Potential Adverse Health Effects Research Articles

Quantitative Assessment of Full Size Microplastics in Bottled and Tap Water Samples in Hong Kong.

Human exposure to microplastics (MPs) through drinking water has drawn serious concern recently because of the potential adverse health effects. Although there are reports on the occurrence of MPs in bottled water, little is known about the abundance of a whole spectrum of MPs with sizes ranging from 1 µm to 5 mm due to the restrictions of conventional MPs detection methods. Some studies using micro-Raman spectroscopy can achieve MPs with a size of <10 µm, however, quantitation of all MPs was extremely time consuming and only a small portion (<10%) of MPs would be analyzed. The present study quantified MPs from nine brands of bottled water using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry for MPs with a size of ≥50 µm and a size of <50 µm, respectively. The average abundance of MPs with a size of ≥50 µm in bottled water samples was found ranging from 8–50 particles L−1, while MPs with a size of <50 µm were found to be 1570–17,817 particles L−1, where the MPs abundance from mineral water samples were significantly more than distilled and spring water samples. The modal size and shape of MPs were found at 1 µm and fragments, respectively. Besides, three tap water samples obtained locally were analyzed and compared with the bottled water samples, where less MPs were found in tap water samples. In addition, contamination of MPs from bottle and cap and interference by addition of mineral salts were studied, where no significant difference from all these processes to the control sample was found, suggesting the major contamination of MPs was from other manufacturing processes. Estimated daily intake (EDI) of MPs increased substantially when data of small MPs are included, suggesting that previously reports on exposure of MPs from drinking water might be underestimated, as only large MPs were considered.

Determination of cadmium in Chinese pepper and its health implications based on bioaccessibility.

The contamination of cadmium (Cd) in agro-products causes major concern because of its potential dietary risks. In this study, a total of 647 pepper samples from 21 provinces in China were randomly collected according to the distribution of pepper production. Cd pollution levels in Chinses pepper and its health risks were evaluated based on bioaccessibility, which was measured by the physiologically based extraction test (PBET). The results showed that Cd concentration in all pepper ranged from 0.002 to 1.470mg/kg, with an average of 0.222mg/kg and a median of 0.132mg/kg. The highest daily intake of Cd was observed in the female child group (4.037 × 10-5mg/kg bw/day), which accounted for 4% of the maximum daily permissible dose - 0.001mg/kg bw/day. The target hazard quotients of Cd were all lower than 1, indicating low potential non-carcinogenic health risks to residents via the consumption of pepper. Notably, carcinogenic risk values suggested potential adverse health effects to adults, while after considering the bioaccessibility of Cd in pepper (mean of 43.07%), those values had fallen under the acceptable level (1 × 10-4). This may indicate that dietary risk assessment of heavy metals in crops could not be conducted just based on their content; the bioaccessibility of metals is also an important factor for consideration.

Urinary Phenols in Early to Midpregnancy and Risk of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Longitudinal Study in a Multiracial Cohort.

Environmental phenols are ubiquitous endocrine disruptors and putatively diabetogenic. However, data during pregnancy are scant. We investigated the prospective associations between pregnancy phenol concentrations and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) risk. In a nested matched case-control study of 111 individuals with GDM and 222 individuals without GDM within the prospective PETALS cohort, urinary bisphenol A (BPA), BPA substitutes (bisphenol F and bisphenol S [BPS]), benzophenone-3, and triclosan were quantified during the first and second trimesters. Cumulative concentrations across the two times were calculated using the area under the curve (AUC). Multivariable conditional logistic regression examined the association of individual phenols with GDM risk. We conducted mixture analysis using Bayesian kernel machine regression. We a priori examined effect modification by Asian/Pacific Islander (A/PI) race/ethnicity resulting from the case-control matching and highest GDM prevalence among A/PIs. Overall, first-trimester urinary BPS was positively associated with increased risk of GDM (adjusted odds ratio comparing highest vs. lowest tertile [aORT3 vs. T1] 2.12 [95% CI 1.00-4.50]). We identified associations among non-A/Ps, who had higher phenol concentrations than A/PIs. Among non-A/PIs, first-trimester BPA, BPS, and triclosan were positively associated with GDM risk (aORT3 vs. T1 2.91 [95% CI 1.05-8.02], 4.60 [1.55-13.70], and 2.88 [1.11-7.45], respectively). Triclosan in the second trimester and AUC were positively associated with GDM risk among non-A/PIs (P < 0.05). In mixture analysis, triclosan was significantly associated with GDM risk. Urinary BPS among all and BPA, BPS, and triclosan among non-A/PIs were associated with GDM risk. Pregnant individuals should be aware of these phenols' potential adverse health effects.

Tandem Electrokinetic/Electrocatalytic Remediation of Pfas in Soils

Per-/polyfluorinated species (PFAS) are a class of widely used, highly stable chemicals that do not readily break down in the environment or human body. As a result of their widespread use and persistence in the environment, PFAS can be found in soil, air, and water at numerous sites across the United States. Recent work has linked exposure to some types of PFAS found in the environment to adverse health effects in humans. The bio-accumulative nature of PFAS along with the potential adverse health effects has provided strong motivation for active remediation of these emerging contaminants at environmental sites. Development of energy- and cost-efficient technologies for the in-situ treatment of PFAS-contaminated soils would greatly facilitate efforts to remediate these contaminated sites and alleviate the public health threat they represent.This talk will discuss recent efforts to develop a tandem electrokinetic/electrocatalytic technology for energy-efficient concentration and destruction of PFAS in contaminated soils. In this approach (Figure A), electrokinetic soil remediation technology is used to drive the PFAS contaminants to a localized area around the electrokinetic anode and electrocatalysis reactors situated near this electrokinetic anode degrade and destroy the concentrated PFAS species. Data will be presented describing the electrokinetic transport observed for various C4-C12 linear-chain PFAS in a Dayton, OH till soil on the bench scale (see Figure B). Experimental results to date suggest that larger PFAS species (above ~C6) experience sufficiently strong physicochemical attraction to the soil particles that electrokinetic transport is mostly or completely suppressed. Based on these results, current work is identifying ways to improve electrokinetic PFAS remediation by disrupting these PFAS-soil interactions in a fashion that is economically and environmentally favorable. Results demonstrating the ability to enhance electrocatalytic PFAS destruction through the use of pulsed-waveforms (relative to traditional direct current methods) will also be presented.Figure Caption. (A) Mechanism of tandem electrokinetic/electrocatalytic PFAS destruction. (B) Bench-scale apparatus for soil electrokinetics tests. Figure 1

Content of Heavy Metals in Poultry and Local (Free Range) Chickens raised within Gwagwalada Area Council of Abuja, Nigeria

The content of heavy metals in poultry and local (free range) chickens raised within Gwagwalada Area Council of Abuja, Nigeria was investigated. The poultry chickens were obtained from poultry farms while the local (free range) chickens were bought from the natives within the study area. Samples were prepared by wet digestion method using nitric acid and the heavy metals determined by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry (FAAS). The mean concentration (μg/g dry weight) of heavy metals in the Poultry chickens were 3.68 ± 0.86, 0.58 ± 0.36, 0.78 ± 0.02, 4.79 ± 1.27, 77.40 ± 66.44, 2.09 ± 0.54, 1.44 ± 0.82 and 68.99 ± 23.90 for Pb, Cd, Ni, Cu, Fe, Co, Mn and Zn respectively. Also the heavy metal contents in the local chickens were 2.01 ± 1.25, ND, 1.07 ± 0.30, 3.00 ± 1.24, 108.88 ± 73.41, 1.36 ± 0.46, 13.44 ± 6.14 and 75.49 ± 24.02 μg/g dry weight for Pb, Cd, Ni, Cu, Fe, Co, Mn and Zn respectively. A Pearson correlation analysis on the heavy metals in the chicken meat revealed positive strong correlations between Zn/Fe (r = 0.867), Zn/Mn (0.764), Zn/Cu (r = 0.591), Mn/Cu (r = 0.657) and Fe/Cu (r = 0.598) at p &lt; 0.01 significant level. This is not unusual as Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn are essential elements and constitute part of expected components of the chicken. The human risk assessment conducted on the chicken samples revealed that Estimated Daily Intake (EDI) and Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) were in the safe levels, indicating that the exposure of adult population to individual heavy metals through consumption of poultry and local (free range) chickens will not pose adverse health effects. However, the Hazard Index (HI) value for the poultry chicken is suggestive of potential adverse health effect on the consumers. Also, the HI value of local (free range) chickens cannot be ignored because the accumulation of heavy metals in the human body over time can cause serious health effects.

Temporal trends in risk of bisphenol A, benzophenone-3 and triclosan exposure among U.S. children and adolescents aged 6–19 years: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005–2016

BackgroundPhenolic compounds with potential adverse health effects are gradually being replaced. Little is known about the potential health risks of BPA, BP3, and TCS exposure in children and adolescents aged 6–19 years in the United States. ObjectivesTo determine trends and rates of change in hazard indices (HI) for three phenolics in U.S. children and adolescents for BPA, BP3, TCS, and to assess changes in gender, race/ethnicity, age, and potential health risks. MethodsMetabolic biomonitoring data from field-collected urine samples from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were utilized. Daily intake of three phenols (bisphenol A, benzophenone-3, and triclosan) between 2005 and 2016 in children and adolescents were obtained. Cumulative risk indicators, including hazard quotient (HQ), hazard index (HI), and maximum cumulative ratio (MCR), were used for the health risk assessment of the three phenols. ResultsDuring this period, the change in LSGM HI was −2.9% per cycle [95% Cl: (−3.7%, −2.2%)], and the percentage of participants with HI > 0.1 decreased from 15.6% to 10.5%. Children (6–11 years) had higher mean HI values than adolescents (12–19 years), while female had higher LSGM HI values than male. MCR values were generally low and negatively correlated with HI. However, the average value of MCR increased from 1.722 to 2.107 during this period. ConclusionExposure to phenolics among U.S. children and adolescents has changed in recent decades. However, gaps in data limit the interpretation of trends but legislative activity and advocacy campaigns by nongovernmental organizations may play a role in changing trends. Moreover, there are growing concerns about the potential health risks associated with exposure to multiple phenols in children and adolescents.

Dual role of bromide in the degradation of phenolic compounds in peracetic acid process: Promotion of degradation and formation of disinfection byproducts

Peracetic acid (PAA) is a potential disinfectant for water treatment due to its high efficiency and the limited formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs). In PAA process of this study, bromide (Br−) significantly enhanced the degradation of phenolic compounds, including bisphenol A (BPA), phenol, p-aminophenol, and hydroquinone. The promotion is mainly due to the formation of hypobromous acid (HOBr), which comes from the oxidation of Br− by PAA. A kinetic model of PAA treatment in the presence of Br− was established to explore the degradation mechanism of phenolic compounds with good accuracy. The removal of phenolic compounds is positively related to Br− concentration. The degradation process was pH-dependent and favored at acidic conditions. In the real water matrix, the presence of multiple water matrix components may inhibit the degradation of phenolic compounds by consuming PAA and HOBr. Further, the transformation of BPA mainly involves bromination, hydroxylation, oxidation, bond cleavage, and ring opening, resulting in the formation of organic bromines. Brominated DBPs, such as dibromoacetic acid and tribromomethane were found, suggesting the potential adverse health effects of PAA treatment in the presence of Br−. The acute toxicity of phenolic compounds initially increased and then decreased with the increase of reaction time, indicating that prolonging the reaction time may reduce the environmental risk.

Urinary 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in Chinese pregnant women at three trimesters: Variability, exposure characteristics, and association with oxidative stress biomarkers.

Widespread exposure to herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) could have potential adverse health effects on pregnant women. However, related data are scarce. This study aimed to characterize 2,4-D exposure among three trimesters of pregnancy and to explore the relationship of 2,4-D with oxidative stress biomarkers [i.e., 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), 8-hydroxy guanosine (8-OHG), and 4-hydroxy nonenal mercapturic acid (HNEMA)] in urine. The present study analyzed 3675 urine samples of 1225 women (across the three trimesters of pregnancy) in Wuhan, central China. 2,4-D was detectable in 97.4% of the urine samples. The median unadjusted concentration of 2,4-D was 0.12ng/mL, and the corresponding concentration adjusted by urinary specific gravity (SG-adjusted) was 0.13ng/mL. The intraclass correlation coefficient of 2,4-D (SG-adjusted concentrations) was 0.07 across the three trimesters. Significantly higher urinary levels of 2,4-D were found in samples from younger pregnant women/samples collected during winter. In addition, significantly positive association between urinary concentrations of oxidative stress biomarkers and 2,4-D were found in repeated analysis; an interquartile range increase in 2,4-D was significantly (p<0.001) associated with a 20.8% increase in 8-OHG, a 26.7% increase in 8-OHdG, and a 30.7% increase in HNEMA, respectively. Such associations were also found in trimester-specific analyses. This is the first time to quantify the urinary 2,4-D of pregnant women in China, and this study found significantly positive associations of 2,4-D with oxidative stress biomarkers. Further studies are needed to verify such associations and explore other potential adverse effects of 2,4-D exposure.

An assessment of the potential for leaching of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances from fluorinated and non-fluorinated high-density polyethylene containers

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have garnered world-wide attention over the last two decades due to their extreme environmental persistence and potential adverse health effects. Research is ongoing as to where, and in what quantities, PFAS can be found in commercial, and consumer goods. During 2021, a study described detecting PFAS in a commercially available insecticide; however, further study clarified that the source of PFAS was not actually from the insecticide product, but rather the fluorinated high-density polyethylene (fHDPE) container in which the insecticide resided. As several fluorination technologies associated with fHDPE manufacturers are available, the work described herein was conducted to determine the potential leaching of PFAS from the various fluorinated container technologies. Three fluorination technology container types, including advanced in-mold fluorination, post-mold fluorination, and post-mold plasma fluorination; and two non-fluorinated negative control, were subject to extended methanol soaking periods. During these soak periods, aliquots of methanol were removed and analyzed for 19 target PFAS compounds. For the advanced in-mold fluorination technology, at each of the residence period, showed no detectable PFAS at the analytical instruments limit of quantification (LOQ) of 10 ng/L (20 ng/L for GenX). In contrast, several PFAS compounds were detected above LOQ in the alternative fluorination technologies, ranging from 11 - 9700 ng/L in methanol, throughout the entirety of the residence periods.

Association between short-term exposure to fine particulate matter components and cause-specific mortality in Korea: a multi-city time-series study

Background/Aim: Many studies have reported fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has various health effects. The effects of PM2.5 have been shown to vary in space and time. One of the underlying explanations was the variability in the distribution of chemical components in PM2.5. Therefore, identifying whether the health effects of each component of PM2.5 differ can provide evidence for the heterogeneous mortality risk of PM2.5. Our study aims to estimate the associations between short-term exposure to components and cause-specific mortality across six major cities in Korea. Methods: Daily mass concentration of PM2.5 and 25 components of PM2.5 were obtained from the National Institute of Environmental Research for 2012-2019. We used six intensive air monitoring stations in each of the six major cities: Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon, Gwangju, Ulsan, and Jeju. We employed a two-stage analysis. In the first stage, we conducted generalized additive model with quasi-Poisson regression to estimate city-specific associations of mortality with PM2.5 and its components on the same day. We excluded Asian dust days and adjusted the model for temperature, relative humidity, and time trend. In the second stage, we used fixed-effects meta-analysis to pool the city-specific estimates. Results: We could not find statistically significant association of PM2.5 and all components with all-cause mortality. Potassium was associated with 2.2% increment (95% CI:0.4%, 4.0%) in cardiovascular mortality per IQR increase (0.24&amp;#x3bc;g/m3). Magnesium ion was associated with 0.7% increment (95% CI: 0.1%, 1.4%) in respiratory mortality per IQR increase (0.01&amp;#x3bc;g/m3). Conclusion: This study suggests potential adverse health effects of particles produced by dust, salt, or traffic. In contrast to previous studies, our results showed no association of elemental carbon or nitrate with any mortality. Further study would be needed to account for the joint and lagged effect of components and meteorological variables. Keyword: fine particulate matter, components, multi-city analysis, epidemiology, health

Toxicokinetics and toxicodynamics of plastic and metallic nanoparticles: A comparative study in shrimp

Nanoplastic is recognized as an emerging environmental pollutant due to the anticipated ubiquitous distribution, increasing concentration in the ocean, and potential adverse health effects. While our understanding of the ecological impacts of nanoplastics is still limited, we benefit from relatively rich toxicological studies on other nanoparticles such as nano metal oxides. However, the similarity and difference in the toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic aspects of plastic and metallic nanoparticles remain largely unknown. In this study, juvenile Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei was exposed to two types of nanoparticles at environmentally relative low and high concentrations, i.e., 100 nm polystyrene nanoplastics (nano-PS) and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (nano-TiO2) via dietary exposure for 28 days. The systematic toxicological evaluation aimed to quantitatively compare the accumulation, excretion, and toxic effects of nano-PS and nano-TiO2. Our results demonstrated that both nanoparticles were ingested by L. vannamei with lower egestion of nano-TiO2 than nano-PS. Both nanoparticles inhibited the growth of shrimps, damaged tissue structures of the intestine and hepatopancreas, disrupted expression of immune-related genes, and induced intestinal microbiota dysbiosis. Nano-PS exposure caused proliferative cells in the intestinal tissue, and the disturbance to the intestinal microbes was also more serious than that of nano-TiO2. The results indicated that the effect of nano-PS on the intestinal tissue of L. vannamei was more severe than that of nano-TiO2 with the same particle size. The study provides new theoretical basis of the similarity and differences of their toxicity, and highlights the current lack of knowledge on various aspects of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) pathways of nanoplastics.

Influence of Quality Characteristics and Intake of Acrylamide by Consumers of Roasted Coffee in Kenya: A Review

Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages across the world with increasing demand in non- traditional markets due to its unique sensory and physiological characteristics. However, coffee has been found to have accumulated acrylamides which are carcinogenic and may end up intoxicating consumers. The degree of roasting determines the quality characteristics and the acrylamide levels in the final processed products. The occurrence of acrylamides is as a result of cooking at high temperatures due to Maillard reactions in food stuff as a result of reactions between asparagine and reducing sugars. Acrylamide commonly occurs in foods exposed to high temperatures such as baked products including bread, coffee and fried potato products. In comparison to potato products such as crisps and French fries, only limited studies on their occurrence and their mitigation strategies have been conducted on coffee whose estimated daily intake levels have been estimated to be 14 to 70 µg/day. The toxicants have been shown to be potential carcinogenswhose increased exposure through coffee consumption remains a key factor of safety concerns. Besides, several studies have also indicated that there are several other potential adverse health effects to consumers including nervous system failure and infertility at levels exceeding 0.43-1 mg/kg bw/day. Although acrylamide levels and occurrence have been determined in other foods in Kenya, there has been limited research on the quality and acrylamide levels in coffee. This review therefore aimed at determining the levels of acrylamides in the marketed coffee and determination of the levels of intake as a result of coffee consumption. Furthermore, there are no known strategies for reducing their levels as compared to other foodstuff therefore exposing consumers to potential food safety threats. There is need therefore for documentation of potential intoxication from the toxicants are therefore and there is need to assess the levels and potential intake.

Suspect and non-targeted screening-based human biomonitoring identified 74 biomarkers of exposure in urine of Slovenian children

Human exposure to organic contaminants is widespread. Many of these contaminants show adverse health effects on human population. Human biomonitoring (HBM) follows the levels and the distribution of biomarkers of exposure (BoE), but it is usually done in a targeted manner. Suspect and non-targeted screening (SS/NTS) tend to find BoE in an agnostic way, without preselection of compounds, and include finding evidence of exposure to predicted, unpredicted known and unknown chemicals.This study describes the application of high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS)-based SS/NTS workflow for revealing organic contaminants in urine of a cohort of 200 children from Slovenia, aged 6–9 years. The children originated from two regions, urban and rural, and the latter were sampled in two time periods, summer and winter. We tentatively identified 74 BoE at the confidence levels of 2 and 3. These BoE belong to several classes of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, plasticizers and plastic related products, volatile organic compounds, nicotine, caffeine and pesticides. The risk of three pesticides, atrazine, amitraz and diazinon is of particular concern since their use was limited in the EU. Among BoE we tentatively identified compounds that have not yet been monitored in HBM schemes and demonstrate limited exposure data, such as bisphenol G, polyethylene glycols and their ethers. Furthermore, 7 compounds with unknown use and sources of exposure were tentatively identified, either indicating the entry of new chemicals into the market, or their metabolites and transformation products. Interestingly, several BoE showed location and time dependency.Globally, this study presents high-throughput approach to SS/NTS for HBM. The results shed a light on the exposure of Slovenian children and raise questions on potential adverse health effects of such mixtures on this vulnerable population.

Exposure to melamine and its derivatives and aromatic amines among pregnant women in the United States: The ECHO Program

BackgroundMelamine, melamine derivatives, and aromatic amines are nitrogen-containing compounds with known toxicity and widespread commercial uses. Nevertheless, biomonitoring of these chemicals is lacking, particularly during pregnancy, a period of increased susceptibility to adverse health effects. ObjectivesWe aimed to measure melamine, melamine derivatives, and aromatic amine exposure in pregnant women across the United States (U.S.) and evaluate associations with participant and urine sample collection characteristics. MethodsWe measured 43 analytes, representing 45 chemicals (i.e., melamine, three melamine derivatives, and 41 aromatic amines), in urine from pregnant women in nine diverse ECHO cohorts during 2008–2020 (N = 171). To assess relations with participant and urine sample collection characteristics, we used generalized estimating equations to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) for analytes dichotomized at the detection limit, % differences (%Δ) for continuous analytes, and 95% confidence intervals. Multivariable models included age, race/ethnicity, marital status, urinary cotinine, and year of sample collection. ResultsTwelve chemicals were detected in >60% of samples, with near ubiquitous detection of cyanuric acid, melamine, aniline, 4,4′-methylenedianiline, and a composite of o-toluidine and m-toluidine (99–100%). In multivariable adjusted models, most chemicals were associated with higher exposures among Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black participants. For example, concentrations of 3,4-dichloroaniline were higher among Hispanic (%Δ: +149, 95% CI: +17, +431) and non-Hispanic Black (%Δ: +136, 95% CI: +35, +311) women compared with non-Hispanic White women. We observed similar results for ammelide, o-/m-toluidine, 4,4′-methylenedianiline, and 4-chloroaniline. Most chemicals were positively associated with urinary cotinine, with strongest associations observed for o-/m-toluidine (%Δ: +23; 95% CI: +16, +31) and 3,4-dichloroaniline (%Δ: +25; 95% CI: +17, +33). Some chemicals exhibited annual trends (e.g., %Δ in melamine per year: −11; 95% CI: −19, −1) or time of day, seasonal, and geographic variability. DiscussionExposure to melamine, cyanuric acid, and some aromatic amines was ubiquitous in this first investigation of these analytes in pregnant women. Future research should expand biomonitoring, identify sources of exposure disparities by race/ethnicity, and evaluate potential adverse health effects.

Glycyrrhizinic acid in licorice products on the Danish market

Glycyrrhizinic acid (GA) is a natural compound found in licorice root and its extract, and is used in a large number of food products. It has been documented that excess consumption of licorice can cause adverse health effects, due to their content of GA. Mandatory labelling rules are therefore in place in the EU to inform consumers of the possible adverse health effects. In this study, 219 samples of confectionery, ice cream, and tea with licorice were sampled in Denmark and analyzed for their GA content. The content of GA was measured with an UPLC-UV method. The results showed that 10% of the samples were inadequately labelled. The samples in each category reaching the highest GA content were confectionery made of pure licorice extract at 23,154 mg/kg, ice cream at 1690 mg/kg, and brewed tea at 1203 mg/L. An intake of 4.3 g of confectionery, 59 g of ice cream, or 83 ml of tea, would surpass the provisionary limit of 100 mg GA/day for regular ingestion. In addition to this health risk scenario from high content products, a larger consumption of licorice products with a lower GA content could also pose a health risk. We suggest campaigns to increase public awareness of the potential adverse health effects of excessive licorice consumption. In addition, it was investigated if 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (GE) was liberated during the processing steps of licorice production. GE is the pharmacologically active aglucone of GA. 18β-Glycyrrhetinic acid was not identified in any product.

Association between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure and risk of diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Emerging evidence suggests that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are endocrine disruptors and may contribute to the etiology of diabetes. This study aimed to systematically review the epidemiological evidence on the associations of PFAS with mortality and morbidity of diabetes and to quantitatively evaluate the summary effect estimates of the existing literature. We searched three electronic databases for epidemiological studies concerning PFAS and diabetes published before April 1, 2022. Summary odds ratio (OR), hazard ratio (HR), or β and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were respectively calculated to evaluate the association between PFAS and diabetes using random-effects model by the exposure type, and dose-response meta-analyses were also performed when possible. We also assessed the risk of bias of the studies included and the confidence in the body of evidence. An initial literature search identified 1969 studies, of which 22 studies were eventually included. The meta-analyses indicated that the observed statistically significant PFAS-T2DM associations were consistent in cohort studies, while the associations were almost non-significant in case-control and cross-sectional studies. Dose-response meta-analysis showed a "parabolic-shaped" association between perfluorooctanoate acid (PFOA) exposure and T2DM risk. Available evidence was rated with "low" risk of bias, and the level of evidence for PFAS and incident T2DM was considered "moderate". Our findings suggest that PFAS exposure may increase the risk of incident T2DM, and that PFOA may exert non-monotonic dose-response effect on T2DM risk. Considering the widespread exposure, persistence, and potential for adverse health effects of PFAS, further cohort studies with improvements in expanding the sample size, adjusting the covariates, and considering different types of PFAS exposure at various doses, are needed to elucidate the putative causal associations and potential mode of action of different PFAS on diabetes. A growing body of evidence suggests that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are endocrine disruptors and may contribute to the development of diabetes. However, epidemiological evidence on the associations of PFAS and diabetes is inconsistent. We performed this comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis to quantitatively synthesize the evidence. The findings of this study suggest that exposure to PFAS may increase diabetes risk among the general population. Reduced exposure to these "forever and everywhere chemicals" may be an important preventative approach to reducing the risk of diabetes across the population.

Hygienic Rationale for Criteria of Assessing Health Risks Posed by E-Learning for High School, College, and University Students

Introduction: It is impossible to imagine the modern world without digital technologies currently used in all branches of industry, science, and education. Application of electronic learning tools in schools and universities has shown the need for regulating their use in order to prevent such adverse outcomes as visual and general fatigue. The Government of the Russian Federation has developed the Concept of Children’s Information Security aimed at creating the information environment that promotes positive socialization, optimal personal, cognitive, and physical development, maintenance of mental and psychological health and well-being. The rationale for optimal screen time duration, including that during distance learning, is of particular importance. Objective: To assess risks of visual impairment and ill-being posed by the use of e-learning tools for high school, college, and university students during distance education. Materials and methods: In 2021, we conducted an anonymous questionnaire-based online survey of 190 high school, vocational school, and first-year university students to establish their self-rated health status, well-being, and complaints during distance learning of different duration. The data were processed using generally accepted statistical methods and techniques of evidence-based medicine to estimate health risk values and their contribution. Results: We collected new information on the prevalence of self-assessed visual impairment in modern high school, college, and medical university students. According to our findings, 42.9 % of high school students, 51.8 % of vocational school students, and only 37.2 % of university students had no visual impairment. We estimated screen time duration and established the related prevalence of ill-being, irritability, headaches, neck and back pain in the respondents. The health risk assessment performed showed that distance learning should be limited to five hours in order to avoid its potential adverse health effects in students. The results have limitations associated with a relatively small regional sample. Conclusions: Our survey results are aimed at preventing visual impairment and psychological stress in students working in the digital environment during distance learning. They have been used to develop guidelines for prevention of vision problems and creation of safe e-learning conditions.

(E)-1,2-Difluoroethylene (HFO-1132E).

(E)-1,2-Difluoroethylene (HFO-1132E) is a colorless gas used as a refrigerant. HFO-1132E has low acute toxicity following inhalation exposure in rats and dogs. HFO-1132E caused neither cardiac sensitization in dogs nor reproductive or developmental toxicity in rats following repeated inhalation exposure. Repeated inhalation exposure for up to 13weeks in rats resulted in degeneration of the vomeronasal organ (VNO) at all exposure levels. However, the VNO is poorly developed or absent in humans. HFO-1132E was not genotoxic in either an in vitro chromosome aberration study or in vivo (rat) or in vitro micronucleus assays although the substance was mutagenic in 4 of 5 Salmonella and E. coli strains with and without S9. In an in vivo comet assay in rats, statistically significant increases in DNA strand breaks were observed in the kidney at concentrations ≥60,000ppm and in the liver, bladder, and lung at 120,000ppm. An increase in hedgehog cells was also noted at these concentrations that confounded the comet response. The point of departure for the WEEL was 15,000ppm from the 13-week inhalation study. After application of appropriate adjustment factors, an 8-h time-weighted average (TWA) WEEL value of 350 ppm was derived. This exposure limit is expected to provide a significant margin of safety against any potential adverse health effects in workers. A short-term exposure level (STEL) or skin notation is not applicable for this WEEL.

Risk Profiling of Beta-agonists in the Consumption of Pork by the Filipino Consuming Population

Beta-agonists (β-agonists) are feed additives used in animal production (20–40 d before slaughter) to simultaneously reduce fat gain and increase the muscle mass of animals, but the residues may remain in the tissues of animals if the withdrawal period is not observed. This is a concern due to the potential adverse health effects to humans symptomized by increased heart rate, palpitations, vasodilation, and reflex tachycardia. This study described the potential risks associated with the consumption of pork with β-agonists to the Filipino pork-consuming population through the risk profiling process. Specifically, it consolidated the available information and determined the data gaps relevant to the risk profiling process, including available risk management options for β-agonist residues in pork. The study identified and characterized β-agonist as the hazard and pork as the concerned commodity. The risk was estimated through the evaluation of β-agonist residue concentrations in pork kidneys and pork meat from the National Veterinary Drug Residue Monitoring Program of the Philippine National Meat Inspection Service and the pork consumption data of the adult Filipino consuming population from the Department of Science and Technology–Food and Nutrition Research Institute in consideration of identified uncertainties, variabilities, and assumptions. The mean and maximum dietary exposures of the adult Filipino consuming population, with an assumed average body weight of Asian adults, to β-agonists in pork meat (0.0111 and 0.1478 μg/kg bw) and pork kidney (0.0166 and 0.4847 μg/ kg bw) were estimated to exceed 100% of the acceptable daily intake of clenbuterol (0–0.004 μg/kg bw). These results indicate that there is an appreciable risk to the health of the Filipino population when it comes to the consumption of pork contaminated with β-agonists.

Cytotoxic evaluation and chemical investigation of tomatoes from plants (Solanum lycopersicum L.) grown in uncontaminated and experimentally contaminated soils

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxic activity and the chemical composition of the tomato extracts coming from, Pomodoro Giallo and San Marzano Cirio 3, and then to evaluate the potential changes when plants were grown in soils contaminated by cadmium, chromium and lead. Extracts were investigated by UHPLC-HRMS and UV–Vis. Cell viability (CellTiter-Glo Luminescent assay), enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase activity (ALDEFLOUR Assay), cell cycle progression (Accuri C6 Flow Cytometer), apoptosis and necrosis (Annexin V-FITC assay) were evaluated on two gastric cancer (AGS and NCI-N87) and two colorectal cancer (HT-29 and HCT 116) cell lines. Different content of polyphenol and carotenoid constituents was observed. Extracts from uncontaminated soil induced cytotoxic activity towards all selected cancer cells, while extracts coming from contaminated soils showed the aberrant phenotype increased in colorectal cancer cells. Chloroform extracts exerted the highest cytotoxic activity. AGS and HT-29 were the most sensitive to cell cycle arrest and to apoptosis. No necrotic effect was observed in HCT 116. The contrasting effects on cancer cells were observed based on tomato variety, the extract polarity, heavy metal identity, and tested cell line. The investigation of potential adverse health effects due to Cd in the fruits should be explored.