Non-cancer Effects Research Articles

Mechanisms of Cardiovascular Toxicity of BCR-ABL1 Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia.

Oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors have revolutionized the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia, with many patients achieving major clinical and molecular responses without complications. While typically well-tolerated, clinical experience with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (particularly those of the second and third generations) has highlighted unanticipated associations with serious non-cancer adverse effects on various organs, particularly the cardiovascular system. Herein, we review the current literature surrounding the major cardiovascular toxicities of BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors in chronic myelogenous leukemia, discuss potential mechanisms underpinning their development, and suggest future research directions to uncover novel ways to reduce cardiovascular events in patients treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. As a whole, while cardiovascular toxicities are well-documented, the mechanistic basis of these clinical observations remains poorly defined. In turn, to provide safe and effective treatment to all patients, it is necessary to close the knowledge gap regarding mechanisms that drive toxicity and elucidate the complex interactions that predispose specific individuals to these toxicities.

Human risk assessment of multiple chemicals using component‐based approaches: A horizontal perspective

This technical report implements the EFSA MIXTOX guidance document for human risk assessment of combined exposure to multiple chemicals(i.e.regulated compounds and contaminants)using component-based approaches.Alow tier risk assessment methodologyfor regulated compounds and contaminants with non-cancer effects, is describedusing available harmonised methods, tools and data sources. For exposure assessment, exposure metrics can be collected or calculated from previous EFSA opinions or monitoring data from available tools(e.g. EFSA pesticide residue information, occurrence data from Member States, EFSA comprehensive consumption database, JECFA and JMPR monographs etc..). Harmonisation of the reporting of exposure metricsis proposed using the upper bound and the lower bound of the 95th centiles.For hazard assessment,it is assumed that for all compounds reference values as health-based guidance values (HBGV)are available and represent conservative estimates for regulated products and contaminants with non-cancer effects.The OpenFoodTox database is proposed as a simple open source tool which provides HBGVsfor acuteand chronic effects asacute reference dose(AfRD) and the acceptable or tolerable daily intake(ADI, TDI) respectively. For risk characterisation, the Hazard Index (HI) is applied as a low tier harmonised approach using the dose addition default assumption for combined toxicity.HIs are derived as the sum of the ratios between hazard and exposure metrics. EFSA's MIXTOX reporting table summarising the findings of the risk assessment is provided. For non-cancer effects, HIswith values below 1 are interpreted as of low concern whereas HIsabove1 suggest either the need to refine the risk assessment or a risk management consideration.options for refining the approaches include exposure-criteria,risk-criteria and grouping based on specific toxicological effects as well as the use of toxicokinetic data and physiologically-based kinetic models.

Carcinogenic risk from exposure to PM2.5 bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in rural settings.

In the study, first-time personal exposure level of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was measured during cooking hours in participants of three different types of kitchen both in the particulate and gaseous phase using traditional and improved cookstoves. Along with that, indoor particulate matter (PM) concentration was also estimated during the cooking hours to examine the impact of intervention in different kitchens. The results of the study clearly revealed that the kitchen characteristics and type of cookstove technology have a significant impact on PM2.5, PM1 and PAHs concentration. Cookstoves intervention has resulted in maximum reduction of PM1 i.e. 75% in an enclosed kitchen followed by semi-enclosed and open kitchen having 71% and 52%, respectively. In addition, correlation analysis of PM2.5 and PM1 with PAHs showed a strong association (r2=0.9), showing the affinity of PAHs to bind to fine range of particles. Health risk assessment was also carried out to assess the PM daily dose and carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk due to inhalation of PAHs. The study confirmed the personal concentration of PAHs compounds was significantly high (p<0.05) during use of traditional cookstove compared to improved cookstove among all the three kitchens. Furthermore, to measure the toxicity levels, PAHs concentrations have been converted to benzo[a]pyrene equivalence for calculating cancer and non-cancer effects using toxicity equivalency factors. The overall lifetime carcinogenic risk was the highest 2.5E-03, 6.4E-04 among women who prepared meals in the enclosed kitchen compared to 8.4E-04, 1.3E-04 in semi-enclosed and 2.2E-04, 4.6E-05 in the open kitchen during use of traditional and improved cookstoves, respectively, which exceeded the US EPA standard i.e. 1×10-6. The study underlined the importance of personal monitoring for exposure, and risks-based studies along with the time-activity of user to measure the actual inhalation risk for the participants. These findings indicated that women are exposed to hazardous smoke in the indoor kitchen and are at greater risk of developing cancer, especially in rural areas.

Hazardous volatile organic compounds in ambient air of China.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are ubiquitous in the atmosphere and the majority of them have been proved to be detrimental to human health. The hazardous VOCs were studied very insufficiently in China, despite the enormous emissions of VOCs. In this study, the concentrations and sources of 17 hazardous VOCs reported in literature were reviewed, based on which the health effects were assessed. In-depth survey indicated that benzene and toluene had the highest concentrations in eastern China (confined to the study regions reviewed, same for the other geographic generalization), which however showed significant declines. The southern China featured high levels of trichloroethylene. Dichloromethane and chloroform were observed to be concentrated in northern China. The distributions of 1,2-dichloropropane and tetrachloroethylene were homogeneous across the country. Basically consistent with the spatial patterns of ozone, the summertime formaldehyde exhibited higher levels in eastern and northern China, and increased continuously. While transportation served as the largest source of benzene and toluene, industrial emissions and secondary formation were the predominant contributors of halogenated hydrocarbons and aldehydes (formaldehyde and acetaldehyde), respectively. The chronic non-cancer effects of inhalation exposure to the hazardous VOCs were insignificant, however the probabilities of developing cancers by inhaling the hazardous VOCs in ambient air of China were quite high. Formaldehyde was identified as the primary carcinogenic VOC in the atmosphere of most regions. The striking results, especially the high inhalation cancer risks, alerted us that the emission controls of hazardous VOCs were urgent in China, which must be grounded upon full understanding of their occurrence, presence and health effects.

Risk Assessment and Implications of Schoolchildren Exposure to Classroom Heavy Metals Particles in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Classrooms Air Conditioner Filter (CACF) particles represent all of the exposed particles that have migrated to the interior environment. This study was conducted to assess the heavy metals contamination in CACF particles from Jeddah primary schools located in urban, suburban and residential areas; and to evaluate their health risks of children exposure (non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic). Heavy metals levels in CACF particles of schools were in the following order: urban schools > suburban schools > residential schools. Fe, Mn and Zn were the dominant species. Geo-accumulation index (Igeo), contamination factor (CF) and pollution load index (PLI) values indicated that the contamination levels was in the following order Cd > Pb > Zn > As > Cu > Ni > Mn > Cr > Co >V > Fe. School CACF particles was moderately contaminated with As and Zn and moderately to heavily contaminated with Pb and Cd. Enrichment factors (EFs) indicated that Zn, Cd, Pb, As and Cu in CACF particles were severe enriched. The hazard quotient (HQs) and hazards index (HI) values for heavy metals were lower than the acceptable level of one. As, Pb, Cr and Mn were exhibited high non-cancer effects for children. The lifetime cancer risk (LCR) and total lifetime cancer risk (TLCR), HQs and HI values for the different exposure pathways of heavy metals decreased in the following order: ingestion > dermal contact > inhalation. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk rank order of schools were urban schools > suburban schools > residential schools. The LCR and TLCR of heavy metals was in the following order: Co > Ni >Cr > Cd > As > Pb. The ingestion lifetime cancer risk (LCRing) and TLCR values from exposure to Ni and Cr in urban and suburban schools, Cd in urban schools, and Co in all Jeddah schools only exceed the acceptable range (1 × 10−6–1 × 10−4) Only LCRing and TLCR values from exposure to ∑ carcinogens exceed the acceptable level.

Human health risks due to airborne polychlorinated biphenyls are highest in New Bedford Harbor communities living closest to the harbor

In response to concerns raised by communities surrounding the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site, we completed a field and modeling study that concluded the harbor is the primary source of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in air around the harbor. The follow-up question from residents was whether the PCBs measured in air pose a risk to their health. The US Environmental Protection Agency focuses their site-specific, risk-based decisions for site clean-up on cancers. We focused our assessment on the non-cancer effects on the thyroid based on the congener specific patterns and concentrations of PCBs measured in air near and distant to the harbor. Human and animal studies of PCB-induced effects on the thyroid provide evidence to support our analysis. Drawing from the published toxicological data, we used a Margin of Exposure (MOE) approach to derive a human-equivalent concentration in air associated with human health effects on the thyroid. Based on the MOEs calculated herein, evaluation of the MOE indicates that changes in thyroid hormone levels are possible among people living adjacent to the Harbor. Changes in thyroid hormone levels are more likely among people who live near the harbor compared to residents living in areas distant from the harbor. This risk assessment documents potential health risks associated with proximity to a marine Superfund Site using site-specific ambient air PCB congener data.

Environmental analysis of selective laser melting in the manufacturing of aeronautical turbine blades

The exponential growth of additive manufacturing technologies is not only improving production processes to achieve functional requirements for products, but it could also help to minimize environmental impacts. In order to align a green product lifecycle management vision, companies need to implement emerging technologies and define a set of metrics that measure the benefits of the change. Each product requires a particular and optimized manufacturing process plan, and each production phase must achieve a significant reduction of critical metrics for the whole Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). This paper provides a comprehensive and comparative LCA of two manufacturing process plans for the case study of an aircraft engine turbine blade. The first process consists of a combination of Investment Casting and Precision Machining and the second consists in the replacement of Investment casting by Selective Laser Melting as an emergent process for near net shape fabrication. The collected data for the comparison includes Global Warming Potential (GWP), Acidification Potential (AP), Ozone layer Depletion Potential (ODP), Human Toxicity Potential (HTP), and Human Toxicity (HT) with cancer and non-cancer effects. The relative analysis shows that, for the critical indicators, an apparent improvement in CO 2 emissions reduction is achieved as well as in the other hazardous emissions. The results showed that the whole lifecycle of Conventional Manufacturing corresponds to 7.32 tons of CO 2 , while, the emission of the Additive Manufacturing is 7.02 tons of CO 2 . The results analysis can be used for decision-making, and it can help for facing future comparative works to explore cleaner manufacturing technologies. • Process Modelling of Additive and Conventional Aerospace Manufacturing. • Data mining and simulation of manufacturing operations with a LCA tool. • Analysis of manufacturing process plan with Selective Laser Melting. • Sustainability Analysis of Investment Casting compared to Selective Laser Melting.

Determination of heavy metal content in whey protein samples from markets in Giza, Egypt, using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry: A probabilistic risk assessment study

Whey protein is a by-product obtained from cheese manufacturing, contains high amounts of essential metals and amino acids. We assessed levels and health risk of Co, Ni, Sn, Cr, Cu, Mn, Zn, Fe, Al, Na, Ca, Mg, Pb, Cd, and Hg in different whey protein samples collected in Egypt using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GF AAS). Large differences were found between the measured and defined values for some metals (such as Na, Mn, Cr, Cu, and Mg), whereas others showed only minor variation (Fe and Zn). The maximum concentration of Ca, Na, Mg, Zn, Fe, Cu, Al, Mn, Ni, Cr, and Sn was 12860, 5336, 3248, 66.11, 40.14, 16.78, 16.26, 14.37, 0.927, 0.685, and 0.502 mg/kg, respectively. The Co levels in all samples were found to be varied between N.D (not detectable) and lower than the limit of quantification (<LOQ). The concentration of Cd was found to range between 0.022 and 0.335 mg/kg, while Pb concentration was found to vary between 0.036 and 0.096 mg/kg. Also, all samples were found to be free of any detectable amount of Hg. The health risk assessment was evaluated for estimated daily intake (EDI), average body weight (70 kg), hazard quotient (HQ), and hazard index (HI) using the FAO/WHO and US EPA recommendations. Based on our results, the EDI and HQ values for most of elements in whey protein were lower than 1, which indicates no adverse effects may occur. The HI values for most of whey protein samples were lower than 1. Among the samples, only two brands had HI > 1, indicates that there is some possibility that non-cancer effects may occur through consumption in the future.

Development of national health-based target for regulating airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exposure in Nigeria

Recent studies in different localities in Nigeria report high concentrations of airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) –a group of ubiquitous hazardous chemicals produced by incomplete combustion or pyrolysis processes. Inhalation exposure to PAHs has been shown to elicit both cancer and non-cancer adverse effects. Yet, there is currently no national guideline for regulating exposure to airborne PAHs in Nigeria. In this study, we developed national health-based target for 16 priority PAHs using literature information on the toxicity of the PAHs, the baseline severities of the diseases in Nigeria and the population demography. We developed ourhealth-based target (ng/m3) from 10cancers and 34 non-cancer adverse health outcomes linked to PAH exposure. Our proposed limits for the PAHs ranged from 0.02 ng/m3 for dibenzo[a,h]anthracene to 1.0 ng/m3 for benzo[g,h,i]perylene – the most or least toxic PAH, respectively. On the basis ofbenzo[a]pyrene equivalent concentration, ournational PAH limit of 0.15 ng/m3is however less stringent than the global PAH limit of 0.12 ng/m3.

A life cycle assessment of intermediate rubber products in Thailand from the product environmental footprint perspective

Abstract Thailand produces one-third of the world's total natural rubber and is the top supplier of natural rubber to Europe. The European Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) plays an essential role in reducing the environmental impacts of the rubber products imported into Europe. This is the first work to evaluate the PEF of fresh latex, cup lump, and hevea wood from the plantation phase (primary products) and the PEF of intermediate rubber products: ribbed smoked sheets (RSS), ribbed smoked sheet bales (RSSB), block rubber (Standard Thai Rubber, STR 20), concentrated latex, and lumber AB in Thailand. A national database and secondary data were used to compile a life cycle inventory. The PEF of fresh latex, cup lump, and hevea wood were 0.194, 0.437, and 0.229, respectively. RSS and RSSB showed PEF values of 3.96 and 1.52, respectively while those of STR 20, concentrated latex, and lumber AB were 0.861, 1.49, and 0.473, respectively. The most significant impacts are human toxicity (non-cancer effects) in RSS and RSSB, human toxicity (cancer effects) in STR 20, eutrophication (terrestrial) in concentrated latex, and particulate matter/respiratory inorganics in lumber AB. The hot spots originated from the acquisition of fresh latex and firewood use in the RSS production. A significant influence on firewood consumption was found during the production of RSS by a sensitivity analysis. To enhance the competitiveness of Thailand's rubber industry in the European Union market, minimization of the use of firewood and increasing energy efficiency are crucial in the manufacture of rubber products. Policymakers should emphasize increasing knowledge of sustainable practices for farmers to reduce the impacts at the plantation phase. The PEF results can be used as decision criteria for the development of rubber-product PEF labels.

Concise Review of Nickel Human Health Toxicology and Ecotoxicology

Nickel (Ni) metal and Ni compounds are widely used in applications like stainless steel, alloys, and batteries. Nickel is a naturally occurring element in water, soil, air, and living organisms, and is essential to microorganisms and plants. Thus, human and environmental nickel exposures are ubiquitous. Production and use of nickel and its compounds can, however, result in additional exposures to humans and the environment. Notable human health toxicity effects identified from human and/or animal studies include respiratory cancer, non-cancer toxicity effects following inhalation, dermatitis, and reproductive effects. These effects have thresholds, with indirect genotoxic and epigenetic events underlying the threshold mode of action for nickel carcinogenicity. Differences in human toxicity potencies/potentials of different nickel chemical forms are correlated with the bioavailability of the Ni2+ ion at target sites. Likewise, Ni2+ has been demonstrated to be the toxic chemical species in the environment, and models have been developed that account for the influence of abiotic factors on the bioavailability and toxicity of Ni2+ in different habitats. Emerging issues regarding the toxicity of nickel nanoforms and metal mixtures are briefly discussed. This review is unique in its covering of both human and environmental nickel toxicity data.

A global life cycle assessment of manganese mining processes based on EcoInvent database

This paper presents the life cycle assessment (LCA) carried out on the manganese beneficiation and refining process. This cradle-to-gate analysis is carried out using SimaPro software version 8.5. The considered case is the manganese beneficiation and refining process, and the final product is 1 kg of refined manganese. The global average dataset is collected from the EcoInvent and AusLCI database, which are originated from literature source. The analysis methodologies considered in this study are the International Life Cycle Reference Data System (ILCD) method and Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) method. A comparative analysis is also presented which compared among ILCD, Australian Indicator, and Tool for Reduction and Assessment of Chemicals and Other Environmental Impacts (TRACI) methods to identify the best practice method for global analysis of mining processes. A detailed sensitivity analysis has been carried out considering different scenarios, to suggest possible solutions to reduce the environmental impacts associated with manganese beneficiation and refining processes. The analysis results reveal that particulate matter, climate change, categories of eutrophication, human toxicity (cancer and non-cancer effects), and acidification are some of the noteworthy impact categories. The analysis results also showed that coal consumption is significantly higher than other types of renewables and non-renewable energy consumption in manganese beneficiation and refining processes. The analysis results further reveal that using the chromium steel in manganese beneficiation process and ferromanganese consumption in the refining process has a significant effect over other materials involved in manganese beneficiation and refining operations. The obvious reason behind this result is ferromanganese utilization as an energy-intensive process, which in turn increases the environmental emissions. The analysis results also showed that, between the beneficiation and refining process, manganese refining has a much greater impact on the environment rather than the beneficiation process due to the fossil fuel and electricity consumption in refining operations.

Life-cycle environmental impacts of barley straw valorisation

Most food manufacturers in industrialised countries produce significant amounts of food wastes during their manufacturing activities. Due to the serious environmental consequences of managing these materials, environmental impact analyses have become popular to identify more sustainable practices for food waste management. Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a useful methodology to assess such environmental impacts. This paper presents the main results obtained using the LCA methodology to analyse the potential environmental impacts of waste management for a brewery in the UK. Initially, the main waste types are identified for this industry: barley straw, malt waste and spent grain, and then barley straw is selected to study its environmental impact in detail. An alternative, more sustainable way to manage barley straw by extracting its wax with supercritical CO2 is discussed. SimaPro software is used to both quantify potential environmental impacts and evaluate the overall environmental performance of this valorisation opportunity, and to compare its modelled environmental impacts to the current impacts of managing barley straw. Results show that valorising barley straw by this method generates a high environmental impact due to the energy requirements of the processes involved, principally for human toxicity (cancer effects), human toxicity (non-cancer effects) and freshwater ecotoxicity impact categories. Using more energy-efficient processes or an alternative energy source would reduce this environmental impact. The analysis used in this paper allows an objective comparison between different scenarios with the final aim of supporting the use of sustainable solutions for waste management in the food industry.

Impact analysis of gold[sbnd]silver refining processes through life-cycle assessment

Abstract: Gold and silver are extracted through the gold-silver couple production process or the gold-silver-lead-zinc-copper combined production process. This paper aims to analyse and compare the life-cycle assessment (LCA) of the gold and silver refining processes. Two production routes are considered in this study: gold and silver refining through the gold-silver couple production process and gold and silver refining which are produced from the gold-silver-lead-zinc-copper combined production process. SimaPro software version 8.5 is used for the life-cycle assessment using the International Life Cycle Reference Data (ILCD) method and the cumulative energy demand method (CED). The geographic region considered in the original dataset is based on Papua New Guinea and Sweden. The major impact categories from the ILCD methods are climate change, human toxicity (cancer and non-cancer effects), ecotoxicity, ionising radiation (human health and ecotoxicity), eutrophication (freshwater, marine, and terrestrial), land use, water use, and mineral resources depletion. The impact categories where the results are analysed and presented here from the CED method are renewables, fossil fuels (oil, coal, and gas), biomass, nuclear, and embodied energy. The analysis results indicate that between gold-silver couple production and gold silver combined metal production process, refining through the gold-silver couple production process have greater environmental impacts. Furthermore, gold refining effects are larger as compared to the silver refining process. Among the significant impact categories, the most crucial is human toxicity (cancer and non-cancer). Results from the cumulative energy demand method shows that fossil-fuel consumption is larger than all other sources of energy demand in the precious-metal refining process.

A single indicator of noxiousness for people and ecosystems exposed to stable and radioactive substances

Inspired by methods used for life cycle impact assessment (LCIA), we constructed a series of indicators to appreciate the noxiousness of radioactive materials and wastes for human and ecosystem health. According to known potential human health and ecological effects of such materials, six main impact categories were considered to initiate the development of the method: human cancer and non-cancer effects vs. ecotoxicity, considering both chemotoxicity and radiotoxicity. For ecosystems, the noxiousness indicator is based on the concept of Potentially Affected Fraction (PAF), used as a damage indicator at the ecosystem level. The PAF express the toxic pressure on the environment due to one substance. It has been enlarged to mixtures of substances as multi-substances PAF (ms-PAF), and applied to a mix of stable and radioactive substances. Combining ecotoxicity data and a simplified model of exposure of fauna and flora, we proposed a chemotoxicity indicator and a radiotoxicity indicator, ultimately aggregated into a single indicator simply by addition.According to acknowledged practices in LCIA and corresponding available data, we suggested implementing to human health an approach similar to that applied to ecosystems. We produced eigth basic indicators combining effects categories (cancer and non cancer), exposure pathways (ingestion and inhlation) and substances (chemicals and radionuclides). The principle of additivity supporting the whole proposed approach allows their complete aggregation into a single indicator also for human health. Different source terms may be then easily directly compared in terms of human and ecological noxiousness.Applied to the time evolution of a High Level radioactive Waste (HLW), the method confirmed over 1 million years the dominance of the radiotoxicity in the noxiousness of the material for both humans and environment. However there is a change with time in the ranking of the most noxious substances, with stable metals contribution going progressively up. Finally, the HLW global noxiousness, integrating human health and ecological aspects, was assessed through time at three stages and showed a temporal decrease as expected from the dominance of the radiotoxicity.

Health Risks of Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs) and Metals at Informal Electronic Waste Recycling Sites.

Concerns about the adverse public health consequences of informal electronic waste (e-waste) recycling are increasing. This study adopted a cross-sectional study design to gain insights into health risks (cancer and non-cancer risks) associated with exposure to e-waste chemicals among informal e-waste workers via three main routes: Dermal contact, ingestion, and inhalation. The e-waste chemicals (PBDE and metals) were measured in the dust and top soils at e-waste sites (burning, dismantling, and repair sites). Adverse health risks were calculated using the EPA model developed by the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States. The concentrations of the e-waste chemicals and the health risks at the e-waste sites increased as the intensity of the e-waste recycling activities increased: control sites < repair sites < dismantling sites < burning sites. Dermal contact was the main route of exposure while exposure via inhalation was negligible for both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks. Cumulative health risks via all routes of exposure (inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact) exceeded the acceptable limits of both non-cancer effects and cancer risk at all e-waste sites. This indicates that overall the e-waste workers are at the risk of adverse health effects. Therefore, the importance of occupational safety programs and management regulations for e-waste workers cannot be over emphasised.

Elemental composition of ambient air particles in Taiyuan, China: evaluation of lifetime cancer and non-cancer risks

Shanxi is a heavily polluted area in China. Our aim was to analyze the elemental concentration (71 elements) in ambient air in Taiyuan and evaluate cancer and non-cancer risks. Air was sampled in four urban sites and one rural site in the heating season (winter/spring) and summer season (totally 118 days sampling time). Mean total suspended particles (TSP) across all sampling sites were 248 µg/m3 in summer and 478 µg/m3 in winter. The heating season had higher levels of S, Pb, Br, Mn, Se, As, Ni, Cd, and Hg (23.3 µg/m3, 821 ng/m3, 725 ng/m3, 460 ng/m3, 79 ng/m3, 65 ng/m3, 34 ng/m3, 17 ng/m3, and 3.5 ng/m3, respectively) than the summer season (9.6 µg/m3, 276 ng/m3, 138 ng/m3, 283 ng/m3, 0 ng/m3, 21 ng/m3, 21 ng/m3, 6.8 ng/m3, and 0 ng/m3, respectively), except for Cr and Co, of which the levels were higher in summer. Many elements had a high correlation with the TSP level (r = 0.70–0.96) and S (r = 0.61–0.95). A health risk assessment demonstrated that Mn and Cr could have a risk of non-cancer effects. Estimated lifetime cancer risks (Ri>10−6) were observed for As, Cd, Co, Cr, and Ni, indicating that cancer risks from air pollution were relatively high in Taiyuan.

Development of an Approach to Assess the Life Cycle Environmental Impacts and Costs of General Hospitals through the Analysis of a Belgian Case

With the aim of moving towards a more sustainable society, hospital buildings are challenged to decrease their environmental impact while continuing to offer affordable and qualitative medical care. The aim of this paper was to gain insight into the main drivers of the environmental impacts and costs of healthcare facilities, and to identify methodological obstacles for a quantitative assessment. More specifically, the objective was to assess the environmental and financial impacts of the general hospital Sint Maarten in Mechelen (Belgium) by using a life cycle approach. The hospital building was analyzed based on a combination of a simplified life cycle assessment and life cycle costing. The “MMG+_KULeuven” assessment tool was used for the calculation of environmental impacts and financial costs. The study revealed that the environmental impact was mainly caused by electricity use for appliances and lighting, cleaning processes, material production, and spatial heating, while building construction and electricity use caused the highest financial costs. The most relevant impact categories identified were global warming, eutrophication, acidification, human toxicity (cancer and non-cancer effects), and particulate matter. Various methodological challenges were identified, such as the adaptation of existing methods to ensure applicability to hospital buildings and the extraction of data from a Revit model.

Probabilistic risk assessment for high-end consumers of seafood on the northeastern Gulf coast.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (April 20, 2010) caused concern regarding Gulf seafood safety. Communities were skeptical of governmental risk assessments because they did not take into account the higher consumption of seafood along coastal areas. The objective of this study was to perform a probabilistic risk assessment based on the consumption rates of high-end consumers of Gulf seafood. We utilized seafood consumption data from five communities across the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. This study collected finfish, shrimp, blue crab, and oysters from these communities and analyzed their tissues for polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). A probabilistic risk assessment was performed using population-specific seafood consumption rates and body weights for commercial fishers, recreational fishers, and a Filipino-American community. For non-cancer effects, 95th percentile hazard quotients for these targeted populations ranged between 1.84E-04 to 5.39E-03 for individual seafood types. The 95th percentile hazard indices for total seafood consumption ranged from 3.45E-03 to 8.41E-03. Based on total seafood consumption, highest hazard indices were modeled for the Filipino-American community followed by commercial and recreational fishers. Despite higher consumption rates, hazard indices for the high-end consumers targeted in this study were two to three orders of magnitude below the regulatory limit of 1.

Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, mobile phones, and health effects: where are we now?

This paper aims to present useful elements for framing the issue of exposure to radio frequencies (RFs), in particular those related to telecommunications, and the possible effects on health also in the light of the rapid evolution of technologies (the advent of 5G). New developments in the field oblige us to reflect on the possible implications in terms of public health. Here, we have preferred to take stock and not to demand a systematic review. The development of telecommunications is creating great interest in all sectors for the possibility of new applications, but is also increasing concern for the effects on health not yet fully known, to the point that there is a growing mobilization against the introduction of 5G both at national and at international level. Epidemiological studies and metanalyses on the relationship between cancer and RFs, particularly those on mobile phones, still identify areas of uncertainty that need to be investigated, and studies on non-cancer effects are growing in number, suggesting the possibility of new risks. The relative scenarios that will open with the 5G trial are likely to change the overall exposure level of the population as a result of major changes in the network architecture. Therefore, it is important to adopt a strongly precautionary approach. Given the strong concerns of the population, the competent institutions should implement information and awareness programmes through adequate risk communication.