Environmental Health and Toxicology最新文献

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the use of certain household products (HPs) at home and atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults. The study was conducted on 1,500 households in Seoul, South Korea. We obtained information on general characteristics, the use of HPs, and AD through an online panel survey in July 2018. HPs were selected as 23 kinds of products with associated risks that are management targets of the Ministry of Environment. The international study of asthma and allergies in childhood was used for the AD questionnaires. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify AD affected by the use of HPs. Average number of used HPs was 13.44 out of 23, and average usage frequency of HPs was 3.52 times a month at home in Seoul for the last 1 year. Compared with subjects with a low number of HPs used (reference), subjects with a high number of used HPs (4th quartile) were more likely to have lifetime diagnosis of AD (odds ratio (OR) = 1.77, 95% confidence interval (CI); 1.23-2.54), symptoms of AD in the last 12 months (OR = 2.66, 95% CI; 1.92-3.70), and treatment of AD in the last 12 months (OR = 2.37, 95% CI; 1.48-3.80). Compared with subjects with a low HPs usage frequency (reference), subjects with a high HPs usage frequency (4th quartile) were more likely to have lifetime diagnosis of AD (OR = 1.88, 95% CI; 1.31-2.70), symptoms of AD in the last 12 months (OR = 2.14, 95% CI; 1.54-2.96), and treatment of AD in the last 12 months (OR = 2.23, 95% CI; 1.39-3.60). Therefore, the use of HPs was significantly associated with AD. The findings of this study might be useful as basic data for managing allergic diseases and establishing preventive measures.

Disinfectants including polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate (PHMG) and mixtures of chloromethylisothiazolinone/ methylisothiazolinone (CMIT/MIT) have been widely used in Korea to prevent microbial growth in the humidifier water, which triggered an outbreak of serious respiratory diseases. In addition to the respiratory syndrome, disease-related symptoms including liver toxicity, asthma, and skin allergies were also found after extensive survey of people exposed to the humidifier disinfectants (HDs). In this study, eye irritation tests were performed based on the Organization for economic co-operation and development (OECD) test guidelines 492 using EpiOcularTM which is a tissue model of reconstructed human cornea-like epithelium. As results, the raw materials of PHMG (26% as active ingredient) and CMIT/MIT (1.5% as active ingredient) were classified under UN globally harmonized system of classification and labeling of chemical (GHS) category 1 or category 2. However, aqueous dilutions of raw materials such as market products of HDs that contain 0.13% of PHMG and 0.03% of CMIT/MIT or further dilutions of the market products for humidifier that contain 0.0013% of PHMG and 0.0003% of CMIT/MIT were classified under any category, which suggested absence of eye irritation at the test concentration.

The inhalation of naphthalene used as deodorant balls in public toilets could be an important cancer risk factor. The atmospheric concentration of naphthalene in public toilets (Cin) was estimated both by a polyurethane foam passive air sampler (PUF-PAS) deployed in nine public toilets in Seoul, Korea and by a steady-state indoor air quality model, including emission estimation using Monte-Carlo simulation. Based on the estimated Cin, cancer risk was also assessed for cleaning workers and the general population. The steady-state Cin estimated using the estimated emission rate, which assumed that air exchange was the only process by which naphthalene was removed, was much greater than the Cin value measured using PUF-PAS in nine public toilets, implying the importance of other removal processes, such as sorption to walls and the garments of visitors, as well as decreased emission rate owing to wetting of the naphthalene ball surface. The 95 percentile values of cancer risk for workers based on the estimation by PUF-PAS was 1.6×10-6 , whereas those for the general public were lower than 1×10-6 . The results suggested that naphthalene deodorant balls in public toilets may be an important cancer risk factor especially for the cleaning workers.

This study investigated the social outcomes of the Environmental Health Studies of National Industrial Complex (EHSNIC), which have been conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER) in eight National Industrial Complex Areas (NICAs) since 2003. Eighteen sessions of focus-group interviews with 85 people were conducted from October 2016 to January 2017. Interviewees were stakeholders from eight NICAs and included resident representatives, environmental nongovernment organizations, local government officials, and environmental health and safety officers from companies. Interview results were divided into six categories: EHSNIC awareness, EHSNIC outcomes, EHSNIC limitations, EHSNIC continuation, EHSNIC improvement directions, and EHSNIC results use. They were then further indexed into 23 divisions. EHSNIC awareness varied across stakeholders. A major EHSNIC outcome is that a continued result database was established, which was used as a reference for environmental improvements. EHSNIC limitations included no proper healthcare actions taken during the EHSNIC study period, a lack of EHSNIC results disclosure, a failure to reflect local specificity, and a lack of validity in the results. Regarding EHSNIC continuation, all stakeholders said EHSNIC should be conducted continuously. EHSNIC improvement directions included conducting studies tailored to each NICA, identifying correlations between pollutant exposure and disease, increasing the sample size, and performing repeated studies. Regarding EHSNIC results use, respondents wanted to use the results as a reference to relocate residents, ensure distance between NICAs and residential areas, provide healthcare support, develop local government policies, and implement firms' environmental controls. Since EHSNIC aims to identify the health effects of NICAs on residents and take appropriate actions, it should be continued in the future. Even during the study period, it is important to take steps to preventively protect residents' health. EHSNIC also needs to reflect each NICA's characteristics and conduct reliable research based on stakeholder participation and communication.

The study aimed to assess the single and joint lethal toxicity, type of interaction and the extent to which simple mathematical model of concentration addition (CA), independent action (IA) and generalized concentration addition (GCA) could predict the joint toxicity of copper hydroxide and glyphosate mixture in Clarias gariepinus. Static bioassay were setup to determine the individual and combined (based on ratio 1:2) lethal concentrations (LCx) of the pesticides. Data from the static bioassays were then fitted into the synergistic ratio (SR), concentration-addition (toxicity unit; TU) and isobologram model to determine the type of interaction between the different classes of pesticides, while the CA, IA and GCA models were used to predicted the observed mixture effects. The estimated 24 h, 48 h, 72 h and 96 h LC50 for copper hydroxide were 198.66 mg/L, 167.51 mg/L, 138.64 mg/L, and 104.82 mg/L; glyphosate were 162.92 mg/L, 103.88 mg/L, 61.95 mg/L, and 52.6l mg/L; while the mixtures were 63.18 mg/L, 59.06 mg/L, 56.42 mg/L, and 50.67 mg/L, respectively. Glyphosate was 2 times more toxic than copper hydroxide to C. gariepinus when acting singly. The SR and RTU was <1 indicate that the interaction between the pesticides was synergistic. Synergism was also corroborated by the isobologram model. The interaction of the mixture of copper hydroxide and glyphosate followed the IA model while the CA and GCA model underestimated the observed mixture effects. The study showed that copper hydroxide was practically non-toxic, while glyphosate and the mixture were slightly toxic to C. gariepinus.

We reviewed the chemical/physical properties, toxicity, environmental fate, and ecotoxicity of strong acids in soil and groundwater environments. We recommend that sulfuric acid and hydrofluoric acid be classified as chemicals of priority control based on volumes used, toxicity, carcinogenicity, and past significant spill events. Understanding the behavior and transport of spilled strong acids in soil and groundwater environments requires a multi-disciplinary approach, as they can undergo a variety of geochemical and biochemical reactions with complex geomedia. The toxicity of spilled acid is dependent on the characteristics of the geomedia exposed to the acid and the amount of residual protons following acid-substrate interaction. Soil texture, cation exchange capacity, mineral composition, bedrock type, and aluminum content may be important factors affecting the toxicity of spilled acid in soil-groundwater environments. We expect that the results of this study will contribute preliminary data for future research on chemical spills.

The Environmental Health Study in the Korean National Industrial Complexes (EHSNIC) is a project that aims to monitor the exposure and health effects of environmental pollution among residents of national industrial complexes, as well as propose appropriate environmental health measures. Since its launch in 2003, this project has been initiated in eight national industrial complexes. Currently, it is necessary to review the accomplishments and limitations of the phases 1 and 2 of this project, and establish the direction of the upcoming the phase 3. Thus, the present study has developed principles and goals for the phase 3, considering the rationale and justification of the EHSNIC, and presented specific research contents accordingly. In the phase 3, it is important to improve the methods for exposure assessment and evaluation of health effects, in order to identify clearly the association between the pollutants released from industrial complexes and their health impacts, to develop and to reinforce communication strategies to promote participation of residents of communities near industrial complexes. Nonetheless, it is also important to maintain the basic goal of continuously monitoring the level of exposure to and health effects of environmental pollutants.

The purpose of this review is to summarize the results of studies on of the association between exposure to dental X-rays and health risk. To perform the systematic review, We searched the PUBMED, EMBASE, and MEDLINE databases for papers published before December 15, 2016. A total of 2 158 studies, excluding duplicate studies, were found. Two reviewers independently evaluated the eligibility of each study. The final 21 studies were selected after application of exclusion criteria. In terms of health outcomes, there were 10 studies about brain tumors, 5 about thyroid cancer, 3 about tumors of head and neck areas, and 3 related to systemic health. In brain tumor studies, the association between dental X-ray exposure and meningioma was statistically significant in 5 of the 7 studies. In 4 of the 5 thyroid-related studies, there was a significant correlation with dental diagnostic X-rays. In studies on head and neck areas, tumors included laryngeal, parotid gland, and salivary gland cancers. There was also a statistically significant correlation between full-mouth X-rays and salivary gland cancer, but not parotid gland cancer. Health outcomes such as leukemia, low birth weight, cataracts, and thumb carcinomas were also reported. In a few studies examining health effects related to dental X-ray exposure, possibly increased risks of meningioma and thyroid cancer were suggested. More studies with a large population and prospective design are needed to elaborate these associations further.

The objective of this study was to determine toxicities of four parabens (methyl paraben, MP; ethyl paraben, EP; n-propyl paraben, PP; and n-butyl paraben; BP) and their mixtures to two aquatic microorganisms, Daphnia magna and Aliivibrio fischeri. Parabens are one of the widely used preservatives for personal care products, such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food also. First, each paraben was treated to D. magna to measure the toxicity levels as LC20 and LC50. The results showed their value of MP (25.2 mg/L, 73.4 mg/L), EP (18.4 mg/L, 43.7 mg/L), PP (10.4 mg/L, 21.1 mg/L) and BP (3.3 mg/L, 11.2 mg/L). Then, each of the parabens was treated to A. fischeri and calculated their EC20 and EC50 by bioluminescence inhibition test. The results showed the values of MP (2.93 mg/L, 16.8 mg/L), EP (1.18 mg/L, 6.74 mg/L), PP (0.51 mg/L, 5.85 mg/L) and BP (0.21 mg/L, 2.34 mg/L). These four parabens belong to the group classified as being 'harmful to aquatic organisms' (above 10 mg/L, below 100 mg/L). After measuring the toxicity, EC20 values of two or more parabens were tested in order to investigate their toxicity. A total of ten combinations of four parabens were tested. As a result, the bioluminescence inhibition test of A. fischeri showed that the toxicity of mixture parabens was stronger than that of a single compound and combinations of three parabens showed the highest bioluminescence inhibition. These results showed that independent toxicity of paraben was maintained. Therefore, it can be predictable that the toxicity of paraben is getting stronger by the addition of other parabens.