saibene
- POLARIS Reaserch Center, Department of Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Milano – BicoccaMilanItaly
| | - Dora Mehn
- Joint Research Centre (JRC)European CommissionIspraItaly
| | - Claudia Cella
- Joint Research Centre (JRC)European CommissionIspraItaly
| | - Jessica Ponti
- Joint Research Centre (JRC)European CommissionIspraItaly
| | - Rita La Spina
- Joint Research Centre (JRC)European CommissionIspraItaly
| | - Paride Mantecca
- POLARIS Reaserch Center, Department of Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of Milano – BicoccaMilanItaly
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Bradley PM, Romanok KM, Smalling KL, Focazio MJ, Charboneau R, George CM, Navas-Acien A, O’Leary M, Red Cloud R, Zacher T, Breitmeyer SE, Cardon MC, Cuny CK, Ducheneaux G, Enright K, Evans N, Gray JL, Harvey DE, Hladik ML, Kanagy LK, Loftin KA, McCleskey RB, Medlock-Kakaley EK, Meppelink SM, Valder JF, Weis CP. Tapwater Exposures, Effects Potential, and Residential Risk Management in Northern Plains Nations. ACS ES&T WATER 2022; 2:1772-1788. [PMID: 36277121 PMCID: PMC9578051 DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.2c00293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2022] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
In the United States (US), private-supply tapwater (TW) is rarely monitored. This data gap undermines individual/community risk-management decision-making, leading to an increased probability of unrecognized contaminant exposures in rural and remote locations that rely on private wells. We assessed point-of-use (POU) TW in three northern plains Tribal Nations, where ongoing TW arsenic (As) interventions include expansion of small community water systems and POU adsorptive-media treatment for Strong Heart Water Study participants. Samples from 34 private-well and 22 public-supply sites were analyzed for 476 organics, 34 inorganics, and 3 in vitro bioactivities. 63 organics and 30 inorganics were detected. Arsenic, uranium (U), and lead (Pb) were detected in 54%, 43%, and 20% of samples, respectively. Concentrations equivalent to public-supply maximum contaminant level(s) (MCL) were exceeded only in untreated private-well samples (As 47%, U 3%). Precautionary health-based screening levels were exceeded frequently, due to inorganics in private supplies and chlorine-based disinfection byproducts in public supplies. The results indicate that simultaneous exposures to co-occurring TW contaminants are common, warranting consideration of expanded source, point-of-entry, or POU treatment(s). This study illustrates the importance of increased monitoring of private-well TW, employing a broad, environmentally informative analytical scope, to reduce the risks of unrecognized contaminant exposures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul M. Bradley
- U.S.
Geological Survey, Columbia, South Carolina 29210, United States
| | | | - Kelly L. Smalling
- U.S.
Geological Survey, Lawrenceville, New Jersey 08648, United States
| | | | - Robert Charboneau
- Spirit
Lake Tribe Office of Environmental Health, Fort Totten, North Dakota 58335, United States
| | - Christine Marie George
- Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| | - Ana Navas-Acien
- Columbia
University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York 10032, United States
| | - Marcia O’Leary
- Missouri
Breaks Industries Research Inc., Eagle Butte, South Dakota 57625, United States
| | - Reno Red Cloud
- Oglala
Sioux Tribe Natural Resources Regulatory Agency, Pine Ridge, South Dakota 57770, United States
| | - Tracy Zacher
- Missouri
Breaks Industries Research Inc., Eagle Butte, South Dakota 57625, United States
| | | | - Mary C. Cardon
- U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Christa K. Cuny
- Missouri
Breaks Industries Research Inc., Eagle Butte, South Dakota 57625, United States
| | - Guthrie Ducheneaux
- Missouri
Breaks Industries Research Inc., Eagle Butte, South Dakota 57625, United States
| | - Kendra Enright
- Missouri
Breaks Industries Research Inc., Eagle Butte, South Dakota 57625, United States
| | - Nicola Evans
- U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - James L. Gray
- U.S.
Geological Survey, Lakewood, Colorado 80228-3742, United States
| | - David E. Harvey
- Indian Health Service/HHS, Rockville, Maryland 20857, United States
| | | | - Leslie K. Kanagy
- U.S.
Geological Survey, Lakewood, Colorado 80228-3742, United States
| | - Keith A. Loftin
- U.S.
Geological Survey, Lawrence, Kansas 66049, United States
| | | | | | | | - Joshua F. Valder
- U.S. Geological
Survey, Rapid City, South Dakota 57702, United States
| | - Christopher P. Weis
- National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences/NIH, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, United
States
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Joseph N, Kolok AS. Assessment of Pediatric Cancer and Its Relationship to Environmental Contaminants: An Ecological Study in Idaho. GEOHEALTH 2022; 6:e2021GH000548. [PMID: 35310467 PMCID: PMC8917512 DOI: 10.1029/2021gh000548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The primary aim of this study was to determine the degree to which a multivariable principal component model based on several potentially carcinogenic metals and pesticides could explain the county-level pediatric cancer rates across Idaho. We contend that human exposure to environmental contaminants is one of the reasons for increased pediatric cancer incidence in the United States. Although several studies have been conducted to determine the relationship between environmental contaminants and carcinogenesis among children, research gaps exist in developing a meaningful association between them. For this study, pediatric cancer data was provided by the Cancer Data Registry of Idaho, concentrations of metals and metalloids in groundwater were collected from the Idaho Department of Water Resources, and pesticide use data were collected from the United States Geological Survey. Most environmental variables were significantly intercorrelated at an adjusted P-value <0.01 (97 out of 153 comparisons). Hence, a principal component analysis was employed to summarize those variables to a smaller number of components. An environmental burden index (EBI) was constructed using these principal components, which categorized the environmental burden profiles of counties into low, medium, and high. EBI was significantly associated with pediatric cancer incidence (P-value <0.05). The rate ratio of high EBI profile to low EBI profile for pediatric cancer incidence was estimated as 1.196, with lower and upper confidence intervals of 1.061 and 1.348, respectively. A model was also developed in the study using EBI to estimate the county-level pediatric cancer incidence in Idaho (Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency = 0.97).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Naveen Joseph
- Idaho Water Resources Research InstituteUniversity of IdahoMoscowIDUSA
| | - Alan S. Kolok
- Idaho Water Resources Research InstituteUniversity of IdahoMoscowIDUSA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Szarka AZ, Ramanarayanan TS. Co-occurrence of Conazole Fungicide Residues in Raw Agricultural Commodities Sampled by the United States Department of Agriculture Pesticide Data Program. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2021; 69:12305-12313. [PMID: 34633796 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.1c04062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In this study, the residue data for conazole fungicides were collated and analyzed in all crop samples reported by the United States Department of Agriculture Pesticide Data Program over the period of 2009-2019. Considering all individual samples, the overall detection frequencies (DFs) of conazoles are less than 13%. Among the 18 conazoles, imazalil had the highest overall DF of 6%, followed by tebuconazole and myclobutanil, with 4% each. Conazoles were detected most frequently in raisins with 28% DF, followed by cherries (frozen and fresh) and grapes, with 12, 10, and 10%, respectively. The presence of multiple conazoles in single commodity samples is very low, below 2%. The analyses found no more than four conazoles present in any given sample. Out of the 18 conazoles, 8 of them were not detected in more than 99.9% of the commodity samples from 2009 to 2019 and, therefore, can be eliminated from screening-level cumulative risk assessment for dietary contributions from food items. While conazoles are widely used on food commodities, co-occurrence of conazole residues was observed only in a very limited number of food commodities, including raisins, grapes, cherries (frozen), nectarines, and peaches. Considering the remaining individual food commodities, the co-occurrence of conazole residues in single commodity samples is very low or not even present.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Arpad Z Szarka
- Human Safety, Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC, Post Office Box 18300, Greensboro, North Carolina 27409, United States
| | - Tharacad S Ramanarayanan
- Human Safety, Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC, Post Office Box 18300, Greensboro, North Carolina 27409, United States
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Bradley PM, Padilla IY, Romanok KM, Smalling KL, Focazio MJ, Breitmeyer SE, Cardon MC, Conley JM, Evans N, Givens CE, Gray JL, Gray LE, Hartig PC, Higgins CP, Hladik ML, Iwanowicz LR, Lane RF, Loftin KA, McCleskey RB, McDonough CA, Medlock-Kakaley E, Meppelink S, Weis CP, Wilson VS. Pilot-scale expanded assessment of inorganic and organic tapwater exposures and predicted effects in Puerto Rico, USA. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 788:147721. [PMID: 34134358 PMCID: PMC8504685 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
A pilot-scale expanded target assessment of mixtures of inorganic and organic contaminants in point-of-consumption drinking water (tapwater, TW) was conducted in Puerto Rico (PR) to continue to inform TW exposures and corresponding estimations of cumulative human-health risks across the US. In August 2018, a spatial synoptic pilot assessment of than 524 organic and 37 inorganic chemicals was conducted in 14 locations (7 home; 7 commercial) across PR. A follow-up 3-day temporal assessment of TW variability was conducted in December 2018 at two of the synoptic locations (1 home, 1 commercial) and included daily pre- and post-flush samples. Concentrations of regulated and unregulated TW contaminants were used to calculate cumulative in vitro bioactivity ratios and Hazard Indices (HI) based on existing human-health benchmarks. Synoptic results confirmed that human exposures to inorganic and organic contaminant mixtures, which are rarely monitored together in drinking water at the point of consumption, occurred across PR and consisted of elevated concentrations of inorganic contaminants (e.g., lead, copper), disinfection byproducts (DBP), and to a lesser extent per/polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and phthalates. Exceedances of human-health benchmarks in every synoptic TW sample support further investigation of the potential cumulative risk to vulnerable populations in PR and emphasize the importance of continued broad characterization of drinking-water exposures at the tap with analytical capabilities that better represent the complexity of both inorganic and organic contaminant mixtures known to occur in ambient source waters. Such health-based monitoring data are essential to support public engagement in source water sustainability and treatment and to inform consumer point-of-use treatment decision making in PR and throughout the US.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Mary C Cardon
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Nicola Evans
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | | | - L Earl Gray
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Christopher P Weis
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences/National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Hong H, Adam V, Nowack B. Form-Specific and Probabilistic Environmental Risk Assessment of 3 Engineered Nanomaterials (Nano-Ag, Nano-TiO 2 , and Nano-ZnO) in European Freshwaters. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2021; 40:2629-2639. [PMID: 34171135 PMCID: PMC8457094 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The release of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) to the environment necessitates an assessment of their environmental risks. The currently available environmental risk assessments (ERA) for ENMs are based on an analysis of the total flows of a specific ENM to the environment and on ecotoxicity studies performed with pristine ENMs. It is known that ENMs undergo transformation during product use and release and in technical systems such as wastewater treatment. The aim of the present study was therefore to perform an ERA of 3 ENMs (nano-Ag, nano-TiO2 , and nano-ZnO) based on a form-specific release model and a form-specific analysis of ecotoxicological data. Predicted environmental concentration values were derived using a form-specific material flow model. Species sensitivity distributions were used to derive predicted-no-effect concentrations (PNECs) for the pristine ENMs and for dissolved and transformed Ag and ZnO. For all ENMs, the matrix-embedded form was included in the assessment. A probabilistic assessment was applied, yielding final probability distributions for the risk characterization ratio (RCR). For nano-Ag, the form-specific assessment resulted in a decrease of the mean RCR from 0.061 for the approach neglecting the different release forms to 0.034 because of the much lower PNEC of transformed Ag. Likewise, for nano-ZnO, the form-specific approach reduced the mean RCR from 1.2 to 0.86. For nano-TiO2 , the form-specific assessment did not change the mean RCR of 0.026. This analysis shows that a form-specific approach can have an influence on the assessment of the environmental risks of ENMs and that, given the availability of form-specific release models, an updated ERA for ENMs can be performed. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:2629-2639. © 2021 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hyunjoo Hong
- Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technologies, Technology and Society LaboratorySt. GallenSwitzerland
| | - Véronique Adam
- Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technologies, Technology and Society LaboratorySt. GallenSwitzerland
| | - Bernd Nowack
- Empa, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technologies, Technology and Society LaboratorySt. GallenSwitzerland
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Duan Y, Ramilan T, Luo J, French N, Guan N. Risk assessment approaches for evaluating cumulative exposures to multiple pesticide residues in agro-products using seasonal vegetable monitoring data from Hainan, China: a case study. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2021; 193:578. [PMID: 34398280 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09328-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Risks from combined exposure to multiple chemicals in food have prompted a growing concern for their effect on human health. Risk management of chemical mixtures should be based on developing and harmonizing methodologies to scientifically evaluate their cumulative adverse effects. In this study, a simplified tiered approach of cumulative exposure assessment is described along with a case study of vegetables in China's Hainan province during 2012-2014. This case study could be a reference for the Chinese National Risk Assessment Programs for vegetable and fruit products. In the proposed assessment approach, Tier 1 acts as a screening tier to categorize and evaluate chemicals under a conservative scenario, and it prioritizes the pesticides of most concern. Tier 2 refines the grouping of substances from Tier 1 and normalizes the toxic potency of the chemicals to sum the exposure of chemical mixtures in a given assessment group. Tier 3 applies the refined exposure model and the input parameter distribution to create probabilistic models using Monte Carlo simulation. This approach will be helpful in the cumulative exposure assessment where data on pesticide residues are sufficient, but the individual dietary consumption is inadequate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yun Duan
- Analysis and Test Center, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, China
- Laboratory of Quality and Safety Risk Assessment for Tropical Products of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Haikou, China
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Quality and Safety for Tropical Fruits and Vegetables, Haikou, China
- Hopkirk Research Institute, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
- New Zealand Food Safety Science & Research Center, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Thiagarajah Ramilan
- New Zealand Food Safety Science & Research Center, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
- School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
| | - Jinhui Luo
- Analysis and Test Center, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou, China
- Laboratory of Quality and Safety Risk Assessment for Tropical Products of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Haikou, China
- Hainan Provincial Key Laboratory of Quality and Safety for Tropical Fruits and Vegetables, Haikou, China
| | - Nigel French
- Hopkirk Research Institute, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
- New Zealand Food Safety Science & Research Center, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
| | - Ni Guan
- National Engineering Research Center for Non-Food Bio-Refinery, Guangxi Academy of Science, Nanning, China
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Bradley PM, Kulp MA, Huffman BJ, Romanok KM, Smalling KL, Breitmeyer SE, Clark JM, Journey CA. Reconnaissance of cumulative risk of pesticides and pharmaceuticals in Great Smoky Mountains National Park streams. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 781:146711. [PMID: 33798883 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Revised: 03/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/20/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The United States (US) National Park Service (NPS) manages protected public lands to preserve biodiversity. Exposure to and effects of bioactive organic contaminants in NPS streams are challenges for resource managers. Recent assessment of pesticides and pharmaceuticals in protected-streams within the urbanized NPS Southeast Region (SER) indicated the importance of fluvial inflows from external sources as drivers of aquatic contaminant-mixture exposures. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM), lies within SER, has the highest biodiversity and annual visitation of NPS parks, but, in contrast to the previously studied systems, straddles a high-elevation hydrologic divide; this setting limits fluvial-inflows of contaminants but potentially increases visitation-driven contaminant deliveries. We leveraged the unique characteristics of GRSM to test further the importance of fluvial contaminant inflows as drivers of protected-stream exposures and to inform the relative importance of potential additional contaminant transport mechanisms, by comparing the estimated risks of 328 pesticides and pharmaceuticals in water at 16 GRSM stream locations to those estimated previously in SER streams. Extensive mixtures (31 compounds) were only observed in an atypical reach on the boundary of GRSM downstream of a wastewater discharge, while limited mixtures (2-5 compounds) were observed in one stream with elevated visitation pressure (recreational "tube floating"). The insecticide, imidacloprid, used to eradicate hemlock woolly adelgid, was detected in 8 (50%) streams. Infrequent exceedances of a cumulative ToxCast-based, exposure-activity ratio (ΣEAR) 0.001 screening-level of concern suggested limited risk to non-target, aquatic vertebrates, whereas exceedances of a cumulative benchmark-based, invertebrate toxicity quotient (ΣTQ) 0.1 screening level at 8 locations indicated generally high risk to invertebrates. The results are consistent with the importance of fluvial transport from extra-park sources as a driver of bioactive-contaminant mixture exposures in protected streams and illustrate the potential additional risks from visitation-driven and tactical-use-pesticides.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul M Bradley
- U.S. Geological Survey, South Atlantic Water Science Center, Columbia, SC, USA.
| | - Matt A Kulp
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park, National Park Service, Gatlinburg, TN, USA
| | - Bradley J Huffman
- U.S. Geological Survey, South Atlantic Water Science Center, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Kristin M Romanok
- U.S. Geological Survey, New Jersey Water Science Center, Lawrenceville, NJ, USA
| | - Kelly L Smalling
- U.S. Geological Survey, New Jersey Water Science Center, Lawrenceville, NJ, USA
| | - Sara E Breitmeyer
- U.S. Geological Survey, New Jersey Water Science Center, Lawrenceville, NJ, USA
| | - Jimmy M Clark
- U.S. Geological Survey, South Atlantic Water Science Center, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - Celeste A Journey
- U.S. Geological Survey, South Atlantic Water Science Center, Columbia, SC, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Tralau T, Oelgeschläger M, Kugler J, Bloch D, Braeuning A, Burgdorf T, Marx-Stoelting P, Ritz V, Schmeisser S, Trubiroha A, Zellmer S, Luch A, Schönfelder G, Solecki R, Hensel A. A prospective whole-mixture approach to assess risk of the food and chemical exposome. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2021; 2:463-468. [PMID: 37117676 DOI: 10.1038/s43016-021-00316-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Many widely used chemicals result in ubiquitous human exposure from multiple sources, including diet. Legislation mainly deals with the toxicological evaluation of single substances owing to a methodological and conceptual lack of alternatives, and does so within defined silos subject to over 40 distinct regulations in the EU alone. Furthermore, much of the research and many of the initiatives concerned with the assessment and evaluation of chemical mixtures and their potential effects on human health rely on retrospective analysis. Here we propose an approach for the prospective identification, assessment and regulation of mixtures relevant to human health. We address two distinct aspects of toxicology-which chemicals actually do occur together, and how potential mixture-related health hazards can be predicted-with an adapted concept of the exposome and large-scale hazard screens. The proactive use of the likelihood of co-exposure, together with the new approach of methods-based testing, may be a timely and feasible way of identifying those substances and mixtures where hazards may have been overlooked and regulatory action is needed. Ideally, we would generate co-exposure patterns for specific consumer groups, depending on lifestyle and dietary habits, to assess the specific risk of identified mixtures.
Collapse
|
13
|
Polvara E, Spinazzè A, Invernizzi M, Cattaneo A, Sironi S, Cavallo DM. Toxicological assessment method for evaluating the occupational risk of dynamic olfactometry assessors. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2021; 125:105003. [PMID: 34265403 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2021.105003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The paper aims to propose a new method to evaluate the occupational exposure risk for examiners involved in dynamic olfactometry. Indeed, examiners are possibly exposed to hazardous pollutants potentially present in odorous samples. A standardized method to evaluate the examiners' occupational safety is not yet available and the existing models present some critical aspect if applied to real odorous samples (no uniform reference concentrations applied and presence of compounds for which no toxicity threshold is available). A deepening of assessment procedure to evaluate the occupation exposure risk for olfactometric assessors is necessary. This paper proposes a standardized approach for risk assessment in dynamic olfactometry. The proposed approach allows the quantification synthetic and conservative risk indices. In this model, the use of the hazard index for the odorous mixture was proposed to assess the non-carcinogenic risk; the calculation of the inhalation risk was applied to estimate the carcinogenic risk. Different databases can be used to retrieve proper occupational exposure limits, according to the proposed hierarchical basis. These implementations allow obtaining the complete characterization of real samples which can be used to calculate the minimum dilution factor for protecting the panellists' health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Polvara
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Andrea Spinazzè
- Department of Science and High Technology DiSAT, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, Como, Italy.
| | - Marzio Invernizzi
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Andrea Cattaneo
- Department of Science and High Technology DiSAT, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, Como, Italy
| | - Selena Sironi
- Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Domenico Maria Cavallo
- Department of Science and High Technology DiSAT, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, Como, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Bradley PM, LeBlanc DR, Romanok KM, Smalling KL, Focazio MJ, Cardon MC, Clark JM, Conley JM, Evans N, Givens CE, Gray JL, Earl Gray L, Hartig PC, Higgins CP, Hladik ML, Iwanowicz LR, Loftin KA, Blaine McCleskey R, McDonough CA, Medlock-Kakaley EK, Weis CP, Wilson VS. Public and private tapwater: Comparative analysis of contaminant exposure and potential risk, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2021; 152:106487. [PMID: 33752165 PMCID: PMC8268049 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Humans are primary drivers of environmental contamination worldwide, including in drinking-water resources. In the United States (US), federal and state agencies regulate and monitor public-supply drinking water while private-supply monitoring is rare; the current lack of directly comparable information on contaminant-mixture exposures and risks between private- and public-supplies undermines tapwater (TW) consumer decision-making. METHODS We compared private- and public-supply residential point-of-use TW at Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where both supplies share the same groundwater source. TW from 10 private- and 10 public-supply homes was analyzed for 487 organic, 38 inorganic, 8 microbial indicators, and 3 in vitro bioactivities. Concentrations were compared to existing protective health-based benchmarks, and aggregated Hazard Indices (HI) of regulated and unregulated TW contaminants were calculated along with ratios of in vitro exposure-activity cutoffs. RESULTS Seventy organic and 28 inorganic constituents were detected in TW. Median detections were comparable, but median cumulative concentrations were substantially higher in public supply due to 6 chlorine-disinfected samples characterized by disinfection byproducts and corresponding lower heterotrophic plate counts. Public-supply applicable maximum contaminant (nitrate) and treatment action (lead and copper) levels were exceeded in private-supply TW samples only. Exceedances of health-based HI screening levels of concern were common to both TW supplies. DISCUSSION These Cape Cod results indicate comparable cumulative human-health concerns from contaminant exposures in private- and public-supply TW in a shared source-water setting. Importantly, although this study's analytical coverage exceeds that currently feasible for water purveyors or homeowners, it nevertheless is a substantial underestimation of the full breadth of contaminant mixtures documented in the environment and potentially present in drinking water. CONCLUSION Regardless of the supply, increased public engagement in source-water protection and drinking-water treatment, including consumer point-of-use treatment, is warranted to reduce risks associated with long-term TW contaminant exposures, especially in vulnerable populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Mary C Cardon
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | | | - Nicola Evans
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | | | - L Earl Gray
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Christopher P Weis
- U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences/NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
15
|
Bradley PM, Journey CA, Romanok KM, Breitmeyer SE, Button DT, Carlisle DM, Huffman BJ, Mahler BJ, Nowell LH, Qi SL, Smalling KL, Waite IR, Van Metre PC. Multi-region assessment of chemical mixture exposures and predicted cumulative effects in USA wadeable urban/agriculture-gradient streams. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 773:145062. [PMID: 33940714 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Chemical-contaminant mixtures are widely reported in large stream reaches in urban/agriculture-developed watersheds, but mixture compositions and aggregate biological effects are less well understood in corresponding smaller headwaters, which comprise most of stream length, riparian connectivity, and spatial biodiversity. During 2014-2017, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) measured 389 unique organic analytes (pharmaceutical, pesticide, organic wastewater indicators) in 305 headwater streams within four contiguous United States (US) regions. Potential aquatic biological effects were evaluated for estimated maximum and median exposure conditions using multiple lines of evidence, including occurrence/concentrations of designed-bioactive pesticides and pharmaceuticals and cumulative risk screening based on vertebrate-centric ToxCast™ exposure-response data and on invertebrate and nonvascular plant aquatic life benchmarks. Mixed-contaminant exposures were ubiquitous and varied, with 78% (304) of analytes detected at least once and cumulative maximum concentrations up to more than 156,000 ng/L. Designed bioactives represented 83% of detected analytes. Contaminant summary metrics correlated strong-positive (rho (ρ): 0.569-0.719) to multiple watershed-development metrics, only weak-positive to point-source discharges (ρ: 0.225-353), and moderate- to strong-negative with multiple instream invertebrate metrics (ρ: -0.373 to -0.652). Risk screening indicated common exposures with high probability of vertebrate-centric molecular effects and of acute toxicity to invertebrates, respectively. The results confirm exposures to broad and diverse contaminant mixtures and provide convincing multiple lines of evidence that chemical contaminants contribute substantially to adverse multi-stressor effects in headwater-stream communities.
Collapse
|
16
|
Cumulative Risks from Stressor Exposures and Personal Risk Factors in the Workplace: Examples from a Scoping Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18115850. [PMID: 34072475 PMCID: PMC8199163 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18115850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Protecting worker and public health involves an understanding of multiple determinants, including exposures to biological, chemical, or physical agents or stressors in combination with other determinants including type of employment, health status, and individual behaviors. This has been illustrated during the COVID-19 pandemic by increased exposure and health risks for essential workers and those with pre-existing conditions, and mask-wearing behavior. Health risk assessment practices for environmental and occupational health typically do not incorporate multiple stressors in combination with personal risk factors. While conceptual developments in cumulative risk assessment to inform a more holistic approach to these real-life conditions have progressed, gaps remain, and practical methods and applications are rare. This scoping review characterizes existing evidence of combined stressor exposures and personal factors and risk to foster methods for occupational cumulative risk assessment. The review found examples from many workplaces, such as manufacturing, offices, and health care; exposures to chemical, physical, and psychosocial stressors combined with modifiable and unmodifiable determinants of health; and outcomes including respiratory function and disease, cancers, cardio-metabolic diseases, and hearing loss, as well as increased fertility, menstrual dysfunction and worsened mental health. To protect workers, workplace exposures and modifiable and unmodifiable characteristics should be considered in risk assessment and management. Data on combination exposures can improve assessments and risk estimates and inform protective exposure limits and management strategies.
Collapse
|
17
|
Kashuba R, Menzie C, Martin L. Risk of cardiovascular disease is driven by different combinations of environmental, medical and behavioral factors: Building a conceptual model for cumulative risk assessment. HUMAN AND ECOLOGICAL RISK ASSESSMENT : HERA 2021; 27:1-24. [PMID: 36959834 PMCID: PMC10031754 DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2021.1925083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Institute of Environmental Health (NIEHS) held a workshop in 2012 to discuss principles and applications of cumulative risk assessment (CRA). The workshop organizers chose cardiovascular disease (CVD) as an example health outcome for which cumulative risk considerations could illuminate environmental and health management strategies. To guide discussions, we developed a series of conceptual models illustrating factors influencing CVD. The CVD conceptual model represents complex processes across varying space and time scales, different causal pathways, and multiple chemical and non-chemical stressors and factors. It includes causal influences of environmental exposures and lifestyle choices, in the context of genetics and medical factors. The representation of cumulative risk as a network of interrelated nodes and arrows helps define and organize the problem and available information, determine the scope and scale, and creates a platform for analysis. It provides an interface for discussing how different entities (e.g., environmental versus health-driven organizations) can work together on different parts of the problem, and facilitates relative risk ranking and management triage. Color coding is used to distinguish categories of stressors and possible oversight responsibility. This work informs guidelines for CRA planning and assessment of factor combinations affecting real-world risk.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roxolana Kashuba
- EcoScience Practice, Exponent Washington, DC, USA, currently Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20460, USA
| | - Charles Menzie
- EcoScience Practice, Exponent, 420 Lexington Ave # 1740, New York, NY, 10170, USA
| | - Lawrence Martin
- Office of Research and Development, US Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20460, USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
von Stackelberg K, Williams PR. Evolving Science and Practice of Risk Assessment. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2021; 41:571-583. [PMID: 33295028 PMCID: PMC8257268 DOI: 10.1111/risa.13647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Managing public health risks from environmental contaminants has historically relied on a risk assessment process defined by the regulatory context in which these risks are assessed. Risk assessment guidance follows a straightforward, chemical-by-chemical approach to inform regulatory decisions around the question "what is the risk-based concentration protective of human and ecological health outcomes?" Here we briefly summarize regulatory risk assessment in the context of innovative risk assessment approaches based on an evolving understanding of the underlying scientific disciplines that support risk analysis more broadly. We discuss scientific versus regulatory tensions in the application of these approaches for future risk assessments, and challenges in translating our improved understanding of the underlying scientific complexity to the regulatory landscape to better inform decision making that extends beyond conventional regulatory mandates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Katherine von Stackelberg
- NEK Associates LTD, Allston, MA, 02134, USA
- Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, 401 Park Drive, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
Wiener JB. Learning to Manage the Multirisk World. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2020; 40:2137-2143. [PMID: 33174238 DOI: 10.1111/risa.13629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Risk assessment, perception, and management tend to focus on one risk at a time. But we live in a multirisk world. This essay in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) and the journal Risk Analysis suggests that we can-and have already begun to-strengthen risk analysis and policy outcomes by moving from a focus on the single to the multiple-multiple stressors, multiple impacts, and multiple decisions. This evolution can improve our abilities to assess actual risks, to confront and weigh risk-risk trade-offs and innovate risk-superior moves, and to build learning into adaptive regulation that adjusts over time. Recognizing the multirisk reality can help us understand complex systems, foresee unintended consequences, design better policy solutions, and learn to improve.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan B Wiener
- Duke Center on Risk, Law School, Nicholas School, and Sanford School, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Schulz AJ, Omari A, Ward M, Mentz GB, Demajo R, Sampson N, Israel BA, Reyes AG, Wilkins D. Independent and joint contributions of economic, social and physical environmental characteristics to mortality in the Detroit Metropolitan Area: A study of cumulative effects and pathways. Health Place 2020; 65:102391. [PMID: 32738606 PMCID: PMC7511424 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2020.102391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Previous studies have demonstrated associations between race-based residential segregation, neighborhood socioeconomic and physical environmental characteristics, and mortality. Relatively few studies have examined independent and joint effects of these multiple neighborhood characteristics and mortality, including potential mediating pathways. In this study we examine the extent to which associations between race-based residential segregation and all-cause mortality may be explained by multiple socioeconomic indicators and exposure to air pollutants. METHODS Drawing on data from multiple sources, we assessed bivariate associations between race-based residential segregation (operationalized as percent non-Hispanic Black), education (percent with graduate equivalency degree), poverty (percent below poverty), income inequality (GINI coefficient) and air pollution (ambient PM2.5) and age adjusted all-cause, all race mortality (henceforth all cause mortality) at the census tract level in the Detroit Metropolitan Area. We used inequality curves to assess the (in)equitable distribution of economic and environmental characteristics by census tract racial composition. Finally, we used generalized estimating equations (GEE) to examine independent and joint associations among percent NHB, education, income inequality, and air pollution to all-cause mortality, and test for mediating effects. RESULTS Bivariate associations between racial composition, education, poverty, income inequality, PM2.5 and all-cause mortality were statistically significant. Census tracts with higher concentrations of NHB residents had significantly lower educational attainment, higher poverty, and greater exposure to PM2.5. In multivariate models, education, income inequality and PM2.5 fully attenuated associations between racial composition and all-cause mortality. CONCLUSIONS Results are consistent with the hypothesis that race-based residential segregation is associated with heightened all-cause mortality, and that those effects are mediated by education, income inequality, and exposure to air pollution at the census tract level. Public health and cross-sector interventions to eliminate race-based residential segregation or to eliminate the maldistribution of educational and economic resources, and environmental exposures, across census tracts could substantially reduce regional inequities in all-cause mortality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amy J Schulz
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Amel Omari
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Melanie Ward
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Graciela B Mentz
- Department of Anesthesiology, Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Ricardo Demajo
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Natalie Sampson
- College of Education, Health and Human Services, University of Michigan Dearborn, Dearborn, MI, USA
| | - Barbara A Israel
- Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Angela G Reyes
- Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, Detroit, MI, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
21
|
A Cumulative Risk Perspective for Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Professionals. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17176342. [PMID: 32878292 PMCID: PMC7503320 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17176342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Cumulative risk assessment (CRA) addresses the combined risk associated with chemical and non-chemical exposures. Although CRA approaches are utilized in environmental and ecological contexts, they are rarely applied in workplaces. In this perspectives article, we strive to raise awareness among occupational health and safety (OHS) professionals and foster the greater adoption of a CRA perspective in practice. Specifically, we provide an overview of CRA literature as well as preliminary guidance on when to consider a CRA approach in occupational settings and how to establish reasonable boundaries. Examples of possible workplace co-exposures and voluntary risk management actions are discussed. We also highlight important implications for workplace CRA research and practice. In particular, future needs include simple tools for identifying combinations of chemical and non-chemical exposures, uniform risk management guidelines, and risk communication materials. Further development of practical CRA methods and tools are essential to meet the needs of complex and changing work environments.
Collapse
|
22
|
Clougherty JE, Rider CV. Integration of psychosocial and chemical stressors in risk assessment. CURRENT OPINION IN TOXICOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cotox.2020.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
|
23
|
Bradley PM, Romanok KM, Duncan JR, Battaglin WA, Clark JM, Hladik ML, Huffman BJ, Iwanowicz LR, Journey CA, Smalling KL. Exposure and potential effects of pesticides and pharmaceuticals in protected streams of the US National park Service southeast region. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 704:135431. [PMID: 31896231 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Globally, protected areas offer refugia for a broad range of taxa including threatened and endangered species. In the United States (US), the National Park Service (NPS) manages public lands to preserve biodiversity, but increasing park visitation and development of surrounding landscapes increase exposure to and effects from bioactive contaminants. The risk (exposure and hazard) to NPS protected-stream ecosystems within the highly urbanized southeast region (SER) from bioactive contaminants was assessed in five systems based on 334 pesticide and pharmaceutical analytes in water and 119 pesticides in sediment. Contaminant mixtures were common across all sampled systems, with approximately 24% of the unique analytes (80/334) detected at least once and 15% (49/334) detected in half of the surface-water samples. Pharmaceuticals were observed more frequently than pesticides, consistent with riparian buffers and concomitant spatial separation from non-point pesticide sources in four of the systems. To extrapolate exposure data to biological effects space, site-specific cumulative exposure-activity ratios (ΣEAR) were calculated for detected surface-water contaminants with available ToxCast data; common exceedances of a 0.001 ΣEAR effects-screening threshold raise concerns for molecular toxicity and possible, sub-lethal effects to non-target, aquatic vertebrates. The results illustrate the need for continued management of protected resources to reduce contaminant exposure and preserve habitat quality, including prioritization of conservation practices (riparian buffers) near stream corridors and increased engagement with upstream/up-gradient property owners and municipal wastewater facilities.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul M Bradley
- U.S. Geological Survey, South Atlantic Water Science Center, Columbia, SC USA.
| | - Kristin M Romanok
- U.S. Geological Survey, New Jersey Water Science Center, Lawrenceville, NJ USA
| | | | | | - Jimmy M Clark
- U.S. Geological Survey, South Atlantic Water Science Center, Columbia, SC USA
| | - Michelle L Hladik
- U.S. Geological Survey, California Water Science Center, Sacramento, CA USA
| | - Bradley J Huffman
- U.S. Geological Survey, South Atlantic Water Science Center, Columbia, SC USA
| | - Luke R Iwanowicz
- U.S. Geological Survey, Leetown Science Center , Kearneysville, WV USA
| | - Celeste A Journey
- U.S. Geological Survey, South Atlantic Water Science Center, Columbia, SC USA
| | - Kelly L Smalling
- U.S. Geological Survey, New Jersey Water Science Center, Lawrenceville, NJ USA
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Bradley PM, Journey CA, Button DT, Carlisle DM, Huffman BJ, Qi SL, Romanok KM, Van Metre PC. Multi-region assessment of pharmaceutical exposures and predicted effects in USA wadeable urban-gradient streams. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228214. [PMID: 31999738 PMCID: PMC6992211 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Human-use pharmaceuticals in urban streams link aquatic-ecosystem health to human health. Pharmaceutical mixtures have been widely reported in larger streams due to historical emphasis on wastewater-treatment plant (WWTP) sources, with limited investigation of pharmaceutical exposures and potential effects in smaller headwater streams. In 2014-2017, the United States Geological Survey measured 111 pharmaceutical compounds in 308 headwater streams (261 urban-gradient sites sampled 3-5 times, 47 putative low-impact sites sampled once) in 4 regions across the US. Simultaneous exposures to multiple pharmaceutical compounds (pharmaceutical mixtures) were observed in 91% of streams (248 urban-gradient, 32 low-impact), with 88 analytes detected across all sites and cumulative maximum concentrations up to 36,142 ng/L per site. Cumulative detections and concentrations correlated to urban land use and presence/absence of permitted WWTP discharges, but pharmaceutical mixtures also were common in the 75% of sampled streams without WWTP. Cumulative exposure-activity ratios (EAR) indicated widespread transient exposures with high probability of molecular effects to vertebrates. Considering the potential individual and interactive effects of the detected pharmaceuticals and the recognized analytical underestimation of the pharmaceutical-contaminant (unassessed parent compounds, metabolites, degradates) space, these results demonstrate a nation-wide environmental concern and the need for watershed-scale mitigation of in-stream pharmaceutical contamination.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul M. Bradley
- U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Celeste A. Journey
- U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Daniel T. Button
- U.S. Geological Survey, Columbus, Ohio, United States of America
| | | | - Bradley J. Huffman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Columbia, South Carolina, United States of America
| | - Sharon L. Qi
- U.S. Geological Survey, Beaverton, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Kristin M. Romanok
- U.S. Geological Survey, Lawrenceville, New Jersey, United States of America
| | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Fairbrother A, Muir D, Solomon KR, Ankley GT, Rudd MA, Boxall AB, Apell JN, Armbrust KL, Blalock BJ, Bowman SR, Campbell LM, Cobb GP, Connors KA, Dreier DA, Evans MS, Henry CJ, Hoke RA, Houde M, Klaine SJ, Klaper RD, Kullik SA, Lanno RP, Meyer C, Ottinger MA, Oziolor E, Petersen EJ, Poynton HC, Rice PJ, Rodriguez‐Fuentes G, Samel A, Shaw JR, Steevens JA, Verslycke TA, Vidal‐Dorsch DE, Weir SM, Wilson P, Brooks BW. Toward Sustainable Environmental Quality: Priority Research Questions for North America. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2019; 38:1606-1624. [PMID: 31361364 PMCID: PMC6852658 DOI: 10.1002/etc.4502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2019] [Revised: 03/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/16/2019] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Anticipating, identifying, and prioritizing strategic needs represent essential activities by research organizations. Decided benefits emerge when these pursuits engage globally important environment and health goals, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. To this end, horizon scanning efforts can facilitate identification of specific research needs to address grand challenges. We report and discuss 40 priority research questions following engagement of scientists and engineers in North America. These timely questions identify the importance of stimulating innovation and developing new methods, tools, and concepts in environmental chemistry and toxicology to improve assessment and management of chemical contaminants and other diverse environmental stressors. Grand challenges to achieving sustainable management of the environment are becoming increasingly complex and structured by global megatrends, which collectively challenge existing sustainable environmental quality efforts. Transdisciplinary, systems-based approaches will be required to define and avoid adverse biological effects across temporal and spatial gradients. Similarly, coordinated research activities among organizations within and among countries are necessary to address the priority research needs reported here. Acquiring answers to these 40 research questions will not be trivial, but doing so promises to advance sustainable environmental quality in the 21st century. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:1606-1624. © 2019 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Derek Muir
- Aquatic Contaminants Research DivisionEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington ONCanada
| | - Keith R. Solomon
- School of Environmental SciencesUniversity of Guelph, GuelphOntarioCanada
| | | | | | | | - Jennifer N. Apell
- Department of Civil & Environmental EngineeringMassachusetts Institute of Technology, CambridgeMAUSA
| | - Kevin L. Armbrust
- Department of Environmental Sciences, College of the Coast and EnvironmentLouisiana State University, Baton RougeLouisianaUSA
| | - Bonnie J. Blalock
- School for the EnvironmentUniversity of Massachusetts BostonBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Sarah R. Bowman
- Michigan Department of Environmental QualityDetroitMichiganUSA
| | - Linda M. Campbell
- Environmental Science, Saint Mary's University, HalifaxNova ScotiaCanada
| | - George P. Cobb
- Department of Environmental ScienceBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
| | | | - David A. Dreier
- Center for Environmental & Human ToxicologyUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
| | - Marlene S. Evans
- Aquatic Contaminants Research DivisionEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington ONCanada
| | | | | | - Magali Houde
- Aquatic Contaminants Research DivisionEnvironment and Climate Change Canada, Burlington ONCanada
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Mary Ann Ottinger
- Department of Biology and BiochemistryUniversity of HoustonHoustonTexasUSA
| | - Elias Oziolor
- Department of Environmental ScienceBaylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
| | - Elijah J. Petersen
- Material Measurement LaboratoryNational Institute of Standards and TechnologyGaithersburgMarylandUSA
| | - Helen C. Poynton
- School for the EnvironmentUniversity of Massachusetts BostonBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Pamela J. Rice
- US Department of AgricultureAgricultural Research ServiceWashington, DC
| | | | | | - Joseph R. Shaw
- School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana UniversityBloomingtonIndianaUSA
| | | | | | | | - Scott M. Weir
- Queen's University of CharlotteCharlotteNorth CarolinaUSA
| | | | - Bryan W. Brooks
- Procter and GambleCincinnatiOhioUSA
- Institute of Biomedical Studies, Baylor UniversityWacoTexasUSA
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Bopp SK, Kienzler A, Richarz AN, van der Linden SC, Paini A, Parissis N, Worth AP. Regulatory assessment and risk management of chemical mixtures: challenges and ways forward. Crit Rev Toxicol 2019; 49:174-189. [DOI: 10.1080/10408444.2019.1579169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Aude Kienzler
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
| | | | | | - Alicia Paini
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
| | | | - Andrew P. Worth
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Ispra, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
LaKind JS, O'Mahony C, Armstrong T, Tibaldi R, Blount BC, Naiman DQ. ExpoQual: Evaluating measured and modeled human exposure data. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2019; 171:302-312. [PMID: 30708234 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2019.01.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2018] [Revised: 01/22/2019] [Accepted: 01/24/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Recent rapid technological advances are producing exposure data sets for which there are no available data quality assessment tools. At the same time, regulatory agencies are moving in the direction of data quality assessment for environmental risk assessment and decision-making. A transparent and systematic approach to evaluating exposure data will aid in those efforts. Any approach to assessing data quality must consider the level of quality needed for the ultimate use of the data. While various fields have developed approaches to assess data quality, there is as yet no general, user-friendly approach to assess both measured and modeled data in the context of a fit-for-purpose risk assessment. Here we describe ExpoQual, an instrument developed for this purpose which applies recognized parameters and exposure data quality elements from existing approaches for assessing exposure data quality. Broad data streams such as quantitative measured and modeled human exposure data as well as newer and developing approaches can be evaluated. The key strength of ExpoQual is that it facilitates a structured, reproducible and transparent approach to exposure data quality evaluation and provides for an explicit fit-for-purpose determination. ExpoQual was designed to minimize subjectivity and to include transparency in aspects based on professional judgment. ExpoQual is freely available on-line for testing and user feedback (exposurequality.com).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Judy S LaKind
- LaKind Associates, LLC, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 106 Oakdale Ave, Catonsville, MD 21228, USA
| | - Cian O'Mahony
- Creme Global, Trinity Technology and Enterprise Campus, Grand Canal Quay, Dublin 2, Ireland, UK.
| | - Thomas Armstrong
- TWA8HR Occupational Hygiene Consulting LLC, Branchburg, NJ 08876, USA
| | - Rosalie Tibaldi
- ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences, Inc., Annandale, NJ 08801, USA.
| | - Benjamin C Blount
- Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4770 Buford Highway, NE, Atlanta, GA, USA.
| | - Daniel Q Naiman
- Department of Applied Mathematics & Statistics, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Bradley PM, Journey CA, Berninger JP, Button DT, Clark JM, Corsi SR, DeCicco LA, Hopkins KG, Huffman BJ, Nakagaki N, Norman JE, Nowell LH, Qi SL, VanMetre PC, Waite IR. Mixed-chemical exposure and predicted effects potential in wadeable southeastern USA streams. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 655:70-83. [PMID: 30469070 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2018] [Revised: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Complex chemical mixtures have been widely reported in larger streams but relatively little work has been done to characterize them and assess their potential effects in headwater streams. In 2014, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) sampled 54 Piedmont streams over ten weeks and measured 475 unique organic compounds using five analytical methods. Maximum and median exposure conditions were evaluated in relation to watershed characteristics and for potential biological effects using multiple lines of evidence. Results demonstrate that mixed-contaminant exposures are ubiquitous and varied in sampled headwater streams. Approximately 56% (264) of the 475 compounds were detected at least once across all sites. Cumulative maximum concentrations ranged 1,922-162,346ngL-1 per site. Chemical occurrence significantly correlated to urban land use but was not related to presence/absence of wastewater treatment facility discharges. Designed bioactive chemicals represent about 2/3rd of chemicals detected, notably pharmaceuticals and pesticides, qualitative evidence for possible adverse biological effects. Comparative Toxicogenomics Database chemical-gene associations applied to maximum exposure conditions indicate >12,000 and 2,900 potential gene targets were predicted at least once across all sites for fish and invertebrates, respectively. Analysis of cumulative exposure-activity ratios provided additional evidence that, at a minimum, transient exposures with high probability of molecular effects to vertebrates were common. Finally, cumulative detections and concentrations correlated inversely with invertebrate metrics from in-stream surveys. The results demonstrate widespread instream exposure to extensive contaminant mixtures and compelling multiple lines of evidence for adverse effects on aquatic communities.
Collapse
|
29
|
Anjum RL, Rocca E. From Ideal to Real Risk: Philosophy of Causation Meets Risk Analysis. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2019; 39:729-740. [PMID: 30229973 DOI: 10.1111/risa.13187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2017] [Revised: 06/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
A question has been raised in recent years as to whether the risk field, including analysis, assessment, and management, ought to be considered a discipline on its own. As suggested by Terje Aven, unification of the risk field would require a common understanding of basic concepts, such as risk and probability; hence, more discussion is needed of what he calls "foundational issues." In this article, we show that causation is a foundational issue of risk, and that a proper understanding of it is crucial. We propose that some old ideas about the nature of causation must be abandoned in order to overcome certain persisting challenges facing risk experts over the last decade. In particular, we discuss the challenge of including causally relevant knowledge from the local context when studying risk. Although it is uncontroversial that the receptor plays an important role for risk evaluations, we show how the implementation of receptor-based frameworks is hindered by methodological shortcomings that can be traced back to Humean orthodoxies about causation. We argue that the first step toward the development of frameworks better suited to make realistic risk predictions is to reconceptualize causation, by examining a philosophical alternative to the Humean understanding. In this article, we show how our preferred account, causal dispositionalism, offers a different perspective in how risk is evaluated and understood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Elena Rocca
- Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Rotter S, Beronius A, Boobis AR, Hanberg A, van Klaveren J, Luijten M, Machera K, Nikolopoulou D, van der Voet H, Zilliacus J, Solecki R. Overview on legislation and scientific approaches for risk assessment of combined exposure to multiple chemicals: the potential EuroMix contribution. Crit Rev Toxicol 2019; 48:796-814. [DOI: 10.1080/10408444.2018.1541964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- S. Rotter
- Department of Pesticides Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment - BfR, Berlin, Germany
| | - A. Beronius
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A. R. Boobis
- Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - A. Hanberg
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - J. van Klaveren
- Centre for Nutrition, Prevention and Health Services, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - M. Luijten
- Centre for Health Protection, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - K. Machera
- Laboratory of Pesticides Toxicology, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, Athens, Greece
| | - D. Nikolopoulou
- Laboratory of Pesticides Toxicology, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, Athens, Greece
| | - H. van der Voet
- Biometris, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - J. Zilliacus
- Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - R. Solecki
- Department of Pesticides Safety, German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment - BfR, Berlin, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
MacDonell MM, Hertzberg RC, Rice GE, Wright JM, Teuschler LK. Characterizing Risk for Cumulative Risk Assessments. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2018; 38:1183-1201. [PMID: 29168988 PMCID: PMC8315329 DOI: 10.1111/risa.12933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2016] [Revised: 08/15/2017] [Accepted: 08/27/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In assessing environmental health risks, the risk characterization step synthesizes information gathered in evaluating exposures to stressors together with dose-response relationships, characteristics of the exposed population, and external environmental conditions. This article summarizes key steps of a cumulative risk assessment (CRA) followed by a discussion of considerations for characterizing cumulative risks. Cumulative risk characterizations differ considerably from single chemical- or single source-based risk characterization. CRAs typically focus on a specific population instead of a pollutant or pollutant source and should include an evaluation of all relevant sources contributing to the exposures in the population and other factors that influence dose-response relationships. Second, CRAs may include influential environmental and population-specific conditions, involving multiple chemical and nonchemical stressors. Third, a CRA could examine multiple health effects, reflecting joint toxicity and the potential for toxicological interactions. Fourth, the complexities often necessitate simplifying methods, including judgment-based and semi-quantitative indices that collapse disparate data into numerical scores. Fifth, because of the higher dimensionality and potentially large number of interactions, information needed to quantify risk is typically incomplete, necessitating an uncertainty analysis. Three approaches that could be used for characterizing risks in a CRA are presented: the multiroute hazard index, stressor grouping by exposure and toxicity, and indices for screening multiple factors and conditions. Other key roles of the risk characterization in CRAs are also described, mainly the translational aspect of including a characterization summary for lay readers (in addition to the technical analysis), and placing the results in the context of the likely risk-based decisions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Richard C. Hertzberg
- Biomathematics Consulting and Department of Environmental Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Glenn E. Rice
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - J. Michael Wright
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
Fox MA, Spicer K, Chosewood LC, Susi P, Johns DO, Dotson GS. Implications of applying cumulative risk assessment to the workplace. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2018; 115:230-238. [PMID: 29605675 PMCID: PMC6108318 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.03.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2017] [Revised: 02/15/2018] [Accepted: 03/17/2018] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Multiple changes are influencing work, workplaces and workers in the US including shifts in the main types of work and the rise of the 'gig' economy. Work and workplace changes have coincided with a decline in unions and associated advocacy for improved safety and health conditions. Risk assessment has been the primary method to inform occupational and environmental health policy and management for many types of hazards. Although often focused on one hazard at a time, risk assessment frameworks and methods have advanced toward cumulative risk assessment recognizing that exposure to a single chemical or non-chemical stressor rarely occurs in isolation. We explore how applying cumulative risk approaches may change the roles of workers and employers as they pursue improved health and safety and elucidate some of the challenges and opportunities that might arise. Application of cumulative risk assessment should result in better understanding of complex exposures and health risks with the potential to inform more effective controls and improved safety and health risk management overall. Roles and responsibilities of both employers and workers are anticipated to change with potential for a greater burden of responsibility on workers to address risk factors both inside and outside the workplace that affect health at work. A range of policies, guidance and training have helped develop cumulative risk assessment for the environmental health field and similar approaches are available to foster the practice in occupational safety and health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mary A Fox
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management, Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, 624 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
| | - Kristen Spicer
- Murray State University, Jesse D. Jones College of Science, 157D Industry and Technology Center, Murray, KY 42071, USA.
| | - L Casey Chosewood
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Office for Total Worker Health®, Cent Bldg 2400, Room 4406, Atlanta, GA 30345, USA.
| | - Pam Susi
- Pennsylvania OSHA Consultation Program, 57 South Ninth Street, Third Floor, Indiana, PA 15701, USA.
| | - Douglas O Johns
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Respiratory Health Division, Morg Bldg H, Room 2919, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA.
| | - G Scott Dotson
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Education and Information Division, Cinc Bldg, Taft, Room 249, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Van Meter RJ, Glinski DA, Purucker ST, Henderson WM. Influence of exposure to pesticide mixtures on the metabolomic profile in post-metamorphic green frogs (Lithobates clamitans). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2018; 624:1348-1359. [PMID: 29929247 PMCID: PMC6020053 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2017] [Revised: 11/17/2017] [Accepted: 12/16/2017] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Pesticide use in agricultural areas requires the application of numerous chemicals to control target organisms, leaving non-target organisms at risk. The present study evaluates the hepatic metabolomic profile of one group of non-target organisms, amphibians, after exposure to a single pesticide and pesticide mixtures. Five common-use pesticide active ingredients were used in this study, three herbicides (atrazine, metolachlor and 2,4-d), one insecticide (malathion) and one fungicide (propiconazole). Juvenile green frogs (Lithobates clamitans) were reared for 60-90days post-metamorphosis then exposed to a single pesticide or a combination of pesticides at the labeled application rate on soil. Amphibian livers were excised for metabolomic analysis and pesticides were quantified for whole body homogenates. Based on the current study, metabolomic profiling of livers support both individual and interactive effects where pesticide exposures altered biochemical processes, potentially indicating a different response between active ingredients in pesticide mixtures, among these non-target species. Amphibian metabolomic response is likely dependent on the pesticides present in each mixture and their ability to perturb biochemical networks, thereby confounding efforts with risk assessment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Robin J Van Meter
- Washington College, 300 Washington Avenue, Chestertown, MD 21620, USA.
| | | | - S Thomas Purucker
- US Environmental Protection Agency, Ecosystems Research Division, 960 College Station Road, Athens, GA, USA
| | - W Matthew Henderson
- US Environmental Protection Agency, Ecosystems Research Division, 960 College Station Road, Athens, GA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Tan YM, Leonard JA, Edwards S, Teeguarden J, Paini A, Egeghy P. Aggregate Exposure Pathways in Support of Risk Assessment. CURRENT OPINION IN TOXICOLOGY 2018; 9:8-13. [PMID: 29736486 DOI: 10.1016/j.cotox.2018.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Over time, risk assessment has shifted from establishing relationships between exposure to a single chemical and a resulting adverse health outcome, to evaluation of multiple chemicals and disease outcomes simultaneously. As a result, there is an increasing need to better understand the complex mechanisms that influence risk of chemical and non-chemical stressors, beginning at their source and ending at a biological endpoint relevant to human or ecosystem health risk assessment. Just as the Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) framework has emerged as a means of providing insight into mechanism-based toxicity, the exposure science community has seen the recent introduction of the Aggregate Exposure Pathway (AEP) framework. AEPs aid in making exposure data applicable to the FAIR (i.e., findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable) principle, especially by (1) organizing continuous flow of disjointed exposure information;(2) identifying data gaps, to focus resources on acquiring the most relevant data; (3) optimizing use and repurposing of existing exposure data; and (4) facilitating interoperability among predictive models. Herein, we discuss integration of the AOP and AEP frameworks and how such integration can improve confidence in both traditional and cumulative risk assessment approaches.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Mei Tan
- National Exposure Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Jeremy A Leonard
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831, United States
| | - Stephen Edwards
- National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, North Carolina 27709, United States
| | - Justin Teeguarden
- Health Effects and Exposure Science, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Alicia Paini
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Directorate Health, Consumers and Reference Materials, Via E Fermi 2749, 21027 Ispra, Italy
| | - Peter Egeghy
- National Exposure Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Durham, North Carolina 27709, United States
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Hines DE, Edwards SW, Conolly RB, Jarabek AM. A Case Study Application of the Aggregate Exposure Pathway (AEP) and Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) Frameworks to Facilitate the Integration of Human Health and Ecological End Points for Cumulative Risk Assessment (CRA). ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2018; 52:839-849. [PMID: 29236470 PMCID: PMC6003653 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b04940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Cumulative risk assessment (CRA) methods promote the use of a conceptual site model (CSM) to apportion exposures and integrate risk from multiple stressors. While CSMs may encompass multiple species, evaluating end points across taxa can be challenging due to data availability and physiological differences among organisms. Adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) describe biological mechanisms leading to adverse outcomes (AOs) by assembling causal pathways with measurable intermediate steps termed key events (KEs), thereby providing a framework for integrating data across species. In this work, we used a case study focused on the perchlorate anion (ClO4-) to highlight the value of the AOP framework for cross-species data integration. Computational models and dose-response data were used to evaluate the effects of ClO4- in 12 species and revealed a dose-response concordance across KEs and taxa. The aggregate exposure pathway (AEP) tracks stressors from sources to the exposures and serves as a complement to the AOP. We discuss how the combined AEP-AOP construct helps to maximize the use of existing data and advances CRA by (1) organizing toxicity and exposure data, (2) providing a mechanistic framework of KEs for integrating data across human health and ecological end points, (3) facilitating cross-species dose-response evaluation, and (4) highlighting data gaps and technical limitations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David E. Hines
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National, Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
| | - Stephen W. Edwards
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National, Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
| | - Rory B. Conolly
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National, Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
| | - Annie M. Jarabek
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National, Center for Environmental Assessment
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
McHale CM, Osborne G, Morello-Frosch R, Salmon AG, Sandy MS, Solomon G, Zhang L, Smith MT, Zeise L. Assessing health risks from multiple environmental stressors: Moving from G×E to I×E. MUTATION RESEARCH-REVIEWS IN MUTATION RESEARCH 2017; 775:11-20. [PMID: 29555026 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrrev.2017.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2017] [Revised: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 11/22/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Research on disease causation often attempts to isolate the effects of individual factors, including individual genes or environmental factors. This reductionist approach has generated many discoveries, but misses important interactive and cumulative effects that may help explain the broad range of variability in disease occurrence observed across studies and individuals. A disease rarely results from a single factor, and instead results from a broader combination of factors, characterized here as intrinsic (I) and extrinsic (E) factors. Intrinsic vulnerability or resilience emanates from a variety of both fixed and shifting biological factors including genetic traits, while extrinsic factors comprise all biologically-relevant external stressors encountered across the lifespan. The I×E concept incorporates the multi-factorial and dynamic nature of health and disease and provides a unified, conceptual basis for integrating results from multiple areas of research, including genomics, G×E, developmental origins of health and disease, and the exposome. We describe the utility of the I×E concept to better understand and characterize the cumulative impact of multiple extrinsic and intrinsic factors on individual and population health. New research methods increasingly facilitate the measurement of multifactorial and interactive effects in epidemiological and toxicological studies. Tiered or indicator-based approaches can guide the selection of potentially relevant I and E factors for study and quantification, and exposomics methods may eventually produce results that can be used to generate a response function over the life course. Quantitative data on I×E interactive effects should generate a better understanding of the variability in human response to environmental factors. The proposed I×E concept highlights the role for broader study design in order to identify extrinsic and intrinsic factors amenable to interventions at the individual and population levels in order to enhance resilience, reduce vulnerability and improve health.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cliona M McHale
- Superfund Research Center, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Gwendolyn Osborne
- Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency, Oakland, CA 94612, USA
| | - Rachel Morello-Frosch
- Superfund Research Center, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Andrew G Salmon
- Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency, Oakland, CA 94612, USA
| | - Martha S Sandy
- Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency, Oakland, CA 94612, USA
| | - Gina Solomon
- California Environmental Protection Agency, Sacramento, CA 95814, USA
| | - Luoping Zhang
- Superfund Research Center, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Martyn T Smith
- Superfund Research Center, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Lauren Zeise
- Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency, Oakland, CA 94612, USA
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
LaRocca JL, Rasoulpour RJ, Gollapudi BB, Eisenbrandt DL, Murphy LA, LeBaron MJ. Integration of novel approaches demonstrates simultaneous metabolic inactivation and CAR-mediated hepatocarcinogenesis of a nitrification inhibitor. Toxicol Rep 2017; 4:586-597. [PMID: 29159133 PMCID: PMC5684092 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2017.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Revised: 10/24/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Nitrapyrin, a nitrification inhibitor, produces liver tumors in mice at high doses. Several experiments were performed to investigate molecular, cellular, and apical endpoints to define the key events leading to the tumor formation. These data support a mode-of-action (MoA) characterized by constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) nuclear receptor activation, increased hepatocellular proliferation leading to hepatocellular foci and tumor formation. Specifically, nitrapyrin induced a dose-related increase in the Cyp2b10/CAR-associated transcript and protein. Interestingly, the corresponding enzyme activity (7-pentoxyresorufin-O-dealkylase (PROD) was not enhanced due to nitrapyrin-mediated suicide inhibition of PROD activity. Nitrapyrin exposure elicited a clear dose-responsive increase in hepatocellular proliferation in wild-type mice, but not in CAR knock-out mice, informing that CAR activation is an obligatory key event in this test material-induced hepatocarcinogenesis. Furthermore, nitrapyrin exposure induced a clear, concentration-responsive increase in cell proliferation in mouse, but not human, hepatocytes in vitro. Evaluation of the data from repeat dose and MoA studies by the Bradford Hill criteria and a Human Relevance Framework (HRF) suggested that nitrapyrin-induced mouse liver tumors are not relevant to human health risk assessment because of qualitative differences between these two species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - B. Bhaskar Gollapudi
- The Dow Chemical Company, Toxicology and Environmental Research & Consulting, Midland, MI, USA
| | | | - Lynea A. Murphy
- The Dow Chemical Company, Toxicology and Environmental Research & Consulting, Midland, MI, USA
| | - Matthew J. LeBaron
- The Dow Chemical Company, Toxicology and Environmental Research & Consulting, Midland, MI, USA
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Solomon KR, Wilks MF, Bachman A, Boobis A, Moretto A, Pastoor TP, Phillips R, Embry MR. Problem formulation for risk assessment of combined exposures to chemicals and other stressors in humans. Crit Rev Toxicol 2016; 46:835-844. [PMID: 27685317 DOI: 10.1080/10408444.2016.1211617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
When the human health risk assessment/risk management paradigm was developed, it did not explicitly include a "problem formulation" phase. The concept of problem formulation was first introduced in the context of ecological risk assessment (ERA) for the pragmatic reason to constrain and focus ERAs on the key questions. However, this need also exists for human health risk assessment, particularly for cumulative risk assessment (CRA), because of its complexity. CRA encompasses the combined threats to health from exposure via all relevant routes to multiple stressors, including biological, chemical, physical and psychosocial stressors. As part of the HESI Risk Assessment in the 21st Century (RISK21) Project, a framework for CRA was developed in which problem formulation plays a critical role. The focus of this effort is primarily on a chemical CRA (i.e., two or more chemicals) with subsequent consideration of non-chemical stressors, defined as "modulating factors" (ModFs). Problem formulation is a systematic approach that identifies all factors critical to a specific risk assessment and considers the purpose of the assessment, scope and depth of the necessary analysis, analytical approach, available resources and outcomes, and overall risk management goal. There are numerous considerations that are specific to multiple stressors, and proper problem formulation can help to focus a CRA to the key factors in order to optimize resources. As part of the problem formulation, conceptual models for exposures and responses can be developed that address these factors, such as temporal relationships between stressors and consideration of the appropriate ModFs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Keith R Solomon
- a Centre for Toxicology, School of Environmental Sciences , University of Guelph , Guelph , Canada
| | - Martin F Wilks
- b Swiss Centre for Applied Human Toxicology , University of Basel , Basel , Switzerland
| | - Ammie Bachman
- c ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences, Inc , Annandale , NJ , USA
| | | | - Angelo Moretto
- e Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Cliniche, and International Centre for Pesticides and Health Risks Prevention (ICPS), ASST Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Luigi Sacco Hospital , University of Milan , Milan , Italy
| | | | | | - Michelle R Embry
- g ILSI Health and Environmental Sciences Institute , Washington , DC , USA
| |
Collapse
|