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Nuwamanya E, Byamugisha D, Nakiguli CK, Angiro C, Khanakwa AV, Omara T, Ocakacon S, Onen P, Omoding D, Opio B, Nimusiima D, Ntambi E. Exposure and Health Risks Posed by Potentially Toxic Elements in Soils of Metal Fabrication Workshops in Mbarara City, Uganda. J Xenobiot 2024; 14:176-192. [PMID: 38390991 PMCID: PMC10885048 DOI: 10.3390/jox14010011] [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: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Metal fabrication workshops (MFWs) are common businesses in Ugandan cities, and especially those producing metallic security gates, window and door frames (burglar-proof), and balcony and staircase rails. The objective of this study was to comparatively assess the pollution levels and potential health risks of manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pd) and nickel (Ni) in pooled surface soil samples from four 5-, 7-, 8-, and 10-year-old MFWs (n = 28) and a control site (n = 8) in Mbarara City, Uganda. The concentration of the potentially toxic elements (PTEs) was determined using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. Contamination, ecological, and human health risk assessment indices and models were used to identify any risks that the PTEs could pose to the pristine environment and humans. Our results showed that PTE pollution of soils is occuring in the MFWs than at the control site. The mean concentrations of the PTEs (mg kg-1) in the samples were: Mn (2012.75 ± 0.23-3377.14 ± 0.31), Cr (237.55 ± 0.29-424.93 ± 0.31), Cd (0.73 ± 0.13-1.29 ± 0.02), Pb (107.80 ± 0.23-262.01 ± 0.19), and Ni (74.85 ± 0.25-211.37 ± 0.14). These results indicate that the PTEs could plausibly derive from the fabrication activities in these workshops, which is supported by the high values of contamination factors, index of geoaccumulation, and the overall increase in pollution load indices with the number of years of operation of the MFWs. Human health risk assessment showed that there are non-carcinogenic health risks that could be experienced by children who ingest PTEs in the soils from the 7-, 8- and 10-year-old MFWs. The incremental life cancer risk assessment suggested that there are potential cancerous health effects of Cd and Ni that could be experienced in children (who ingest soils from all the four MFWs) and adults (ingesting soils from the 8- and 10-year-old MFWs). This study underscores the need to implement regulatory guidelines on the operation and location of MFWs in Uganda. Further research should be undertaken to investigate the emission of the PTEs during welding operations in the MFWs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunice Nuwamanya
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara P.O. Box 1410, Uganda
| | - Denis Byamugisha
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara P.O. Box 1410, Uganda
| | - Caroline K Nakiguli
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara P.O. Box 1410, Uganda
| | - Christopher Angiro
- Centre for Water, Environment and Development, School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield MK43 0AL, UK
| | - Alice V Khanakwa
- Department of Environmental Health and Disease Prevention, Faculty of Public Health, Lira University, Lira P.O. Box 1035, Uganda
| | - Timothy Omara
- Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala P.O. Box 7062, Uganda
| | - Simon Ocakacon
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology, Makerere University, Kampala P.O. Box 7062, Uganda
| | - Patrick Onen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram 695581, India
| | - Daniel Omoding
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Lucknow, Lucknow 226007, India
| | - Boniface Opio
- Department of Science and Vocational Education, Lira University, Lira P.O. Box 1035, Uganda
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam 530003, India
| | - Daniel Nimusiima
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara P.O. Box 1410, Uganda
| | - Emmanuel Ntambi
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara P.O. Box 1410, Uganda
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Kay JE, Brody JG, Schwarzman M, Rudel RA. Application of the Key Characteristics Framework to Identify Potential Breast Carcinogens Using Publicly Available in Vivo, in Vitro, and in Silico Data. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2024; 132:17002. [PMID: 38197648 PMCID: PMC10777819 DOI: 10.1289/ehp13233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chemicals that induce mammary tumors in rodents or activate estrogen or progesterone signaling are likely to increase breast cancer (BC) risk. Identifying chemicals with these activities can prompt steps to protect human health. OBJECTIVES We compiled data on rodent tumors, endocrine activity, and genotoxicity to assess the key characteristics (KCs) of rodent mammary carcinogens (MCs), and to identify other chemicals that exhibit these effects and may therefore increase BC risk. METHODS Using authoritative databases, including International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs and the US Environmental Protection's (EPA) ToxCast, we selected chemicals that induce mammary tumors in rodents, stimulate estradiol or progesterone synthesis, or activate the estrogen receptor (ER) in vitro. We classified these chemicals by their genotoxicity and strength of endocrine activity and calculated the overrepresentation (enrichment) of these KCs among MCs. Finally, we evaluated whether these KCs predict whether a chemical is likely to induce mammary tumors. RESULTS We identified 279 MCs and an additional 642 chemicals that stimulate estrogen or progesterone signaling. MCs were significantly enriched for steroidogenicity, ER agonism, and genotoxicity, supporting the use of these KCs to predict whether a chemical is likely to induce rodent mammary tumors and, by inference, increase BC risk. More MCs were steroidogens than ER agonists, and many increased both estradiol and progesterone. Enrichment among MCs was greater for strong endocrine activity vs. weak or inactive, with a significant trend. DISCUSSION We identified hundreds of compounds that have biological activities that could increase BC risk and demonstrated that these activities are enriched among MCs. We argue that many of these should not be considered low hazard without investigating their ability to affect the breast, and chemicals with the strongest evidence can be targeted for exposure reduction. We describe ways to strengthen hazard identification, including improved assessments for mammary effects, developing assays for more KCs, and more comprehensive chemical testing. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13233.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Megan Schwarzman
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
- Family and Community Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
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Turner MC, Cogliano V, Guyton K, Madia F, Straif K, Ward EM, Schubauer-Berigan MK. Research Recommendations for Selected IARC-Classified Agents: Impact and Lessons Learned. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2023; 131:105001. [PMID: 37902675 PMCID: PMC10615125 DOI: 10.1289/ehp12547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monographs program assembles expert working groups who publish a critical review and evaluation of data on agents of interest. These comprehensive reviews provide a unique opportunity to identify research needs to address classification uncertainties. A multidisciplinary expert review and workshop held in 2009 identified research gaps and needs for 20 priority occupational chemicals, metals, dusts, and physical agents, with the goal of stimulating advances in epidemiological studies of cancer and carcinogen mechanisms. Overarching issues were also described. OBJECTIVES In this commentary we review the current status of the evidence for the 20 priority agents identified in 2009. We examine whether identified Research Recommendations for each agent were addressed and their potential impact on resolving classification uncertainties. METHODS We reviewed the IARC classifications of each of the 20 priority agents and identified major new epidemiological and human mechanistic studies published since the last evaluation. Information sources were either the published Monograph for agents that have been reevaluated or, for agents not yet reevaluated, Advisory Group reports and literature searches. Findings are described in view of recent methodological developments in Monographs evidence evaluation processes. DISCUSSION The majority of the 20 priority agents were reevaluated by IARC since 2009. The overall carcinogen classifications of 9 agents advanced, and new cancer sites with either "sufficient" or "limited" evidence of carcinogenicity were also identified for 9 agents. Examination of published findings revealed whether evidence gaps and Research Recommendations have been addressed and highlighted remaining uncertainties. During the past decade, new research addressed a range of the 2009 recommendations and supported updated classifications for priority agents. This supports future efforts to systematically apply findings of Monograph reviews to identify research gaps and priorities relevant to evaluation criteria established in the updated IARC Monograph Preamble. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12547.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle C. Turner
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, Spain
| | - Vincent Cogliano
- California Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Oakland, California, USA
| | - Kathryn Guyton
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Federica Madia
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | - Kurt Straif
- Barcelona Institute for Global Health, Barcelona, Spain
- Boston College, Massachusetts, USA
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Purdue MP, Ward MH. Invited Perspective: How Far Have We Come? Revisiting a 2009 Report on Occupational Cancer Research Recommendations. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2023; 131:101303. [PMID: 37902674 PMCID: PMC10615124 DOI: 10.1289/ehp13883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2023] [Revised: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mark P. Purdue
- Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, Maryland, USA
| | - Mary H. Ward
- Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, Maryland, USA
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McCunney RJ, Borm P, Driscoll K, Krueger N, Levy L. Editorial: Particles and Health 2021: An international conference addressing issues in science and regulation. Front Public Health 2022; 10:1062221. [PMID: 36582379 PMCID: PMC9793851 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1062221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Robert J. McCunney
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Pulmonary Division and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States,*Correspondence: Robert J. McCunney
| | - Paul Borm
- Heinrich Heine University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Kevin Driscoll
- Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey—Busch Campus, Piscataway, NJ, United States
| | | | - Len Levy
- Cranfield University, Cranfield, United Kingdom
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Ahamed M, Akhtar MJ, Alhadlaq HA. Combined effect of single-walled carbon nanotubes and cadmium on human lung cancer cells. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:87844-87857. [PMID: 35821329 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-21933-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Co-exposure of widely used single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and ubiquitous cadmium (Cd) to humans through ambient air is unavoidable. Studies on joint toxicity of SWCNTs and Cd in human cells are scarce. We aimed to investigate the joint effects of SWCNTs and Cd in human lung epithelial (A549) cells. Results showed that SWCNTs were safe while Cd induce significant toxicity to A549 cells. Remarkably, Cd-induced cell viability reduction, lactate dehydrogenase leakage, cell cycle arrest, dysregulation of apoptotic gene (p53, bax, bcl-2, casp3, and casp9), and mitochondrial membrane potential depletion were significantly mitigated following SWCNTs co-exposure. Cd-induced intracellular level of reactive oxygen species, hydrogen peroxide, and lipid peroxidation were significantly attenuated by SWCNT co-exposure. Moreover, glutathione depletion and lower activity of antioxidant enzymes after Cd exposure were also effectively abrogated by co-exposure of SWCNTs. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry study indicated that higher adsorption of Cd on SCWNTs might decreased cellular uptake and the toxic potential of Cd in A549 cells. Our work warranted further research to explore the potential mechanism of joint effects of SWCNTs and Cd at in vivo levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maqusood Ahamed
- King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Mohd Javed Akhtar
- King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hisham A Alhadlaq
- King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
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Turner MC. What is next for occupational cancer epidemiology? Scand J Work Environ Health 2022; 48:591-597. [PMID: 36228312 PMCID: PMC10546614 DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.4067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
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Anttila A, Uuksulainen S, Rantanen M, Sallmén M. Lung cancer incidence among workers biologically monitored for occupational exposure to lead: a cohort study. Scand J Work Environ Health 2022; 48:540-548. [PMID: 35753006 PMCID: PMC10539111 DOI: 10.5271/sjweh.4046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Earlier studies have reported increased risks of lung, kidney and brain cancers for exposure to lead. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Working Group evaluated inorganic lead and its compounds probably carcinogenic to humans. This study aimed to assess the association between blood lead level in occupational exposure and risk of lung cancer. METHODS The study was based on the follow-up of lung cancer incidence during 1973-2014 among 20 729 employees biologically monitored for their occupational lead exposure in 1973-1983. Duration of employment in the monitored work was assessed using records from the Finnish Centre for Pensions; and potential confounding by other occupational carcinogens using longitudinal information on the occupation in censuses and the Finnish National Job-Exposure Matrix (FINJEM). Occupation- and gender-specific prevalence of regular tobacco smoking and the socioeconomic status were also utilized in the adjustments for potential confounding. RESULTS Positive trends were found for the elevated blood lead levels on the lung cancer risk. Among employees with the duration of employment of ≥60 months, the relative risk (RR) of lung cancer was 1.72 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.28-2.31] for mean blood lead 1.0-1.9 µmol/L and RR 2.63 (95% CI 1.71-4.05) for mean blood lead ≥2.0 µmol/L, compared with mean lead <0.5 µmol/L. The studied potential confounders did not explain the findings on the increased risk for lead exposure. CONCLUSIONS The current study lends support to the findings that exposure to lead increases lung cancer risk. Increased risks were seen already at rather low blood lead levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahti Anttila
- Finnish Cancer Registry, Unioninkatu 22, 00130 Helsinki, Finland.
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Zhao X, Li X, Wang S, Yang Z, Liu H, Xu S. Cadmium exposure induces mitochondrial pathway apoptosis in swine myocardium through xenobiotic receptors-mediated CYP450s activation. J Inorg Biochem 2021; 217:111361. [PMID: 33581611 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2021.111361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) pollution has become an important public and environmental health issue. Xenobiotic receptors (XRs, aryl hydrocarbon receptor, AHR; constitutive androstane receptor, CAR; pregnane X receptor, PXR) modulate downstream cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYP450s) expression to metabolize xenobiotics and environmental contaminants. However, the underlying mechanisms of cardiotoxicity induced by Cd(II) in swine and the roles of XRs and CYP450s remain poorly understood. In this study, the cardiotoxicity of Cd(II) was investigated by establishing a Cd(II)-exposed swine model (CdCl2, 20 mg Cd/Kg diet). Terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay and transmission electron microscope were used to observe the apoptosis. Antioxidant capacity was evaluated by free radicals contents and antioxidant enzymes activities. RT-PCR and western blot were used to measure the expression of XRs, CYP450s and apoptosis-related genes. Our results revealed that Cd(II) exposure activated the XRs and increased the CYP450s expression, contributing to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Cd(II) exposure restrained the antioxidant capacity, causing oxidative stress. Moreover, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway including c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and P38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (P38) was activated, triggering the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. In brief, we concluded that Cd(II) caused mitochondrial pathway apoptosis in swine myocardium via the oxidative stress-MAPK pathway, and XRs-mediated CYP450s expression might participate in this process through promoting the ROS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xia Zhao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Xiaojing Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Shengchen Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Zijiang Yang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
| | - Honggui Liu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.
| | - Shiwen Xu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.
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Ahamed M, Akhtar MJ, Khan MAM, Alhadlaq HA. Reduced graphene oxide mitigates cadmium-induced cytotoxicity and oxidative stress in HepG2 cells. Food Chem Toxicol 2020; 143:111515. [PMID: 32634506 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2020.111515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Numerous applications of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) and pervasive cadmium (Cd) have led concern about their co-exposure to the environment and human. We studied the combined effects of RGO and Cd in human liver (HepG2) cells. Initially, we found that RGO (up to 50 μg/ml) did not harm to HepG2 cells while Cd induced dose-dependent (1-10 μg/ml) cytotoxicity. Exciting observations were that a non-cytotoxic concentration of RGO (25 μg/ml) effectively mitigates the toxic effects of Cd (2 μg/ml) such as cell viability reduction, lactate dehydrogenase release, and irregular cell morphology. Cd-induced cell cycle arrest, induction of caspases (3 and 9) enzymes activity, and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential were also significantly alleviated by RGO co-exposure. Moreover, generation of pro-oxidants (reactive oxygen species and hydrogen peroxide levels) and depletion of antioxidants (glutathione level and superoxide dismutase activity) due to Cd exposure was effectively attenuated by RGO co-exposure. Mitigating effect of RGO could be due to strong adsorption of Cd on the large surface area of RGO sheets, which decrease the cellular uptake and bioavailability of Cd for HepG2 cells. This study warrants future research on potential mechanisms of mitigating effects of RGO against Cd-induced toxicity in animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maqusood Ahamed
- King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia.
| | - Mohd Javed Akhtar
- King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - M A Majeed Khan
- King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hisham A Alhadlaq
- King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia; Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia
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Lavacchi D, Roviello G, Rodriquenz MG. Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS): not still ready to put on END. J Thorac Dis 2020; 12:3857-3865. [PMID: 32802467 PMCID: PMC7399423 DOI: 10.21037/jtd.2019.12.124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, the marketing of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) has changed the attitudes of people towards tobacco products. In addition, ENDS are becoming very popular among youth. Since a high percentage of young people use these delivery systems as the first products containing nicotine, the acute and chronic exposure to ENDS emissions and nicotine-induced effects on the adolescent's brain deserve a special attention. Given the extremely varied types of ENDS and the heterogeneous concentrations of substances emitted by specific devices, an overall risk assessment is particularly difficult. Here we critically review the evidence on the safety profile of ENDS, we also discuss the global policies with the leading role of the World Health Organization (WHO), which provides updated information and indications that must guide community and individual choices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Lavacchi
- School of Human Health Sciences, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Maria Grazia Rodriquenz
- Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Onco-Hematology, IRCCS-CROB, Referral Cancer Center of Basilicata, Rionero, Vulture, PZ, Italy
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Di A, Wu Y, Chen M, Nie D, Ge X. Chemical Characterization of Seasonal PM 2.5 Samples and Their Cytotoxicity in Human Lung Epithelial Cells (A549). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17124599. [PMID: 32604837 PMCID: PMC7345009 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17124599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2020] [Revised: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
In order to study the toxicity of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) sourced from different seasons on human health, we collected PM2.5 samples quarterly from March 2016 to February 2017 in Nanjing, China. The component analysis results showed that high proportions of water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), SO42−, Ca2+ and Mg2+ were found in the summer samples, while high proportions of NO3−, NH4+ and heavy metals were observed in the spring and winter samples. Then human lung epithelial cells (A549) were exposed to the PM2.5 samples. The toxicological results indicated that reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in the spring and winter samples was higher than that in the summer and fall samples, which was related to the contribution of some heavy metals and inorganic ions (e.g., Pb and NO3−). However, the apoptosis rates of the cells showed the opposite seasonal changes as what the ROS did, which might be caused by the higher WSOC content in the summer. In addition, regression analysis also showed the importance of the PM2.5 components in ROS production and apoptosis. Particularly, Zn had the strongest correlation with ROS production (R = 0.863) and cell apoptosis (R = 0.675); thus, the specific toxicity of Zn in PM2.5 deserves further investigation. Our results could be beneficial for assessing the health risks and controlling the toxic components of PM2.5 in Nanjing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ao Di
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; (A.D.); (X.G.)
| | - Yun Wu
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; (A.D.); (X.G.)
- Correspondence: (Y.W.); (M.C.); Tel.: +86-25-5873-1089 (M.C.)
| | - Mindong Chen
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; (A.D.); (X.G.)
- Correspondence: (Y.W.); (M.C.); Tel.: +86-25-5873-1089 (M.C.)
| | - Dongyang Nie
- School of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China;
| | - Xinlei Ge
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Atmospheric Environment and Equipment Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Environment Monitoring and Pollution Control, School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing 210044, China; (A.D.); (X.G.)
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Challenges to and facilitators of occupational epidemiology research in the UK. Health Policy 2020; 124:772-780. [PMID: 32482438 DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2020.05.006] [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: 09/02/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated the challenges and facilitators of occupational epidemiology (OE) research in the UK, and evaluated the impact of these challenges. Semi-structured in-depth interviews with leading UK-based OE researchers, and a survey of UK-based OE researchers were conducted. Seven leading researchers were interviewed, and there were 54 survey respondents. Key reported challenges for OE were diminishing resources during recent decades, influenced by social, economic and political drivers, and changing fashions in research policy. Consequently, the community is getting smaller and less influential. These challenges may have negatively affected OE research, causing it to fail to keep pace with recent methodological development and impacting its output of high-quality research. Better communication with, and support from other researchers and relevant policy and funding stakeholders was identified as the main facilitators to OE research. Many diseases were initially discovered in workplaces, as these make exceptionally good study populations to accurately assess exposures. Due to the decline of manufacturing industry, there is a perception that occupational diseases are now a thing of the past. Nevertheless, new occupational exposures remain under-evaluated and the UK has become reliant on overseas epidemiology. This has been exacerbated by the decline in the academic occupational medicine base. Maintaining UK-based OE research is hence necessary for the future development of occupational health services and policies for the UK workforce.
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Occupational Lead Exposure and Brain Tumors: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17113975. [PMID: 32503353 PMCID: PMC7312535 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17113975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
(1) Background: Due to inconsistencies in epidemiological findings, there has been uncertainty regarding the association of lead compounds with brain tumors. We performed a meta-analysis of published case-control and cohort studies exploring lead compound exposure and brain tumor risk. (2) Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase®, and Cochrane to find eligible studies. Eighteen studies were selected for assessment of occupational exposure to lead compound and brain tumor. Pooled estimates of odds ratios (ORs) were obtained using random effects models. We assessed the differences through subgroup analysis according to tumor type, study design, measurements of exposure, and tumor outcome. Statistical tests for publication bias, heterogeneity, and sensitivity analysis were applied. (3) Results: Our systematic review and meta-analysis showed a not significant association with lead exposure and risk of benign and malignant brain tumors (pooled OR = 1.11, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.95–1.29). Including only malignant brain tumors, the risk of brain tumor was significantly increased (pooled OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.04–1.24). (4) Conclusions: This meta-analysis provides suggestive evidence for an association between lead compound exposure and brain tumor. In future studies, it will be necessary to identify the effect of lead compounds according to the types of brain tumor.
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Ganzer L, Zappia S, Russo M, Ferretti AM, Vohra V, Diterlizzi M, Antognazza MR, Destri S, Virgili T. Ultrafast spectroscopy on water-processable PCBM: rod-coil block copolymer nanoparticles. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:26583-26591. [PMID: 33201972 DOI: 10.1039/d0cp05478j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Using ultrafast spectroscopy, we investigate the photophysics of water-processable nanoparticles composed of a block copolymer electron donor and a fullerene derivative electron acceptor. The block copolymers are based on a poly[2,6-(4,4-bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b;3,4-b']dithiophene)-alt-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] rod, which is covalently linked with 2 or 100 hydrophilic coil units. In both samples the photogenerated excitons in the blend nanoparticles migrate in tens of ps to a donor/acceptor interface to be separated into free charges. However, transient absorption spectroscopy indicates that increasing the coil length from 2 to 100 units results in the formation of long living charge transfer states which reduce the charge generation efficiency. Our results shed light on the impact of rod-coil copolymer coil length on the blend nanoparticle morphology and provide essential information for the design of amphiphilic rod-coil block copolymers to increase the photovoltaic performances of water-processable organic solar cell active layers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Ganzer
- IFN-CNR, Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, Milano I-20132, Italy.
| | - Stefania Zappia
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta" (SCITEC), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Milano I-20133, Italy.
| | - Mattia Russo
- IFN-CNR, Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, Milano I-20132, Italy.
| | - Anna Maria Ferretti
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta" (SCITEC), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Milano I-20138, Italy
| | - Varun Vohra
- Department of Engineering Science, the University of Electro-Communications (UEC), 1-5-1 Chofugaoka, Chofu, Tokyo 182-858, Japan
| | - Marianna Diterlizzi
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta" (SCITEC), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Milano I-20133, Italy.
| | - Maria Rosa Antognazza
- Center for Nano Science and Technology@Polimi, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Milano 20133, Italy
| | - Silvia Destri
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Chimiche "Giulio Natta" (SCITEC), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Milano I-20133, Italy.
| | - Tersilla Virgili
- IFN-CNR, Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, Milano I-20132, Italy.
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Effects of Heavy Metal Exposure on Shipyard Welders: A Cautionary Note for 8-Hydroxy-2'-Deoxyguanosine. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:ijerph16234813. [PMID: 31795521 PMCID: PMC6926754 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16234813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the development of diseases induced by welding fumes. To our knowledge, little information is available on the relationship between multiple heavy metal exposure and oxidative stress in welders. We assessed the relationship between multiple heavy metal exposure and oxidative damage by analyzing 174 nonsmoking male welders in a shipyard. Urinary metals were used as the internal dose of exposure to metals in welding fumes, and urinary 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) was used as an oxidative DNA damage marker. The relationship between workers’ metal levels and 8-OHdG was estimated using a multiple linear regression model. The geometric mean levels of urinary chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) were considerably higher in welders than in controls. Urinary Cr and Ni were determined as effective predictors of urinary 8-OHdG levels after adjusting for covariates. Oxidative DNA damage was associated with both Cr and Ni of welding fume exposure in shipyard welders (Ln Cr: β = 0.33, 95%C.I. = 0.16–0.49; Ln Ni: β = 0.27, 95%C.I. = 0.12–0.43). In this study, we investigated the significantly positive relationship between urinary metals (especially Cr and Ni) and 8-OHdG in nonsmoking shipyard welders. Moreover, the use of particulate respirators did not reduce metal exposure and oxidative damage. Therefore, we infer that hazard identification for welders should be conducted.
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Steenland K, Barry V, Anttila A, Sallmen M, Mueller W, Ritchie P, McElvenny DM, Straif K. Cancer incidence among workers with blood lead measurements in two countries. Occup Environ Med 2019; 76:603-610. [PMID: 31296664 DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2019-105786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2019] [Revised: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Study carcinogenicity of inorganic lead, classified as 'probably carcinogenic' to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (brain, lung, kidney and stomach). METHODS We conducted internal and external analyses for cancer incidence in two cohorts of 29 874 lead-exposed workers with past blood lead data (Finland, n=20 752, Great Britain=9122), with 6790 incident cancers. Exposure was maximum measured blood lead. RESULTS The combined cohort had a median maximum blood lead of 29 μg/dL, a mean first blood lead test of 1977, and was 87% male. Significant (p<0.05) positive trends, using the log of maximum blood lead, were found for brain cancer (malignant), Hodgkin's lymphoma, lung cancer and rectal cancer, while a significant negative trend was found for melanoma. Borderline significant positive trends (0.05≤p≤0.10) were found for oesophageal cancer, meningioma and combined malignant/benign brain cancer. Categorical analyses reflected these trends. Significant interactions by country were found for lung, brain and oesophageal cancer, with Finland showing strong positive trends, and Great Britain showing modest or no trends. Larynx cancer in Finland also showed a positive trend (p=0.05). External analyses for high exposure workers (maximum blood lead >40 μg/dL) showed a significant excess for lung cancer in both countries combined, and significant excesses in Finland for brain and lung cancer. The Great Britain data were limited by small numbers for some cancers, and limited variation in exposure. CONCLUSIONS We found strong positive incidence trends with increasing blood lead level, for several outcomes in internal analysis. Two of these, lung and brain cancer, were sites of a priori interest.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vaughn Barry
- Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Markku Sallmen
- Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | | | | | - Kurt Straif
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
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Ito Y, Kamijima M, Nakajima T. Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate-induced toxicity and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha: a review. Environ Health Prev Med 2019; 24:47. [PMID: 31279339 PMCID: PMC6612219 DOI: 10.1186/s12199-019-0802-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 06/28/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
The plasticizer di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) has been widely used in the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride-containing products such as medical and consumer goods. Humans can easily be exposed to it because DEHP is ubiquitous in the environment. Recent research on the adverse effects of DEHP has focused on reproductive and developmental toxicity in rodents and/or humans. DEHP is a representative of the peroxisome proliferators. Therefore, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα)-dependent pathways are the expected mode of action of several kinds of DEHP-induced toxicities. In this review, we summarize DEHP kinetics and its mechanisms of carcinogenicity and reproductive and developmental toxicity in relation to PPARα. Additionally, we give an overview of the impacts of science policy on exposure sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Ito
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, 467-8601, Japan.
| | - Michihiro Kamijima
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, 467-8601, Japan
| | - Tamie Nakajima
- College of Life and Health Sciences, Chubu University, 1200 Matsumoto-cho, Kasugai, Aichi, 487-8501, Japan
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Joas A, Schöpel M, David M, Casas M, Koppen G, Esteban M, Knudsen LE, Vrijheid M, Schoeters G, Calvo AC, Schwedler G, Kolossa-Gehring M, Joas R. Environmental health surveillance in a future European health information system. Arch Public Health 2018; 76:27. [PMID: 29988356 PMCID: PMC6022511 DOI: 10.1186/s13690-018-0272-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2017] [Accepted: 05/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND To date Health information (HI) in the European Union does not comprise indicators or other information related to impacts of hazardous chemicals in consumer products, food, drinking water or air on the health status of the population. Therefore, we inventorised and evaluated the potential of environmental health surveillance and research data sources in the European population to provide HBM-based indicators of internal human exposure and health impact of relevant chemicals. METHODS We established an up-dated inventory of European cross-sectional Human Biomonitoring (HBM) surveys and of birth cohorts, and compared chemicals and chemical groups addressed by HBM with indicators and health end points collected via European Core Health Indicators (ECHI), in birth registries, as well as in environmental and food data bases and health registries to see on how data collection could be aligned. Finally, we investigated study designs of HBM survey and health examination surveys for potential synergies. RESULTS The inventory covers a total of 11 European cross-sectional national programmes and a large number of birth cohorts and includes information on study population, age groups, covered substances, sampled matrices, and frequency. The comparison of data collections shows that there are many overlaps between environmental chemicals with environmental and health reporting. HBM data could be linked with ECHI indicators for work-related risks, body mass index (BMI), and low birth weight, with perinatal disease, neurologic disorders, and some chronic diseases, or with data bases for e.g. indoor air, food, or consumer products. Existing initiatives to link data collections at European Environment Agency (EEA) and Joint Research Center (JRC) or at World Health Organization (WHO) are good options to further develop linkage of HBM with exposures sources and health end points. CONCLUSIONS There is potential to use HBM based information in a number of public health policies, and this would help to align reporting to international commitments. Environmental health surveillance based on HBM and HBM-based indicators, is an excellent tool to inform public health policies about risks from environmental chemicals, and the EU health information system would benefit from additional HBM-based indicators for monitoring exposure burden from environmental chemicals. Considerable efforts are needed to align and establish routine data collections and to develop a surveillance system and indicators which may inform public health policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anke Joas
- BiPRO GmbH, Werinherstr. 79, 81541 Munich, Germany
| | | | | | - Maribel Casas
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Valencia, Spain
| | - Gudrun Koppen
- Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Mol, Belgium
| | - Marta Esteban
- CNSA - ISCIII, National Centre for Environmental Health, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Martine Vrijheid
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- Spanish Consortium for Research on Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Valencia, Spain
| | | | - Argelia Castaño Calvo
- CNSA - ISCIII, National Centre for Environmental Health, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
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Challenges and Opportunities for Occupational Epidemiology in the Twenty-first Century. Curr Environ Health Rep 2018; 4:319-324. [PMID: 28803393 DOI: 10.1007/s40572-017-0154-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW There are many opportunities and challenges for conducting occupational epidemiologic studies today. In this paper, we summarize the discussion of a symposium held at the Epidemiology in Occupational Health (EPICOH) conference, Chicago 2014, on challenges for occupational epidemiology in the twenty-first century. RECENT FINDINGS The increasing number of publications and attendance at our conferences suggests that worldwide interest in occupational epidemiology has been growing. There are clearly abundant opportunities for new research in occupational epidemiology. Areas ripe for further work include developing improved methods for exposure assessment, statistical analysis, studying migrant workers and other vulnerable populations, the use of biomarkers, and new hazards. Several major challenges are also discussed such as the rapidly changing nature and location of work, lack of funding, and political/legal conflicts. As long as work exists there will be occupational diseases that demand our attention, and a need for epidemiologic studies designed to characterize these risks and to support the development of preventive strategies. Despite the challenges and given the important past contribution in this field, we are optimistic about the importance and continued vitality of the research field of occupational epidemiology.
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Lunn RM, Blask DE, Coogan AN, Figueiro MG, Gorman MR, Hall JE, Hansen J, Nelson RJ, Panda S, Smolensky MH, Stevens RG, Turek FW, Vermeulen R, Carreón T, Caruso CC, Lawson CC, Thayer KA, Twery MJ, Ewens AD, Garner SC, Schwingl PJ, Boyd WA. Health consequences of electric lighting practices in the modern world: A report on the National Toxicology Program's workshop on shift work at night, artificial light at night, and circadian disruption. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 607-608:1073-1084. [PMID: 28724246 PMCID: PMC5587396 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 204] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2017] [Revised: 07/07/2017] [Accepted: 07/07/2017] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The invention of electric light has facilitated a society in which people work, sleep, eat, and play at all hours of the 24-hour day. Although electric light clearly has benefited humankind, exposures to electric light, especially light at night (LAN), may disrupt sleep and biological processes controlled by endogenous circadian clocks, potentially resulting in adverse health outcomes. Many of the studies evaluating adverse health effects have been conducted among night- and rotating-shift workers, because this scenario gives rise to significant exposure to LAN. Because of the complexity of this topic, the National Toxicology Program convened an expert panel at a public workshop entitled "Shift Work at Night, Artificial Light at Night, and Circadian Disruption" to obtain input on conducting literature-based health hazard assessments and to identify data gaps and research needs. The Panel suggested describing light both as a direct effector of endogenous circadian clocks and rhythms and as an enabler of additional activities or behaviors that may lead to circadian disruption, such as night-shift work and atypical and inconsistent sleep-wake patterns that can lead to social jet lag. Future studies should more comprehensively characterize and measure the relevant light-related exposures and link these exposures to both time-independent biomarkers of circadian disruption and biomarkers of adverse health outcomes. This information should lead to improvements in human epidemiological and animal or in vitro models, more rigorous health hazard assessments, and intervention strategies to minimize the occurrence of adverse health outcomes due to these exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth M Lunn
- Office of the Report on Carcinogens, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, NC, United States
| | - David E Blask
- Department of Structural and Cellular Biology, Laboratory of Chrono-Neuroendocrine Oncology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States
| | - Andrew N Coogan
- Maynooth University Department of Psychology, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland
| | - Mariana G Figueiro
- Light and Health Program, Lighting Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, United States
| | - Michael R Gorman
- Department of Psychology and Center for Circadian Biology, University of California, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Janet E Hall
- Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, United States
| | - Johnni Hansen
- Danish Cancer Society Research Centre, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Randy J Nelson
- Department of Neuroscience, Neuroscience Research Institute, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, United States
| | | | - Michael H Smolensky
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, United States; Sleep Medicine, The University of Texas-Houston McGovern School of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Richard G Stevens
- School of Medicine, University of Connecticut, Farmington, CT, United States
| | - Fred W Turek
- Center for Sleep & Circadian Biology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Roel Vermeulen
- Division of Environmental Epidemiology, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Tania Carreón
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Claire C Caruso
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Christina C Lawson
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Kristina A Thayer
- Office of Health Assessment and Translation, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, NC, United States
| | - Michael J Twery
- National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, Division of Lung Diseases, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Andrew D Ewens
- Contractor in support of the NIEHS Report on Carcinogens, Integrated Laboratory Systems (ILS), Durham, NC, United States
| | - Sanford C Garner
- Contractor in support of the NIEHS Report on Carcinogens, Integrated Laboratory Systems (ILS), Durham, NC, United States
| | - Pamela J Schwingl
- Contractor in support of the NIEHS Report on Carcinogens, Integrated Laboratory Systems (ILS), Durham, NC, United States
| | - Windy A Boyd
- Office of Health Assessment and Translation, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Research Triangle Park, NC, United States.
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Liao H, Bi L, Wei J, Song X. Evaluation of apoptosis induced by exposure to antineoplastic drugs in peripheral blood lymphocytes of nurses. Mol Med Rep 2017; 16:8103-8109. [PMID: 28944882 PMCID: PMC5779896 DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2017.7589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Cytostatic antineoplastic drugs are considered carcinogenic and mutagenic risk factors for health workers who are occupationally exposed to them; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects remain to be elucidated. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms of antineoplastic drugs-induced apoptosis of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) obtained from oncology nurses handling antineoplastic drugs. A microRNA (miRNA/miR) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array was performed to analyze the expression levels of miRNAs in the PBLs from 3 trained nurses occupationally exposed to antineoplastic drugs. The effects of miR-34a on cell proliferation and apoptosis in temozolomide (TMZ) treated PBLs were analyzed by cell counting kit-8 and flow cytometry assays. The protein expression levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein, caspase-3 and caspase-9 were determined by western blot analysis, and miR-34a expression levels were detected using quantitative reverse transcription-PCR. The results of the present study demonstrated that miR-34a was significantly upregulated in oncology nurses that were occupationally exposed to antineoplastic drugs. In addition, TMZ suppressed cell proliferation and induced apoptosis, by promoting the expression of miR-34a, in a dose-dependent manner, and also inhibited the expression of Bcl-2. Furthermore, knockdown of miR-34a was able to reverse the reduction of cell proliferation and promotion of apoptosis induced by TMZ in PBLs. Together, these results indicated that abnormal expression of miR-34a may be considered a diagnostic marker in nurses occupationally exposed to antineoplastic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Liao
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangshan Gongren Hospital, Tangshan, Hebei 063000, P.R. China
| | - Lijie Bi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangshan Gongren Hospital, Tangshan, Hebei 063000, P.R. China
| | - Jun Wei
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tangshan Gongren Hospital, Tangshan, Hebei 063000, P.R. China
| | - Xin Song
- Department of Radiology, Tangshan Gongren Hospital, Tangshan, Hebei 063000, P.R. China
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MacLeod JS, Harris MA, Tjepkema M, Peters PA, Demers PA. Cancer Risks among Welders and Occasional Welders in a National Population-Based Cohort Study: Canadian Census Health and Environmental Cohort. Saf Health Work 2017; 8:258-266. [PMID: 28951802 PMCID: PMC5605892 DOI: 10.1016/j.shaw.2016.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2016] [Revised: 11/22/2016] [Accepted: 12/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Welders are exposed to many known and suspected carcinogens. An excess lung cancer risk among welders is well established, but whether this is attributable to welding fumes is unclear. Excess risks of other cancers have been suggested, but not established. We investigated welding cancer risks in the population-based Canadian Census Health and Environmental Cohort. METHODS Among 1.1 million male workers, 12,845 welders were identified using Standard Occupational Classification codes and followed through retrospective linkage of 1991 Canadian Long Form Census and Canadian Cancer Registry (1992-2010) records. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated using Cox proportional hazards models based on estimated risks of lung cancer, mesothelioma, and nasal, brain, stomach, kidney, and bladder cancers, and ocular melanoma. Lung cancer histological subtypes and risks by industry group and for occasional welders were examined. Some analyses restricted comparisons to blue-collar workers to minimize effects of potential confounders. RESULTS Among welders, elevated risks were observed for lung cancer [HR: 1.16, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-1.31], mesothelioma (HR: 1.78, 95% CI: 1.01-3.18), bladder cancer (HR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.15-1.70), and kidney cancer (HR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.01-1.67). When restricted to blue-collar workers, lung cancer and mesothelioma risks were attenuated, while bladder and kidney cancer risks increased. CONCLUSION Excess risks of lung cancer and mesothelioma may be partly attributable to factors including smoking and asbestos. Welding-specific exposures may increase bladder and kidney cancer risks, and particular sources of exposure should be investigated. Studies that are able to disentangle welding effects from smoking and asbestos exposure are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill S. MacLeod
- Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Prevention and Cancer Control, Cancer Care Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - M. Anne Harris
- Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Prevention and Cancer Control, Cancer Care Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- School of Occupational and Public Health, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael Tjepkema
- Health Analysis Division, Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Paul A. Peters
- Departments of Sociology and Economics, University of New Brunswick Fredericton Campus, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - Paul A. Demers
- Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Prevention and Cancer Control, Cancer Care Ontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- CAREX Canada, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
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Liao LM, Friesen MC, Xiang YB, Cai H, Koh DH, Ji BT, Yang G, Li HL, Locke SJ, Rothman N, Zheng W, Gao YT, Shu XO, Purdue MP. Occupational Lead Exposure and Associations with Selected Cancers: The Shanghai Men's and Women's Health Study Cohorts. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2016; 124:97-103. [PMID: 26091556 PMCID: PMC4710592 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1408171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2014] [Accepted: 06/17/2015] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epidemiologic studies of occupational lead exposure have suggested increased risks of cancers of the stomach, lung, kidney, brain, and meninges; however, the totality of the evidence is inconsistent. OBJECTIVE We investigated the relationship between occupational lead exposure and cancer incidence at the five abovementioned sites in two prospective cohorts in Shanghai, China. METHODS Annual job/industry-specific estimates of lead fume and lead dust exposure, derived from a statistical model combining expert lead intensity ratings with inspection measurements, were applied to the lifetime work histories of participants from the Shanghai Women's Health Study (SWHS; n = 73,363) and the Shanghai Men's Health Study (SMHS; n = 61,379) to estimate cumulative exposure to lead fume and lead dust. These metrics were then combined into an overall occupational lead exposure variable. Cohort-specific relative hazard rate ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) comparing exposed and unexposed participants were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression and combined by meta-analysis. RESULTS The proportions of SWHS and SMHS participants with estimated occupational lead exposure were 8.9% and 6.9%, respectively. Lead exposure was positively associated with meningioma risk in women only (n = 38 unexposed and 9 exposed cases; RR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.1, 5.0), particularly with above-median cumulative exposure (RR = 3.1; 95% CI: 1.3, 7.4). However, all 12 meningioma cases among men were classified as unexposed to lead. We also observed non-significant associations with lead exposure for cancers of the kidney (n = 157 unexposed and 17 ever exposed cases; RR = 1.4; 95% CI: 0.9, 2.3) and brain (n = 67 unexposed and 10 ever exposed cases; RR = 1.8; 95% CI: 0.7, 4.8) overall. CONCLUSIONS Our findings, though limited by small numbers of cases, suggest that lead is associated with the risk of several cancers in women and men. CITATION Liao LM, Friesen MC, Xiang YB, Cai H, Koh DH, Ji BT, Yang G, Li HL, Locke SJ, Rothman N, Zheng W, Gao YT, Shu XO, Purdue MP. 2016. Occupational lead exposure and associations with selected cancers: the Shanghai Men's and Women's Health Study cohorts. Environ Health Perspect 124:97-103; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1408171.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linda M. Liao
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Melissa C. Friesen
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Yong-Bing Xiang
- Department of Epidemiology, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Hui Cai
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Dong-Hee Koh
- National Cancer Control Institute, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea
| | - Bu-Tian Ji
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Gong Yang
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Hong-Lan Li
- Department of Epidemiology, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Sarah J. Locke
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Nathaniel Rothman
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Wei Zheng
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Yu-Tang Gao
- Department of Epidemiology, Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiao-Ou Shu
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Mark P. Purdue
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Deziel NC, Friesen MC, Hoppin JA, Hines CJ, Thomas K, Freeman LEB. A review of nonoccupational pathways for pesticide exposure in women living in agricultural areas. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2015; 123:515-24. [PMID: 25636067 PMCID: PMC4455586 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1408273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2014] [Accepted: 01/28/2015] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Women living in agricultural areas may experience high pesticide exposures compared with women in urban or suburban areas because of their proximity to farm activities. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to review the evidence in the published literature for the contribution of nonoccupational pathways of pesticide exposure in women living in North American agricultural areas. METHODS We evaluated the following nonoccupational exposure pathways: paraoccupational (i.e., take-home or bystander exposure), agricultural drift, residential pesticide use, and dietary ingestion. We also evaluated the role of hygiene factors (e.g., house cleaning, shoe removal). RESULTS Among 35 publications identified (published 1995-2013), several reported significant or suggestive (p < 0.1) associations between paraoccupational (n = 19) and agricultural drift (n = 10) pathways and pesticide dust or biomarker levels, and 3 observed that residential use was associated with pesticide concentrations in dust. The 4 studies related to ingestion reported low detection rates of most pesticides in water; additional studies are needed to draw conclusions about the importance of this pathway. Hygiene factors were not consistently linked to exposure among the 18 relevant publications identified. CONCLUSIONS Evidence supported the importance of paraoccupational, drift, and residential use pathways. Disentangling exposure pathways was difficult because agricultural populations are concurrently exposed to pesticides via multiple pathways. Most evidence was based on measurements of pesticides in residential dust, which are applicable to any household member and are not specific to women. An improved understanding of nonoccupational pesticide exposure pathways in women living in agricultural areas is critical for studying health effects in women and for designing effective exposure-reduction strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole C Deziel
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Pearce N, Blair A, Vineis P, Ahrens W, Andersen A, Anto JM, Armstrong BK, Baccarelli AA, Beland FA, Berrington A, Bertazzi PA, Birnbaum LS, Brownson RC, Bucher JR, Cantor KP, Cardis E, Cherrie JW, Christiani DC, Cocco P, Coggon D, Comba P, Demers PA, Dement JM, Douwes J, Eisen EA, Engel LS, Fenske RA, Fleming LE, Fletcher T, Fontham E, Forastiere F, Frentzel-Beyme R, Fritschi L, Gerin M, Goldberg M, Grandjean P, Grimsrud TK, Gustavsson P, Haines A, Hartge P, Hansen J, Hauptmann M, Heederik D, Hemminki K, Hemon D, Hertz-Picciotto I, Hoppin JA, Huff J, Jarvholm B, Kang D, Karagas MR, Kjaerheim K, Kjuus H, Kogevinas M, Kriebel D, Kristensen P, Kromhout H, Laden F, Lebailly P, LeMasters G, Lubin JH, Lynch CF, Lynge E, 't Mannetje A, McMichael AJ, McLaughlin JR, Marrett L, Martuzzi M, Merchant JA, Merler E, Merletti F, Miller A, Mirer FE, Monson R, Nordby KC, Olshan AF, Parent ME, Perera FP, Perry MJ, Pesatori AC, Pirastu R, Porta M, Pukkala E, Rice C, Richardson DB, Ritter L, Ritz B, Ronckers CM, Rushton L, Rusiecki JA, Rusyn I, Samet JM, Sandler DP, de Sanjose S, Schernhammer E, Costantini AS, Seixas N, Shy C, Siemiatycki J, Silverman DT, Simonato L, Smith AH, Smith MT, Spinelli JJ, Spitz MR, Stallones L, Stayner LT, Steenland K, Stenzel M, Stewart BW, Stewart PA, Symanski E, Terracini B, Tolbert PE, Vainio H, Vena J, Vermeulen R, Victora CG, Ward EM, Weinberg CR, Weisenburger D, Wesseling C, Weiderpass E, Zahm SH. IARC monographs: 40 years of evaluating carcinogenic hazards to humans. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2015; 123:507-14. [PMID: 25712798 PMCID: PMC4455595 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1409149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2014] [Accepted: 02/20/2015] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Programme for the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans has been criticized for several of its evaluations, and also for the approach used to perform these evaluations. Some critics have claimed that failures of IARC Working Groups to recognize study weaknesses and biases of Working Group members have led to inappropriate classification of a number of agents as carcinogenic to humans. OBJECTIVES The authors of this Commentary are scientists from various disciplines relevant to the identification and hazard evaluation of human carcinogens. We examined criticisms of the IARC classification process to determine the validity of these concerns. Here, we present the results of that examination, review the history of IARC evaluations, and describe how the IARC evaluations are performed. DISCUSSION We concluded that these recent criticisms are unconvincing. The procedures employed by IARC to assemble Working Groups of scientists from the various disciplines and the techniques followed to review the literature and perform hazard assessment of various agents provide a balanced evaluation and an appropriate indication of the weight of the evidence. Some disagreement by individual scientists to some evaluations is not evidence of process failure. The review process has been modified over time and will undoubtedly be altered in the future to improve the process. Any process can in theory be improved, and we would support continued review and improvement of the IARC processes. This does not mean, however, that the current procedures are flawed. CONCLUSIONS The IARC Monographs have made, and continue to make, major contributions to the scientific underpinning for societal actions to improve the public's health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil Pearce
- Department of Medical Statistics, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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McElvenny DM, Miller BG, MacCalman LA, Sleeuwenhoek A, van Tongeren M, Shepherd K, Darnton AJ, Cherrie JW. Mortality of a cohort of workers in Great Britain with blood lead measurements. Occup Environ Med 2015; 72:625-32. [PMID: 25872777 DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2014-102637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2014] [Accepted: 03/19/2015] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We examined the mortality of a historic cohort of workers in Great Britain with measured blood lead levels (BLLs). METHODS SMRs were calculated with the population of Great Britain as the external comparator. Trends in mortality with mean and maximum BLLs and assessed lead exposure were examined using Cox regression. RESULTS Mean follow-up length among the 9122 study participants was 29.2 years and 3466 deaths occurred. For all causes and all malignant neoplasms, the SMRs were statistically significantly raised. For disease groups of a priori interest, the SMR was significantly raised for lung cancer but not for stomach, brain, kidney, bladder or oesophageal cancers. The SMR was not increased for non-malignant kidney disease but was borderline significantly increased for circulatory diseases, for ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and cerebrovascular disease (CVD). No significant trends with exposure were observed for the cancers of interest, but for circulatory diseases and IHD, there was a statistically significant trend for increasing HR with mean and maximum BLLs. CONCLUSIONS This study found an excess of lung cancer, although the risk was not clearly associated with increasing BLLs. It also found marginally significant excesses of IHD and CVD, the former being related to mean and maximum BLLs. The finding for IHD may have been due to lead, but could also have been due to other dust exposure associated with lead exposure and possibly tobacco smoking. Further work is required to clarify this and the carcinogenicity of lead.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - John W Cherrie
- Institute of Occupational Medicine, Edinburgh, UK Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
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Blair A, Hines C, Thomas K, Alavanja M, Beane Freeman L, Hoppin J, Kamel F, Lynch C, Lubin J, Silverman D, Whelan E, Zahm SH, Sandler DP. Investing in prospective cohorts for etiologic study of occupational exposures. Am J Ind Med 2015; 58:113-22. [PMID: 25603935 PMCID: PMC4516175 DOI: 10.1002/ajim.22403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Prospective cohorts have played a major role in understanding the contribution of diet, physical activity, medical conditions, and genes to the development of many diseases, but have not been widely used for occupational exposures. Studies in agriculture are an exception. We draw upon our experience using this design to study agricultural workers to identify conditions that might foster use of prospective cohorts to study other occupational settings. Prospective cohort studies are perceived by many as the strongest epidemiologic design. It allows updating of information on exposure and other factors, collection of biologic samples before disease diagnosis for biomarker studies, assessment of effect modification by genes, lifestyle, and other occupational exposures, and evaluation of a wide range of health outcomes. Increased use of prospective cohorts would be beneficial in identifying hazardous exposures in the workplace. Occupational epidemiologists should seek opportunities to initiate prospective cohorts to investigate high priority, occupational exposures.
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Affiliation(s)
- A. Blair
- Division of Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland
| | - C.J. Hines
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - K.W. Thomas
- National Exposure Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, North Carolina
| | - M.C.R. Alavanja
- Division of Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland
| | - L.E. Beane Freeman
- Division of Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland
| | - J.A. Hoppin
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
| | - F. Kamel
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, North Carolina
| | - C.F. Lynch
- College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
| | - J.H. Lubin
- Division of Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland
| | - D.T. Silverman
- Division of Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland
| | - E. Whelan
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio
| | - S. H. Zahm
- Division of Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland
| | - D. P. Sandler
- Epidemiology Branch, National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, North Carolina
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Gadupudi G, Gourronc FA, Ludewig G, Robertson LW, Klingelhutz AJ. PCB126 inhibits adipogenesis of human preadipocytes. Toxicol In Vitro 2014; 29:132-41. [PMID: 25304490 DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2014.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2014] [Revised: 08/28/2014] [Accepted: 09/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Emerging evidence indicates that persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), are involved in the development of diabetes. Dysfunctional adipocytes play a significant role in initiating insulin resistance. Preadipocytes make up a large portion of adipose tissue and are necessary for the generation of functional mature adipocytes through adipogenesis. PCB126 is a dioxin-like PCB and a potent aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonist. We hypothesized that PCB126 may be involved in the development of diabetes through disruption of adipogenesis. Using a newly developed human preadipocyte cell line called NPAD (Normal PreADipocytes), we found that exposure of preadipocytes to PCB126 resulted in significant reduction in their subsequent ability to fully differentiate into adipocytes, more so than when the cells were exposed to PCB126 during differentiation. Reduction in differentiation by PCB126 was associated with downregulation of transcript levels of a key adipocyte transcription factor, PPARγ, and late adipocyte differentiation genes. An AhR antagonist, CH223191, blocked this effect. These studies indicate that preadipocytes are particularly sensitive to the effects of PCB126 and suggest that AhR activation inhibits PPARγ transcription and subsequent adipogenesis. Our results validate the NPAD cell line as a useful model for studying the effects of POPs on adipogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gopi Gadupudi
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States; Department of Occupational & Environmental Health, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
| | - Francoise A Gourronc
- Department of Microbiology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
| | - Gabriele Ludewig
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States; Department of Occupational & Environmental Health, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
| | - Larry W Robertson
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States; Department of Occupational & Environmental Health, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, United States
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Pesch B, Lotz A, Koch HM, Marczynski B, Casjens S, Käfferlein HU, Welge P, Lehnert M, Heinze E, Van Gelder R, Hahn JU, Behrens T, Raulf M, Hartwig A, Weiss T, Brüning T. Oxidatively damaged guanosine in white blood cells and in urine of welders: associations with exposure to welding fumes and body iron stores. Arch Toxicol 2014; 89:1257-69. [PMID: 25107450 PMCID: PMC4508371 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-014-1319-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2014] [Accepted: 07/21/2014] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The International Agency for Research on Cancer considers the carcinogenicity of welding fume of priority for re-evaluation. Genotoxic effects in experimental animals are still inconclusive. Here, we investigated the association of personal exposure to metals in respirable welding fumes during a working shift with oxidatively damaged guanosine in DNA of white blood cells (WBC) and in postshift urine samples from 238 welders. Medians of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodGuo) were 2.35/106 dGuo in DNA of WBC and 4.33 µg/g creatinine in urine. The median of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine (8-oxoGuo) was 7.03 µg/g creatinine in urine. The extent of both urinary parameters was higher in welders applying techniques with high particle emission rates to stainless steel than in tungsten inert gas welders (8-oxodGuo: 9.96 vs. 4.49 µg/L, 8-oxoGuo: 15.7 vs. 7.7 µg/L), but this apparent difference diminished after creatinine adjustment. We applied random intercept models to estimate the influence of airborne and systemic exposure to metals on oxidatively damaged guanosine in WBC and urine together with covariates. We observed a highly significant nonlinear association of urinary 8-oxoGuo with serum ferritin (P < 0.0001) and higher 8-oxoGuo concentrations for respirable iron >1,000 µg/m3 compared to ≤57 µg/m3. Similar effects were found for manganese. Airborne chromium but not nickel was associated with all oxidatively modified guanosine measures, whereas urinary chromium as well as nickel showed associations with urinary modified guanosines. In summary, oxidatively damaged urinary guanosine was associated with airborne and systemic exposure to metals in welders and showed a strong relation to body iron stores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beate Pesch
- Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the German Social Accident Insurance, Institute of the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (IPA), Bürkle-de-la-Camp-Platz 1, 44789, Bochum, Germany
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Hopf NB, Ruder AM, Waters MA. Historical reconstruction of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposures for workers in a capacitor manufacturing plant. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2014; 21:6419-33. [PMID: 23475444 PMCID: PMC4557729 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-013-1590-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2012] [Accepted: 02/20/2013] [Indexed: 04/15/2023]
Abstract
We developed a semiquantitative job exposure matrix (JEM) for workers exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at a capacitor manufacturing plant from 1946 to 1977. In a recently updated mortality study, mortality of prostate and stomach cancer increased with increasing levels of cumulative exposure estimated with this JEM (trend p values = 0.003 and 0.04, respectively). Capacitor manufacturing began with winding bales of foil and paper film, which were placed in a metal capacitor box (pre-assembly), and placed in a vacuum chamber for flood-filling (impregnation) with dielectric fluid (PCBs). Capacitors dripping with PCB residues were then transported to sealing stations where ports were soldered shut before degreasing, leak testing, and painting. Using a systematic approach, all 509 unique jobs identified in the work histories were rated by predetermined process- and plant-specific exposure determinants; then categorized based on the jobs' similarities (combination of exposure determinants) into 35 job exposure categories. The job exposure categories were ranked followed by a qualitative PCB exposure rating (baseline, low, medium, and high) for inhalation and dermal intensity. Category differences in other chemical exposures (solvents, etc.) prevented further combining of categories. The mean of all available PCB concentrations (1975 and 1977) for jobs within each intensity rating was regarded as a representative value for that intensity level. Inhalation (in microgram per cubic milligram) and dermal (unitless) exposures were regarded as equally important. Intensity was frequency adjusted for jobs with continuous or intermittent PCB exposures. Era-modifying factors were applied to the earlier time periods (1946-1974) because exposures were considered to have been greater than in later eras (1975-1977). Such interpolations, extrapolations, and modifying factors may introduce non-differential misclassification; however, we do believe our rigorous method minimized misclassification, as shown by the significant exposure-response trends in the epidemiologic analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy B Hopf
- Institute for Work and Health (IST), Route de la Corniche 2, 1066, Epalinges-Lausanne, Switzerland,
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Abstract
Cancer is a global and growing, but not uniform, problem. An increasing proportion of the burden is falling on low-income and middle-income countries because of not only demographic change but also a transition in risk factors, whereby the consequences of the globalisation of economies and behaviours are adding to an existing burden of cancers of infectious origin. We argue that primary prevention is a particularly effective way to fight cancer, with between a third and a half of cancers being preventable on the basis of present knowledge of risk factors. Primary prevention has several advantages: the effectiveness could have benefits for people other than those directly targeted, avoidance of exposure to carcinogenic agents is likely to prevent other non-communicable diseases, and the cause could be removed or reduced in the long term--eg, through regulatory measures against occupational or environmental exposures (ie, the preventive effort does not need to be renewed with every generation, which is especially important when resources are in short supply). Primary prevention must therefore be prioritised as an integral part of global cancer control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Vineis
- MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College, London; HuGeF Foundation, Torino, Italy.
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Fernández-González R, Yebra-Pimentel I, Martínez-Carballo E, Simal-Gándara J. A Critical Review about Human Exposure to Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-Dioxins (PCDDs), Polychlorinated Dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) through Foods. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 2013; 55:1590-617. [DOI: 10.1080/10408398.2012.710279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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Kendzia B, Behrens T, Jöckel KH, Siemiatycki J, Kromhout H, Vermeulen R, Peters S, Van Gelder R, Olsson A, Brüske I, Wichmann HE, Stücker I, Guida F, Tardón A, Merletti F, Mirabelli D, Richiardi L, Pohlabeln H, Ahrens W, Landi MT, Caporaso N, Consonni D, Zaridze D, Szeszenia-Dabrowska N, Lissowska J, Gustavsson P, Marcus M, Fabianova E, 't Mannetje A, Pearce N, Tse LA, Yu ITS, Rudnai P, Bencko V, Janout V, Mates D, Foretova L, Forastiere F, McLaughlin J, Demers P, Bueno-de-Mesquita B, Boffetta P, Schüz J, Straif K, Pesch B, Brüning T. Welding and lung cancer in a pooled analysis of case-control studies. Am J Epidemiol 2013; 178:1513-25. [PMID: 24052544 DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwt201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Several epidemiologic studies have indicated an increased risk of lung cancer among welders. We used the SYNERGY project database to assess welding as a risk factor for developing lung cancer. The database includes data on 15,483 male lung cancer cases and 18,388 male controls from 16 studies in Europe, Canada, China, and New Zealand conducted between 1985 and 2010. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals between regular or occasional welding and lung cancer were estimated, with adjustment for smoking, age, study center, and employment in other occupations associated with lung cancer risk. Overall, 568 cases and 427 controls had ever worked as welders and had an odds ratio of developing lung cancer of 1.44 (95% confidence interval: 1.25, 1.67) with the odds ratio increasing for longer duration of welding. In never and light smokers, the odds ratio was 1.96 (95% confidence interval: 1.37, 2.79). The odds ratios were somewhat higher for squamous and small cell lung cancers than for adenocarcinoma. Another 1,994 cases and 1,930 controls had ever worked in occupations with occasional welding. Work in any of these occupations was associated with some elevation of risk, though not as much as observed in regular welders. Our findings lend further support to the hypothesis that welding is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer.
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Garcia CCM, Freitas FP, Sanchez AB, Di Mascio P, Medeiros MHG. Elevated α-methyl-γ-hydroxy-1,N2-propano-2'-deoxyguanosine levels in urinary samples from individuals exposed to urban air pollution. Chem Res Toxicol 2013; 26:1602-4. [PMID: 24168144 DOI: 10.1021/tx400273q] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Acetaldehyde and crotonaldehyde are genotoxic aldehydes present in tobacco smoke and vehicle exhaust. The reaction of these aldehydes with 2'-deoxyguanosine in DNA produces α-methyl-γ-hydroxy-1,N(2)-propano-2'-deoxyguanosine (1,N(2)-propanodGuo). Online HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry was utilized to accurately quantify 1,N(2)-propanodGuo in human urinary samples from 47 residents of São Paulo City (SP) and 35 residents of the rural municipality of São João da Boa Vista (SJBV) in the state of São Paulo. Significantly higher 1,N(2)-propanodGuo levels were found in the samples from SP donors than in samples from SJBV donors. Our results provide the first evidence that elevated levels of 1,N(2)-propanodGuo in urinary samples may be correlated with urban air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila C M Garcia
- Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo , CEP 05508-000, São Paulo, Brazil
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Labrèche F, Duguay P, Ostiguy C, Boucher A, Roberge B, Peters CE, Demers PA. Estimating occupational exposure to carcinogens in Quebec. Am J Ind Med 2013; 56:1040-50. [PMID: 23804516 DOI: 10.1002/ajim.22200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/26/2013] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We estimated the extent of exposure to occupational carcinogens in Quebec, Canada, to help raise awareness of occupational cancers. METHODS Proportions of workers exposed to 21 recognized and 17 probable carcinogens (according to Quebec occupational health regulation and the International Agency for Research on Cancer [IARC] classification) were extracted from various sources: workplace monitoring data, research projects, a population survey, radiation protection data, exposure estimates from the Carcinogen Exposure Canada (CAREX Canada) Project database, and published exposure data. These proportions were applied to Quebec labor force data. RESULTS Among the 38 studied, carcinogens with the largest proportions of exposed workers were solar radiation (6.6% of workers), night shift work/rotating shift work including nights (6.0%), diesel exhaust fumes (4.4%), wood dust (2.9%) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (2.0%). More than 15 carcinogens were identified in several industrial sectors, and up to 100,000 young workers are employed in these sectors. CONCLUSION Although crude, estimates obtained with different data sources allow identification of research and intervention priorities for cancer in Quebec.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Patrice Duguay
- Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST); Montréal; Québec; Canada
| | | | - Alexandre Boucher
- Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST); Montréal; Québec; Canada
| | - Brigitte Roberge
- Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST); Montréal; Québec; Canada
| | - Cheryl E. Peters
- CAREX Canada, School of Population and Public Health; University of British Columbia; Vancouver; British Columbia; Canada
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Novel low voltage and solution processable organic thin film transistors based on water dispersed polymer semiconductor nanoparticulates. J Colloid Interface Sci 2013; 401:65-9. [PMID: 23623401 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2013.03.052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2013] [Revised: 03/26/2013] [Accepted: 03/29/2013] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Two novel organic thin film transistor structures that combine a hygroscopic insulator with the use of water-dispersed polymer nanoparticles as the active layer are presented. In the first device structure, the semiconducting layer was fabricated from a nanoparticulate suspension of poly-(3-hexylthiophene) prepared through a mini-emulsion process using sodium dodecyl sulfate as the surfactant whereas a surfactant-free precipitation method has been used for the second device structure. In both cases, fully solution processable transistors have been fabricated in a top gate configuration with hygroscopic poly(4-vinylphenol) as the dielectric layer. Both device structures operate at low voltages (0 to -4V) but exhibit contrasting output characteristics. A systematic study is presented on the effect of surfactant on the synthesis of semiconducting nanoparticles, the formation of thin nanoparticulate films and, consequently, on device performance.
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Everatt R, Slapšytė G, Mierauskienė J, Dedonytė V, Bakienė L. Biomonitoring study of dry cleaning workers using cytogenetic tests and the comet assay. JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE 2013; 10:609-621. [PMID: 24116666 DOI: 10.1080/15459624.2013.818238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Perchloroethylene (PCE) is the main solvent used in the dry cleaning industry worldwide. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the genotoxic potential of occupational exposure to PCE in dry cleaning workers. The study was carried out in 59 volunteers (30 workers, 29 controls). The genotoxic effect was evaluated by analyzing chromosome aberrations (CAs), and micronuclei (MN) and DNA damage (assessed by the comet assay) in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Environmental monitoring of exposure was carried out on personal breathing zone air samples collected during two consecutive working days by measuring the concentration of PCE air levels. The mean PCE concentration in workplace air of dry cleaning workers was 31.40 mg/m(3). There were no significant differences in CA frequency between dry cleaning workers and the controls, but analysis showed a significant association of CA frequency with employment duration and frequency of exposure to PCE. The MN frequency and DNA damage detected by alkaline comet assay were significantly increased in dry cleaning workers compared to the controls. The results suggest that (a) chronic occupational exposure to dry cleaning solvents below permissible occupational exposure limit of 70 mg/m(3) (i.e., ~10.3 ppm) may lead to an increased risk of genetic damage among dry cleaning workers, and (b) CA, MN tests, and comet assay are useful to monitor populations exposed to low doses of PCE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rūta Everatt
- a Group of Epidemiology, Institute of Oncology, Vilnius University , Vilnius , Lithuania
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Kotova N, Vare D, Schultz N, Gradecka Meesters D, Stepnik M, Grawe J, Helleday T, Jenssen D. Genotoxicity of alcohol is linked to DNA replication-associated damage and homologous recombination repair. Carcinogenesis 2012; 34:325-30. [DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgs340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Neta G, Stewart PA, Rajaraman P, Hein MJ, Waters MA, Purdue MP, Samanic C, Coble JB, Linet MS, Inskip PD. Occupational exposure to chlorinated solvents and risks of glioma and meningioma in adults. Occup Environ Med 2012; 69:793-801. [PMID: 22864249 PMCID: PMC3850418 DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2012-100742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Chlorinated solvents are classified as probable or possible carcinogens. It is unknown whether exposure to these agents increases the risk of malignant or benign brain tumours. Our objective was to evaluate associations of brain tumour risk with occupational exposure to six chlorinated solvents (i.e., dichloromethane, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene). METHODS 489 glioma cases, 197 meningioma cases and 799 controls were enrolled in a hospital-based case-control study conducted at three U.S.A. hospitals in Arizona, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Information about occupational history was obtained through a detailed inperson interview that included job-specific modules of questions such that the interview was tailored to each individual's particular work history. An industrial hygienist assessed potential solvent exposure based on this information and an exhaustive review of the relevant industrial hygiene literature. Unconditional logistic regression models were used to calculate OR and 95% CI for each solvent for ever/never, duration, cumulative, average weekly and highest exposure. RESULTS Overall, we found no consistent evidence of an increased risk of glioma or meningioma related to occupational exposure to the six chlorinated solvents evaluated. There was some suggestion of an association between carbon tetrachloride and glioma in analyses restricted to exposed subjects, with average weekly exposure above the median associated with increased risk compared with below the median exposure (OR = 7.1, 95% CI 1.1 to 45.2). CONCLUSIONS We found no consistent evidence for increased brain tumour risk related to chlorinated solvents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gila Neta
- Radiation Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, EPS, Room 7092, 6120 Executive Boulevard, Bethesda, MD 20852-7244, USA.
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Ruder AM, Yiin JH, Waters MA, Carreón T, Hein MJ, Butler MA, Calvert GM, Davis-King KE, Schulte PA, Mandel JS, Morton RF, Reding DJ, Rosenman KD, Stewart PA. The Upper Midwest Health Study: gliomas and occupational exposure to chlorinated solvents. Occup Environ Med 2012; 70:73-80. [PMID: 23104734 DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2011-100588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Occupational exposure to chlorinated aliphatic solvents has been associated with an increased cancer risk, including brain cancer. However, many of these solvents remain in active, large-volume use. We evaluated glioma risk from non-farm occupational exposure (ever/never and estimated cumulative exposure) to any of the six chlorinated solvents--carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, methylene chloride, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene or 1,1,1--trichloroethane-among 798 cases and 1175 population-based controls, aged 18-80 years and non-metropolitan residents of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Methods Solvent use was estimated based on occupation, industry and era, using a bibliographic database of published exposure levels and exposure determinants. Unconditional logistic regression was used to calculate ORs adjusted for frequency matching variables age group and sex, and age and education. Additional analyses were limited to 904 participants who donated blood specimens (excluding controls reporting a previous diagnosis of cancer) genotyped for glutathione-S-transferases GSTP1, GSTM3 and GSTT1. Individuals with functional GST genes might convert chlorinated solvents crossing the blood-brain barrier into cytotoxic metabolites. RESULTS Both estimated cumulative exposure (ppm-years) and ever exposure to chlorinated solvents were associated with decreased glioma risk and were statistically significant overall and for women. In analyses comparing participants with a high probability of exposure with the unexposed, no associations were statistically significant. Solvent-exposed participants with functional GST genes were not at increased risk of glioma. CONCLUSIONS We observed no associations of glioma risk and chlorinated solvent exposure. Large pooled studies are needed to explore the interaction of genetic pathways and environmental and occupational exposures in glioma aetiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avima M Ruder
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
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Fabiani R, Rosignoli P, De Bartolomeo A, Fuccelli R, Morozzi G. Genotoxicity of alkene epoxides in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and HL60 leukaemia cells evaluated with the comet assay. Mutat Res 2012; 747:1-6. [PMID: 22285587 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrgentox.2012.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2011] [Revised: 10/21/2011] [Accepted: 12/27/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) exert their carcinogenic activity through the production of epoxide metabolites. Because of their high reactivity some epoxides are also produced in the chemical industry for the synthesis of other compounds. Therefore, human exposure to VOCs epoxides does occur and may be an important human health concern. In this study, the in vitro genotoxic potential of epoxides originating from 1,3-butadiene (3,4-epoxy-1-butene: EB; 1,2:3,4-diepoxybutane: DEB), isoprene (3,4-epoxy-2-methyl-1-butene: IO), styrene (styrene-7,8-oxide: SO), propylene (propylene oxide: PO) and 1-butene (1,2-epoxy-butane: BO) in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and promyelocytic leukaemia cells (HL60) was measured with the comet assay (single-cell gel electrophoresis, SCGE). The effect of inclusion of foetal calf serum (FCS, 5%) in the cell-culture medium and different durations of exposure (2h, 24h) were also investigated. All epoxides tested produced DNA damage in a concentration range that did not reduce cell viability. HL60 cells were more resistant than PBMCs to the DNA damage induced by the different epoxides. With the exception of IO, the treatment for 24h resulted in an increase of DNA damage. FCS slightly protected PBMCs from the genotoxic effects induced by IO and BO, whilst no such effect was noted for the other compounds. Overall, the dose-dependent effects that were seen allowed us to define a genotoxicity scale for the different epoxides as follows: SO>EB>DEB>IO>PO>BO, which is in partial agreement with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classification of the carcinogenic hazards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Fabiani
- Dipartimento di Specialità Medico-Chirurgiche e Sanità Pubblica, Sezione di Epidemiologia Molecolare e Igiene Ambientale, Università di Perugia, via del Giochetto, 06126 Perugia, Italy.
| | - Patrizia Rosignoli
- Dipartimento di Specialità Medico-Chirurgiche e Sanità Pubblica, Sezione di Epidemiologia Molecolare e Igiene Ambientale, Università di Perugia, via del Giochetto, 06126 Perugia, Italy
| | - Angelo De Bartolomeo
- Dipartimento di Specialità Medico-Chirurgiche e Sanità Pubblica, Sezione di Epidemiologia Molecolare e Igiene Ambientale, Università di Perugia, via del Giochetto, 06126 Perugia, Italy
| | - Raffaela Fuccelli
- Dipartimento di Specialità Medico-Chirurgiche e Sanità Pubblica, Sezione di Epidemiologia Molecolare e Igiene Ambientale, Università di Perugia, via del Giochetto, 06126 Perugia, Italy
| | - Guido Morozzi
- Dipartimento di Specialità Medico-Chirurgiche e Sanità Pubblica, Sezione di Epidemiologia Molecolare e Igiene Ambientale, Università di Perugia, via del Giochetto, 06126 Perugia, Italy
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Firefighters’ multiple exposure assessments in practice. Toxicol Lett 2012; 213:129-33. [DOI: 10.1016/j.toxlet.2012.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2011] [Revised: 04/19/2012] [Accepted: 06/07/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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McClellan RO, Hesterberg TW, Wall JC. Evaluation of carcinogenic hazard of diesel engine exhaust needs to consider revolutionary changes in diesel technology. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol 2012; 63:225-58. [DOI: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2012.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2012] [Revised: 04/07/2012] [Accepted: 04/17/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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Hesterberg TW, Long CM, Bunn WB, Lapin CA, McClellan RO, Valberg PA. Health effects research and regulation of diesel exhaust: an historical overview focused on lung cancer risk. Inhal Toxicol 2012; 24 Suppl 1:1-45. [PMID: 22663144 PMCID: PMC3423304 DOI: 10.3109/08958378.2012.691913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2012] [Revised: 05/02/2012] [Accepted: 05/03/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
The mutagenicity of organic solvent extracts from diesel exhaust particulate (DEP), first noted more than 55 years ago, initiated an avalanche of diesel exhaust (DE) health effects research that now totals more than 6000 published studies. Despite an extensive body of results, scientific debate continues regarding the nature of the lung cancer risk posed by inhalation of occupational and environmental DE, with much of the debate focused on DEP. Decades of scientific scrutiny and increasingly stringent regulation have resulted in major advances in diesel engine technologies. The changed particulate matter (PM) emissions in "New Technology Diesel Exhaust (NTDE)" from today's modern low-emission, advanced-technology on-road heavy-duty diesel engines now resemble the PM emissions in contemporary gasoline engine exhaust (GEE) and compressed natural gas engine exhaust more than those in the "traditional diesel exhaust" (TDE) characteristic of older diesel engines. Even with the continued publication of epidemiologic analyses of TDE-exposed populations, this database remains characterized by findings of small increased lung cancer risks and inconsistent evidence of exposure-response trends, both within occupational cohorts and across occupational groups considered to have markedly different exposures (e.g. truckers versus railroad shopworkers versus underground miners). The recently published National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-National Cancer Institute (NCI) epidemiologic studies of miners provide some of the strongest findings to date regarding a DE-lung cancer association, but some inconsistent exposure-response findings and possible effects of bias and exposure misclassification raise questions regarding their interpretation. Laboratory animal studies are negative for lung tumors in all species, except for rats under lifetime TDE-exposure conditions with durations and concentrations that lead to "lung overload." The species specificity of the rat lung response to overload, and its occurrence with other particle types, is now well-understood. It is thus generally accepted that the rat bioassay for inhaled particles under conditions of lung overload is not predictive of human lung cancer hazard. Overall, despite an abundance of epidemiologic and experimental data, there remain questions as to whether TDE exposure causes increased lung cancers in humans. An abundance of emissions characterization data, as well as preliminary toxicological data, support NTDE as being toxicologically distinct from TDE. Currently, neither epidemiologic data nor animal bioassay data yet exist that directly bear on NTDE carcinogenic potential. A chronic bioassay of NTDE currently in progress will provide data on whether NTDE poses a carcinogenic hazard, but based on the significant reductions in PM mass emissions and the major changes in PM composition, it has been hypothesized that NTDE has a low carcinogenic potential. When the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reevaluates DE (along with GEE and nitroarenes) in June 2012, it will be the first authoritative body to assess DE carcinogenic health hazards since the emergence of NTDE and the accumulation of data differentiating NTDE from TDE.
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Scott CS, Jinot J. Trichloroethylene and cancer: systematic and quantitative review of epidemiologic evidence for identifying hazards. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2011; 8:4238-72. [PMID: 22163205 PMCID: PMC3228569 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph8114238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2011] [Revised: 10/21/2011] [Accepted: 10/26/2011] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
We conducted a meta-analysis focusing on studies with high potential for trichloroethylene (TCE) exposure to provide quantitative evaluations of the evidence for associations between TCE exposure and kidney, liver, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) cancers. A systematic review documenting essential design features, exposure assessment approaches, statistical analyses, and potential sources of confounding and bias identified twenty-four cohort and case-control studies on TCE and the three cancers of interest with high potential for exposure, including five recently published case-control studies of kidney cancer or NHL. Fixed- and random-effects models were fitted to the data on overall exposure and on the highest exposure group. Sensitivity analyses examined the influence of individual studies and of alternative risk estimate selections. For overall TCE exposure and kidney cancer, the summary relative risk (RRm) estimate from the random effects model was 1.27 (95% CI: 1.13, 1.43), with a higher RRm for the highest exposure groups (1.58, 95% CI: 1.28, 1.96). The RRm estimates were not overly sensitive to alternative risk estimate selections or to removal of an individual study. There was no apparent heterogeneity or publication bias. For NHL, RRm estimates for overall exposure and for the highest exposure group, respectively, were 1.23 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.42) and 1.43 (95% CI: 1.13, 1.82) and, for liver cancer, 1.29 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.56) and 1.28 (95% CI: 0.93, 1.77). Our findings provide strong support for a causal association between TCE exposure and kidney cancer. The support is strong but less robust for NHL, where issues of study heterogeneity, potential publication bias, and weaker exposure-response results contribute uncertainty, and more limited for liver cancer, where only cohort studies with small numbers of cases were available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl Siegel Scott
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20460, USA; E-Mail:
| | - Jennifer Jinot
- National Center for Environmental Assessment, Office of Research and Development, United States Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20460, USA; E-Mail:
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Lai IK, Chai Y, Simmons D, Watson WH, Tan R, Haschek WM, Wang K, Wang B, Ludewig G, Robertson LW. Dietary selenium as a modulator of PCB 126-induced hepatotoxicity in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Toxicol Sci 2011; 124:202-14. [PMID: 21865291 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfr215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Homeostasis of selenium (Se), a critical antioxidant incorporated into amino acids and enzymes, is disrupted by exposure to aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists. Here we examined the importance of dietary Se in preventing the toxicity of the most toxic polychlorinated biphenyl congener, 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB 126), a potent AhR agonist. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a modified AIN-93 diet with differing dietary Se levels (0.02, 0.2, and 2 ppm). Following 3 weeks of acclimatization, rats from each dietary group were given a single ip injection of corn oil (vehicle), 0.2, 1, or 5 μmol/kg body weight PCB 126, followed 2 weeks later by euthanasia. PCB exposure caused dose-dependent increases in liver weight and at the highest PCB 126 dose decreases in whole body weight gains. Hepatic cytochrome P-450 (CYP1A1) activity was significantly increased even at the lowest dose of PCB 126, indicating potent AhR activation. PCB exposure diminished hepatic Se levels in a dose-dependent manner, and this was accompanied by diminished Se-dependent glutathione peroxidase activity. Both these effects were partially mitigated by Se supplementation. Conversely, thioredoxin (Trx) reductase activity and Trx oxidation state, although significantly diminished in the lowest dietary Se groups, were not affected by PCB exposure. In addition, PCB 126-induced changes in hepatic copper, iron, manganese, and zinc were observed. These results demonstrate that supplemental dietary Se was not able to completely prevent the toxicity caused by PCB 126 but was able to increase moderately the levels of several key antioxidants, thereby maintaining them roughly at normal levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian K Lai
- Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Human Toxicology, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA
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