Title: Toxicology and Industrial Health

Title: Toxicology and Industrial Health

ISO Abbreviated Title: Toxicol. Ind. Health

JCR Abbreviated Title: Toxicol Ind Health

ISSN: 0748-2337

Issues/Year: 5

Journal Country/Territory: United States

Language: English

Publisher: Stockton Press

Publisher Address: 345 Park Ave South, New York, NY 10010-1707

Subject Categories:

Public, Environmental & Occupational Health: Impact Factor 1.545, 33/85

Toxicology: Impact Factor 1.545,

? Vanderslice, R.R., Orme, J., Ohanian, E.V. and Sonich Mullin, C. (1989), Problems in assessing the risks of mixtures of contaminants in drinking water. Toxicology and Industrial Health, 5 (5), 747-755.

Abstract: In conducting risk assessments on drinking water contaminants, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) attempts to evaluate all available toxicity data to develop Health Advisory (HA) and Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) values. The EPA often has grappled with the issues surrounding the toxicity of chemical mixtures, including radioactive contaminants, nitrate/nitrite, and trihalomethanes (THMs). In evaluating the toxicity of chemical mixtures, the EPA’s immediate concern is whether the individual HA values and MCLGs are protecting public health when multiple contaminants are present in drinking water. Potential toxic interactions between drinking water contaminants are difficult to predict because experimental studies are generally performed only at high doses relative to environmental levels. Although the contamination of drinking water involves mixtures of contaminants, drinking water regulations are generally based on an assessment of the risks of individual contaminants. This paper discusses three issues of major concern to the EPA: the synergistic effects of solvent mixtures, vehicle effects in laboratory studies, and setting standards for essential trace nutrients where the absorption and/or toxicity are affected by an individual’s nutritional status or other dietary components.

? Kreis, I.A. (1990), Cadmium contamination of the countryside, a case study on health effects. Toxicology and Industrial Health, 6 (5), 181-188.

Abstract: The border region between Belgium and The Netherlands, the Kempen, was found to be polluted with cadmium. The main route of pollution had been by air but some cadmium came by way of surface-water and solid waste. This resulted in an increase in the cadmium content of locally grown vegetables. The consequential exposure to cadmium of humans living in the area has been estimated using various methods and is approximately the FAO/WHO maximum allowable daily intake, smoking disregarded. Several studies of possible effects on public health were conducted. Among these studies were two geographic studies, one on hospital admissions for various non-malignant diseases and one on cancer-incidence. Two cohort studies on possible teratogenic effects in a non-occupationally exposed, non-smoking vegetarian population with a high fertility and good registration were also conducted. A survey on cadmium content of the urine and kidney damage in a longtime but non-occupationally exposed rural population and a reference population formed the main study. Also, a survey on cadmium content of the kidney samples of autopsied patients in a population based study and a reference population was conducted. Together these studies showed that the extra exposure had lead to an additional body-burden of cadmium resulting in various signs of malfunction. In consequence of the findings the Netherlands Ministry for Housing, Physical Planning and Environment appropriated money to cleanup contaminated gardens.

? Tanaka, T. (1993), Reproductive and neurobehavioral effects of amaranth administered to mice in drinking water. Toxicology and Industrial Health, 9 (6), 1027-1035.

Abstract: The color additive amaranth was given in the drinking water at levels of 0 (control), 0.025, 0.075, and 0.225% from 5 weeks of age in F0 generation until F1 generation mice were weaned, with selected reproductive, developmental and behavioral parameters being measured. Amaranth had little adverse effect upon litter size, litter weight and sex ratio. Average body weight in both sexes of the F1 mice was significantly increased in the 0.025% group in both sexes. Survival index at postnatal day (PND) 21 was reduced in the 0.025% amaranth group. For the neurobehavioral parameters, surface righting at PND 4 in female offspring and olfactory orientation in both sexes were significantly affected by treatment. Several parameters of movement activity of male offspring at 3 weeks of age were affected in amaranth 0.075% group, but those of female offspring were similar in all groups. The dose levels of amaranth in this study produced a little adverse effect on behavioral development in mice.

? Mumtaz, M.M., George, J.D., Gold, K.W., Cibulas, W. and de Rosa, C.T. (1996), ATSDR evaluation of health effects of chemicals. IV. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): Understanding a complex problem. Toxicology and Industrial Health, 12 (6), 742-971.

Abstract: Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of chemicals that are formed during the incomplete burning of coal, oil, gas, wood, garbage, or other organic substances, such as tobacco and charbroiled meat. There are more than 100 PAHs. PAHs generally occur as complex mixtures (for example, as part of products such as soot), not as single compounds. PAHs are found throughout the environment in the air, water, and soil. As part of its mandate, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) prepares toxicological profiles on hazardous chemicals, including PAHs (ATSDR, 1995), found at facilities on the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) National Priorities List (NPL) and which pose the most significant potential threat to human health, as determined by ATSDR and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These profiles include information on health effects of chemicals from different routes and durations of exposure, their potential for exposure, regulations and advisories, and the adequacy of the existing database. Assessing the health effects of PAHs is a major challenge because environmental exposures to these chemicals are usually to complex mixtures of PAHs with other chemicals. The biological consequences of human exposure to mixtures of PAHs depend on the toxicity, carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic, of the individual components of the mixture, the types of interactions among them, and confounding factors that are not thoroughly understood. Also identified are components of exposure and health effects research needed on PAHs that will allow estimation of realistic human health risks posed by exposures to PAHs. The exposure assessment component of research should focus on (1) development of reliable analytical methods for the determination of bioavailable PAHs following ingestion, (2) estimation of bioavailable PAHs from environmental media, particularly the determination of particle-bound PAHs, (3) data on ambient levels of PAHs metabolites in tissues/fluids of control populations, and (4) the need for a critical evaluation of current levels of PAHs found in environmental media including data from hazardous waste sites. The health effects component should focus on obtaining information on (1) the health effects of mixtures of PAHs particularly their noncarcinogenic effects in humans, and (2) their toxicokinetics. This report provides excerpts from the toxicological profile of PAHs (ATSDR, 1995) that contains more detailed information.

? Burg, J.R. and Gist, G.L. (1998), The National Exposure Registry: Analyses of health outcomes from the benzene subregistry. Toxicology and Industrial Health, 14 (3), 367-387.

Abstract: The purpose of the National Exposure Registry is to assess the long-term health consequences to a general population from long-term, low-level exposures to specific substances in the environment. This study investigates the health outcomes of 1,143 persons (1,127 living, 16 deceased) living in south central Texas who had documented environmental exposure to benzene (up to 66ppb) in tap water. As with all subregistries, face-to-face interviews were used to collect self-reported information for 25 general health status questions. Using computer-assisted telephone interviewing, the same health questions were asked 1 year (Followup 1, F1) and 2 years later (Followup 2, F2). The health outcome rates for Baseline and Followup 1 and 2 data collections for the Benzene Subregistry were compared with national norms, that is, the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) rates. For at least one of the three reporting periods, specific age and sex groups of the Benzene Subregistry population reported more adverse health outcomes when compared with the NHIS population, including anemia and other blood disorders, ulcers, gall bladder trouble, and stomach or intestinal problems, stroke, urinary tract disorders, skin rashes, diabetes, kidney disease, and respiratory allergies. Statistically significant deficits for the Benzene Subregistry population overall were found for asthma, emphysema, or chronic bronchitis; arthritis, rheumatism, or other joint disorders; hearing impairment; and speech impairment. No statistically significant differences between the two populations were seen for the outcomes hypertension; liver disease; mental retardation; or cancer. These results do not identify a causal relationship between benzene exposure and adverse health effects; however, they do reinforce the need for continued followup of registrants.

? Fay, M., Eisenmann, C., Diwan, S. and de Rosa, C. (1998), ATSDR evaluation of health effects of chemicals. V. Xylenes: Health effects, toxicokinetics, human exposure, and environmental fate. Toxicology and Industrial Health, 14 (5), 571-776.

Abstract: Xylenes, or dimethylbenzenes, are among the highest-volume chemicals in production. Common uses are for gasoline blending, as a solvent or component in a wide variety of products from paints to printing ink, and in the production of phthalates and polyester. They are often encountered as a mixture of the three dimethyl isomers, together with ethylbenzene. As part of its mandate, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) prepares toxicological profiles on hazardous chemicals found at Comprehensive Environment Responses, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) National Priorities List (NPL) sites that are of greatest concern for public health purposes. These profiles comprehensively summarize toxicological and environmental information. This article constitutes the release of the bulk of this profile (ATSDR, 1995) into the mainstream scientific literature. An extensive listing of known human and animal health effects, organized by route, duration, and end point, is presented. Toxicological information on toxicokinetics, biomarkers, interactions, sensitive subpopulations, reducing toxicity after exposure, and relevance to public health is also included. Environmental information encompasses physical properties, production and use, environmental fate, levels seen in the environment, analytical methods, and a listing of regulations. ATSDR, as mandated by CERCLA (or Superfund), prepares these profiles to inform and assist the public.

? Porter, W.P., Jaeger, J.W. and Carlson, I.H. (1999), Endocrine, immune, and behavioral effects of aldicarb (carbamate), atrazine (triazine) and nitrate (fertilizer) mixtures at groundwater concentrations. Toxicology and Industrial Health, 15 (1-2), 133-150.

Abstract: This paper describes the results of 5 years of research on interactive effects of mixtures of aldicarb, atrazine, and nitrate on endocrine, immune, and nervous system function. The concentrations of chemicals used were the same order of magnitude as current maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for all three compounds. Such levels occur in groundwater across the United States. Dosing was through voluntary consumption of drinking water. We used fractional and full factorial designs with center replicates to determine multifactor effects. We used chronic doses in experiments that varied in duration from 22 to 103 days. We tested for changes in thyroid hormone levels, ability to make antibodies to foreign proteins, and aggression in wild deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus, and white outbred Swiss Webster mice, Mus musculus, ND4 strain. Endocrine, immune, and behavior changes occurred due to doses of mixtures, but rarely due to single compounds at the same concentrations. Immune assay data suggest the possibility of seasonal effects at low doses. We present a multiple-level model to help interpret the data in the context of human health and biological conservation concerns. We discuss six testing deficiencies of currently registered pesticides, and suggest areas of human health concerns if present trends in pesticide use continue.