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Godderis L, De Ryck E, Baeyens W, Geerts L, Jacobs G, Maesen P, Mertens B, Schroyen G, Van Belleghem F, Vanoirbeek J, Van Larebeke N. Towards a more effective REACH legislation in protecting human health. Toxicol Sci 2024; 199:194-202. [PMID: 38419586 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfae025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
There is growing evidence indicating the substantial contribution of man-made products to an increase in the risk of diseases of civilization. In this article, the Belgian Scientific Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Committee gives a critical view on the working of REACH. The current regulatory framework needs to further evolve taking into account data generated using modern science and technology. There is a need for improved assessment process not only before but also after entering the market. Objectivity, transparency, and the follow-up after market access can be optimized. Additionally, no guidance documents exist for regulation of mixture effects. Further, the lengthiness before regulatory action is a big concern. Decision-making often takes several years leading to uncertainties for both producers and end users. A first proposed improvement is the implementation of independent toxicity testing, to assure objectivity, transparency, and check and improve compliance. A "no data, no market" principle could prevent access of hazardous chemicals to the market. Additionally, the introduction of novel testing could improve information on endpoints such as endocrine disrupting abilities, neurotoxicity, and immunotoxicity. An adapted regulatory framework that integrates data from different sources and comparing the outputs with estimates of exposure is required. Fast toxicology battery testing and toxicokinetic testing could improve speed of decision-making. Hereby, several improvements have been proposed that could improve the current REACH legislation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lode Godderis
- Department Public Health and Primary Care, Centre for Environment and Health, Catholic University Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- External Service for Prevention and Protection at Work, IDEWE, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Evi De Ryck
- Department Public Health and Primary Care, Centre for Environment and Health, Catholic University Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Willy Baeyens
- Analytical, Environmental and Geo-Chemistry, VUB, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Lieve Geerts
- Flemish Institute for Technological Research, VITO, 2400 Mol, Belgium
| | - Griet Jacobs
- Flemish Institute for Technological Research, VITO, 2400 Mol, Belgium
| | - Phillippe Maesen
- Faculté de Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Uliège, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Birgit Mertens
- Department of Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Sciensano, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Guy Schroyen
- Institut Scientifique de Service Public, ISSeP, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Frank Van Belleghem
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Open Universiteit, 6419 Heerlen, The Netherlands
- Zoology: Biodiversity and Toxicology, Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Jeroen Vanoirbeek
- Department Public Health and Primary Care, Centre for Environment and Health, Catholic University Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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2
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Qu Y, Sheng N, Ji S, Li Z, Wang J, Pan Y, Hu X, Zheng X, Li Y, Song H, Xie L, Zhang W, Cai J, Zhao F, Zhu Y, Cao Z, Lv Y, Dai J, Shi X. Dietary seafood as a potential modifier in the relationship between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) burden and prediabetes/diabetes: Insights from a nationally representative cross-sectional study. JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS 2024; 473:134645. [PMID: 38762989 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2024] [Accepted: 05/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/21/2024]
Abstract
While seafood is recognized for its beneficial effects on glycemic control, concerns over elevated levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) may deter individuals from its consumption. This study aims to elucidate the relationship between seafood intake, PFASs exposure, and the odds of diabetes. Drawing from the China National Human Biomonitoring data (2017-2018), we assessed the impact of PFASs on the prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes across 10851 adults, including 5253 individuals (48.1%) reporting seafood consumption. Notably, seafood consumers exhibited PFASs levels nearly double those of non-consumers. Multinomial logistic regression identified significant positive associations between serum PFASs concentrations and prediabetes (T3 vs. T1: ORPFOA: 1.64 [1.08-2.49], ORPFNA: 1.59 [1.19-2.13], ORPFDA: 1.56 [1.13-2.17], ORPFHxS: 1.58 [1.18-2.12], ORPFHpS: 1.73 [1.24-2.43], ORPFOS: 1.51 [1.15-1.96], OR6:2 Cl-PFESA: 1.58 [1.21-2.07]). Significant positive association were also found between PFHpS, PFOS, and diabetes. RCS curves indicated significant non-linear relationships between log-transformed PFOA, PFUnDA, PFOS, 6:2 Cl-PFESA, and FBG levels. Subgroup analyses revealed that seafood consumption significantly mitigated the associations between PFASs burdens and prediabetes/diabetes. These findings suggest a protective role of dietary seafood against the adverse effects of PFASs exposure on glycemic disorders, offering insights for dietary interventions aimed at mitigating diabetes risks associated with PFASs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingli Qu
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China; National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China
| | - Nan Sheng
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Health Impact Assessment of Emerging Contaminants, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Saisai Ji
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China; National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China
| | - Zheng Li
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China; National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China
| | - Jinghua Wang
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Health Impact Assessment of Emerging Contaminants, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Yitao Pan
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Health Impact Assessment of Emerging Contaminants, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xiaojian Hu
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China; National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China
| | - Xulin Zheng
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China; National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China
| | - Yawei Li
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China; National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China
| | - Haocan Song
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China; National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China
| | - Linna Xie
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China; National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China
| | - Wenli Zhang
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China; National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China
| | - Jiayi Cai
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China; National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China
| | - Feng Zhao
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China; National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China
| | - Ying Zhu
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China; National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China
| | - Zhaojin Cao
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China; National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China
| | - Yuebin Lv
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China; National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China
| | - Jiayin Dai
- State Environmental Protection Key Laboratory of Environmental Health Impact Assessment of Emerging Contaminants, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China; Center for Global Health, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
| | - Xiaoming Shi
- China CDC Key Laboratory of Environment and Population Health, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China; National Key Laboratory of Intelligent Tracking and Forecasting for Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 7 Panjiayuan Nanli, Beijing 100021, Chaoyang, China.
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3
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vom Saal FS, Antoniou M, Belcher SM, Bergman A, Bhandari RK, Birnbaum LS, Cohen A, Collins TJ, Demeneix B, Fine AM, Flaws JA, Gayrard V, Goodson WH, Gore AC, Heindel JJ, Hunt PA, Iguchi T, Kassotis CD, Kortenkamp A, Mesnage R, Muncke J, Myers JP, Nadal A, Newbold RR, Padmanabhan V, Palanza P, Palma Z, Parmigiani S, Patrick L, Prins GS, Rosenfeld CS, Skakkebaek NE, Sonnenschein C, Soto AM, Swan SH, Taylor JA, Toutain PL, von Hippel FA, Welshons WV, Zalko D, Zoeller RT. The Conflict between Regulatory Agencies over the 20,000-Fold Lowering of the Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) for Bisphenol A (BPA) by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2024; 132:45001. [PMID: 38592230 PMCID: PMC11003459 DOI: 10.1289/ehp13812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommended lowering their estimated tolerable daily intake (TDI) for bisphenol A (BPA) 20,000-fold to 0.2 ng / kg body weight ( BW ) / day . BPA is an extensively studied high production volume endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) associated with a vast array of diseases. Prior risk assessments of BPA by EFSA as well as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have relied on industry-funded studies conducted under good laboratory practice protocols (GLP) requiring guideline end points and detailed record keeping, while also claiming to examine (but rejecting) thousands of published findings by academic scientists. Guideline protocols initially formalized in the mid-twentieth century are still used by many regulatory agencies. EFSA used a 21st century approach in its reassessment of BPA and conducted a transparent, but time-limited, systematic review that included both guideline and academic research. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) opposed EFSA's revision of the TDI for BPA. OBJECTIVES We identify the flaws in the assumptions that the German BfR, as well as the FDA, have used to justify maintaining the TDI for BPA at levels above what a vast amount of academic research shows to cause harm. We argue that regulatory agencies need to incorporate 21st century science into chemical hazard identifications using the CLARITY-BPA (Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on BPA Toxicity) nonguideline academic studies in a collaborative government-academic program model. DISCUSSION We strongly endorse EFSA's revised TDI for BPA and support the European Commission's (EC) apparent acceptance of this updated BPA risk assessment. We discuss challenges to current chemical risk assessment assumptions about EDCs that need to be addressed by regulatory agencies to, in our opinion, become truly protective of public health. Addressing these challenges will hopefully result in BPA, and eventually other structurally similar bisphenols (called regrettable substitutions) for which there are known adverse effects, being eliminated from all food-related and many other uses in the EU and elsewhere. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13812.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederick S. vom Saal
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Michael Antoniou
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King’s College London School of Medicine, London, UK
| | - Scott M. Belcher
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Ake Bergman
- Department of Environmental Science (ACES), Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ramji K. Bhandari
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Linda S. Birnbaum
- Scientist Emeritus and Former Director, National Toxicology Program (NTP), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
- Scholar in Residence, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Aly Cohen
- Integrative Rheumatology Associates, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Terrence J. Collins
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Barbara Demeneix
- Comparative Physiology Laboratory, Natural History Museum, Paris, France
| | - Anne Marie Fine
- Environmental Medicine Education International, Mancos, Colorado, USA
| | - Jodi A. Flaws
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois Urbana—Champaign, Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Veronique Gayrard
- ToxAlim (Research Centre in Food Toxicology), University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - William H. Goodson
- California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Andrea C. Gore
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Jerrold J. Heindel
- Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Patricia A. Hunt
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA
| | - Taisen Iguchi
- Graduate School of Nanobioscience, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Christopher D. Kassotis
- Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - Andreas Kortenkamp
- Centre for Pollution Research and Policy, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK
| | - Robin Mesnage
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, King’s College London School of Medicine, London, UK
| | - Jane Muncke
- Food Packaging Forum Foundation, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Angel Nadal
- Instituto de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación en Biotecnología Sanitaria de Elche (IDiBE) and CIBERDEM, Miguel Hernandez University of Elche, Elche, Alicante, Spain
| | - Retha R. Newbold
- Scientist Emeritus, NTP, NIEHS, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Vasantha Padmanabhan
- Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Paola Palanza
- Unit of Neuroscience, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | | | - Stefano Parmigiani
- Unit of Evolutionary and Functional Biology, Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Lyn Patrick
- Environmental Medicine Education International, Mancos, Colorado, USA
| | - Gail S. Prins
- Department of Urology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Cheryl S. Rosenfeld
- Biomedical Sciences, Thompson Center for Autism and Neurobehavioral Disorders, University of Missouri—Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA
- MU Institute of Data Science and Informatics, University of Missouri—Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Niels E. Skakkebaek
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Carlos Sonnenschein
- Department of Immunology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ana M. Soto
- Department of Immunology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Shanna H. Swan
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
| | - Julia A. Taylor
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Pierre-Louis Toutain
- Royal Veterinary College, University of London, London, UK
- NTHERES, INRAE, ENVT, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - Frank A. von Hippel
- Department of Community, Environment & Policy, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Wade V. Welshons
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri—Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Daniel Zalko
- ToxAlim (Research Centre in Food Toxicology), University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
| | - R. Thomas Zoeller
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
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4
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Zoeller RT, Birnbaum LS, Collins TJ, Heindel J, Hunt PA, Iguchi T, Kortenkamp A, Myers JP, vom Saal FS, Sonnenschein C, Soto AM. European Medicines Agency Conflicts With the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on Bisphenol A Regulation. J Endocr Soc 2023; 7:bvad107. [PMID: 37873497 PMCID: PMC10590640 DOI: 10.1210/jendso/bvad107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has revised their estimate of the toxicity of bisphenol A (BPA) and, as a result, have recommended reducing the tolerable daily intake (TDI) by 20 000-fold. This would essentially ban the use of BPA in food packaging such as can liners, plastic food containers, and in consumer products. To come to this conclusion, EFSA used a systematic approach according to a pre-established protocol and included all guideline and nonguideline studies in their analysis. They found that Th-17 immune cells increased with very low exposure to BPA and used this endpoint to revise the TDI to be human health protective. A number of regulatory agencies including the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have written formal disagreements with several elements of EFSA's proposal. The European Commission will now decide whether to accept EFSA's recommendation over the objections of EMA. If the Commission accepts EFSA's recommendation, it will be a landmark action using knowledge acquired through independent scientific studies focused on biomarkers of chronic disease to protect human health. The goal of this Perspective is to clearly articulate the monumental nature of this debate and decision and to explain what is at stake. Our perspective is that the weight of evidence clearly supports EFSA's proposal to reduce the TDI by 20 000-fold.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Thomas Zoeller
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
- School of Science and Technology, University of Örebro, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Linda S Birnbaum
- Scholar in Residence, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Terrence J Collins
- Teresa Heinz Professor of Green Chemistry, and Director, Institute for Green Science, Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, 4400 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | | | - Patricia A Hunt
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Taisen Iguchi
- Graduate School of Nanobioscience, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-0027, Japan
| | - Andreas Kortenkamp
- Centre for Pollution Research and Policy, Brunel University London, Uxbridge UB8 3PH, UK
| | - John Peterson Myers
- Environmental Health Sciences, Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Carnegie, Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Frederick S vom Saal
- Division of Biological Sciences, The University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Carlos Sonnenschein
- Centre Cavaillès, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
- Institut for Advanced Studies, Nantes, France
- Department of Immunology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, USA
| | - Ana M Soto
- Centre Cavaillès, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
- Department of Immunology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, USA
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5
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Arnold W, Blum A, Branyan J, Bruton TA, Carignan CC, Cortopassi G, Datta S, DeWitt J, Doherty AC, Halden RU, Harari H, Hartmann EM, Hrubec TC, Iyer S, Kwiatkowski CF, LaPier J, Li D, Li L, Muñiz Ortiz JG, Salamova A, Schettler T, Seguin RP, Soehl A, Sutton R, Xu L, Zheng G. Quaternary Ammonium Compounds: A Chemical Class of Emerging Concern. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:7645-7665. [PMID: 37157132 PMCID: PMC10210541 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c08244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), a large class of chemicals that includes high production volume substances, have been used for decades as antimicrobials, preservatives, and antistatic agents and for other functions in cleaning, disinfecting, personal care products, and durable consumer goods. QAC use has accelerated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the banning of 19 antimicrobials from several personal care products by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2016. Studies conducted before and after the onset of the pandemic indicate increased human exposure to QACs. Environmental releases of these chemicals have also increased. Emerging information on adverse environmental and human health impacts of QACs is motivating a reconsideration of the risks and benefits across the life cycle of their production, use, and disposal. This work presents a critical review of the literature and scientific perspective developed by a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional team of authors from academia, governmental, and nonprofit organizations. The review evaluates currently available information on the ecological and human health profile of QACs and identifies multiple areas of potential concern. Adverse ecological effects include acute and chronic toxicity to susceptible aquatic organisms, with concentrations of some QACs approaching levels of concern. Suspected or known adverse health outcomes include dermal and respiratory effects, developmental and reproductive toxicity, disruption of metabolic function such as lipid homeostasis, and impairment of mitochondrial function. QACs' role in antimicrobial resistance has also been demonstrated. In the US regulatory system, how a QAC is managed depends on how it is used, for example in pesticides or personal care products. This can result in the same QACs receiving different degrees of scrutiny depending on the use and the agency regulating it. Further, the US Environmental Protection Agency's current method of grouping QACs based on structure, first proposed in 1988, is insufficient to address the wide range of QAC chemistries, potential toxicities, and exposure scenarios. Consequently, exposures to common mixtures of QACs and from multiple sources remain largely unassessed. Some restrictions on the use of QACs have been implemented in the US and elsewhere, primarily focused on personal care products. Assessing the risks posed by QACs is hampered by their vast structural diversity and a lack of quantitative data on exposure and toxicity for the majority of these compounds. This review identifies important data gaps and provides research and policy recommendations for preserving the utility of QAC chemistries while also seeking to limit adverse environmental and human health effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- William
A. Arnold
- University
of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, United States
| | - Arlene Blum
- Green
Science Policy Institute, Berkeley, California 94709, United States
- University
of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Jennifer Branyan
- California
Department of Toxic Substances Control, Sacramento, California 95814, United States
| | - Thomas A. Bruton
- California
Department of Toxic Substances Control, Sacramento, California 95814, United States
| | | | - Gino Cortopassi
- University
of California, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Sandipan Datta
- University
of California, Davis, California 95616, United States
| | - Jamie DeWitt
- East
Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina 27834, United States
| | - Anne-Cooper Doherty
- California
Department of Toxic Substances Control, Sacramento, California 95814, United States
| | - Rolf U. Halden
- Arizona
State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - Homero Harari
- Icahn
School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, United States
| | | | - Terry C. Hrubec
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia 24060, United States
| | - Shoba Iyer
- California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Oakland, California 94612, United States
| | - Carol F. Kwiatkowski
- Green
Science Policy Institute, Berkeley, California 94709, United States
- North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695 United States
| | - Jonas LaPier
- Green
Science Policy Institute, Berkeley, California 94709, United States
| | - Dingsheng Li
- University
of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557, United States
| | - Li Li
- University
of Nevada, Reno, Nevada 89557, United States
| | | | - Amina Salamova
- Indiana University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
| | - Ted Schettler
- Science and Environmental Health Network, Bolinas, California 94924, United States
| | - Ryan P. Seguin
- University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Anna Soehl
- Green
Science Policy Institute, Berkeley, California 94709, United States
| | - Rebecca Sutton
- San Francisco Estuary Institute, Richmond, California 94804, United States
| | - Libin Xu
- University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Guomao Zheng
- Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518055, China
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6
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Resnik DB, Elliott KC. Science, Values, and the New Demarcation Problem. JOURNAL FOR GENERAL PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE = ZEITSCHRIFT FUR ALLGEMEINE WISSENSCHAFTSTHEORIE 2023; 54:259-286. [PMID: 36843654 PMCID: PMC9944799 DOI: 10.1007/s10838-022-09633-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, many philosophers of science have rejected the "value-free ideal" for science, arguing that non-epistemic values have a legitimate role to play in scientific inquiry. However, this philosophical position raises the question of how to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate influences of values in science. In this paper, we argue that those seeking to address this "new" demarcation problem can benefit by drawing lessons from the "old" demarcation problem, in which philosophers tried to find a way of distinguishing between science and non-science. Many of those who worked on this problem ultimately found that efforts to provide necessary and sufficient conditions for defining science failed, and most concluded that the best solution to the problem was to characterize scientific hypotheses, theories, and research programs in terms of some common norms. We suggest that those seeking to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate value influences on science would do well to adopt a similar approach. Rather than attempting to establish necessary and sufficient conditions for identifying appropriate value influences, it will be more fruitful to evaluate scientific activities based on their adherence to a set of epistemic and ethical norms that can be implemented in scientific practice by means of rules, conventions, policies, and procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- David B. Resnik
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC USA
| | - Kevin C. Elliott
- Philosophy and Sociology of Science, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and Department of Philosophy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI USA
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7
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Woodruff TJ, Rayasam SDG, Axelrad DA, Koman PD, Chartres N, Bennett DH, Birnbaum LS, Brown P, Carignan CC, Cooper C, Cranor CF, Diamond ML, Franjevic S, Gartner EC, Hattis D, Hauser R, Heiger-Bernays W, Joglekar R, Lam J, Levy JI, MacRoy PM, Maffini MV, Marquez EC, Morello-Frosch R, Nachman KE, Nielsen GH, Oksas C, Abrahamsson DP, Patisaul HB, Patton S, Robinson JF, Rodgers KM, Rossi MS, Rudel RA, Sass JB, Sathyanarayana S, Schettler T, Shaffer RM, Shamasunder B, Shepard PM, Shrader-Frechette K, Solomon GM, Subra WA, Vandenberg LN, Varshavsky JR, White RF, Zarker K, Zeise L. A science-based agenda for health-protective chemical assessments and decisions: overview and consensus statement. Environ Health 2023; 21:132. [PMID: 36635734 PMCID: PMC9835243 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-022-00930-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The manufacture and production of industrial chemicals continues to increase, with hundreds of thousands of chemicals and chemical mixtures used worldwide, leading to widespread population exposures and resultant health impacts. Low-wealth communities and communities of color often bear disproportionate burdens of exposure and impact; all compounded by regulatory delays to the detriment of public health. Multiple authoritative bodies and scientific consensus groups have called for actions to prevent harmful exposures via improved policy approaches. We worked across multiple disciplines to develop consensus recommendations for health-protective, scientific approaches to reduce harmful chemical exposures, which can be applied to current US policies governing industrial chemicals and environmental pollutants. This consensus identifies five principles and scientific recommendations for improving how agencies like the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approach and conduct hazard and risk assessment and risk management analyses: (1) the financial burden of data generation for any given chemical on (or to be introduced to) the market should be on the chemical producers that benefit from their production and use; (2) lack of data does not equate to lack of hazard, exposure, or risk; (3) populations at greater risk, including those that are more susceptible or more highly exposed, must be better identified and protected to account for their real-world risks; (4) hazard and risk assessments should not assume existence of a "safe" or "no-risk" level of chemical exposure in the diverse general population; and (5) hazard and risk assessments must evaluate and account for financial conflicts of interest in the body of evidence. While many of these recommendations focus specifically on the EPA, they are general principles for environmental health that could be adopted by any agency or entity engaged in exposure, hazard, and risk assessment. We also detail recommendations for four priority areas in companion papers (exposure assessment methods, human variability assessment, methods for quantifying non-cancer health outcomes, and a framework for defining chemical classes). These recommendations constitute key steps for improved evidence-based environmental health decision-making and public health protection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracey J Woodruff
- Program On Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, 490 Illinois Street, Floor 10, Box 0132, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA.
| | - Swati D G Rayasam
- Program On Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, 490 Illinois Street, Floor 10, Box 0132, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | | | - Patricia D Koman
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Nicholas Chartres
- Program On Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, 490 Illinois Street, Floor 10, Box 0132, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Deborah H Bennett
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Linda S Birnbaum
- National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
- Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Phil Brown
- Social Science Environmental Health Research Institute, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Courtney C Carignan
- Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Courtney Cooper
- Program On Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, 490 Illinois Street, Floor 10, Box 0132, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Carl F Cranor
- Department of Philosophy, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
- Environmental Toxicology Graduate Program, College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Miriam L Diamond
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- School of the Environment, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | | | - Dale Hattis
- The George Perkins Marsh Institute, Clark University, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Russ Hauser
- Department of Environmental Health, T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Wendy Heiger-Bernays
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Juleen Lam
- Department of Public Health, California State University, East Bay, Hayward, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan I Levy
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Rachel Morello-Frosch
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Keeve E Nachman
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Johns Hopkins Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Greylin H Nielsen
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Catherine Oksas
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Dimitri Panagopoulos Abrahamsson
- Program On Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, 490 Illinois Street, Floor 10, Box 0132, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Heather B Patisaul
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | | | - Joshua F Robinson
- Program On Reproductive Health and the Environment, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, 490 Illinois Street, Floor 10, Box 0132, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
- Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Sheela Sathyanarayana
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Child Health, Behavior, and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ted Schettler
- Science and Environmental Health Network, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Rachel M Shaffer
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington School of Public Health, Seattle, USA
| | - Bhavna Shamasunder
- Department of Urban & Environmental Policy and Public Health, Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Kristin Shrader-Frechette
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
- Department of Philosophy, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Gina M Solomon
- School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Public Health Institute, Oakland, CA, USA
| | - Wilma A Subra
- Louisiana Environmental Action Network, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Laura N Vandenberg
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health & Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Julia R Varshavsky
- Department of Health Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Roberta F White
- Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ken Zarker
- Washington State Department of Ecology, Olympia, WA, USA
| | - Lauren Zeise
- Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California Environmental Protection Agency, Oakland, CA, USA
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8
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Lemus D, Kovacic Z. Precise Yet Uncertain: Broadening Understandings of Uncertainty and Policy in the BPA Controversy. RISK ANALYSIS : AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE SOCIETY FOR RISK ANALYSIS 2022; 42:279-297. [PMID: 34854098 DOI: 10.1111/risa.13860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the most studied and most controversial chemicals used by the food packaging industry, because of its endocrine disruptive properties. Part of the controversy is due to the uncertainty that surrounds the effects of BPA on the endocrine system. Uncertainty includes data gaps, methodological hurdles, incompatibilities between toxicology and endocrinology-based approaches, and so on. In this article, we analyze how uncertainty has been conceptualized and treated. We focus on the European Food Safety Authority assessments of BPA, and study how exposure and hazard assessments have evolved over time, how uncertainty has been analyzed, and how the agency responded to controversies. Results show that in the attempt to reduce knowledge gaps, assessments have become progressively larger, including more references, evidence, and effects. There is a tendency toward greater precisions and specification of results, and toward protocolization of all processes included in the assessment (from literature review, to uncertainty assessments, and public consultation). Yet, the uncertainty has not diminished following the increase in evidence. We argue that the strategy used to reduce uncertainty within risk assessment, namely including more variables, studies, data, and methods, amplifies the uncertainty linked to indeterminacy (as more results increase the fragmentation of the knowledge base due to the open-ended nature of complex issues) and ambiguity (as complexity gives way to multiple nonequivalent interpretations of results). For this reason, it is important to consider different types of uncertainty and how these uncertainties interact with each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dafne Lemus
- Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Chemistry, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Zora Kovacic
- Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Internet Interdisciplinary Institute, Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Rambla del Poblenou, Barcelona, Spain
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9
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Estrogens—Origin of Centrosome Defects in Human Cancer? Cells 2022; 11:cells11030432. [PMID: 35159242 PMCID: PMC8833882 DOI: 10.3390/cells11030432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Estrogens are associated with a variety of diseases and play important roles in tumor development and progression. Centrosome defects are hallmarks of human cancers and contribute to ongoing chromosome missegragation and aneuploidy that manifest in genomic instability and tumor progression. Although several mechanisms underlie the etiology of centrosome aberrations in human cancer, upstream regulators are hardly known. Accumulating experimental and clinical evidence points to an important role of estrogens in deregulating centrosome homeostasis and promoting karyotype instability. Here, we will summarize existing literature of how natural and synthetic estrogens might contribute to structural and numerical centrosome defects, genomic instability and human carcinogenesis.
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10
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Friedrich K, Gurgel ADM, Sarpa M, Bedor CNG, Siqueira MTD, Gurgel IGD, Augusto LGDS. Toxicologia crítica aplicada aos agrotóxicos – perspectivas em defesa da vida. SAÚDE EM DEBATE 2022. [DOI: 10.1590/0103-11042022e220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
RESUMO A toxicologia é aplicada aos processos regulatórios tendo como base central a linearidade das relações entre a dose e o efeito e a possibilidade de estabelecer condições de exposição seguras. Isso ocorre apesar das limitações apontadas pela literatura cientifica. A concepção, a definição das metodologias e a condução da avaliação de risco dos agrotóxicos acabam por atender aos interesses econômicos e à definição de cenários de segurança distantes da realidade. As limitações metodológicas dos estudos exigidos para fins de registro de um agrotóxico envolvem: a desconsideração das interações entre as misturas utilizadas; a não previsão de curvas dose-resposta não lineares (horméticas); a compartimentalização dos desfechos analisados; a exposição nos períodos críticos do desenvolvimento; e a desconsideração do contexto, das diversidades individuais, coletivas e dos territórios expostos aos agrotóxicos, entre outros aspectos discutido nesse ensaio. A toxicologia crítica propõe que a avaliação toxicológica parta da integralidade do problema no contexto apresentando propostas que podem ser adotadas nos processos de regulação de agrotóxicos e outras substâncias potencialmente perigosas.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Marcia Sarpa
- Instituto Nacional de Câncer José Alencar Gomes da Silva (Inca), Brasil
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11
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Johnson AC, Sumpter JP, Depledge MH. The Weight-of-Evidence Approach and the Need for Greater International Acceptance of Its Use in Tackling Questions of Chemical Harm to the Environment. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2021; 40:2968-2977. [PMID: 34347903 DOI: 10.1002/etc.5184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
As we attempt to manage chemicals in the environment we need to be sure that our research efforts are being directed at the substances of greatest threat. All too often we focus on a chemical of concern and then cast around for evidence of its effects in an unstructured way. Risk assessment based on laboratory ecotoxicity studies, combined with field chemical measurements, can only take us so far. Uncertainty about the range and sufficiency of evidence required to take restorative action often puts policymakers in a difficult situation. We review this conundrum and reflect on how the "Hill criteria," used widely by epidemiologists, have been applied to a weight-of-evidence approach (a term sometimes used interchangeably with ecoepidemiology) to build a case for causation. While using a set of such criteria to address sites of local environmental distress has been embraced by the US Environmental Protection Agency, we urge a wider adoption of weight-of-evidence approaches by policymakers, regulators, and scientists worldwide. A simplified series of criteria is offered. Progress will require a sustained commitment to long-term wildlife and chemical monitoring over a sufficient geographic spread. Development of a comprehensive monitoring network, coupled with assembling evidence of harm in a structured manner, should be the foundation for protecting our ecosystems and human health. This will enable us to not only judge the success or failure of our efforts but also diagnose underlying causes. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:2968-2977. © 2021 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew C Johnson
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, United Kingdom
| | - John P Sumpter
- Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, College of Health and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom
| | - Michael H Depledge
- European Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Knowledge Spa, Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, Cornwall, United Kingdom
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12
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Spiroux de Vendômois J, Bourdineaud JP, Apoteker A, Defarge N, Gaillard E, Lepage C, Testart J, Vélot C. Trans-disciplinary diagnosis for an in-depth reform of regulatory expertise in the field of environmental toxicology and security. Toxicol Res 2021; 37:405-419. [PMID: 34631497 DOI: 10.1007/s43188-020-00075-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Repeated health and environmental scandals, the loss of biodiversity and the recent burst of chronic diseases constantly remind us the inability of public authorities and risk assessment agencies to protect health and the environment. After reviewing the main shortcomings of our evaluation system of chemicals and new technologies, supported by some concrete examples, we develop a number of proposals to reform both the risk assessment agencies and the evaluation processes. We especially propose the establishment of an independent structure, a High Authority of Expertise, supervising, either at European level or at national level, all the evaluation agencies, and ensuring the transparency, the methodology and the deontology of the expertise. In addition to modifying the evaluation protocols, both in their nature and in their content, especially in order to adapt them to current pollutants such as endocrine disruptors, we propose a reform of the expertise processes based on transparency, contradiction, and greater democracy, including close collaboration between the institutional and scientific parties on the one hand and the whole civil society on the other. All the proposals we make are inspired by the desire to prevent, through appropriate mechanisms, the human, health, ecological, but also economic consequences of contemporary technological choices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joël Spiroux de Vendômois
- Committee for Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering (CRIIGEN), 42 rue de Lisbonne, 75008 Paris, France
| | - Jean-Paul Bourdineaud
- CNRS, UMR 5234, Laboratory of Fundamental Microbiology and Pathogenicity, European Institute of Chemistry and Biology, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Arnaud Apoteker
- Committee for Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering (CRIIGEN), 42 rue de Lisbonne, 75008 Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Defarge
- Committee for Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering (CRIIGEN), 42 rue de Lisbonne, 75008 Paris, France.,Institute of Integrative Biology IBZ, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Emilie Gaillard
- Committee for Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering (CRIIGEN), 42 rue de Lisbonne, 75008 Paris, France.,Université de Caen-Basse Normandie, Esplanade de la Paix, 14000 Caen, France
| | - Corinne Lepage
- Committee for Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering (CRIIGEN), 42 rue de Lisbonne, 75008 Paris, France
| | - Jacques Testart
- Committee for Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering (CRIIGEN), 42 rue de Lisbonne, 75008 Paris, France.,Sciences Citoyennes, 38 rue Saint Sabin, 75011 Paris, France
| | - Christian Vélot
- Committee for Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering (CRIIGEN), 42 rue de Lisbonne, 75008 Paris, France.,Sciences Citoyennes, 38 rue Saint Sabin, 75011 Paris, France.,Laboratory VEAC, University Paris-Saclay, Faculty of Sciences, Bât. 350-RdC, Avenue Jean Perrin, 91405 Orsay, France.,Risk Pole MRSH-CNRS, EA2608, University of Caen, Esplanade de la Paix, 14032 Caen, France
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13
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Vandenberg LN, Pelch KE. Systematic Review Methodologies and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals: Improving Evaluations of the Plastic Monomer Bisphenol A. Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets 2021; 22:748-764. [PMID: 34610783 DOI: 10.2174/1871530321666211005163614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are found in plastics, personal care products, household items, and other consumer goods. Risk assessments are intended to characterize a chemical's hazards, identify the doses at which adverse outcomes are observed, quantify exposure levels, and then compare these doses to determine the likelihood of risk in a given population. There are many problems with risk assessments for EDCs, allowing people to be exposed to levels that are later associated with serious health outcomes in epidemiology studies. OBJECTIVE In this review, we examine issues that affect the evaluation of EDCs in risk assessments (e.g., use of insensitive rodent strains and absence of disease-oriented outcomes in hazard assessments; inadequate exposure assessments). We then review one well-studied chemical, Bisphenol A (BPA; CAS #80-05-7) an EDC found in plastics, food packaging, and other consumer products. More than one hundred epidemiology studies suggest associations between BPA exposures and adverse health outcomes in environmentally exposed human populations. FINDINGS We present support for the use of systematic review methodologies in the evaluation of BPA and other EDCs. Systematic reviews would allow studies to be evaluated for their reliability and risk of bias. They would also allow all data to be used in risk assessments, which is a requirement for some regulatory agencies. CONCLUSION Systematic review methodologies can be used to improve evaluations of BPA and other EDCs. Their use could help to restore faith in risk assessments and ensure that all data are utilized in decision-making. Regulatory agencies are urged to conduct transparent, well-documented and proper systematic reviews for BPA and other EDCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura N Vandenberg
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts - Amherst, United States
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14
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Vandenberg LN. Toxicity testing and endocrine disrupting chemicals. ADVANCES IN PHARMACOLOGY 2021; 92:35-71. [PMID: 34452691 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apha.2021.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
Regulatory agencies around the world depend on standardized testing approaches to evaluate environmental chemicals for endocrine disrupting properties. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed a two-tiered testing approach within its Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP). The eleven Tier 1 and three Tier 2 EDSP assays can be used to identify chemicals that act as agonists or antagonists of estrogen receptor, androgen receptor, or thyroid hormone receptor, or chemicals that interfere with steroidogenesis. Additional assays have been developed in the context of Tox21, and others have been validated by the OECD. In spite of the availability of validated toxicity tests, problems have been identified with the approaches and methods used to identify endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). This chapter will provide an overview of several of these issues including: (1) The way an EDC is defined by an agency impacts whether a specific test can be used to determine if a chemical is an EDC. This is especially important when considering which assays examine outcomes that are considered "adverse effects." (2) Some assumptions about the validated studies used to identify EDCs may not be true (e.g., their reproducibility has been questioned). (3) Many of the validated assays are less sensitive than other methods that have not yet been validated. Ultimately, these and other problems contribute to the current landscape, where testing approaches have failed to protect the public from known EDCs. The chapter concludes with a review of approaches that have been taken to improve current guideline studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura N Vandenberg
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health & Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States.
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15
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Risalde MA, Molina AM, Lora AJ, Ayala N, Gómez-Villamandos JC, Moyano MR. Immunohistochemical expression of aromatase cyp19a1a and cyp19a1b in the ovary and brain of zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to different concentrations of bisphenol A. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2021; 237:105876. [PMID: 34120034 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2021.105876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 04/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is used to produce plastic and plastic derived products in multitude of daily utensils, being one of the industrial compounds most widely used. This endocrine disrupting chemical (EDCs) is a well-known environmental pollutant released into the aquatic environment from industrial wastewater, sewage sludge or landfill leachate. Aromatases are considered potential targets of EDCs with characteristics that make them suitable biomarkers of exposure to their effects. The main objective of our study was to evaluate the expression of cyp19a aromatase as a toxicological endpoint after BPA exposure through the identification and assessment of alterations of the main cells responsible for cyp19a1a and cyp19a1b expression in the zebrafish ovary and brain using different concentrations of BPA in water. Immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the expression of these enzymes in female zebrafish exposed and not exposed to different concentrations of BPA (1, 10, 100 and 1000 μg / L) in water (n = 6/group) for 14 days. The results obtained in this study showed that the cyp19a aromatase system, involved in the synthesis of steroid compounds, is specially located in distinct oocyte stages in the ovary (cyp19a1a) and in radial glial cells of the brain (cyp19a1b). An overexpression of these aromatases was observed after BPA exposure in zebrafish, peaking from a concentration of 10 µg/L and showing to be good biomarkers of exposure to identify the early effects of low BPA concentrations. To our knowledge, this study is the first to localize and quantify the expression of cyp19a1a and cyp19a1b in the cells of brain and ovary after fish exposure to different BPA concentrations in water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A Risalde
- Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas y Toxicología. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de Córdoba (UCO), Campus de Rabanales, 14014 Córdoba, Spain; Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Grupo de Virología Clínica y Zoonosis, Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC), Hospital Reina Sofía, Universidad de Córdoba (UCO), 14004 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Ana Mª Molina
- Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas y Toxicología. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de Córdoba (UCO), Campus de Rabanales, 14014 Córdoba, Spain.
| | - Antonio J Lora
- Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas y Toxicología. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de Córdoba (UCO), Campus de Rabanales, 14014 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Nahum Ayala
- Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas y Toxicología. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de Córdoba (UCO), Campus de Rabanales, 14014 Córdoba, Spain.
| | - Jose C Gómez-Villamandos
- Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas y Toxicología. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de Córdoba (UCO), Campus de Rabanales, 14014 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Mª Rosario Moyano
- Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas y Toxicología. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de Córdoba (UCO), Campus de Rabanales, 14014 Córdoba, Spain
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16
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Municipal Solid Waste Thermal Analysis—Pyrolysis Kinetics and Decomposition Reactions. ENERGIES 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/en14154510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
In this study, 12 organic waste materials were subjected to TG/DTG thermogravimetric analysis and DSC calorimetric analysis. These analyses provided basic information about thermochemical transformations and degradation rates during organic waste pyrolysis. Organic waste materials were divided into six basic groups as follows: paper, cardboard, textiles, plastics, hygiene waste, and biodegradable waste. For each group, two waste materials were selected to be studied. Research materials were (i) paper (receipts, cotton wool); (ii) cardboard (cardboard, egg carton); (iii) textiles (cotton, leather); (iv) plastics (polyethylene (PET), polyurethane (PU)); (v) hygiene waste (diapers, leno); and (vi) biodegradable waste (chicken meat, potato peel). Waste materials were chosen to represent the most abundant waste that can be found in the municipal solid waste stream. Based on TG results, kinetic parameters according to the Coats–Redfern method were determined. The pyrolysis activation energy was the highest for cotton, 134.5 kJ × (mol∙K)−1, and the lowest for leather, 25.2 kJ × (mol∙K)−1. The DSC analysis showed that a number of transformations occurred during pyrolysis for each material. For each transformation, the normalized energy required for transformation, or released during transformation, was determined, and then summarized to present the energy balance. The study found that the energy balance was negative for only three waste materials—PET (−220.1 J × g−1), leather (−66.8 J × g−1), and chicken meat (−130.3 J × g−1)—whereas the highest positive balance value was found for potato peelings (367.8 J × g−1). The obtained results may be applied for the modelling of energy and mass balance of municipal solid waste pyrolysis.
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17
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Schenk L, Johanson G. Management of bias and conflict of interest among occupational exposure limit expert groups. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2021; 123:104929. [PMID: 33872741 DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2021.104929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2021] [Revised: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Our aim was to evaluate policies and procedures for management of conflict of interest (CoI) and other sources of bias, implemented in Occupational Exposure Limit (OEL) expert groups. First, we compiled procedural criteria applicable to OEL-setting, based on literature on CoI and systematic reviews. Second, we identified 58 global OEL-sources and sought the underlying expert groups and operating procedures. We identified eleven active groups, of which five have documented CoI policies. In all five, CoI management is based on declarations of interests (DoIs) and removal of experts from decisions in which they have an interest. Notable differences include publication of DoIs (three of five groups), limitation of DoI to current interests (two groups), quantitative limits for financial interests (none specified to ≥€10,000 per interest), control procedures for undisclosed CoI (one group), and procedures in case of discovery of undisclosed CoI (three groups). Methods to evaluate study quality are described by three groups, while reproducible and comprehensive strategies to identify and select data receive less attention. We conclude that procedures to manage CoI and bias are not broadly implemented, or at least not openly and transparently communicated. This lack of visible procedures is remarkable, considering OEL's impact on health and economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda Schenk
- Integrative Toxicology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Box 210, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Philosophy and History, KTH- Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 76, 100 44, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Gunnar Johanson
- Integrative Toxicology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Box 210, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.
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18
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Soto AM, Schaeberle CM, Sonnenschein C. From Wingspread to CLARITY: a personal trajectory. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2021; 17:247-256. [PMID: 33514909 PMCID: PMC9662687 DOI: 10.1038/s41574-020-00460-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
In the three decades since endocrine disruption was conceptualized at the Wingspread Conference, we have witnessed the growth of this multidisciplinary field and the accumulation of evidence showing the deleterious health effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. It is only within the past decade that, albeit slowly, some changes regarding regulatory measures have taken place. In this Perspective, we address some historical points regarding the advent of the endocrine disruption field and the conceptual changes that endocrine disruption brought about. We also provide our personal recollection of the events triggered by our serendipitous discovery of oestrogenic activity in plastic, a founder event in the field of endocrine disruption. This recollection ends with the CLARITY study as an example of a discordance between 'science for its own sake' and 'regulatory science' and leads us to offer a perspective that could be summarized by the motto attributed to Ludwig Boltzmann: "Nothing is more practical than a good theory".
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana M Soto
- Department of Immunology, Tufts University, School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Cheryl M Schaeberle
- Department of Immunology, Tufts University, School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Carlos Sonnenschein
- Department of Immunology, Tufts University, School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
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19
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vom Saal FS, Vandenberg LN. Update on the Health Effects of Bisphenol A: Overwhelming Evidence of Harm. Endocrinology 2021; 162:6124507. [PMID: 33516155 PMCID: PMC7846099 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqaa171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In 1997, the first in vivo bisphenol A (BPA) study by endocrinologists reported that feeding BPA to pregnant mice induced adverse reproductive effects in male offspring at the low dose of 2 µg/kg/day. Since then, thousands of studies have reported adverse effects in animals administered low doses of BPA. Despite more than 100 epidemiological studies suggesting associations between BPA and disease/dysfunction also reported in animal studies, regulatory agencies continue to assert that BPA exposures are safe. To address this disagreement, the CLARITY-BPA study was designed to evaluate traditional endpoints of toxicity and modern hypothesis-driven, disease-relevant outcomes in the same set of animals. A wide range of adverse effects was reported in both the toxicity and the mechanistic endpoints at the lowest dose tested (2.5 µg/kg/day), leading independent experts to call for the lowest observed adverse effect level (LOAEL) to be dropped 20 000-fold from the current outdated LOAEL of 50 000 µg/kg/day. Despite criticism by members of the Endocrine Society that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s assumptions violate basic principles of endocrinology, the FDA rejected all low-dose data as not biologically plausible. Their decisions rely on 4 incorrect assumptions: dose responses must be monotonic, there exists a threshold below which there are no effects, both sexes must respond similarly, and only toxicological guideline studies are valid. This review details more than 20 years of BPA studies and addresses the divide that exists between regulatory approaches and endocrine science. Ultimately, CLARITY-BPA has shed light on why traditional methods of evaluating toxicity are insufficient to evaluate endocrine disrupting chemicals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederick S vom Saal
- University of Missouri – Columbia, Division of Biological Sciences, Columbia, Missouri
- Correspondence: Dr. Frederick vom Saal, University of Missouri-Columbia, Division of Biological Sciences, 105 Lefevre Hall, Columbia, MO, 65211, USA. E-mail:
| | - Laura N Vandenberg
- University of Massachusetts – Amherst, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Amherst, Massachusetts
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20
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Fadishei M, Ghasemzadeh Rahbardar M, Imenshahidi M, Mohajeri A, Razavi BM, Hosseinzadeh H. Effects of Nigella sativa oil and thymoquinone against bisphenol A-induced metabolic disorder in rats. Phytother Res 2020; 35:2005-2024. [PMID: 33315269 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.6944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The underlying mechanisms of bisphenol A (BPA)-induced metabolic disorder and the protective impact of Nigella sativa oil (NSO) and thymoquinone (TQ) against BPA-induced metabolic disorder were investigated. Rats were treated as follows: Control, BPA (10 mg/kg), TQ (2 mg/kg), NSO (84 μL/kg), BPA + TQ (0.5, 1, 2 mg/kg), and BPA + NSO (21, 42, 84 μL/kg). BPA was administered by gavage, while, TQ and NSO were injected intraperitoneally (daily, 54 days). The weight, blood pressure, serum parameters [glucose, lipid profile, hepatic enzymes, insulin, interlukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), leptin, adiponectin], malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and insulin signaling pathways [insulin receptor substrate (p-IRS,IRS); kinase (p-Akt,Akt); glycogen synthase kinase (p-GS3K,GS3K)] were measured. BPA increased the blood pressure, MDA, lipid profile, hepatic enzymes, insulin, IL-6, TNF-α, and leptin, and decreased the GSH and phosphorylated forms of IRS, Akt, GS3K but did not alter weight, glucose, IRS, AKT, and GS3K in the liver. Administration of NSO or TQ with BPA reduced the blood pressure, liver level of MDA, lipid profile, hepatic enzymes, insulin, IL-6, TNF-α, leptin, and increased the liver level of GSH and p-IRS, p-AKT, p-GS3K. TQ and NSO are thought to be effective in controlling metabolic disorders induced by BPA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masoumeh Fadishei
- Department of Pharmacodynamics and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | | | - Mohsen Imenshahidi
- Department of Pharmacodynamics and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.,Pharmaceutical Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Ahmad Mohajeri
- Department of Pharmacodynamics and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.,Targeted Drug Delivery Research Center, Department of Pharmacodynamics and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Bibi Marjan Razavi
- Department of Pharmacodynamics and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.,Targeted Drug Delivery Research Center, Department of Pharmacodynamics and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
| | - Hossein Hosseinzadeh
- Department of Pharmacodynamics and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.,Pharmaceutical Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
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21
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Vandenberg LN, Najmi A, Mogus JP. Agrochemicals with estrogenic endocrine disrupting properties: Lessons Learned? Mol Cell Endocrinol 2020; 518:110860. [PMID: 32407980 PMCID: PMC9448509 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2020.110860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Many agrochemicals have endocrine disrupting properties. A subset of these chemicals is characterized as "estrogenic". In this review, we describe several distinct ways that chemicals used in crop production can affect estrogen signaling. Using three agrochemicals as examples (DDT, endosulfan, and atrazine), we illustrate how screening tests such as the US EPA's EDSP Tier 1 assays can be used as a first-pass approach to evaluate agrochemicals for endocrine activity. We then apply the "Key Characteristics" approach to illustrate how chemicals like DDT can be evaluated, together with the World Health Organization's definition of an endocrine disruptor, to identify data gaps. We conclude by describing important issues that must be addressed in the evaluation and regulation of hormonally active agrochemicals including mixture effects, efforts to reduce vertebrate animal use, chemical prioritization, and improvements in hazard, exposure, and risk assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura N Vandenberg
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA.
| | - Aimal Najmi
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA
| | - Joshua P Mogus
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA
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22
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Fass R, Zerbib F, Gyawali CP. AGA Clinical Practice Update on Functional Heartburn: Expert Review. Gastroenterology 2020; 158:2286-2293. [PMID: 32017911 DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2020.01.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 1: A diagnosis of functional heartburn should be considered when retrosternal burning pain or discomfort persists despite maximal (double-dose) proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy taken appropriately before meals during a 3-month period. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 2: A diagnosis of functional heartburn requires upper endoscopy with esophageal biopsies to rule out anatomic and mucosal abnormalities, esophageal high-resolution manometry to rule out major motor disorders, and pH monitoring off PPI therapy (or pH-impedance monitoring on therapy in patients with proven gastroesophageal reflux disease [GERD]), to document physiologic levels of esophageal acid exposure in the distal esophagus with absence of reflux-symptom association (ie, negative symptom index and symptom association probability). BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 3: Overlap of functional heartburn with proven GERD is diagnosed according to Rome IV criteria when heartburn persists despite maximal PPI therapy in patients with history of proven GERD (ie, positive pH study, erosive esophagitis, Barrett's esophagus, or esophageal ulcer), and pH impedance testing on PPI therapy demonstrates physiologic acid exposure without reflux-symptom association (ie, negative symptom index and symptom association probability). BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 4: PPIs have no therapeutic value in functional heartburn, the exception being proven GERD that overlaps with functional heartburn. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 5: Neuromodulators, including tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, tegaserod, and histamine-2 receptor antagonists have benefit as either primary therapy in functional heartburn or as add-on therapy in functional heartburn that overlaps with proven GERD. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 6: Based on available evidence, acupuncture and hypnotherapy may have benefit as monotherapy in functional heartburn, or as adjunctive therapy combined with other therapeutic modalities. BEST PRACTICE ADVICE 7: Based on available evidence, anti-reflux surgery and endoscopic GERD treatment modalities have no therapeutic benefit in functional heartburn and should not be recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronnie Fass
- Digestive Health Center, MetroHealth System, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Frank Zerbib
- Department of Gastroenterology, Bordeaux University Hospital, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - C Prakash Gyawali
- Division of Gastroenterology, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri.
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23
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Chen S, Sun X, Wu S, Jiang J, Zhu C, Xu K, Xu K. Role of identified noncoding RNA in erectile dysfunction. Andrologia 2020; 52:e13596. [PMID: 32441367 DOI: 10.1111/and.13596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sixiang Chen
- Zhejiang Chinese Medical University Hangzhou China
| | | | - Suliu Wu
- Wuyi First People's Hospital Wuyi China
| | - Jing Jiang
- Zhejiang Chinese Medical University Hangzhou China
| | - Chenfeng Zhu
- Zhejiang Chinese Medical University Hangzhou China
| | - Kechen Xu
- Wuyi First People's Hospital Wuyi China
| | - Keyang Xu
- Hangzhou Xixi Hospital affiliated to Zhejiang Chinese Medical University Hangzhou China
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24
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Vandenberg LN, Prins GS, Patisaul HB, Zoeller RT. The Use and Misuse of Historical Controls in Regulatory Toxicology: Lessons from the CLARITY-BPA Study. Endocrinology 2020; 161:5613539. [PMID: 31690949 PMCID: PMC7182062 DOI: 10.1210/endocr/bqz014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
For many endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) including Bisphenol A (BPA), animal studies show that environmentally relevant exposures cause harm; human studies are consistent with these findings. Yet, regulatory agencies charged with protecting public health continue to conclude that human exposures to these EDCs pose no risk. One reason for the disconnect between the scientific consensus on EDCs in the endocrinology community and the failure to act in the regulatory community is the dependence of the latter on so-called "guideline studies" to evaluate hazards, and the inability to incorporate independent scientific studies in risk assessment. The Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on Toxicity (CLARITY) study was intended to bridge this gap, combining a "guideline" study with independent hypothesis-driven studies designed to be more appropriate to evaluate EDCs. Here we examined an aspect of "guideline" studies, the use of so-called "historical controls," which are essentially control data borrowed from prior studies to aid in the interpretation of current findings. The US Food and Drug Administration authors used historical controls to question the plausibility of statistically significant BPA-related effects in the CLARITY study. We examined the use of historical controls on 5 outcomes in the CLARITY "guideline" study: mammary neoplasms, pituitary neoplasms, kidney nephropathy, prostate inflammation and adenomas, and body weight. Using US Food and Drug Administration-proposed historical control data, our evaluation revealed that endpoints used in "guideline" studies are not as reproducible as previously held. Combined with other data comparing the effects of ethinyl estradiol in 2 "guideline" studies including CLARITY-BPA, we conclude that near-exclusive reliance on "guideline" studies can result in scientifically invalid conclusions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura N Vandenberg
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts–Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts
- Correspondence: Laura N. Vandenberg, PhD, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts–Amherst, 171C Goessmann, 686 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003. E-mail:
| | - Gail S Prins
- Department of Urology, School of Medicine; Division of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Heather B Patisaul
- Center for Human Health and the Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
| | - R Thomas Zoeller
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts–Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts
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25
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Effects of Bisphenol A on Oxidative Stress in the Rat Brain. Antioxidants (Basel) 2020; 9:antiox9030240. [PMID: 32187996 PMCID: PMC7139612 DOI: 10.3390/antiox9030240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the effect of bisphenol A (BPA) on oxidative stress and tau-related proteins in adult rat brains. BPA (10 mg/L) was administered to rats for eight weeks through their drinking water. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging capacity for hydroxyl radicals in the plasma was reduced after two weeks. In the hippocampus, four and eight weeks of BPA increased the ratio of oxidized DJ-1/DJ-1 (PARK7). The ratio of phosphorylated-GSK3β/GSK3β and phosphorylated-AKT/AKT increased after one week of BPA treatment. The ratio of phosphorylated JNK/JNK and phosphorylated-ERK/ERK increased after eight weeks of BPA; the elevation could be related to tau phosphorylation. Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) in the hippocampus decreased after eight weeks of BPA treatment. At that time, SOD1 was significantly induced, but no changes in SOD2 expression were apparent in the hippocampus. Furthermore, the ratio of phosphorylated-tau (PHF-1, Ser396/ Ser404) to total tau level did not change. However, PHF-1 or other sites of tau could be phosphorylated after eight weeks in the hippocampi of rats. BPA induced systemic oxidative stress and could change ROS-induced signaling pathways in the brain. These results suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction possibly is not responsible for oxidative stress and neurodegeneration due to low doses of BPA.
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26
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Chen JR, Wu SM, Tsai SC, Hsien FC, Huang CT. Changes in vitellogenin and estrogen receptor expression and 17β-estradiol concentration in male juvenile tilapia can be used to evaluate endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2020; 229:108682. [PMID: 31816426 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2019.108682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Revised: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The effects of endocrine disruption with respect to potential human toxicities have been extensively evaluated to date. However, the standard testing methods used have not always taken the most pertinent approach. In this study, we used juvenile male tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) as an animal model to test for endocrine disruption by chemicals. We measured 17β-estradiol (E2) concentrations, and the mRNA relative expression ratio (RER; treatment/control) of vitellogenin (vtg2) and estrogen receptors (ERs) to assess whether the effluent concentration of selected plasticizers disrupt E2 function in fish. We found that the vtg2 RER was significantly increased after exposure to 2.52 nM E2 for 5 days, 0.438 μM of bisphenol A (BPA) for 7 days, or 2.865 μM Cd2+ for 7 days. These data support vtg2 transcript level as a sensitive biomarker to evaluate contamination of water by endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). However, vtg2 expression did not respond to fluctuations of E2 concentrations in the tilapia juveniles exposed to selected plasticizers. However, the RER of three types of ERs appeared to change dramatically upon exposure to plasticizers. ERα significantly increased, but ERβ2 decreased with 3.6 μM DEP exposure. Both ERα and ERβ2 decreased significantly after 1.44 μM DIBP exposure. We suggest that changes of vtg2 mRNA RER, E2 levels and ERs mRNA expression should be taken into consideration at the same time to determine if chemical contaminants in the water are endocrine disrupters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung-Ren Chen
- Department of Biological Science and Technology, I-Shou University, Kaohsiung City 82445, Taiwan.
| | - Su Mei Wu
- Department of Aquatic Biosciences, National Chiayi University, Chiayi 60004, Taiwan
| | - Shu Chuan Tsai
- Department of Nursing, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung 40601, Taiwan
| | - Fang-Chun Hsien
- Department of Aquatic Biosciences, National Chiayi University, Chiayi 60004, Taiwan
| | - Chieh Ting Huang
- Department of Aquatic Biosciences, National Chiayi University, Chiayi 60004, Taiwan
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27
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Patisaul HB. Achieving CLARITY on bisphenol A, brain and behaviour. J Neuroendocrinol 2020; 32:e12730. [PMID: 31063678 PMCID: PMC10947534 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2019] [Revised: 04/28/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
There is perhaps no endocrine disrupting chemical more controversial than bisphenol A (BPA). Comprising a high-volume production chemical used in a variety of applications, BPA has been linked to a litany of adverse health-related outcomes, including effects on brain sexual differentiation and behaviour. Risk assessors preferentially rely on classical guideline-compliant toxicity studies over studies published by academic scientists, and have generally downplayed concerns about the potential risks that BPA poses to human health. It has been argued, however, that, because traditional toxicity studies rarely contain neural endpoints, and only a paucity of endocrine-sensitive endpoints, they are incapable of fully evaluating harm. To address current controversies on the safety of BPA, the United States National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Toxicology Program (NTP), and the US Food and Drug Administration established the Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on BPA Toxicity (CLARITY-BPA). CLARITY-BPA performed a classical regulatory-style toxicology study (Core study) in conjunction with multiple behavioural, molecular and cellular studies conducted by academic laboratories (grantee studies) using a collaboratively devised experimental framework and the same animals and tissues. This review summarises the results from the grantee studies that focused on brain and behaviour. Evidence of altered neuroendocrine development, including age- and sex-specific expression of oestrogen receptor (ER)α and ERβ, and the abrogation of brain and behavioural sexual dimorphisms, supports the conclusion that developmental BPA exposure, even at doses below what regulatory agencies regard as "safe" for humans, contribute to brain and behavioural change. The consistency and the reproducibility of the effects across CLARITY-BPA and prior studies using the same animal strain and almost identical experimental conditions are compelling. Combined analysis of all of the data from the CLARITY-BPA project is underway at the NTP and a final report expected in late 2019.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather B Patisaul
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
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28
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Untangling the association between environmental endocrine disruptive chemicals and the etiology of male genitourinary cancers. Biochem Pharmacol 2019; 172:113743. [PMID: 31812676 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2019.113743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Accepted: 12/02/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Endocrine disrupting chemicals disrupt normal physiological function of endogenous hormones, their receptors, and signaling pathways of the endocrine system. Most endocrine disrupting chemicals exhibit estrogen/androgen agonistic and antagonistic activities that impinge upon hormone receptors and related pathways. Humans are exposed to endocrine disrupting chemicals through food, water and air, affecting the synthesis, release, transport, metabolism, binding, function and elimination of naturally occurring hormones. The urogenital organs function as sources of steroid hormones, are targeted end organs, and participate within systemic feedback loops within the endocrine system. The effects of endocrine disruptors can ultimately alter cellular homeostasis leading to a broad range of health effects, including malignancy. Human cancer is characterized by uncontrolled cell proliferation, mechanisms opposing cell-death, development of immortality, induction of angiogenesis, and promotion of invasion/metastasis. While hormonal malignancies of the male genitourinary organs are the second most common types of cancer, the molecular effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals in hormone-driven cancers has yet to be fully explored. In this commentary, we examine the molecular evidence for the involvement of endocrine disrupting chemicals in the genesis and progression of hormone-driven cancers in the prostate, testes, and bladder. We also report on challenges that have to be overcome to drive our understanding of these chemicals and explore the potential avenues of discovery that could ultimately allow the development of tools to prevent cancer in populations where exposure is inevitable.
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29
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Uchtmann KS, Taylor JA, Timms BG, Stahlhut RW, Ricke EA, Ellersieck MR, Vom Saal FS, Ricke WA. Fetal bisphenol A and ethinylestradiol exposure alters male rat urogenital tract morphology at birth: Confirmation of prior low-dose findings in CLARITY-BPA. Reprod Toxicol 2019; 91:131-141. [PMID: 31756437 DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2019.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2019] [Revised: 11/08/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a contaminant in virtually all Americans. To examine BPA's adverse effects, the FDA-NCTR, NIEHS, and 14 groups of academic scientists formed a consortium: CLARITY-BPA. The purpose of our study was to investigate the effects of a wide range of doses of BPA on fetal development of the NCTR CD-SD male rat urogenital sinus (UGS). Pregnant rats were administered BPA or positive control ethinylestradiol (EE2) daily, via oral gavage, from gestational day 6 through parturition. Tissues were collected on postnatal day 1 and the UGS was analyzed using computer-assisted 3-D reconstruction. Importantly, only low doses of BPA, as well as EE2, significantly changed birth weight and UGS morphology, including an increased size of the colliculus and decreased size of the urethra, consistent with prior reported BPA and EE2 effects. Our findings provide further evidence that BPA mediates nonmonotonic developmental effects on the fetal urogenital sinus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen S Uchtmann
- Department of Urology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705 USA; George M. O'Brien Center of Research Excellence, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705 USA
| | - Julia A Taylor
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
| | - Barry G Timms
- Division of Basic Biological Sciences, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD 57069 USA
| | - Richard W Stahlhut
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
| | - Emily A Ricke
- Department of Urology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705 USA; George M. O'Brien Center of Research Excellence, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705 USA
| | - Mark R Ellersieck
- Department of Statistics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
| | | | - William A Ricke
- Department of Urology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705 USA; University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705 USA; Molecular & Environmental Toxicology Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705 USA; George M. O'Brien Center of Research Excellence, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705 USA.
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Warner GR, Flaws JA. Bisphenol A and Phthalates: How Environmental Chemicals Are Reshaping Toxicology. Toxicol Sci 2019; 166:246-249. [PMID: 30496570 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfy232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Genoa R Warner
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2001 S. Lincoln Ave, Urbana, IL 61802
| | - Jodi A Flaws
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2001 S. Lincoln Ave, Urbana, IL 61802
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31
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Michel C. How to regulate endocrine disrupting chemicals? Feedback and future development. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.coemr.2019.04.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Abstract
This paper argues that value-laden judgements play an important role in regulatory science and risk assessment. These judgements include choices about what topics to study; what questions to ask about those topics; how best to design studies to answer those questions; how to collect, analyse, and interpret data; and how to frame and communicate findings. Rather than defending a 'value-free ideal' for responding to these judgements, the paper calls for a 'value-management ideal' based on three principles: (1) value-laden judgements should be handled as transparently as possible; (2) these judgements should be made in ways that reflect social and ethical priorities; and (3) they should be made in a manner that is informed by engagement among interested and affected parties. Based on these principles, the paper suggests several strategies for moving forward to handle value-laden judgements in regulatory science and risk assessment in a responsible manner. First, decision makers should become more comfortable with scientific disagreement, finding ways to respect different positions on value-laden judgements and formulate policies despite inconclusive evidence. Second, those engaged in regulatory science should explore creative ways to clarify important judgements and communicate how they are being handled. Third, institutional processes for setting standards and guidelines for regulatory science and risk assessment should be scrutinised to ensure that they provide fair opportunities for all interested and affected parties to participate in and inform those processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin C Elliott
- Lyman Briggs College Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, and Department of Philosophy Michigan State University East Lansing MI 48825 USA
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Martin OV, Adams J, Beasley A, Belanger S, Breton RL, Brock TCM, Buonsante VA, Galay Burgos M, Green J, Guiney PD, Hall T, Hanson M, Harris MJ, Henry TR, Huggett D, Junghans M, Laskowski R, Maack G, Moermond CTA, Panter G, Pease A, Poulsen V, Roberts M, Rudén C, Schlekat CE, Schoeters I, Solomon KR, Staveley J, Stubblefield B, Sumpter JP, Warne MSJ, Wentsel R, Wheeler JR, Wolff BA, Yamazaki K, Zahner H, Ågerstrand M. Improving environmental risk assessments of chemicals: Steps towards evidence-based ecotoxicology. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2019; 128:210-217. [PMID: 31059916 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2019.04.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2019] [Revised: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Olwenn V Martin
- Dept of Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom
| | - Julie Adams
- School of Environmental Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Scott Belanger
- Global Product Stewardship, Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | | | - Theo C M Brock
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Wageningen University and Research, the Netherlands
| | | | - Malyka Galay Burgos
- European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | | | | | - Mark Hanson
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | | | - Tala R Henry
- Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Marion Junghans
- Swiss Centre for Applied Ecotoxicology Eawag-EPFL, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Ryszard Laskowski
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland
| | - Gerd Maack
- German Environment Agency (UBA), Dessau-Roßlau, Germany
| | - Caroline T A Moermond
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, the Netherlands
| | - Grace Panter
- wca (previously affiliated with Syngenta Ltd., Berkshire, UK), Faringdon, UK
| | | | | | | | - Christina Rudén
- Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry (ACES), Stockholm University, Sweden
| | | | | | - Keith R Solomon
- Centre for Toxicology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | | | - Bill Stubblefield
- Dept of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - John P Sumpter
- Dept of Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Uxbridge, United Kingdom
| | - Michael St J Warne
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Australia; Queensland Department of Environment and Science, Australia; Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University, UK
| | | | - James R Wheeler
- Corteva Agriscience™, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont™, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK
| | - Brian A Wolff
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | | | - Holly Zahner
- United States Food and Drug Administration, Center for Veterinary Medicine, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Marlene Ågerstrand
- Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry (ACES), Stockholm University, Sweden.
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Vandenberg LN, Hunt PA, Gore AC. Endocrine disruptors and the future of toxicology testing - lessons from CLARITY-BPA. Nat Rev Endocrinol 2019; 15:366-374. [PMID: 30842650 DOI: 10.1038/s41574-019-0173-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Five years ago, an ambitious collaboration, the Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on Toxicity of BPA (CLARITY-BPA; henceforth CLARITY), was launched by three US agencies. The goal was to provide a definitive evaluation of bisphenol A (BPA) and explain disparities between traditional regulatory studies and findings from independent investigators. BPA or vehicle-treated rats from an FDA facility were used in a guideline study and animals and/or tissues were provided to academic researchers for analysis. An interim summary released in February 2018 by the FDA concluded that currently authorized uses of BPA continue to be safe. We disagree. In this Perspectives, we summarize the goals, design and problems of CLARITY. We conclude that, despite its flaws, CLARITY provides important insight and, taken together, the data provide compelling evidence that low-dose BPA exposure induces marked adverse effects. Indeed, the greatest number of effects were observed at doses 20,000 times lower than the current 'safe' dose of BPA for humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura N Vandenberg
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Patricia A Hunt
- Center for Reproductive Biology, School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Andrea C Gore
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
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Resnik DB, Elliott KC. Value-entanglement and the integrity of scientific research. STUDIES IN HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE 2019; 75:1-11. [PMID: 31426942 DOI: 10.1016/j.shpsa.2018.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/24/2018] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Throughout much of the 20th century, philosophers of science maintained a position known as the value-free ideal, which holds that non-epistemic (e.g., moral, social, political, or economic) values should not influence the evaluation and acceptance of scientific results. In the last few decades, many philosophers of science have rejected this position by arguing that non-epistemic values can and should play an important role in scientific judgment and decision-making in a variety of contexts, including the evaluation and acceptance of scientific results. Rejecting the value-free ideal creates some new and vexing problems, however. One of these is that relinquishing this philosophical doctrine may undermine the integrity of scientific research if practicing scientists decide to allow non-epistemic values to impact their judgment and decision-making. A number of prominent philosophers of science have sought to show how one can reject the value-free ideal without compromising the integrity of scientific research. In this paper, we examine and critique their views and offer our own proposal for protecting and promoting scientific integrity. We argue that the literature on research ethics and its focus on adherence to norms, rules, policies, and procedures that together promote the aims of science can provide a promising foundation for building an account of scientific integrity. These norms, rules, policies, and procedures provide a level of specificity that is lacking in most philosophical discussions of science and values, and they suggest an important set of tasks for those working in science and values-namely, assessing, justifying, and prioritizing them. Thus, we argue that bringing together the literature on research ethics with the literature on science and values will enrich both areas and generate a more sophisticated and detailed account of scientific integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- David B Resnik
- Bioethics, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, 111 Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA.
| | - Kevin C Elliott
- Lyman Briggs College, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, and Department of Philosophy, Michigan State University, USA
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36
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Bisphenol F has different effects on preadipocytes differentiation and weight gain in adult mice as compared with Bisphenol A and S. Toxicology 2019; 420:66-72. [PMID: 30959087 DOI: 10.1016/j.tox.2019.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2019] [Revised: 03/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Bisphenol S (2,2-bisulfone, BPS) and Bisphenol F (2,2-bis [4-hydroxyphenol]methane, BPF) are analogs of Bisphenol A (2,2-bis[4-hydroxyphenyl]propane, BPA), a widely used endocrine disrupting compound present in polycarbonate plastics, thermal receipts and epoxy resins that line food cans. Here we examined effects of BPA, BPS, and BPF in low concentrations on differentiation in murine 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. We also fed adult male mice chow with one of three doses of BPF (0, 0.5, 5, 50 mg/kg chow, or approximately 0.044, 0.44 and 4.4 mg/kg body weight per day) for 12 weeks, collected body weights, food intake, and tested for glucose tolerance. The doses of BPF used produced mean concentrations of 0, 6.2, 43.6, and 561 ng/mL in plasma. In 3T3-L1 cells BPS had the greatest effects, along with BPA, both increased expression of several genes required for preadipocyte differentiation over 12 days in culture. In contrast, BPF decreased expression of several genes late in differentiation. This dichotomy was also reflected in lipid accumulation as BPA and BPS treated cells had elevated lipid concentrations compared to controls or cells treated with BPF. Male mice fed either the highest or lowest concentrations of BPF gained less weight than controls with no effects on glucose levels or glucose tolerance. Plasma levels of BPF reflected doses in food with no overlap between doses. In summary, our results suggest that BPS has a strong potential to be obesogenic while effects of BPF are subtler and potentially in the opposite direction.
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Vom Saal FS. Flaws in design, execution and interpretation limit CLARITY-BPA's value for risk assessments of bisphenol A. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2019; 125 Suppl 3:32-43. [PMID: 30589220 DOI: 10.1111/bcpt.13195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on BPA Toxicity (CLARITY-BPA) involved the Food and Drug Administration, the National Toxicology Program and 14 academic investigators funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Two key questions to be answered by CLARITY-BPA were as follows: (1) Would the academic investigator studies show effects at low doses of bisphenol A (BPA) while the core guideline study conducted by the FDA only showed toxic effects at high doses? (2) Would the academic investigators be able to replicate their numerous prior studies with animals raised and treated in the FDA's toxicology centre? Several flaws in the design and execution of CLARITY-BPA biased the experiment towards not finding significant results (Type 2 error): (1) use of the oestrogen-insensitive NCTR CD-SD rat, (2) use of a stressful daily gavage BPA administration procedure throughout life, (3) lack of inclusion of non-gavaged negative controls and (4) lack of a comprehensive examination of animals for BPA contamination. In spite of these flaws, in some of the experiments conducted by CLARITY-BPA academic investigators, and also in the FDA's core study, there were significant low-dose effects, but these were ignored by the FDA. Thus, immediately after releasing the results from their core portion of CLARITY-BPA, the FDA issued a statement concluding BPA was "safe," and they ignored non-monotonic dose-response relationships. The FDA should not base its BPA risk assessment only on outdated guideline studies, but instead on the vast (~8000) number of publications documenting the similar health hazards BPA poses to animals and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederick S Vom Saal
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri
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38
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Chartres N, Bero LA, Norris SL. A review of methods used for hazard identification and risk assessment of environmental hazards. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2019; 123:231-239. [PMID: 30537638 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2018.11.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2018] [Revised: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/22/2018] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Approximately one quarter of all deaths globally are attributed to living or working in an unhealthy environment, with household and ambient air pollution, along with exposures to ultraviolet radiation and chemicals amongst the leading causes. At present there are no international standards for assessing the risks of these environmental hazards. The use of heterogeneous methods to identify health risks from environmental hazards may reduce the level of confidence the public has in the conclusions that are made. OBJECTIVES To describe and compare the processes and methods used by national and international organisations that conduct hazard identification and/or risk assessment (HI/RA) of environmental hazards and to identify knowledge gaps to inform the development of future methods. METHODS We searched the websites of 19 organisations (ten national, five international and four World Health Organization (WHO) units) and extracted data from all relevant, publicly available resources which described the processes and methods used in HI/RA of environmental hazards. We contacted each organisation for any additional information. RESULTS Five organisations were excluded from further analysis: three made recommendations but did not conduct HI/RA; one used heterogenous methods across their reviews for HI; and one WHO unit did not have any published guidelines. Of the 14 organisations analysed, five (36%) describe the process for establishing the questions to be answered in the assessments. Only one (7%) organisation uses systematic review methods, although five (36%) state that they use such methods. Ten (71%) assess the scientific quality of the included studies, however only three (21%) use explicit criteria. Only three (21%) organisations assess the quality of the body of evidence using explicit criteria. Four (29%) organisations describe the process for making the final HI conclusions and three (38%) the final RA conclusions. Eight (57%) have a conflict of interest policy and seven (50%) organisations describe a process for managing them. The US Office of Health Assessment and Translation and the World Health Organisation meet the most criteria for describing their processes and methods. CONCLUSIONS The processes and methods used by organisations conducting HI/RA of environmental hazards are inconsistent. There is a need for empirically based tools and methods to be adopted for the evaluation and synthesis of evidence, and the formulation of conclusions across all organisations that conduct HI or RA. These tools and methods will lead to increased transparency, comparability and validity of the assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Chartres
- The University of Sydney, D17, The Hub, 6th floor, Charles Perkins Centre, NSW 2006, Australia.
| | - Lisa A Bero
- The University of Sydney, D17, The Hub, 6th floor, Charles Perkins Centre, NSW 2006, Australia.
| | - Susan L Norris
- Department of Innovation, Evidence and Research, World Health Organization, Av. Appia 20 CH-1211, Geneva 27, Switzerland.
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Sheng Z, Wang C, Ren F, Liu Y, Zhu B. Molecular mechanism of endocrine-disruptive effects induced by Bisphenol A: The role of transmembrane G-protein estrogen receptor 1 and integrin αvβ3. J Environ Sci (China) 2019; 75:1-13. [PMID: 30473274 DOI: 10.1016/j.jes.2018.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Revised: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the highest volume industrial products worldwide and has been widely used to make various products as the intermediates of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Inevitably, general population has been widely exposed to BPA due to extensive use of BPA-containing products. BPA has similar chemical structure with the natural estrogen and has been shown to induce a variety of estrogen-like endocrine effects on organism in vivo or in vitro. High doses of BPA tend to act as antagonist of estrogen receptors (ERs) by directly regulating the genomic transcription. However, BPA at environmentally relevant low-dose always disrupt the biological function via a non-genomic manner mediated by membrane receptors, rather than ERs. Although some studies had investigated the non-genomic effects of low-dose BPA, the exact molecular mechanism still remains unclear. Recently, we found that membrane G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 and integrin αvβ3 and its relative signal pathways participate in the induction of male germ cell proliferation and thyroid transcription disruption by the low-dose BPA. A profound understanding for the mechanism of action of the environmentally relevant BPA exposure not only contributes to objectively evaluate and predict the potential influence to human health, but also provides theoretical basis and methodological support for assessing health effects trigged by other estrogen-like environmental endocrine disruptors. Based mainly on our recent findings, this review outlines the research progress of molecular mechanism on endocrine disrupting effects of environmental low-dose BPA, existing problems and some consideration for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiguo Sheng
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Cong Wang
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Furong Ren
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
| | - Yuxiang Liu
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi 830054, China
| | - Benzhan Zhu
- Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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Ingre-Khans E, Ågerstrand M, Beronius A, Rudén C. Reliability and relevance evaluations of REACH data. Toxicol Res (Camb) 2019; 8:46-56. [PMID: 30713660 PMCID: PMC6334497 DOI: 10.1039/c8tx00216a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulatory authorities rely on hazard and risk assessments performed under REACH for identifying chemicals of concern and to take action. Therefore, these assessments must be systematic and transparent. This study investigates how registrants evaluate and report data evaluations under REACH and the procedures established by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to support these data evaluations. Data on the endpoint repeated dose toxicity were retrieved from the REACH registration database for 60 substances. An analysis of these data shows that the system for registrants to evaluate data and report these evaluations is neither systematic nor transparent. First, the current framework focuses on reliability, but overlooks the equally important aspect of relevance, as well as how reliability and relevance are combined for determining the adequacy of individual studies. Reliability and relevance aspects are also confused in the ECHA guidance for read-across. Second, justifications for reliability evaluations were mainly based on studies complying with GLP and test guidelines, following the Klimisch method. This may result in GLP and guideline studies being considered reliable by default and discounting non-GLP and non-test guideline data. Third, the reported rationales for reliability were frequently vague, confusing and lacking information necessary for transparency. Fourth, insufficient documentation of a study was sometimes used as a reason for judging data unreliable. Poor reporting merely affects the possibility to evaluate reliability and should be distinguished from methodological deficiencies. Consequently, ECHA is urged to improve the procedures and guidance for registrants to evaluate data under REACH to achieve systematic and transparent risk assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Ingre-Khans
- Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry , Stockholm University , 106 91 Stockholm , Sweden . ; Tel: +46 (0)8 6747337
| | - Marlene Ågerstrand
- Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry , Stockholm University , 106 91 Stockholm , Sweden . ; Tel: +46 (0)8 6747337
| | - Anna Beronius
- Institute of Environmental Medicine , Karolinska Institutet , 171 77 Stockholm , Sweden
| | - Christina Rudén
- Department of Environmental Science and Analytical Chemistry , Stockholm University , 106 91 Stockholm , Sweden . ; Tel: +46 (0)8 6747337
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41
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Beausoleil C, Emond C, Cravedi JP, Antignac JP, Applanat M, Appenzeller BR, Beaudouin R, Belzunces LP, Canivenc-Lavier MC, Chevalier N, Chevrier C, Elefant E, Eustache F, Habert R, Kolf-Clauw M, Le Magueresse-Battistoni B, Mhaouty-Kodja S, Minier C, Multigner L, Schroeder H, Thonneau P, Viguié C, Pouzaud F, Ormsby JN, Rousselle C, Verines-Jouin L, Pasquier E, Michel C. Regulatory identification of BPA as an endocrine disruptor: Context and methodology. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2018; 475:4-9. [PMID: 29426018 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2018.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2017] [Revised: 01/25/2018] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BPA is one of the most investigated substances for its endocrine disruptor (ED) properties and it is at the same time in the center of many ED-related controversies. The analysis on how BPA fits to the regulatory identification as an ED is a challenge in terms of methodology. It is also a great opportunity to test the regulatory framework with a uniquely data-rich substance and learn valuable lessons for future cases. From this extensive database, it was considered important to engage in a detailed analysis so as to provide specific and strong evidences of ED while reflecting accurately the complexity of the response as well the multiplicity of adverse effects. An appropriate delineation of the scope of the analysis was therefore critical. Four effects namely, alterations of estrous cyclicity, mammary gland development, brain development and memory function, and metabolism, were considered to provide solid evidence of ED-mediated effects of BPA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Claude Emond
- DSEST, School of Public Health, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | | | | | - Brice R Appenzeller
- Human Biomonitoring Research Unit, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Luxembourg
| | - Remy Beaudouin
- INERIS, Unité Modèles pour l'Ecotoxicologie et la Toxicologie (METO), Parc ALATA BP2, 60550 Verneuil en Halatte, France
| | - Luc P Belzunces
- INRA, Laboratoire de Toxicologie Environnementale, UR 406 A&E, CS 40509, 84914 Avignon Cedex 9, France
| | - Marie-Chantal Canivenc-Lavier
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, INRA, CNRS, agrosup, Université de Bourgogne - Franche-Comté, Dijon, 21000, France
| | - Nicolas Chevalier
- University Hospital of Nice, France & INSERM UMR U1065 - Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire, Nice, France
| | - Cécile Chevrier
- Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail), UMR_S 1085, F-35000 Rennes, France
| | - Elisabeth Elefant
- Centre de Référence sur les Agents Tératogènes (CRAT), AP-HP Armand Trousseau Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Florence Eustache
- CECOS, AP-HP, Paris Seine-Saint-Denis University Hospitals, Jean Verdier Hospital, Paris, France
| | - René Habert
- Genetic Stability, Stem Cells and Radiations, CEA, INSERM U 967, University Paris-Diderot, CEA Research Center, 92265 Fontenay aux Roses, France
| | - Martine Kolf-Clauw
- CREFRE, Toulouse University, INSERM, Toulouse Veterinary School, 23 chemin des Capelles, BP 87614, F310176 Toulouse Cedex 3, France
| | - Brigitte Le Magueresse-Battistoni
- Univ-Lyon, CarMeN Laboratory, INSERM U1060, INRA U1397, Université Claude Bernard Lyon1, INSA Lyon, Charles Mérieux Medical School, F-69600 Oullins, France
| | - Sakina Mhaouty-Kodja
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, INSERM, CNRS, Neuroscience Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Christophe Minier
- Laboratory of Ecotoxicology, UMR INERIS SEBio, Normandie Université, BP 540, 76058 Le Havre, France
| | - Luc Multigner
- Univ Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de recherche en santé, environnement et travail), UMR_S 1085, F-35000 Rennes, France
| | - Henri Schroeder
- Calbinotox, Faculté des Sciences et Technologies, Université de Lorraine, 54500, Vandoeuvre les Nancy, France
| | | | - Catherine Viguié
- Toxalim (Research Centre in Food Toxicology), INRA, ENVT, INP-Purpan, UPS, Toulouse, France
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Cécile Michel
- ANSES, Risk Assessment Department, Maisons-Alfort, France
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Cécile Michel
- ANSES, Risk Assessment Department, Maisons-Alfort, France
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Prins GS, Patisaul HB, Belcher SM, Vandenberg LN. CLARITY-BPA academic laboratory studies identify consistent low-dose Bisphenol A effects on multiple organ systems. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2018; 125 Suppl 3:14-31. [PMID: 30207065 DOI: 10.1111/bcpt.13125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2018] [Accepted: 08/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a high-production chemical used in a variety of applications worldwide. While BPA has been documented as an endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) having adverse health-related outcomes in multiple studies, risk assessment for BPA has lagged due to reliance on guideline toxicology studies over academic ones with end-points considered more sensitive and appropriate. To address current controversies on BPA safety, the United States National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the National Toxicology Program (NTP) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established the Consortium Linking Academic and Regulatory Insights on BPA Toxicity (CLARITY-BPA) using the NCTR Sprague-Dawley rats. The goal of CLARITY-BPA is to perform a traditional regulatory toxicology study (Core study) in conjunction with multiple behavioural, molecular and cellular studies by academic laboratories focused on previously identified BPA-sensitive organ systems (Academic studies). Combined analysis of the data from both study types will be undertaken by the NTP with the aim of resolving uncertainties on BPA toxicity. To date, the Core study has been completed and a draft report released. Most of the academic studies have also been finalized and published in peer-reviewed journals. In light of this important milestone, the PPTOX-VI meeting held in the Faroe Islands, 27-30 May 2018 devoted a plenary session to CLARITY-BPA with presentations by multiple investigators with the purpose of highlighting key outcome. This MiniReview synthesizes the results of three academic studies presented at this plenary session, evaluates recently published findings by other CLARITY-BPA academic studies to provide an early combined overview of this emerging data and places this in the context of the Core study findings. This co-ordinated effort revealed a plethora of significant BPA effects across multiple organ systems and BPA doses with non-monotonic responses across the dose range utilized. Remarkably consistent across most studies, including the Core study, are low-dose effects (2.5, 25 and 250 μg BPA/kg body-weight). Collectively, the findings highlighted herein corroborate a significant body of evidence that documents adverse effects of BPA at doses relevant to human exposures and emphasizes the need for updated risk assessment analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gail S Prins
- Departments of Urology, Pathology, and Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.,Division of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.,Chicago Center for Health and Environment (CACHET), University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Heather B Patisaul
- Department of Biological Sciences and the Center for Human Health and the Environment (CHHE), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
| | - Scott M Belcher
- Department of Biological Sciences and the Center for Human Health and the Environment (CHHE), North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
| | - Laura N Vandenberg
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, School of Public Health & Health Sciences, Amherst, Massachusetts
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Stahlhut RW, Myers JP, Taylor JA, Nadal A, Dyer JA, Vom Saal FS. Experimental BPA Exposure and Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Response in Adult Men and Women. J Endocr Soc 2018; 2:1173-1187. [PMID: 30302422 PMCID: PMC6169468 DOI: 10.1210/js.2018-00151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Context Human cross-sectional and animal studies have shown an association of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic diseases, but no human experimental study has investigated whether BPA alters insulin/C-peptide secretion. Design Men and postmenopausal women (without diabetes) were orally administered either the vehicle or a BPA dose of 50 µg/kg body weight, which has been predicted by US regulators (Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency) to be the maximum, safe daily oral BPA dose over the lifetime. Insulin response was assessed in two cross-over experiments using an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT; experiment 1) and a hyperglycemic (HG) clamp (experiment 2). Main outcomes were the percentage change of BPA session measures relative to those of the control session. Results Serum bioactive BPA after experimental exposure was at levels detected in human biomonitoring studies. In the OGTT, a strong positive correlation was found between hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c) and the percentage change in the insulinogenic index (Spearman = 0.92), an indicator of early-phase insulin response, and the equivalent C-peptide index (Pearson = 0.97). In the HG clamp study, focusing on the later-phase insulin response to a stable level of glucose, several measures of insulin and C-peptide appeared suppressed during the BPA session relative to the control session; the change in insulin maximum concentration (Cmax) was negatively correlated with HbA1c and the Cmax of bioactive serum BPA. Conclusions This exploratory study suggests that BPA exposure to a dose considered safe by US regulators may alter glucose-stimulated insulin response in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard W Stahlhut
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri
| | - John Peterson Myers
- Environmental Health Sciences, Charlottesville, Virginia.,Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Julia A Taylor
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Angel Nadal
- CIBERDEM and Institute of Bioengineering, Miguel Hernandez University of Elche, Elche (Alicante), Spain
| | - Jonathan A Dyer
- Departments of Dermatology and Child Health, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Frederick S Vom Saal
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri
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Gao Y, Yang C, Gao H, Wang L, Yang C, Ji H, Dong W. Molecular characterisation of oestrogen receptor ERα and the effects of bisphenol A on its expression during sexual development in the Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus). Reprod Fertil Dev 2018; 31:261-271. [PMID: 30092913 DOI: 10.1071/rd18107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to characterise the molecular structure of the oestrogen receptor ERα and to evaluate the effect of bisphenol A (BPA) on ERα expression during sexual development of the Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus). The ERα cDNA of A. davidianus includes an open reading frame of 1755bp (encoding 584 amino acids), a 219-bp 5' untranslated region (UTR) and a 611-bp 3'UTR. A polyadenylation signal was not found in the 3'UTR. Amino acid sequence analysis showed high homology between ERα of A. davidianus and that of other amphibians, such as Andrias japonicas (99.66% identity) and Rana rugose (81.06% identity). In 3-year-old A. davidianus, highest ERα expression was observed in the liver and gonads. During different developmental stages in A. davidianus (from 1 to 3 years of age), ERα expression in the testes increased gradually. ERα was localised in the epithelial cells of seminiferous lobules and in interstitial cells. ERα-positive cells were more abundant in the interstitial tissue during testicular development. ERα was located in the nucleus of oocytes during ovary development. We found that the sex of 6-month-old A. davidianus larvae could not be distinguished anatomically. The sex ratio did not change after larvae were treated with 10μM BPA for 1 month. However, BPA treatment reduced bodyweight and ERα expression in the gonads in male larvae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yao Gao
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, No. 22 Xinong Road, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Chenhao Yang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, No. 22 Xinong Road, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Huihui Gao
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, No. 22 Xinong Road, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Liqing Wang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, No. 22 Xinong Road, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Changming Yang
- Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Station of Chenggu County, Wenhua Road, Hanzhong, Shaanxi, 723200, China
| | - Hong Ji
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, No. 22 Xinong Road, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
| | - Wuzi Dong
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, No. 22 Xinong Road, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China
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Athmouni K, Belhaj D, Mkadmini Hammi K, El Feki A, Ayadi H. Phenolic compounds analysis, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective effects of Periploca angustifolia extract on cadmium-induced oxidative damage in HepG2 cell line and rats. Arch Physiol Biochem 2018; 124:261-274. [PMID: 29156993 DOI: 10.1080/13813455.2017.1395890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
A total of five components (Catechin, Caffeic acid, Ferulic acid, Rosmarinic acid, and Amentoflavone) were identified in Periploca angustifolia leaf methanolic extract. This extract did not cause any cytotoxic effect on HepG2 cell line within the range of concentrations tested (0-400 µg mL-1). Thus, pre-treatment with 100 µg mL-1 of P. angustifolia leaf methanolic extract (PAE) significantly (p < .05) protective HepG2 cells against cytotoxicity induced by cadmium exposure. However, Cd-intoxication significantly (p < .05) increased alanine and aspartate amino transferases serum activities (ALT and AST) and bilirubin content by 1.85-, 1.13-, and 3.55-fold, respectively. The levels of hepatic antioxidant parameters including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were significantly (p < .05) decreased in Cd-intoxicated rats with concomitant enhancement of lipid peroxidation. Our results showed that P. angustifolia leaf methanolic extract can induce antioxidant effects and also exerts beneficial effects for the treatment of Cd-induced hepatotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaled Athmouni
- a Faculty of Sciences, Department of Life Sciences, Laboratory of Biodiversity and Aquatic Ecosystems, Ecology and Planktonology , University of Sfax , Sfax , Tunisia
- b Faculty of Sciences, Department of life sciences, Laboratory of Animal Ecophysiology , University of Sfax , Sfax , Tunisia
| | - Dalel Belhaj
- a Faculty of Sciences, Department of Life Sciences, Laboratory of Biodiversity and Aquatic Ecosystems, Ecology and Planktonology , University of Sfax , Sfax , Tunisia
- c National Engineering School, Engineering Laboratory of Environment and Ecotechnology , University of Sfax , Sfax , Tunisia
| | - Khaoula Mkadmini Hammi
- d Laboratoire des Plantes Aromatiques et Médicinales (LPAM) , Centre de Biotechnologie de Borj - Cédria , Sfax , Tunisia
| | - Abdelfattah El Feki
- b Faculty of Sciences, Department of life sciences, Laboratory of Animal Ecophysiology , University of Sfax , Sfax , Tunisia
| | - Habib Ayadi
- a Faculty of Sciences, Department of Life Sciences, Laboratory of Biodiversity and Aquatic Ecosystems, Ecology and Planktonology , University of Sfax , Sfax , Tunisia
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Mourouzis P, Samanidou V, Koulaouzidou EA, Palaghias G. HPLC study for evaluating the significance of pH in the inhibiting effect of phosphate buffer on the leaching pattern of resin composites. J LIQ CHROMATOGR R T 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/10826076.2018.1441157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Petros Mourouzis
- Division of Dental Tissues Pathology and Therapeutics, Department of Operative Dentistry and Basic Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Victoria Samanidou
- Department of Chemistry, Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Elisabeth A. Koulaouzidou
- Division of Dental Tissues Pathology and Therapeutics, Department of Operative Dentistry and Basic Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Georgios Palaghias
- Division of Dental Tissues Pathology and Therapeutics, Department of Operative Dentistry and Basic Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
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Values in environmental research: Citizens' views of scientists who acknowledge values. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0186049. [PMID: 29069087 PMCID: PMC5656313 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2016] [Accepted: 09/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Scientists who perform environmental research on policy-relevant topics face challenges when communicating about how values may have influenced their research. This study examines how citizens view scientists who publicly acknowledge values. Specifically, we investigate whether it matters: if citizens share or oppose a scientist’s values, if a scientist’s conclusions seem contrary to or consistent with the scientist’s values, and if a scientist is assessing the state of the science or making a policy recommendation. We conducted two 3x2 factorial design online experiments. Experiment 1 featured a hypothetical scientist assessing the state of the science on the public-health effects of exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), and Experiment 2 featured a scientist making a policy recommendation on use of BPA. We manipulated whether or not the scientist expressed values and whether the scientist’s conclusion appeared contrary to or consistent with the scientist’s values, and we accounted for whether or not subjects’ values aligned with the scientist’s values. We analyzed our data with ordinary least squares (OLS) regression techniques. Our results provide at least preliminary evidence that acknowledging values may reduce the perceived credibility of scientists within the general public, but this effect differs depending on whether scientists and citizens share values, whether scientists draw conclusions that run contrary to their values, and whether scientists make policy recommendations.
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Zhou Y, Wang Z, Xia M, Zhuang S, Gong X, Pan J, Li C, Fan R, Pang Q, Lu S. Neurotoxicity of low bisphenol A (BPA) exposure for young male mice: Implications for children exposed to environmental levels of BPA. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2017; 229:40-48. [PMID: 28577381 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2017.05.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2016] [Revised: 05/15/2017] [Accepted: 05/17/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
To investigate the neuron toxicities of low-dose exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) in children, mice were used as an animal model. We examined brain cell damage and the effects of learning and memory ability after BPA exposure in male mice (4 weeks of age) that were divided into four groups and chronically received different BPA treatments for 8 weeks. The comet assay and hippocampal neuron counting were used to detect the brain cell damage. The Y-maze test was applied to test alterations in learning and memory ability. Long term potentiation induction by BPA exposure was performed to study the potential mechanism of performance. The percentages of tail DNA, tail length and tail moment in brain cells increased with increasing BPA exposure concentrations. Significant differences in DNA damage were observed among the groups, including between the low-dose and control groups. In the Y-maze test, the other three groups qualified for the learned standard one day earlier than the high-exposed group. Furthermore, the ratio of qualified mice in the high-exposed group was always the lowest among the groups, indicating that high BPA treatment significantly altered the spatial memory performance of mice. Different BPA treatments exerted different effects on the neuron numbers of different regions in the hippocampus. In the CA1 region, the high-exposed group had a significant decrease in neuron numbers. A non-monotonic relationship was observed between the exposure concentrations and neuron quantity in the CA3 region. The hippocampal slices in the control and medium-exposed groups generated long-term potentiation after induction by theta burst stimulation, but the low-exposed group did not. A significant difference was observed between the control and low-exposed groups. In conclusion, chronic exposure to a low level of BPA had adverse effects on brain cells and altered the learning and memory ability of adolescent mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanxiu Zhou
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Drug and Food Biological Resources Processing and Comprehensive Utilization, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, 510631, China
| | - Zhouyu Wang
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Drug and Food Biological Resources Processing and Comprehensive Utilization, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, 510631, China
| | - Minghan Xia
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China
| | - Siyi Zhuang
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Drug and Food Biological Resources Processing and Comprehensive Utilization, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, 510631, China
| | - Xiaobing Gong
- Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, China.
| | - Jianwen Pan
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Drug and Food Biological Resources Processing and Comprehensive Utilization, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, 510631, China
| | - Chuhua Li
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Drug and Food Biological Resources Processing and Comprehensive Utilization, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, 510631, China
| | - Ruifang Fan
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Drug and Food Biological Resources Processing and Comprehensive Utilization, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, 510631, China.
| | - Qihua Pang
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Drug and Food Biological Resources Processing and Comprehensive Utilization, School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, 510631, China
| | - Shaoyou Lu
- Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen, 518055, China
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Kaltenhäuser J, Kneuer C, Marx-Stoelting P, Niemann L, Schubert J, Stein B, Solecki R. Relevance and reliability of experimental data in human health risk assessment of pesticides. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2017; 88:227-237. [DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2017.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2016] [Revised: 06/19/2017] [Accepted: 06/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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