Health Effects Of Exposure Research Articles

Early-Life Exposure to Pulsed LTE Radiofrequency Fields Causes Persistent Changes in Activity and Behavior in C57BL/6 J Mice.

Despite much research, gaps remain in knowledge about the potential health effects of exposure to radiofrequency (RF) fields. This study investigated the effects of early‐life exposure to pulsed long term evolution (LTE) 1,846 MHz downlink signals on innate mouse behavior. Animals were exposed for 30 min/day, 5 days/week at a whole‐body average specific energy absorption rate (SAR) of 0.5 or 1 W/kg from late pregnancy (gestation day 13.5) to weaning (postnatal day 21). A behavioral tracking system measured locomotor, drinking, and feeding behavior in the home cage from 12 to 28 weeks of age. The exposure caused significant effects on both appetitive behaviors and activity of offspring that depended on the SAR. Compared with sham‐exposed controls, exposure at 0.5 W/kg significantly decreased drinking frequency (P ≤ 0.000) and significantly decreased distance moved (P ≤ 0.001). In contrast, exposure at 1 W/kg significantly increased drinking frequency (P ≤ 0.001) and significantly increased moving duration (P ≤ 0.005). In the absence of other plausible explanations, it is concluded that repeated exposure to low‐level RF fields in early life may have a persistent and long‐term effect on adult behavior. Bioelectromagnetics. 2019;40:498–511. © 2019 The Authors. Bioelectromagnetics Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Human health effects of traffic-related air pollution (TRAP): a scoping review protocol

BackgroundTraffic-related air pollution (TRAP) is one of the major sources of exposure in urban areas and has been associated with a wide range of adverse human health effects. Much of the Canadian population is regularly exposed to TRAP as a result of daily activities (e.g., commuting) and a significant portion of the population resides in close proximity to major roadways. The objective of this scoping review is to develop an evidence map of the epidemiological literature of the human health effects of exposure to TRAP, to support future reviews and assessments by Health Canada.MethodsLiterature searches will be conducted in Ovid EMBASE and Ovid MEDLINE database. DistillerSR will be used to manage the review process. Two reviewers will independently screen the studies in a two-part process (title and abstract; full text) for eligibility. Epidemiological studies and reviews will be included if they report on the human health effects of exposure to TRAP. Data collection will include study design parameters and human health outcomes evaluated in the study. A descriptive analysis will be used to provide a high-level summary of the number of studies evaluating the different types of health effects and cross-tabulations by study design parameters.DiscussionThe scoping review will be used to identify subject areas for more detailed review and evaluation of the human health effects of TRAP by the Air Health Effects Assessment Division of Health Canada.

Cardio-respiratory health effects of exposure to traffic-related air pollutants while exercising outdoors: A systematic review

Despite physical exercise provides numerous health benefits, outdoor exercisers are frequently exposed to traffic-related air pollutants (TRAP) known to be associated with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the effects of TRAP exposure, specifically particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), during outdoor exercise on cardio-respiratory health effects.Systematic database searches of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and Medline were performed by two researchers to identify peer-reviewed studies from 2000 to 2018. Combinations of keywords related to cardio-respiratory health effects, physical exercise and ambient air pollution were used.Thirteen studies were included, originating predominantly from European countries but also the American. They suggested that exercising in an environment with high TRAP exposure increases markers of respiratory and systemic inflammation, as well as, impairs the vascular function and increases artery pressure, when compared with an environment with low-TRAP exposure. In addition, the smaller particles appear to have the most severe health consequences compared with the larger coarse particles and NO2. This study also provides evidence that specific groups of the population have enhanced susceptibility to adverse effects from particulate matter exposure while exercising. There is a need for more studies focused on the relationship between air pollution, physical exercise and health, as large societal benefits can be obtained from healthy environments that can promote outdoor physical exercise.

Assessing children's exposure to manganese in drinking water using a PBPK model

A previously published human PBPK model for manganese (Mn) in infants and children has been updated with Mn in drinking water as an additional exposure source. Built upon the ability to capture differences in Mn source-specific regulation of intestinal uptake in nursing infants who are breast-fed and formula-fed, the updated model now describes the bioavailability of Mn from drinking water in children of ages 0–18. The age-related features, including the recommended age-specific Mn dietary intake, age-specific water consumption rates, and age-specific homeostasis of Mn, are based on the available human data and knowledge of the biology of essential-metal homeostasis. Model simulations suggest that the impact of adding drinking-water exposure to daily Mn exposure via dietary intake and ambient air inhalation in children is not greater than the impacts in adults, even at a drinking-water concentration that is 2 times higher than the USEPA's lifetime health advisory value. This conclusion was also valid for formula-fed infants who are considered at the highest potential exposure to Mn from drinking water compared to all other age groups. Our multi-route, multi-source Mn PBPK model for infants and children provides insights about the potential for Mn-related health effects on growing children and will thereby improve the level of confidence in properly interpreting Mn exposure-health effects relationships in children in human epidemiological studies.

Mortality and Morbidity in a Population Exposed to Emission from a Municipal Waste Incinerator. A Retrospective Cohort Study.

In the present research, we evaluated the health effects of exposure to the municipal waste incinerator (MWI) in Pisa, Italy, through a population-based cohort design. The individual exposure pattern in the area was estimated through CALPUFF dispersion models of NOχ (developed by Atmospheric Studies Group Earth Tech, Lowell, Massachusetts), used as pollution proxies of the MWI and the relevant industrial plant, and through land-use regression for NOχ due to traffic pollution. Using Cox regression analysis, hazard ratios (HR) were estimated adjusting for exposure to other sources of pollution, age, and socioeconomic deprivation. An adjusted linear trend of HR (HRt) over the categories of exposure, with the relative 95% CI and p-value, was also calculated. Mortality and hospital discharge were studied as impact outcomes. Mortality analysis on males showed increased trends of mortality due to natural causes (HRt p < 0.05), the tumor of the lymphohematopoietic system (HRt p = 0.01), cardiovascular diseases (HRt p < 0.01); in females, increased trends for acute respiratory diseases (HRt p = 0.04). Morbidity analysis showed a HRt for lymphohematopoietic system tumor in males (HRt p = 0.04). Some of the excesses are in agreement with previous evidence on the health effects of MWIs, although the observation in males but not in females, suggests a cautious interpretation. Confounding due to other sources of exposure cannot be ruled out. The evidence was considered important in the decision-making process of the waste cycle.

Culturally adapted mobile technology improves environmental health literacy in Laurentian, Great Lakes Native Americans (Anishinaabeg)

The presence of persistent bioaccumulative toxics (PBT) in aquatic food chains complicates decision processes of people with a strong culture of fish consumption. This environmental contamination is especially problematic for Native American populations in the Laurentian Great Lakes region (Anishinaabeg). Pursuing the growing discipline of environmental health literacy (EHL) may help reduce toxic exposures, support healthy decision-making, and combat health deficits. Our goals for this research were first to improve environmental health literacy using novel technologies and second to help define environmental health literacy metrics that can be tracked over time, especially regarding culturally-contextualized health interests. We recently reported that a mobile app (Gigiigoo'inaan App) presenting personalized, culturally-contextualized fish consumption advice may improve EHL for the Anishinaabeg. Gigiigoo'inaan App safely supports desired fish consumption rates by putting local data into the hands of the Anishinaabeg. We conducted a pre-test post-test evaluation with 103 Aninishinaabe adults. Participants estimated their current fish meal consumption over a hypothetical month before exposure to the software and then planned their future consumption of fish meals in a month after using the mobile app. Significantly more monthly traditional fish meals on average (Median: 4 vs 2, p = 0.0005) were selected when using the app versus pre-exposure to the app. Significantly more traditional grams of fish were also selected during use of the app relative to the pretest (Median: 680.39 g vs 453.59 g, p = 0.0007). These increases were accompanied by widespread (97%) adherence to conventional advice that minimizes PBT exposure health effects (ATSDR minimum risk levels).

The Long-Lasting Influenza: The Impact of Fetal Stress During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic on Socioeconomic Attainment and Health in Sweden, 1968\u20132012

The 1918 influenza pandemic had not only a massive instant death toll but also lasting effects on its survivors. Several studies have shown that children born in 1919, and thus exposed to the H1N1 virus in utero, experienced worse health and socioeconomic outcomes in older ages than surrounding birth cohorts. This study combines several sources of contemporary statistics with full-population individual-level data for Sweden during 1968–2012 to examine the influence of fetal exposure to the Spanish flu on health, adulthood income, and occupational attainment. For both men and women, fetal exposure resulted in higher morbidity in ages 54–87, as measured by hospitalization. For males, exposure during the second trimester also affected mortality in cancer and heart disease. Overall, the effects on all-cause mortality were modest, with about three months shorter remaining life expectancy for the cohorts exposed during the second trimester. For socioeconomic outcomes, results fail to provide consistent evidence supporting any long-term consequences of fetal exposure. We conclude that although the immediate health effects of exposure to the 1918 pandemic were huge, the long-term effects were modest in size.

Urinary Cotinine and Expired CO Concentrations in Women Exposed to Environmental Tobacco Smoke at Home

Introduction: The health effects of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) using cotinine was a nicotine metabolite detected in urine. This should be recommended as a quantitative measurement of nicotine intake and as biomarker for ETS exposure in humans. &#x0D; Method: We performed a cross-sectional study to 60 ETS-exposed and 58 non ETS exposed adult women in Pasar Rebo area, Jakarta. The urinary cotinine concentrations were measured and analyzed using ELISA method, other informations were collected such as expired CO data, questionnaire regarding smoking habits of the subjects’ family members at home and respiratory health effects occured to subjects. &#x0D; Results: Median of urinary cotinine concentrations in ETS-exposed group were 24.65 ng/ml and 7.30 ng/ml in non-exposed group (P=0.0001). Median of expired CO in ETS-exposed group were 5.00 ppm and 3.00 ppm in non-exposed to ETS group (P=0.0001). Total amount of time (hours/day) in women exposed to ETS in their house was significantly correlated to urinary cotinine concentrations (P=0.037). The respiratory symptoms showed significant correlation with ETS exposure status (P=0.01). Time duration of last exposed to ETS had significant correlation with expired CO (P=0.004). The urinary cotinine concentrations cut-off point was 14.4 ng/ml (sensitivity=75%, specificity=74%, P=0.0001). The expired CO cut-off point was 3.5 ppm (sensitivity=75%, specificity=81%, p=0.0001). Strong and significant correlation was found between expired CO and urinary cotinine (r=0.641, P=0.0001).&#x0D; Conclusion: The urinary cotinine and expired CO concentration were significantly higher in women exposed to tobacco smoke at home than the non-exposed group. Urinary cotinine measurement was a sensitive, non-invasive and effective method to correlate with ETS exposure. (J Respir Indo. 2019; 39(3):140-53)

Health effects of exposure to diesel exhaust in diesel-powered trains

BackgroundShort-term controlled exposure to diesel exhaust (DE) in chamber studies have shown mixed results on lung and systemic effects. There is a paucity of studies on well-characterized real-life DE exposure in humans. In the present study, 29 healthy volunteers were exposed to DE while sitting as passengers in diesel-powered trains. Exposure in electric trains was used as control scenario. Each train scenario consisted of three consecutive days (6 h/day) ending with biomarker samplings.ResultsCombustion-derived air pollutants were considerably higher in the passenger carriages of diesel trains compared with electric trains. The concentrations of black carbon and ultrafine particles were 8.5 μg/m3 and 1.2–1.8 × 105 particles/cm3 higher, respectively, in diesel as compared to electric trains. Net increases of NOx and NO2 concentrations were 317 μg/m3 and 36 μg/m3. Exposure to DE was associated with reduced lung function and increased levels of DNA strand breaks in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), whereas there were unaltered levels of oxidatively damaged DNA, soluble cell adhesion molecules, acute phase proteins in blood and urinary excretion of metabolites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Also the microvascular function was unaltered. An increase in the low frequency of heart rate variability measures was observed, whereas time-domain measures were unaltered.ConclusionExposure to DE inside diesel-powered trains for 3 days was associated with reduced lung function and systemic effects in terms of altered heart rate variability and increased levels of DNA strand breaks in PBMCs compared with electric trains.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.Gov (NCT03104387). Registered on March 23rd 2017

Nonstationary spatiotemporal Bayesian data fusion for pollutants in the near‐road environment

AbstractConcentrations of near‐road air pollutants (NRAPs) have increased to very high levels in many urban centers around the world, particularly in developing countries. The adverse health effects of exposure to NRAPs are greater when the exposure occurs in the near‐road environment as compared to background levels of pollutant concentration. Therefore, there is increasing interest in monitoring pollutant concentrations in the near‐road environment. However, due to various practical limitations, monitoring pollutant concentrations near roadways and traffic sources is generally rather difficult and expensive. As an alternative, various deterministic computer models that provide predictions of pollutant concentrations in the near‐road environment, such as the research line‐source dispersion model (RLINE), have been developed. A common feature of these models is that their outputs typically display systematic biases and need to be calibrated in space and time using observed pollutant data. In this paper, we present a nonstationary Bayesian data fusion model that uses a novel data set on monitored pollutant concentrations (nitrogen oxides or NOx and fine particulate matter or PM2.5) in the near‐road environment and, combining it with the RLINE model output, provides predictions at unsampled locations. The model can also be used to evaluate whether including the RLINE model output leads to improved pollutant concentration predictions and whether the RLINE model output captures the spatial dependence structure of NRAP concentrations in the near‐road environment. A defining characteristic of the proposed model is that we model the nonstationarity in the pollutant concentrations by using a recently developed approach that includes covariates, postulated to be the driving force behind the nonstationary behavior, in the covariance function.

Effect of ionizing radiation towards human health: A review

This paper reviews the properties, process and effect of ionizing radiation towards human health. The fetus and human embryo are much sensitive to ionizing radiation. The health consequences of exposure can be vary even at low radiation and as a result it will affect the mother. Such consequences can include cancer, malformations, growth retardation and impaired brain function. There are two types of biological effects which is deterministic and stochastic effect. Biological effect of radiation results from both direct and indirect action of radiation. Radiation exposure may be external or internal and can be acquired through various exposure pathways. Different organs have different sensitivity to ionizing radiation. Ionizing radiation is a radiation that carries enough energy to liberate electrons from atoms or molecules, thereby ionizing them. Ionizing radiation is made up of energetic subatomic particles, ions or atoms moving at high speeds such as alpha, beta, gamma, neutron particles and X-rays. The spontaneous disintegration of atoms is known as radioactivity and the excess energy emitted is a form of ionizing radiation. As the use of ionizing radiation increases, so does the potential for health hazards.

Effect of ionizing radiation on the male reproductive system.

In the light of current data concerning the growing exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) originating from atrificial sources, especially from medical ones, and also related to occupational exposure, it is justifiable to systematize the state of knowledge concerning the effect of IR on the male reproductive system. There is no basis for the application of the hypothesis of hormesis in the area of male reproductive health. Regarding the impact of IR on spermatogenesis, spermatogonia are less susceptible to the occurrence of DNA damage after exposition to IR, but are characterized by slower DNA repair compared to somatic cells. Damage to the genes after exposure to IR is possible at each stage of spermatogenesis; however, haploidal spermatids show the highest radiosensitivity in this respect. The genetic risk of the cells differentiating during spermatogenesis is limited to one cycle of spermatogenesis, whereas the genetic instability may persist for the whole period of life, and DNA damage induced by IR may be transmitted to future generations. The minimum dose causing detectable DNA damage was 30 Gy. While exceeding this dose, the number of single-strand DNA breaks increases. Among males exposed to IR, a decrease was observed in sperm motility and in the percentage of morphologically normal spermatozoa as well as in an intensification of vacuolization. The genetic material in the sperm of these males showed higher fragmentation and methylation of genomic DNA. In the context of the epidemiological situation concerning the prevalence of infertility, while assessing the health effects of exposure to IR from artificial, including medical sources, the reproductive risk should be considered.

A Glance at the Errors of Some Studies on the Health Effects of High Background Natural Radiation Areas

There is no place on the Earth, the planet we live on, where the natural background radiation level is zero. Since the birth and even in our fetal stage, we have been exposed to different sources of natural radiation. Life, in fact, evolved in a radiation environment that was much more harsh than today. Earth serves as a source of terrestrial radiation. Uranium, thorium, and radium are among the radioactive materials that naturally exist in soil and rock. Moreover, the air, we breathe, contains radon, a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas that is created naturally by the radioactive decay of uranium and radium. The crucial importance of the studies on the health effects of living in areas with high levels of background radiation for understanding the biological impact of exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation is well documented. Despite the undeniable need for accurate information about the health effects of exposure to high levels of background radiation, many published papers suffer from methodological and other common types of errors. In this paper, we review three articles published on high background radiation areas. The first paper has addressed the frequencies of unstable (dicentrics& rings), stable (translocations & inversions), and other types of chromosome aberration in adult men from both high background radiation areas of Kerala and areas with normal background radiation. The second paper has addressed different aspects of the world’s high background natural radiation areas. Finally, the third paper has tried to address the role of background radiation on males to females’ ratio at birth. The author has mainly referred to the studies performed on the impact of radiation exposures from nuclear testing (worldwide) and Chernobyl fallout (in Europe).The major shortcomings of these three papers, especially methodological errors, which affected the accuracy of their findings and conclusions are discussed.

The Health Impacts of Toxic Remnants of War on Civilian Populations: A Scoping Review

Introduction:An estimated two billion people are currently affected by war, with civilian populations increasingly exposed to the hazards of armed conflict. While the effect of explosive remnants of conflict is well documented, the impacts of the toxic remnants of war on civilian health are less well understood.Methods:This study was a scoping review examining the human health impacts of exposure to toxic remnants of war. Toxic remnants of war refer to any toxic or radiological substances arising from military activities. In this study, however, the focus was limited to the health effects of exposure to toxic substances and explosive by-products from munitions fired, dropped, or abandoned during conflict. The following databases were searched: Embase PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used to assess the methodological quality of studies that met the inclusion criteria.Results:Common toxicants reported on were Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin TCDD, white phosphorus, depleted uranium, lead, mercury, and sulfur mustard. Common health effects included respiratory diseases as well as cutaneous, cardiovascular, reproductive, and congenital effects. Posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, cognitive impairments, and decreased quality of life were also commonly reported. The evidence base, however, is mixed with heterogeneity in study design and outcome measures. Lack of baseline data and inadequate exposure models make establishing an adverse causal relationship between an agent and a disease challenging.Discussion:Civilian exposures to toxic remnants of conflict remain understudied and under-addressed. The study suggests assessment of the human health impacts of toxicants should be part of a post-conflict response, especially given the potential long-term intergenerational effects. The current lack of recognition of the human health impacts of toxic remnants of conflict also limits the amount of global resources assigned to post-conflict decontamination.

Direct and indirect effects of exposure to 900 MHz GSM radiofrequency electromagnetic fields on CHO cell line: Evidence of bystander effect by non-ionizing radiation

IntroductionThe rapid rise in global concerns about the adverse health effects of exposure to radiofrequency radiation (RFR) generated by common devices such as mobile phones has prompted scientists to further investigate the biological effects of these environmental exposures. Non-targeted effects (NTEs) are responses which do not need a direct exposure to be expressed and are particularly significant at low energy radiations. Although NTEs of ionizing radiation are well documented, there are scarcely any studies on non-targeted responses such as bystander effect (BE) after exposure to non-ionizing radiation. The main goal of this research is to study possible RFR-induced BE. Material and methodsChinese hamster ovary cells were exposed to 900 MHz GSM RFR at an average specific absorption rate (SAR) of 2 W/kg for 4, 12 and 24 hours (h). To generate a uniformly distributed electromagnetic field and avoid extraneous RF exposures a cavity was desined and used. Cell membrane permeability, cell redox activity, metabolic and mitotic cell death and DNA damages were analyzed. Then the most effective exposure durations and statistically significant altered parameters were chosen to assess the induction of BE through medium transfer procedure. Furthermore, intra and extra cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels were measured to assess the molecular mechanism of BE induced by non-ionizing radiation. ResultsNo statistically significant alteration was found in cell membrane permeability, cell redox activity, metabolic cell activity and micronuclei (MN) frequency in the cells directly exposed to RFR for 4, 12, or 24 h. However, RFR exposure for 24 h caused a statistically significant decrease in clonogenic ability as well as a statistically significant increase in olive moment in both directly exposed and bystander cells which received media from RFR-exposed cells (conditioned culture medium; CCM). Exposure to RFR also statistically significant elevated both intra and extra cellular levels of ROS. ConclusionOur observation clearly indicated the induction of BE in cells treated with CCM. To our knowledge, this is the first report that a non-ionizing radiation (900 MHz GSM RFR) can induce bystander effect. As reported for ionizing radiation, our results proposed that ROS can be a potential molecule in indirect effect of RFR. On the other hand, we found the importance of ROS in direct effect of RFR but in different ways.

Temporal variations of atmospheric benzene and its health effects in Tehran megacity (2010-2013).

The main aims of the present research were (1) investigation of the temporal trends of atmospheric benzene concentrations in Tehran city during the period 2010 to 2013 and (2) assessment of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks of inhalation exposure to benzene. For the first objective, the data of ambient air benzene concentrations were derived from 15 air quality monitoring stations (AQMSs) in Tehran during the years 2010 to 2013 and they were temporally investigated after data cleaning and missing data imputation. The excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) and hazard quotient (HQ) were estimated to reveal the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health effects of exposure to ambient benzene. Our findings indicated that over 2010-2013, annual mean concentrations of benzene were in the range of 1.84 to 2.57 μg m-3, and the highest annual mean concentration was observed in 2011 with a mean of 2.57 μg m-3. The four-year average concentration of benzene during the period from 2010 to 2013 was 2.14 μg m-3. Furthermore, the HQ for inhalation exposure to ambient benzene was lower than the acceptable risk level (HQ < 1) over the study time period which indicated that the non-carcinogenic effects are very unlikely to happen. In addition, health risk assessment for ELCR showed that the potential cancer risk for inhalation exposure to benzene was 1.67 × 10-5 over the study period, which is significantly higher than the limits recommended by the U.S. EPA (1 × 10-6). Our study clearly proves that the ambient benzene concentration in Tehran has substantially higher carcinogenic effects on the population. Appropriate sustainable control measures should be taken to reduce air benzene concentration and protect public health.

Air pollution during New Year\u2019s fireworks and daily mortality in the Netherlands

Short-term exposure to air pollution has been associated with cardiovascular and respiratory mortality and morbidity. Little is known about associations between air pollution caused by firework events and daily mortality. We investigated whether particulate matter from fireworks during New Year’s celebrations was associated with daily mortality. We analyzed the celebrations of the years 1995–2012. PM10 concentrations increased dramatically during the firework events. Countrywide, the daily average PM10 concentrations from 27–30 December was 29 μg/m3 and increased during the first hour of the New Year by 277 μg/m3. In the more densely populated areas of the Netherlands the increase was even steeper, 598 μg/m3 in the first hour of the New Year. No consistent associations were found using linear regression models between PM10 concentrations during the first six hours of 1 January and daily mortality in the general population. Yet, using a case-crossover analysis firework-days and PM10 concentrations were associated with daily mortality. Therefore, in light of the contradictory results obtained with the different statistical analyses, we recommend further epidemiological research on the health effects of exposure to firework emissions.

Environmental Health Sciences in a Translational Research Framework: More than Benches and Bedsides.

Background:Environmental health scientists may find it challenging to fit the structure of the questions addressed in their discipline into the prevailing paradigm for translational research.Objective:We aim to frame the translational science paradigm to address the stages of scientific discovery, knowledge acquisition, policy development, and evaluation in a manner relevant to the environmental health sciences. Our intention is to characterize differences between environmental health sciences and clinical medicine, and to orient this effort towards public health goals.Discussion:Translational research is usually understood to have evolved from the bench-to-bedside framework by which basic science transitions to clinical treatment. Although many health-related fields have incorporated the terminology and context of translational science, environmental health research has not always found a clear fit into this paradigm. We describe a translational research framework applicable to environmental health sciences that retains the basic structure that underlies the original bench-to-bedside paradigm. We propose that scientific discovery (T1) in environmental health research frequently occurs through epidemiological or clinical observations. This discovery often involves understanding the potential for human health effects of exposure to a given environmental chemical or chemicals. The practical applications of this discovery evolve through an understanding of exposure–response relationships (T2) and identification of potential interventions to reduce exposure and improve health (T3). These stages of translation require an interdisciplinary partnership between exposure sciences, exposure biology, toxicology, epidemiology, biostatistics, risk assessment, and clinical sciences. Implementation science then plays a crucial role in the development of environmental and public health practice and policy interventions (T4). Outcome evaluation (T5) often takes the form of accountability research, as environmental health scientists work to quantify the costs and benefits of these interventions.Conclusion:We propose an easily visualized framework for translation of environmental health science knowledge–from discovery to public health practice–that reflects the crucial interactions between multiple disciplines in our field. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP4067

Risk assessment in academic laboratories in the west of Iran: compare the CHRA and the RSLs methods

ABSTRACTIn the laboratories staffs, there is potential for adverse health effects in exposure to chemicals. Therefore, risk assessment is one of the main issues to prevent these effects. The purpose of this study was to assess the health risk of laboratory staffs and compare the two methods, including ‘Chemical Health Risk Assessment’ (CHRA) and ‘Regional Screening Levels’ (RSLs), that developed by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health of Malaysia and the Environmental Protection Agency respectively. Using these two methods, the places with the highest risk were identified. Comparisons showed that RSLs is a precise method without personal judgment. The CHRA is a simple method for wider chemicals that categorize risk. But CHRA includes fewer parameters compared to RSLs, as well as personal judgment. The results of the present study showed that two methods did not compatible. According to the characteristics of these two methods, it is recommended to use them as a compliment each other to obtain accurate results.

The role of physics in radioecology and radiotoxicology.

This article gives an overview of physical concepts important for radioecology and radiotoxicology to help bridge a gap between non-physicists in these scientific disciplines and the intricate language of physics. Relying on description and only as much mathematics as necessary, we discuss concepts ranging from fundamental natural forces to applications of physical modelling in phenomenological studies. We first explain why some atomic nuclei are unstable and therefore transmute. Then we address interactions of ionising radiation with matter, which is the foundation of both radioecology and radiotoxicology. We continue with relevant naturally occurring and anthropogenic radionuclides and their properties, abundance in the environment, and toxicity for the humans and biota. Every radioecological or radiotoxicological assessment should take into account combined effects of the biological and physical half-lives of a radionuclide. We also outline the basic principles of physical modelling commonly used to study health effects of exposure to ionising radiation, as it is applicable to every source of radiation but what changes are statistical weighting factors, which depend on the type of radiation and exposed tissue. Typical exposure doses for stochastic and deterministic health effects are discussed, as well as controversies related to the linear no-threshold hypothesis at very low doses.