Environmental Health and Toxicology最新文献

{"title":"Humidifier disinfectant disaster: what is known and what needs to be clarified.","authors":"Sungkyoon Kim, D. Paek","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2016025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2016025","url":null,"abstract":"OBJECTIVES\u0000After the initial investigations by the Korea Centers for Disease Control in 2011, over 1000 suspicious cases of humidifier disinfectant (HD) victims were subsequently reported by 2015, and numbers are still increasing dramatically in 2016 in the midst of the prosecutors' office investigation. This study attempts to summarize the current understandings of the related health effects of HD based upon a systemic review of published epidemiologic studies and toxicology investigations.\u0000\u0000\u0000METHODS\u0000Published studies of HDs were searched through PubMed and TOXLINE under the search words 'humidifier disinfectant,' and related reports were identified from the references and published report list of regulatory agencies including the Korean National Institute of Environmental Research, US Environmental Protection Agency, and EU European Chemicals Agency.\u0000\u0000\u0000RESULTS\u0000Case reports and epidemiologic studies have reported the clinical features of severe forms of HD lung damage, together with epidemiologic findings of seasonal occurrence and demographic variations, including the heightened susceptibility of young children. Toxicological studies have reported inhalation toxicities together with positive findings of in vitro genotoxicity studies.\u0000\u0000\u0000CONCLUSIONS\u0000This study examined unsolved issues based on cases of upper respiratory diseases and diseases of other organs, including cancers, among suspected victims of HDs. These issues should be clarified in future research for the management and prevention of health effects from HDs and chemicals of other related household products.","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70821021","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"What must be done to prevent another humidifier disinfectant disaster?","authors":"Jong-Hyeon Lee","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2016024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2016024","url":null,"abstract":"The humidifier disinfectant disaster (HDD) was not a simple poisoning accident by biocides, but a singular disaster in history created by chemicals in household products. This disaster was a result of the failure of a system for the management of chemical and product safety. Since the management authority for chemical usage safety is different from those for chemical safety in products, many blind areas for chemical safety management in products still remain. The ‘Act on the Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances (ARECS)’ or the new ‘Biocidal Product Act’ must not only address the blind areas in the management system for chemical and product safety, but also prevent a second HDD. To prevent another HDD, an integrated registration, evaluation, and management system for chemicals and consumer products must be incorporated into the ‘ARECS’ as an essential part for chemical safety in consumer products.","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-11-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70820966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A study on the factors affecting the follow-up participation in birth cohorts","authors":"Bohyun Park, E. Choi, E. Ha, Jonghyuk Choi, Yangho Kim, Yun-Chul Hong, M. Ha, Hyesook Park","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2016023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2016023","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives A stable follow-up participation rate is a very important factor for validity in a cohort study. This study analyzed the factors that affect the participation rate at one hospital-based birth cohort in South Korean. Methods The participants were recruited from the Mothers’ and Children’s Environmental Health study between 2006 and 2010. The analysis targeted 1751 mothers who participated in a birth cohort. We conducted analyses of general characteristics during pregnancy and those of infants at birth that affect the participation rate of the 6-month follow-up survey. Results The participation rate for the 6-month follow-up survey was 60.4%. The participation rate in the follow-up of the subsequent period decreased within a 5% to 10% range compared to the number of subjects. The participation rate of premature infants was 16.9% lower than that of a full-term infant (52.6% vs. 69.5%). Analysis showed a 16.7% difference between the participation rate of low-birthweight infants in follow-ups (53.7%) and the participation rate of infants with normal weight (70.4%). The participation rate of mothers who were employed during pregnancy was significantly lower for the 6-month follow-up compared to the participation rate of mothers who were unemployed during pregnancy. Conclusions In this study, factors such as premature birth, low-birthweight, and the employment status of the mother during pregnancy affected the participation rate of the follow-up survey for the birth cohort at six months. A specific strategy is needed to encourage survey participation for the high risk groups in the follow-ups.","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-11-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70820951","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A cross-sectional study of the association between mobile phone use and symptoms of ill health","authors":"Y. Cho, H. Lim, Hoon-Ho Jang, Kyung-hee Kim, J. Choi, C. Shin, S. K. Lee, Jong Hwa Kwon, Nam Kim","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2016022","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2016022","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives This study analyzed the associations between mobile phone call frequency and duration with non-specific symptoms. Methods This study was conducted with a population group including 532 non-patient adults established by the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. The pattern of phone call using a mobile phone was investigated through face-to-face interview. Structured methods applied to quantitatively assess health effects are Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6), Psychosocial Well-being Index-Short Form, Beck Depression Inventory, Korean-Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and 12-item Short Form Health Survey where a higher score represents a higher greater health effect. Results The average daily phone call frequency showed a significant correlation with the PSS score in female subjects. Increases in the average duration of one phone call were significantly correlated with increases in the severity of headaches in both sexes. The mean (standard deviation) HIT-6 score in the subgroup of subjects whose average duration of one phone call was five minutes or longer was 45.98 (8.15), as compared with 42.48 (7.20) in those whose average duration of one phone call was <5 minutes. The severity of headaches was divided into three levels according to the HIT-6 score (little or no impact/moderate impact/substantial or severe impact), and a logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between an increased phone call duration and the headache severity. When the average duration of one phone call was five minutes or longer, the odds ratio (ORs) and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the moderate impact group were 2.22 and 1.18 to 4.19, respectively. The OR and 95% CI for the substantial or severe impact group were 4.44 and 2.11 to 8.90, respectively. Conclusions Mobile phone call duration was not significantly associated with stress, sleep, cognitive function, or depression, but was associated with the severity of headaches.","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-10-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.5620/eht.e2016022","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70821299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A call for action from workers, local residents, and consumers: a safe society from toxic chemicals","authors":"Shinbum Kim, Sanghyuk Im, Youngeun Choi, Soomi Park, Jaesoon Hyun, Kyung Seok Lee, Sunimm Lee, Sung-Nan Lee, Jeongri Seo, J. Kim, Hyunsun Na, Minsun Kim","doi":"10.5620/eht.2016020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.2016020","url":null,"abstract":"In 2016, it was revealed that many children and pregnant women had been injured or killed by disinfectants for home humidifiers in South Korea (hereafter Korea). Criminal trials against the companies that manufactured, imported, or sold such products are now under way and a consumer boycott against them has gained widespread public support, however, more fundamental changes toward a society that is safe from toxic chemicals have yet to be achieved. \u0000 \u0000In this context, a group of experts and non-governmental organization (NGO) activists gathered to diagnose the current conditions of controls over toxic chemicals in Korea, and to propose policy alternatives. Based on a series of discussions, a consensus report was drafted by Shinbum Kim, a researcher of the Wonjin Institute for Occupational and Environmental Health. The draft was revised several times with comments from professional communities. The final version was endorsed by representative professional associations including the Korean Society for Environmental Health and Toxicology, the Korean Society for Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the Korean Industrial Hygiene Association, the Korean Academic Society of Occupational Health Nursing, and 549 healthcare professionals affiliated to NGOs such as the Association of Physicians for Humanism. On July 11, 2016, the agenda was finally released to the public.","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70820224","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of metal contamination and phytoremediation potential of aquatic macrophytes of East Kolkata Wetlands, India","authors":"A. Khatun, Sandipan Pal, A. K. Mukherjee, P. Samanta, S. Mondal, Debraj Kole, P. Chandra, A. Ghosh","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2016021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2016021","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives The present study analyzes metal contamination in sediment of the East Kolkata Wetlands, a Ramsar site, which is receiving a huge amount of domestic and industrial wastewater from surrounding areas. The subsequent uptake and accumulation of metals in different macrophytes are also examined in regard to their phytoremediation potential. Methods Metals like cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), and lead (Pb) were estimated in sediment, water and different parts of the macrophytes Colocasia esculenta and Scirpus articulatus. Results The concentration of metals in sediment were, from highest to lowest, Mn (205.0±65.5 mg/kg)>Cu (29.9±10.2 mg/kg)>Pb (22.7±10.3 mg/kg)>Cd (3.7±2.2 mg/kg). The phytoaccumulation tendency of these metals showed similar trends in both native aquatic macrophyte species. The rate of accumulation of metals in roots was higher than in shoots. There were strong positive correlations (p<0.001) between soil organic carbon (OC) percentage and Mn (r =0.771), and sediment OC percentage and Pb (r=0.832). Cation exchange capacity (CEC) also showed a positive correlation (p<0.001) with Cu (r=0.721), Mn (r=0.713), and Pb (r=0.788), while correlations between sediment OC percentage and Cu (r=0.628), sediment OC percentage and Cd (r=0.559), and CEC and Cd (r=0.625) were significant at the p<0.05 level. Conclusions Bioaccumulation factor and translocation factors of these two plants revealed that S. articulatus was comparatively more efficient for phytoremediation, whereas phytostabilization potential was higher in C. esculenta.","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.5620/eht.e2016021","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70821346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Humidifier disinfectant lung injury, how do we approach the issues?","authors":"Jihyun Emma Choi,&nbsp;Sang-Bum Hong,&nbsp;Kyung-Hyun Do,&nbsp;Hwa Jung Kim,&nbsp;Seockhoon Chung,&nbsp;Eun Lee,&nbsp;Jihyun Choi,&nbsp;Soo-Jong Hong","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2016019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2016019","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A large portion of the Korean population has been exposed to toxic humidifier disinfectants (HDs), and considering that the majority of the victims are infants, the magnitude of the damage is expected to be considerably larger than what has currently been revealed. The current victims are voicing problems caused by various diseases, including but not limited to lung, upper respiratory tract, cardiovascular, kidney, musculoskeletal, eye, and skin diseases, etc. However, there has been difficulty in gaining validation for these health problems and identifying causal relationships due to lack of evidence proving that toxic HD is the specific causes of extrapulmonary diseases such as allergic rhinitis. Furthermore, the victims and bereaved families of the HD case have not received any support for psychological distress such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, feelings of injustice, and anger caused by the trauma. In addition, because the underlying mechanisms of the toxic materials within the HDs such as polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate, poly(oxyalkylene guanidine) hydrochloride, chloromethylisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone have yet to be determined, the demand for information regarding the HD issue is growing. The victims of the HD cases require support that goes beyond financial aid for medical costs and living expenses. There is a desperate need for government-led integrated support centers that provide individualized support through health screenings; in other words, we need an integrated facility that provides the appropriate social support to allow the victims to recover their physical and mental health, so as to well prepare them to return to a normal life. The implementation of such a plan requires not only the close cooperation between those departments already directly involved such as the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, but also active support on a national scale from pan-governmental consultative bodies.</p>","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/4b/49/eht-31-e2016019.PMC5080795.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"34719360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Relationship between residential district and health-related quality of life in Chungnam industrial complex area.","authors":"Heechan Kim,&nbsp;Sangchul Roh","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2016017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2016017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between residential district of people, such as power plant, steel-mill and petrochemical industries, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using a cross-sectional study design, we randomly recruited participants for our study from industrial areas (thermoelectric power plant, steel-mill, petrochemical industry) and rural areas. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the relationships between Euro quality of life-5 dimension (EQ-5D) scores and living region, while controlling for sociodemographic characteristics.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In adjusted model, quality of life decreased with increasing category of age and were lower for females than males. EQ-5D scores of people living in the vicinity of thermoelectric power plant were significant lower than those of people living the vicinity of comparison region (odds ratio, 1.59; 95% confidence interval, 1.00 to 2.53).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Living region of thermoelectric power plant, was strongly associated with scores on the EQ-5D. More research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms which makes the relationship with the living regions and HRQoL.</p>","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/c3/10/eht-31-e2016017.PMC5080788.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"34730906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Risk factors associated with depression and suicidal ideation in a rural population.","authors":"Yosub Joo,&nbsp;Sangchul Roh","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2016018","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2016018","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study aimed to evaluate the risk factors associated with depression and suicidal ideation in a rural population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A survey was conducted with 543 farmers from Chungcheongnam-do Province using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) for depression, Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS) for social support, Swedish Q16 for neurotoxicity symptoms and a survey tool for farmer's syndrome.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>After adjusting for socioeconomic factors using logistic regression analysis, poor self-rated health, low social support and neurotoxicity were positively associated with the risk of depression (odds ratio [OR], 15.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.11 to 81.97; OR, 3.14; 95% CI, 1.26 to 7.82; and OR, 3.68; 95% CI, 1.08 to 12.57, respectively). The risk of suicidal ideation significantly increased with low social support, neurotoxicity and farmer's syndrome (OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 1.18 to 4.40; OR, 6.17; 95% CI, 2.85 to 13.34; and OR, 3.70; 95% CI, 1.51 to 9.07, respectively).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Given the overall results of this study, there is a need to establish programs which can improve the health and social relationships of farmers. Also, when farmers have neurological symptoms from pesticide exposure and characteristic symptoms of farmer's syndrome, a monitoring system for depression and suicide must be made available.Conclusions: Given the overall results of this study, there is a need to establish programs which can improve the health and social relationships of farmers. Also, when farmers have neurological symptoms from pesticide exposure and characteristic symptoms of farmer's syndrome, a monitoring system for depression and suicide must be made available.</p>","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/42/9b/eht-31-e2016018.PMC5080792.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"34730905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Decreased absorption of midazolam in the stomach due to low pH induced by co-administration of Banha-sasim-tang.","authors":"Jun Hyeon Jo,&nbsp;Sun Joo Kim,&nbsp;Woong Shik Nam,&nbsp;Eun Ji Seung,&nbsp;Sangkyu Lee","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2016016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2016016","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Banha-sasim-tang (BST), which consists of seven different herbs, is one of the most popular herbal formulae for treating gastrointestinal disorders in Eastern Asia. The commonly used herbal medicine is often co-administered with other therapeutic drugs, which raises the possibility of herb-drug interactions and may modify the clinical safety profile of therapeutic drugs.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We investigated the potential herb-drug interactions between BST extract and midazolam (MDZ) in mice. The area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) of MDZ and 1ʹ-hydroxymidazolam (1ʹ-OH-MDZ) was evaluated for both oral and intraperitoneal administration of MDZ, following oral administration of BST (0.5 and 1 g/kg).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>It was found that the AUC of MDZ and 1ʹ-OH-MDZ was lower in case of oral administration of MDZ. Administration of BST extract was not associated with hepatic cytochrome P450 activity. BST extract induced a strong reduction in pH and it has been reported that oral mucosal absorption of MDZ is lower at low pH. The decreased absorption rate of MDZ might be caused by the ingredients of BST and may not be related to other factors such as increased excretion of MDZ by P-glycoprotein.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The altered pharmacokinetics of midazolam caused by co-administration with BST <i>in vivo</i> could be attributed to a decrease in pH and subsequent reduction of MDZ absorption rate.</p>","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/2f/a5/eht-31-e2016016.PMC5080787.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"34740042","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}