Environmental Health Perspectives

Publications in this journal

• Article: Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, and Obesity in Relation to Serum Dioxin Concentrations: The Seveso Women's Health Study.

  Marcella Warner, Paolo Mocarelli, Paolo Brambilla, Amelia Wesselink, Steven Samuels, Stefano Signorini, Brenda Eskenazi
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  ABSTRACT: Background: In animal studies, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) alters glucose transport and increases lipids and blood pressure. Epidemiologic evidence suggests an association between TCDD and metabolic disease. Objectives: On July 10, 1976, a chemical explosion in Seveso, Italy, resulted in the highest known residential exposure to TCDD. Using data from the Seveso Women's Health Study (SWHS), a cohort study of the health of the women, we examined the relation of serum TCDD to diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity over 30 years later. Methods: In 1996, we enrolled 981 women who were newborn to 40 years in 1976 and resided in the most contaminated areas. Individual TCDD concentration was measured in archived serum collected soon after the explosion. In 2008, 833 women participated in a follow-up study. Diabetes was classified based on self-report or fasting serum glucose and glycated hemoglobin levels. Metabolic syndrome was defined by International Diabetes Federation criteria. Obesity was defined as body mass index ≥30 kg/m(2). Results: A 10-fold increase in serum TCDD (log10TCDD) was not associated with diabetes (adjusted hazard ratio = 0.76; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.45, 1.28) or obesity (adjusted odds ratio = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.58, 1.10). Log10TCDD was associated with metabolic syndrome, but only among women who were ≤ 12 years at explosion (adjusted odds ratio = 2.03; 95% CI: 1.25, 3.29; p-interaction = 0.01). Conclusions: We found an increase in metabolic syndrome associated with TCDD, but only among women who were youngest at exposure. Continued follow-up of the SWHS cohort will be informative.
  Environmental Health Perspectives 05/2013;
• Article: Understanding and Managing Zoonotic Risk in the New Livestock Industries.

  Marco Liverani, Jeff Waage, Tony Barnett, Dirk U Pfeiffer, Jonathan Rushton, James W Rudge, Michael E Loevinsohn, Ian Scoones, Richard D Smith, Ben S Cooper, Lisa J White, Shan Goh, Peter Horby, Brendan Wren, Ozan Gundogdu, Abigail Woods, Richard J Coker
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  ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: In many parts of the world, livestock production is undergoing a process of rapid intensification. The health implications of this development are uncertain. Intensification creates cheaper products, allowing more people to access animal-based foods. However, some practices associated with intensification may contribute to zoonotic disease emergence and spread, for example the sustained use of antibiotics, concentration of animals in confined units, and long distance and frequent movement of livestock. OBJECTIVES: This paper reviews the diverse range of ecological, biological, and socio-economic factors likely to enhance or reduce zoonotic risk, and identifies why improved understanding requires an interdisciplinary approach. A conceptual framework is then offered to guide systematic research on this problem. DISCUSSION: We recommend that interdisciplinary work on zoonotic risk should be able to account for the complexity of risk environments, rather than simple linear causal relations between risk drivers and disease emergence and/or spread. Further, we recommend that interdisciplinary integration is needed at different levels of analysis, from the study of risk environments to the identification of policy options for risk management. CONCLUSION: Given rapid changes in livestock production systems in developing countries and their potential health implications at the local and global level, the problem we analyse here is of great importance for environmental health and development. While we offer a systematic interdisciplinary approach to understand and address these implications, we recognise that further research is needed to clarify methodological and practical questions arising from the integration of the natural and social sciences.
  Environmental Health Perspectives 05/2013;
• Article: Reducing Health Risks from Indoor Exposures in Rapidly Developing Urban China.

  Yinping Zhang, Jinhan Mo, Charles J Weschler
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  ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Over the past two decades there has been a large migration of China's population from rural to urban regions. At the same time residences in cities have changed in character from single story or low rise buildings to high rise structures constructed and furnished with many man-made materials. As a consequence, indoor exposures (to pollutants with outdoor and indoor sources) have changed significantly. OBJECTIVES: In this commentary we briefly discuss the inferred impact that urbanization and modernization have had on indoor exposures and public health in China. We argue that growing adverse health costs associated with these changes are not inevitable, and we present steps that could be taken to reduce indoor exposures to harmful pollutants. DISCUSSION: As documented by China's Ministry of Health, there have been significant increases in morbidity and mortality among urban residents over the past 20 years. Evidence suggests that the population's exposure to air pollutants has contributed to increases in lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease and birth defects. Whether a pollutant has an outdoor or indoor source, most exposure to the pollutant occurs indoors. Going forward, indoor exposures can be reduced by reducing the ingress of outdoor pollutants (while providing adequate ventilation with clean air), minimizing indoor sources of pollutants, updating government policies related to indoor pollution, and addressing indoor air quality during a building's initial design. Such steps could lead to significant reductions in morbidity and mortality, greatly reducing the societal costs associated with pollutant derived ill-health.
  Environmental Health Perspectives 05/2013;
• Article: Pharmaceuticals in Tap Water: Human Health Risk Assessment and Proposed Monitoring Framework in China.

  Ho W Leung, Ling Jin, Si Wei, Mei P Tsui, Bingsheng Zhou, Liping Jiao, Pak C Cheung, Yiu K Chun, Margaret B Murphy, Kwan S Lam
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  ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Pharmaceuticals are known to contaminate tap water worldwide, but the relevant human-health risks have not been assessed in China. OBJECTIVES: We monitored 32 pharmaceuticals in Chinese tap water and evaluated the life-long human-health risks of exposure to provide information for future prioritization and risk management. METHODS: Samples (n = 113) from 13 cities were analyzed and detected concentrations were compared with existing or newly-derived safety levels for assessing risk quotients (RQs) at different life-stages, excluding the prenatal stage. RESULTS: Seventeen pharmaceuticals were detected in 89% of samples with most detectable concentrations (92%) below 50 ng/L. Caffeine (median-maximum, ng/L: 24.4-564), metronidazole (1.8-19.3), salicylic acid (16.6-41.2), clofibric acid (1.2-3.3), carbamazepine (1.3-6.7) and dimetridazole (6.9-14.7) were found in at least 20% of samples. Cities within the Yangtze River region and Guangzhou were regarded as contamination hot spots because of elevated levels and frequent positive detections. Thirteen pharmaceuticals showed very low risk levels but 4 (viz. dimetridazole, thiamphenicol, sulfamethazine and clarithromycin) were found to have at least one life-stage RQ ≥ 0.01, especially for the infant and child life stages, and should be considered of high priority for management. We propose an indicator-based monitoring framework for providing information for source identification, water treatment effectiveness and water safety management in China and elsewhere. CONCLUSION: Chinese tap water is an additional route of human exposure to pharmaceuticals, particularly for dimetridazole, although the risk to human health is low based on current toxicity data. Pharmaceutical detection and application of the proposed monitoring framework can be used for water source protection and risk management in China.
  Environmental Health Perspectives 05/2013;
• Article: Relative Effect Potency Estimates of Dioxin-like Activity for Dioxins, Furans, and Dioxin-like PCBs in Adults Based on Two Thyroid Outcomes.

  Tomáš Trnovec, Todd A Jusko, Eva Sovčíková, Kinga Lancz, Jana Chovancová, Henrieta Patayová, Lubica Palkovičová, Beata Drobná, Pavel Langer, Martin Van den Berg, Ladislav Dedik, Soňa Wimmerová
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  ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Toxic Equivalency Factors (TEFs) are an important component in the risk assessment of dioxin-like human exposures. At present, this concept is mainly based on in vivo animal experiments with oral dosage. Consequently, the present human TEFs derived from mammalian experiments are only applicable for exposure situations in which oral ingestion occurs. Nevertheless, these "intake" TEFs are commonly, but incorrectly used by regulatory authorities to calculate "systemic" Toxic Equivalents (TEQs) based on human blood and tissue concentrations and consequently considered to be biomarkers for either exposure or effect. OBJECTIVES: To determine relative effect potencies (REPs) for systemic human concentrations of dioxin-like mixture components using thyroid volume or FT4 serum concentration as the outcomes of interest. METHODS: We compared the strength of association between each dioxin-like compound and thyroid endpoints in 320 adults residing in an area of eastern Slovakia polluted by organochlorines using a benchmark concentration and regression-based approach. RESULTS: REPs calculated from thyroid volume and FT4 were similar. The regression slope derived REP data from thyroid volume and FT4 level correlated with the WHO TEF values (Spearman r=0.69, p=0.01 and r=0.62, p=0.03, respectively). The calculated REPs were mostly within the minimum and maximum values for in vivo REPs derived by other investigators. CONCLUSIONS: Our REPs calculated from thyroid endpoints realistically reflect human exposure scenarios as they are based on chronic, low dose human exposures and on biomarkers reflecting body burden. Compared to previous results they suggest higher sensitivity to the effects of dioxin-like compounds.
  Environmental Health Perspectives 05/2013;
• Article: A Prospective Study of Arsenic Exposure, Arsenic Methylation Capacity, and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Bangladesh.

  Yu Chen, Fen Wu, Mengling Liu, Faruque Parvez, Vesna Slavkovich, Mahbub Eunus, Alauddin Ahmed, Stephanie Segers, Maria Argos, Tariqul Islam, Muhammad Rakibuz-Zaman, Rabiul Hasan, Golam Sarwar, Diane Levy, Joseph Graziano, Habibul Ahsan
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  ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Prospective studies that evaluate the influence of arsenic methylation capacity on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of arsenic exposure from drinking water and arsenic methylation capacity with CVD risk. METHOD: We conducted a case-cohort study of 369 incident fatal and non-fatal cases of CVD, including 148 stroke cases and 211 cases of heart disease, and a subcohort of 1,109 subjects randomly selected from the 11,224 participants in the Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study. RESULTS: The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for all CVD, heart disease, and stroke in association with a standard deviation increase in baseline well arsenic (112 µg/L) was 1.15 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.30), 1.20 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.38), and 1.08 (95% CI: 0.90, 1.30), respectively. Adjusted HRs for the second and third tertiles of urinary monomethylarsonic acid (MMA)% relative to the lowest tertile, respectively, were 1.27 (95% CI: 0.85, 1.90) and 1.55 (95% CI: 1.08, 2.23) for all CVD, and 1.65 (95% CI: 1.05, 2.60) and 1.61 (95% CI: 1.04, 2.49) for heart disease specifically. The highest versus lowest ratio of urinary dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) to MMA was associated with a significantly decreased risk of CVD (HR=0.54; 95% CI: 0.34, 0.85) and heart disease (HR=0.54; 95% CI: 0.33, 0.88). There was no apparent association between arsenic metabolite indices and stroke risk. The joint effects of incomplete arsenic methylation capacity, indicated by higher urinary MMA% or lower urinary DMA%, with higher levels of well arsenic on heart disease risk were additive. There was some evidence of a synergy of incomplete methylation capacity with older age and cigarette smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Arsenic exposure from drinking water and incomplete methylation capacity of arsenic were adversely associated with heart disease risk.
  Environmental Health Perspectives 05/2013;
• Article: Associations between Traffic-Related Black Carbon Exposure and Attention in a Prospective Birth Cohort of Urban Children.

  Yueh-Hsiu Chiu, David C Bellinger, Brent A Coull, Shawn Anderson, Rachel Barber, Robert O Wright, Rosalind J Wright
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  ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Ambient air pollution may have neurotoxic effects in children. Data examining associations between traffic-related air pollution and attention domains remain sparse. Objectives: We examined associations between black carbon (BC), a marker of traffic particles, and attention measures ascertained at age 7-14 years among 174 children in a Boston-based birth cohort. METHODS: BC levels were estimated using a validated spatial-temporal land-use regression model based on residence during children's lifetime. Children completed the Conner's Continuous Performance Test (CPT) measuring omission errors, commission errors, and hit reaction time (HRT), with higher scores indicating increased errors or slower reaction time. Multivariable-adjusted linear regression analyses were used to examine associations between BC and each attention outcome. RESULTS: Children were primarily Hispanic (56%) and Caucasian (41%); 53% were boys. We found a positive association between higher BC levels with increased commission errors and slower HRT, adjusting for child IQ, age, gender, blood lead level, maternal education, pre- and postnatal tobacco smoke exposure, and community-level social stress. Notably, the association was weaker, though still positive, for the highest BC quartile relative to the middle two quartiles. Gender-stratified analysis demonstrated statistically significant associations between BC and both commission errors and HRT in boys, but BC was not significantly associated with any of the CPT outcomes in girls. CONCLUSIONS: In this population of urban children, we found associations between BC exposure and higher commission errors and slower reaction time. These associations were overall more apparent in boys than girls.
  Environmental Health Perspectives 05/2013;
• Article: N-6-Adenine-Specific DNA Methyltransferase 1 (N6AMT1) Polymorphisms and Arsenic Methylation in Andean Women.

  Florencia Harari, Karin Engström, Gabriela Concha, Graciela Colque, Marie Vahter, Karin Broberg
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  ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: In humans, inorganic arsenic is metabolized to methylated metabolites mainly by arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase (AS3MT). AS3MT polymorphisms are associated with arsenic metabolism efficiency. Recently, a putative N-6-Adenine-Specific DNA methyltransferase 1 (N6AMT1) was found to methylate arsenic in vitro. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of N6AMT1 polymorphisms in arsenic methylation efficiency in humans. METHODS: We assessed arsenic methylation efficiency in 188 women exposed to arsenic via drinking water (about 200 µg/L) in the Argentinean Andes by measuring the relative concentrations of arsenic metabolites in urine [inorganic arsenic, methylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid] by HPLC-HG-ICPMS. We performed genotyping for N6AMT1 and AS3MT polymorphisms by Taqman assays, and gene expression (in blood; N=63) with Illumina HumanHT-12 v4.0. RESULTS: N6AMT1 SNPs (rs1997605, rs2205449, rs2705671, rs16983411, and rs1048546) and 2 N6AMT1 haplotypes were significantly associated with %MMA in urine, even after adjusting for AS3MT haplotype. %MMA increased monotonically according to the number of alleles for each SNPs, e.g, for rs1048546, mean % MMA was 7.5% for GG, 8.8% for GT, and 9.7% for TT carriers. Three SNPs were in linkage disequilibrium (R(2)>0.8). Estimated associations for joint effects of N6AMT1 (haplotype 1) and AS3MT (haplotype 2) were generally consistent with expectations for additive effects of each haplotype on %MMA. Carriers of N6AMT1 genotypes associated with lower %MMA showed the lowest N6AMT1 expression, but associations were monotonic according to copy number for only one genotype and one haplotype. CONCLUSIONS: N6AMT1 polymorphisms were associated with arsenic methylation in Andean women, independent of AS3MT. N6AMT1 polymorphisms may be susceptibility markers for arsenic-related toxic effects.
  Environmental Health Perspectives 05/2013;
• Article: Evaluation of the Association between Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and Diabetes in Epidemiological Studies: A National Toxicology Program Workshop Review.

  Kyla W Taylor, Raymond F Novak, Henry A Anderson, Linda S Birnbaum, Chad Blystone, Michael Devito, David Jacobs, Josef Köhrle, Duk-Hee Lee, Lars Rylander, Anna Rignell-Hydbom, Rogelio Tornero-Velez, Mary E Turyk, Abee Boyles, Kristina A Thayer, Lars Lind
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  ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a major threat to public health in the US and world-wide. Understanding the role of environmental chemicals in the development or progression of diabetes is an emerging issue in environmental health. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this evaluation is to assess the epidemiologic literature for evidence of associations between POPS and type 2 diabetes. METHODS: We identified 72 epidemiological studies investigating associations of POPs with diabetes from a PubMed search and reference lists of relevant studies or review articles. This literature was evaluated for consistency, strengths and weaknesses of study design (including power and statistical methods), clinical diagnosis, exposure assessment, and study population characteristics; and to identify data gaps and areas for future research. CONCLUSIONS: Heterogeneity of the studies precluded conducting a meta-analysis, but the overall evidence is sufficient for a positive association of some organochlorine POPs with type 2 diabetes. Collectively, these data were not considered sufficient to establish causality. Initial data-mining revealed that the strongest positive correlation of diabetes with POPs occurred with organochlorine compounds, such as trans-nonachlor, DDE, PCBs, and dioxins/dioxin-like chemicals. There is less indication for an association with other non-organochlorine POPs, such as perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) and brominated compounds. Experimental data are needed to confirm the causality of these findings which will shed a new light on the pathogenesis of diabetes with consequences for governmental bodies involved in the regulation of environmental contaminants.
  Environmental Health Perspectives 05/2013;
• Article: Second-Hand Tobacco Smoke Exposure in Open and Semi-Open Settings: A Systematic Review.

  Xisca Sureda, Esteve Fernández, María J López, Manel Nebot
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  ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Some countries have recently extended smoke-free policies to particular outdoor settings; however, there is controversy regarding whether this is scientifically and ethically justifiable. OBJECTIVES: The objective of the present study is to review research on second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure in outdoor settings. DATA SOURCES: We conducted different searches in PubMed for the period prior to September 2012. We checked the references of the identified papers, and conducted a similar search in Google Scholar. STUDY SELECTION: We included combinations of secondhand smoke, environmental tobacco smoke, passive smoking OR tobacco smoke pollution AND outdoors AND PM, PM2.5, RSP, particulate matter, nicotine, CO, cotinine, marker, biomarker OR airborne marker. In total, 18 articles and reports met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Almost all studies used PM2.5 concentration as an SHS marker. Mean PM2.5 concentrations reported for outdoor smoking areas when smokers were present ranged from 8.32 µg/m(3) to 124 µg/m(3) at hospitality venues, and 4.60 µg/m(3) to 17.80 µg/m(3) at other locations. Mean PM2.5 concentrations in smoke-free indoor settings near outdoor smoking areas ranged from 4 µg/m(3) to 120.51 µg/m(3). SHS levels were increased when smokers were present, and outdoor and indoor SHS levels were related. Most studies reported a positive association between SHS measures and smoker density, enclosure of outdoor locations, wind conditions, and proximity to smokers. CONCLUSIONS: The available evidence indicates high SHS levels at some outdoor smoking areas, and at adjacent smoke-free indoor areas. Further research and standardization of methodology is needed to determine whether smoke-free legislation should be extended to outdoor settings.
  Environmental Health Perspectives 05/2013;
• Article: Measures of Thyroid Function among Belarusian Children and Adolescents Exposed to Iodine-131 from the Accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant.

  Evgenia Ostroumova, Alexander Rozhko, Maureen Hatch, Kyoji Furukawa, Olga Polyanskaya, Robert J McConnell, Eldar Nadyrov, Sergey Petrenko, George Romanov, Vasilina Yauseyenka, Vladimir Drozdovitch, Viktor Minenko, Alexander Prokopovich, Irina Savasteeva, Lydia B Zablotska, Kiyohiko Mabuchi, Alina V Brenner
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  ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Thyroid dysfunction following exposure to low or moderate doses of radioactive Iodine-131 ((131)I) at a young age is a public health concern. However, quantitative data are sparse concerning (131)I-related risk of these common diseases. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in association with (131)I exposure during childhood (≤ 18 years) due to fallout from the Chernobyl accident. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT), serum concentrations of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and autoantibodies to thyroperoxidase (ATPO) in relation to measurement-based (131)I dose estimates was conducted in a Belarusian cohort of 10,827 individuals screened for various thyroid diseases. RESULTS: Mean age at exposure (± SD) was 8.2 ± 5.0 years. Mean (median) estimated (131)I thyroid dose was 0.54 (0.23) Gy (range 0.001 - 26.6 Gy). We found significant positive associations of (131)I dose with hypothyroidism (mainly subclinical and antibody-negative) and serum TSH concentration. The excess odds ratio per 1 Gy for hypothyroidism was 0.34 (95% confidence interval: 0.15, 0.62) and varied significantly by age at exposure and at examination, presence of goiter, and urban/ rural residency. We found no evidence of positive associations with antibody-positive hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, AIT, or elevated ATPO. CONCLUSIONS: The association between (131)I dose and hypothyroidism in the Belarusian cohort is consistent with that previously reported for a Ukrainian cohort and strengthens evidence of the effect of environmental (131)I exposure during childhood on hypothyroidism, but not other thyroid outcomes.
  Environmental Health Perspectives 05/2013;
• Article: Burden of Disease from Toxic Waste Sites in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines in 2010.

  Kevin Chatham-Stephens, Jack Caravanos, Bret Ericson, Jennifer Sunga-Amparo, Budi Susilorini, Promila Sharma, Philip J Landrigan, Richard Fuller
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  ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Prior calculations of the burden of disease from toxic exposures have not included estimates of the burden from toxic waste sites due to the absence of exposure data. OBJECTIVE: To develop a Disability Adjusted Life Year (DALY)-based estimate of the disease burden attributable to toxic waste sites. We focused on three low and middle income countries (LMICs) - India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. METHODS: Sites were identified through Blacksmith Institute's Toxic Sites Identification Program, a global effort to identify waste sites in LMICs. At least one of eight toxic chemicals were sampled in environmental media at each site and the population at risk estimated. By combining estimates of disease incidence from these exposures with population data, we calculated the DALYs attributable to exposures at each site. RESULTS: We estimated that in 2010, 8,629,750 individuals were at risk of exposure to industrial pollutants at 373 toxic waste sites in the three countries, and that these exposures resulted in 828,722 DALYs, with a range of 814,934 to 1,557,121 DALYs depending on the weighting factor used. This disease burden is comparable to estimated burdens for outdoor air pollution (1,448,612 DALYs) and malaria (725,000 DALYs) in these countries. Lead and hexavalent chromium collectively accounted for 99.2% of the total DALYs for the chemicals evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: Toxic waste sites are responsible for a significant burden of disease in LMICs. While some factors, such as unidentified and unscreened sites, may cause our estimate to be an underestimate of the actual burden of disease, other factors, such as extrapolation of environmental sampling to the entire exposed population, may overestimate the burden of disease attributable to these sites. Toxic waste sites are a major, and heretofore under-recognized, global health problem.
  Environmental Health Perspectives 05/2013;
• Article: Comparison of Intake and Systemic Relative Effect Potencies of Dioxin-like Compounds in Female Mice after a Single Oral Dose.

  Karin I van Ede, Patrik L Andersson, Konrad P Gaisch, Martin van den Berg, Majorie B van Duursen
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  ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Risk assessment for mixtures of chlorinated dioxins (PCDDs), furans (PCDFs) and biphenyls (PCBs) is performed using the toxic equivalency factor (TEF) approach. These TEF values are mainly derived from relative effect potencies (REPs) linking an administered dose to an in vivo toxic or biologic effect, resulting in 'intake' TEFs. At present, there is insufficient data available to conclude that intake TEFs are also applicable for systemic concentrations e.g. blood and tissues. OBJECTIVE: Compare intake and systemic REPs for 1,2,3,7,8-PeCDD (PeCDD), 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF (4-PeCDF), 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB-126), 2,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB-118) and 2,3,3',4,4',5-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB-156) in female C57Bl/6 mice three days after a single oral dose. METHOD: We calculated intake REPs and systemic REPs based on administered dose, liver, adipose or plasma concentrations relative to TCDD. Hepatic cytochrome P450 1A1 associated ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity and gene expression of Cyp1a1, 1a2 and 1b1 in the liver and peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) were used as biological endpoints. RESULTS: There is up to one order of magnitude difference between intake REPs and systemic REPs. Two different patterns can be discerned. Based on plasma or adipose levels, systemic REPs are higher for PeCDD, 4-PeCDF and PCB-126, and lower for the mono-ortho PCBs 118 and 156 compared to intake REPs. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these mouse data, the comparison between intake REPs and systemic REPs reveals significant congener-specific differences that warrants the development of systemic TEFs to calculate TEQs in blood and body tissues.
  Environmental Health Perspectives 05/2013;
• Article: Temporal Variability of Pesticide Concentrations in Homes and Implications for Attenuation Bias in Epidemiologic Studies

  Nicole C. Deziel, Mary H. Ward, Erin M. Bell, Todd P. Whitehead, Robert B. Gunier, Melissa C. Friesen, John R. Nuckols
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  ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Residential pesticide exposure has been linked to adverse health outcomes in adults and children. High-quality exposure estimates are critical for confirming these associations. Past epidemiologic studies have used one measurement of pesticide concentrations in carpet dust to characterize an individual's average long-term exposure. If concentrations vary over time, this approach could substantially misclassify exposure and attenuate risk estimates. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the repeatability of pesticide concentrations in carpet dust samples and the potential attenuation bias in epidemiologic studies relying on one sample. METHODS: We collected repeated carpet dust samples (median=3; range=1-7) from 21 homes in Fresno County, California from 2003-2005. Dust was analyzed for 13 pesticides using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. We used mixed-effects models to estimate between- and within-home variance. For each pesticide, we computed intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and the estimated attenuation of regression coefficients in a hypothetical case-control study collecting a single dust sample. RESULTS: The median ICC was 0.73 (range=0.37-0.95), demonstrating higher between-home than within-home variability for most pesticides. The expected magnitude of attenuation bias associated with using a single dust sample was estimated to be <30% for 7 of the 13 compounds evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: For several pesticides studied, use of one dust sample to represent an exposure period of ~2 years would not be expected to substantially attenuate odds ratios. Further study is needed to determine if our findings hold for longer exposure periods and for other pesticides.
  Environmental Health Perspectives 05/2013;
• Article: Solid Fuel Use for Household Cooking: Country and Regional Estimates for 1980-2010.

  Sophie Bonjour, Heather Adair-Rohani, Jennyfer Wolf, Nigel G Bruce, Sumi Mehta, Annette Prüss-Ustün, Maureen Lahiff, Eva A Rehfuess, Vinod Mishra, Kirk R Smith
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  ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Exposure to household air pollution resulting from cooking with solid fuels in simple stoves is a major health risk. Modelling reliable estimates of solid fuel use is needed for monitoring trends and informing policy. OBJECTIVES: We estimated annual trends in the population using solid fuels for the revision of the disease burden attributable to household air pollution for the Global Burden of Disease 2010 project, and for international reporting purposes. METHODS: A multilevel model was developed based on national survey data on primary cooking fuel. RESULTS: The proportion of households relying mainly on solid fuels for cooking has decreased from 62% (95% CI: 58, 66) to 41% (95% CI: 37, 44) between 1980 and 2010. Yet due to population growth, the actual number of people exposed has remained stable at around 2.8 billion during three decades. Solid fuel use is most prevalent in Africa and South East Asia where more than 60% of households cook with solid fuels. In other regions, primary solid fuel use ranges from almost 50% in the Western Pacific, to one third in Eastern Mediterranean and less than 20% in the Americas and Europe. CONCLUSION: Multilevel modelling is a suitable technique to derive reliable solid fuel use estimates. Worldwide, the proportion of households cooking mainly with solid fuels is decreasing. The absolute number of people using solid fuels, however, is remaining steady globally and increasing in some regions. Surveys require enhancement to better capture the health implications of new technologies and multiple fuel use.
  Environmental Health Perspectives 05/2013;
• Article: Pathways for processing noise: heart health and the sounds of everyday life.

  Julia R Barrett
  Environmental Health Perspectives 05/2013; 121(5):a167.
• Article: Reverse Influence Modeling: Estimating Source-by-Source Health Benefits of Reduced Emissions.

  Lindsey Konkel
  Environmental Health Perspectives 05/2013; 121(5):a166.
• Article: Pesticide spraying may spread norovirus.

  Carol Potera
  Environmental Health Perspectives 05/2013; 121(5):a148.