Human Adverse Health Effects Research Articles

Long-term simulation of lead concentrations in agricultural soils in relation to human adverse health effects

Lead (Pb) exposure of consumers and the environment has been reduced over the past decades. Despite all measures taken, immission of Pb onto agricultural soils still occurs, with fertilizer application, lead shot from hunting activities, and Pb from air deposition representing major sources. Little is known about the intermediate and long-term consequences of these emissions. To gain more insight, we established a mathematical model that considers input from fertilizer, ammunition, deposition from air, uptake of Pb by crops, and wash-out to simulate the resulting Pb concentrations in soil over extended periods. In a further step, human oral exposure by crop-based food was simulated and blood concentrations were derived to estimate the margin of exposure to Pb-induced toxic effects. Simulating current farming scenarios, a new equilibrium concentration of Pb in soil would be established after several centuries. Developmental neurotoxicity represents the most critical toxicological effect of Pb for humans. According to our model, a Pb concentration of ~ 5 mg/kg in agricultural soil leads to an intake of approximately 10 µg Pb per person per day by the consumption of agricultural products, the dose corresponding to the tolerable daily intake (TDI). Therefore, 5 mg Pb/kg represents a critical concentration in soil that should not be exceeded. Starting with a soil concentration of 0.1 mg/kg, the current control level for crop fields, our simulation predicts periods of ~ 50 and ~ 175 years for two Pb immission scenarios for mass of Pb per area and year [scenario 1: ~ 400 g Pb/(ha × a); scenario 2: ~ 175 g Pb/(ha × a)], until the critical concentration of ~ 5 mg/kg Pb in soil would be reached. The two scenarios, which differ in their Pb input via fertilizer, represent relatively high but not unrealistic Pb immissions. From these scenarios, we calculated that the annual deposition of Pb onto soil should remain below ~ 100 g/(ha × a) in order not to exceed the critical soil level of 5 mg/kg. We propose as efficient measures to reduce Pb input into agricultural soil to lower the Pb content of compost and to use alternatives to Pb ammunition for hunting.

Validation of urinary sphingolipid metabolites as biomarker of effect for fumonisins exposure in Kenyan children

Context: Fumonisins (FNs), a group of mycotoxins produced mainly by Fusarium species, are ubiquitous food contaminants, especially for maize. Fumonisin B1 (FB1) caused severe toxicities in farm animals, induced kidney and liver tumours in rodents and is associated with many human adverse health effects, including oesophageal cancer. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) categorizes FB1 as a possible human carcinogen (Group 2B). Inhibition of ceramide synthesis and disruption of sphingolipids metabolism are well studied as the major mechanisms of FB1-induced toxicity. Increases in sphinganine (Sa) and decrease in sphingosine (So) levels and their ratio are validated biomarkers of FB1 effects.Methods: In this study, we measured urinary levels of Sa, So and Sa/So in 284 children aged 1–14 years who consume maize as a staple diet. Exfoliated cells from urine were processed and sphingolipids quantified by High Pressure Liquid Chromatography.Results and conclusions: Sa and So were detectable in 95.07% and 98.94% of samples, respectively. Creatinine adjusted mean levels and standard deviation of Sa, So and Sa/So ratio were 1.23 ± 2.18, 4.99 ± 8.3 and 0.296 ± 0.587 nM. These results further confirmed the findings in studies with human adults, i.e. urinary Sa, So levels and Sa/So ratio are good biomarkers to assess FNs exposure in children.

Monitoring and Risk Assessment of Selected Pesticide Congeners (PCBs) in Nile River Waters, Egypt

Discharging of higher levels of persistent organic pollutant (POPs) including PCBs to the Nile River waters poses a great environmental impact and human hazardous risk. Therefore, we carried out this study to assess the concentration levels of selected PCB congeners and evaluate their health risk at three different areas along Nile River from South to North of Egypt. Collected samples were extracted and analyzed using (GC-Ms, Agilent). The detected total average concentration levels of selected ten PCB congeners along the three sampling sites Beni-suef (S1), Greater Cairo S2) and Banha (S3) were ranged from 3.89 to 25.5 with an average of 16.51 𝜇g/L, 5.51 to 33.61 with an average of 20.75 𝜇g/L and from 6.14 to with an average of 27.01 𝜇g/L at S1, S2 and S3, respectively. These concentrations were above the acceptable permissible limit set by USEPA for PCBs in drinking water (0.5 𝜇g/L), indicating an important PCB pollution problem in the Nile River water and high possibility of human adverse health effects. Therefore, counter measures and laws enforcement should be applied to minimize the risk of PCBs in the Egyptian environment.

Indoor air quality in urban office buildings

Several epidemiological studies have shown a relation between exposure to air pollutants and human adverse health effects. Consequently, the quality of air inside homes, offices, schools and other private and public buildings is an essential determinant for health and well-being, considering that people spend the majority of their time indoors. Over the last 30 years, numerous studies indicated that there are some common health symptoms associated with office workers, which are less apparent when they leave the building. The present study was conducted in order to evaluate the indoor air quality (IAQ) in office buildings. The indoor pollutants carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter < 10 µm (PM10), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde (H2CO), ozone (O3), fungi and bacteria were assessed in seven offices located in an urban environment, as well as temperature, relative humidity and air velocity. Results showed that all the measured pollutants, with the exception of CO, exceeded the guidelines.

Indoor air quality in urban office buildings

Several epidemiological studies have shown a relation between exposure to air pollutants and human adverse health effects. Consequently, the quality of air inside homes, offices, schools and other private and public buildings is an essential determinant for health and well-being, considering that people spend the majority of their time indoors. Over the last 30 years, numerous studies indicated that there are some common health symptoms associated with office workers, which are less apparent when they leave the building. The present study was conducted in order to evaluate the indoor air quality (IAQ) in office buildings. The indoor pollutants carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter < 10 µm (PM10), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), formaldehyde (H2CO), ozone (O3), fungi and bacteria were assessed in seven offices located in an urban environment, as well as temperature, relative humidity and air velocity. Results showed that all the measured pollutants, with the exception of CO, exceeded the guidelines.

Longitudinal evaluation of aflatoxin exposure in two cohorts in south-western Uganda

Aflatoxins (AF) are a group of mycotoxins. AF exposure causes acute and chronic adverse health effects such as aflatoxicosis and hepatocellular carcinoma in human populations, especially in the developing world. In this study, AF exposure was evaluated using archived serum samples from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seronegative participants from two cohort studies in south-western Uganda. AFB1–lysine (AFB-Lys) adduct levels were determined via HPLC fluorescence in a total of 713 serum samples from the General Population Cohort (GPC), covering eight time periods between 1989 and 2010. Overall, 90% (642/713) of the samples were positive for AFB-Lys and the median level was 1.58 pg mg−1 albumin (range = 0.40–168 pg mg−1 albumin). AFB-Lys adduct levels were also measured in a total of 374 serum samples from the Rakai Community Cohort Study (RCCS), across four time periods between 1999 and 2003. The averaged detection rate was 92.5% (346/374) and the median level was 1.18 pg mg−1 albumin (range = 0.40–122.5 pg mg−1 albumin). In the GPC study there were no statistically significant differences between demographic parameters, such as age, sex and level of education, and levels of serum AFB-Lys adduct. In the RCCS study, longitudinal analysis using generalised estimating equations revealed significant differences between the adduct levels and residential areas (p = 0.05) and occupations (p = 0.02). This study indicates that AF exposure in people in two populations in south-western Uganda is persistent and has not significantly changed over time. Data from one study, but not the other, indicated that agriculture workers and rural area residents had more AF exposure than those non-agricultural workers and non-rural area residents. These results suggest the need for further study of AF-induced human adverse health effects, especially the predominant diseases in the region.

Temporal–spatial variations of the physicochemical characteristics of air pollution Particulate Matter (PM2.5–0.3) and toxicological effects in human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B)

While the evidence for the health adverse effects of air pollution Particulate Matter (PM) has been growing, there is still uncertainty as to which constituents within PM are most harmful. Hence, to contribute to fulfill this gap of knowledge, some physicochemical characteristics and toxicological endpoints (i.e. cytotoxicity, oxidative damage, cytokine secretion) of PM2.5–0.3 samples produced during two different seasons (i.e. spring/summer or autumn/winter) in three different surroundings (i.e. rural, urban, or industrial) were studied, thereby expecting to differentiate their respective adverse effects in human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B). Physicochemical characteristics were closely related to respective origins and seasons of the six PM2.5–0.3 samples, highlighting the respective contributions of industrial and heavy motor vehicle traffic sources. Space- and season-dependent differences in cytotoxicity of the six PM2.5–0.3 samples could only be supported by considering both the physicochemical properties and the variance in air PM concentrations. Whatever spaces and seasons, dose- and even time-dependent increases in oxidative damage and cytokine secretion were reported in PM2.5–0.3-exposed BEAS-2B cells. However, the relationship between the chemical composition of each of the six PM2.5–0.3 samples and their oxidative or inflammatory potentials seemed to be very complex. These results supported the role of inorganic, ionic and organic components as exogenous source of Reactive Oxygen Species and, thereafter, cytokine secretion. Nevertheless, one of the most striking observation was that some inorganic, ionic and organic chemical components were preferentially associated with early oxidative events whereas others in the later oxidative damage and/or cytokine secretion. Taken together, these results indicated that PM mass concentration alone might not be able to explain the health outcomes, because PM is chemically nonspecific, and supported growing evidence that PM-size, composition and emission source, together with sampling season, interact in a complex manner to produce PM2.5–0.3-induced human adverse health effects.

Towards the Quantification of Health Impacts Caused by Drinking-water Pollution in European Countries

P-564 Introduction: CEHAPE – Children's Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe provided a framework to define priority actions to reduce the adverse environmental impacts on children. Water is the first of the CEHAPE Regional Priority Goals. In this context, the project “Implementing Environment and Health Information System in Europe” (ENHIS) investigated the potential for assessing the health impacts of drinking-water pollution (DWP) using both the Health Risk Assessment (HRA) and the Environmental Burden of Disease (EBD) approaches, as an alternative to Health Impact Assessment (HIA). A case study producing estimates for HRA and EBD due to arsenic in drinking water (DW) was carried out in Puy de Dôme (France). Methods: Carcinogenic (skin cancer) and non-carcinogenic (skin diseases and vascular complications) health effects from As oral exposure were estimated using HRA methodology. Information on exposure characteristics of the population (93 194 inhabitants) were provided by the French Ministry of Health. Reference doses and cancer potency slope factors were obtained from EPA's Integrated Risk Information System. Regarding EBD method, the Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) were calculated using the duration of disease and severity weight provided by the Global Burden of Disease study. Different scenarios were considered on the basis of exposure patterns: normal (mean) and extreme (P95) daily DW intake rate (IR). Results: Among others, the results for HRA showed that, for lifetime oral exposure to arsenic under normal IR exposure patterns (general population, 0.6 L/day; children, 0.38 L/day) and As mean concentration of 14.6 μg/L, there would be an increase of 9.2 skin cancers per 100 000 in the exposed general population of Puy de Dôme over 70 years (3.3 per 100 000 in children). The impacts were higher in children than in older age groups for non-carcinogenic health outcomes. Under the normal IR scenario, the disease burden in general population for the estimated skin-cancer cases was 495 DALYS per 100 000 for mortality. Discussion and Conclusions: Special attention should be paid to the substantial impact of DWP on children's health. In case of non-feasible HIA, HRA and EBD seem to be a useful tool for quantifying the human adverse health effects due to DWP and in predicting the health impact of policies. Alban Robin, Charles Saout, Ministry of Health, Paris, and Henri Davezac, Regional Health Services, Toulouse, France. All ENHIS project partners. The ENHIS programme is supported by the European Commission DG SANCO (Grant: SPC 2003112).

Tests for Biologic Markers of Genotoxic Exposure and Effect

Markers of genetic damage are being used increasingly to under- stand and prevent environmentally related human adverse health effects. A major example has been the application of such markers to the prediction of chemical carcinogenicity. Over the past 15 years, hundreds of test systems in microorganisms, cell cultures and animals were devised and applied to this end. In spite of early successes, recent results show a discouragingly low, 60% agreement between the genetic tests and conventional, whole animal, long-term carcinogenicity assays. Corresponding efforts to predict the heritable mutagenicity of chemicals using genetic tests that do not involve heritability have given similar results. New technologic developments for the first time are letting us make such genotoxicity measurements directly in human subjects. Examples include detection of DNA adducts, measurement of somatic mutations and improved cytogenetic methods. There is also the possibility of soon finding sufficiently sensitive methods to estimate heritable mutagenicity as a predictor of damage to future generations. These biologic markers of genotoxicity are useful for estimating human exposure and effect, for identifying toxic environments, for monitoring cancer chemotherapy and for identifying susceptible populations. They offer a major new challenge to epidemiology and public health.