Environmental Health and Toxicology最新文献

{"title":"Are we being exposed to radiation in the hospital?","authors":"Yeonghee Kim","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2016005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2016005","url":null,"abstract":"X-rays or computed tomography (CT) scans are performed frequently in the hospital for health examination or treatment purposes. Medical radiation involves applying radiation such as X-rays, gamma-rays, or beta rays, injecting radioactive isotopes into the body, or administering them orally to take imaging studies or treat diseases such as cancer. When the human body is exposed to radiation, cells can die, become malignant, or even mutate. If cells die, it can be harmful to tissues or organs. If DNA inside a cell is damaged, the cell can turn to cancer. If DNA damage occurs in a sperm or egg, it can lead to genetic problems such as congenital anomalies in the offspring. Over-the-counter painkillers or cough medicines provide a detailed description of their side effects. In comparison, in Korea, when you undergo X-ray or CT imaging, you are not given an explanation of the harms of radiation exposure or how much radiation you would be exposed to. The rooms in the hospital where radiological exams such as Xrays, CT scans, or angiograms are performed display a sign “Radiation Zone” or “Caution: X-ray Radiation.” However, no explanation on the dose each patient would be exposed to or effects of radiation on health is offered. Moreover, when you undergo a radiological examination multiple times, you cannot learn how much radiation you had been exposed to over a certain period of time (cumulative dose). No one informs you, nor do you have any way to figure it out on your own. According to a case evaluated by the Supreme Court of Korea, when a doctor performs a medical practice on a patient, the doctor is responsible for providing an explanation of the treatment method, its necessity, and expected risks, so that the patient can weigh the benefits and risks sufficiently before deciding whether to receive the treatment. Such a principle also applies to the case of radiation studies. Significant Radiation Can Be Exposure by Imaging Tests","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70820828","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 disinfectants, unfinished stories","authors":"Yeyong Choi, D. Paek","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2016004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2016004","url":null,"abstract":"Once released into the air, humidifier disinfectants became tiny nano-size particles, and resulted in chemical bronchoalveolitis. Families had lost their most beloved members, and even some of them became broken. Based on an estimate of two million potential victims who had experienced adverse effects from the use of humidifier disinfectants, we can say that what we have observed was only the tip of the iceberg. Problems of entire airways, as well as other systemic effects, should be examined, as we know these nano-size particles can irritate cell membranes and migrate into systemic circulation. The story of humidifier disinfectant is not finished yet.","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70820883","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":"Time trend of malaria in relation to climate variability in Papua New Guinea","authors":"Jae-Won Park, H. Cheong, Y. Honda, M. Ha, Ho Kim, Joel Kolam, K. Inape, I. Mueller","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2016003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2016003","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives This study was conducted to describe the regional malaria incidence in relation to the geographic and climatic conditions and describe the effect of altitude on the expansion of malaria over the last decade in Papua New Guinea. Methods Malaria incidence was estimated in five provinces from 1996 to 2008 using national health surveillance data. Time trend of malaria incidence was compared with rainfall and minimum/maximum temperature. In the Eastern Highland Province, time trend of malaria incidence over the study period was stratified by altitude. Spatio-temporal pattern of malaria was analyzed. Results Nationwide, malaria incidence was stationary. Regionally, the incidence increased markedly in the highland region (292.0/100000/yr, p =0.021), and remained stationary in the other regions. Seasonality of the malaria incidence was related with rainfall. Decreasing incidence of malaria was associated with decreasing rainfall in the southern coastal region, whereas it was not evident in the northern coastal region. In the Eastern Highland Province, malaria incidence increased in areas below 1700 m, with the rate of increase being steeper at higher altitudes. Conclusions Increasing trend of malaria incidence was prominent in the highland region of Papua New Guinea, while long-term trend was dependent upon baseline level of rainfall in coastal regions.","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.5620/eht.e2016003","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70820873","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":"Study on the biodegradation of perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and PFOS alternatives","authors":"Bong-In Choi, S. Na, Jun-Hyo Son, Dong-Soo Shin, B. Ryu, Kyun-Suk Byeon, Seon-Yong Chung","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2016002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2016002","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives In this study, we investigated the biodegradation features of 4 perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) alternatives developed at Changwon National University compared to those of PFOS. Methods Biodegradation testing was performed with microorganisms cultured in the good laboratory practice laboratory of the Korea Environment Corporation for 28 days following the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development guidelines for the testing of chemicals (Test No. 301 C). Results While C8F17SO3Na, PFOS sodium salt was not degraded after 28 days, the 4 alternatives were biodegraded at the rates of 20.9% for C15F9H21S2O8Na2, 8.4% for C17F9H 25S2O8Na2, 22.6% for C23F18H28S2O8Na2, and 23.6% for C25F17H32O13S3Na3. Conclusions C25F17H32S3O13Na3, C23F18H28S2O8Na2, and C15F9H21S2O8Na2 were superior to PFOS in terms of biodegradation rates and surface tension, and thus they were considered highly applicable as PFOS alternatives. Environmental toxicity, human toxicity, and economic feasibility of these compounds should be investigated prior to their commercialization.","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70820713","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":"Genetic radiation risks: a neglected topic in the low dose debate.","authors":"Inge Schmitz-Feuerhake, Christopher Busby, Sebastian Pflugbeil","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2016001","DOIUrl":"10.5620/eht.e2016001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To investigate the accuracy and scientific validity of the current very low risk factor for hereditary diseases in humans following exposures to ionizing radiation adopted by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation and the International Commission on Radiological Protection. The value is based on experiments on mice due to reportedly absent effects in the Japanese atomic bomb (Abomb) survivors.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>To review the published evidence for heritable effects after ionising radiation exposures particularly, but not restricted to, populations exposed to contamination from the Chernobyl accident and from atmospheric nuclear test fallout. To make a compilation of findings about early deaths, congenital malformations, Down's syndrome, cancer and other genetic effects observed in humans after the exposure of the parents. To also examine more closely the evidence from the Japanese A-bomb epidemiology and discuss its scientific validity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Nearly all types of hereditary defects were found at doses as low as one to 10 mSv. We discuss the clash between the current risk model and these observations on the basis of biological mechanism and assumptions about linear relationships between dose and effect in neonatal and foetal epidemiology. The evidence supports a dose response relationship which is non-linear and is either biphasic or supralinear (hogs-back) and largely either saturates or falls above 10 mSv.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We conclude that the current risk model for heritable effects of radiation is unsafe. The dose response relationship is non-linear with the greatest effects at the lowest doses. Using Chernobyl data we derive an excess relative risk for all malformations of 1.0 per 10 mSv cumulative dose. The safety of the Japanese A-bomb epidemiology is argued to be both scientifically and philosophically questionable owing to errors in the choice of control groups, omission of internal exposure effects and assumptions about linear dose response.</p>","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":"31 1","pages":"e2016001"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2016-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4870760/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70820661","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":"The humidifier disinfectant incident and the self-examination of environmental toxicology and public health experts","authors":"Jong-Ju Ahn","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2015016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2015016","url":null,"abstract":"Asian Citizen’s Center for Environment and Health is an environmental non-governmental organization that specializes in the Environment and Public Health sector. On December 21, at the 2015 Citizen’s Awards for Environment and Public Health, they awarded the Citizen’s Award to 3 members of the UK overseas protest group for victims of humidifier disinfectant, and to Seong-Woo Ahn, who led the Busan-to-Seoul bicycle protest for the same cause. Having heard this news, it fills me with anger that our society still does not know the total number of humidifier disinfectant victims, and that Oxy Reckitt Benckiser and the other companies at fault have offered neither an apology nor any other form of compensation. \u0000 \u0000Resolving the incident of mass deaths caused by humidifier disinfectant required contributions not only from physicians and epidemiologists, but also from environmental toxicologists. The fact that toxicologists were able to perform such a positive role, from another perspective, means that they might have been able to recognize the causes of widespread lung damage occurring in pregnant women and children at an earlier stage, before the incident grew in scale. \u0000 \u0000Given that about 8 million people in South Korea are estimated to have used humidifier disinfectant, clearly this number will also include several toxicologists and public health experts. If even one of them had suspected that the toxic chemicals in disinfectants, such as polyhexamethylene guanidine and oligo(2-(2-ethoxy)ethoxyethyl guanidine, could damage the body when inhaled through the lungs, this disaster might have been prevented. \u0000 \u0000I was in charge of editing the “White Paper on the Health-related Damage Caused by Humidifier Disinfectant,” published in December 2014 under the aegis and support of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in the Introduction to that paper, I described the incident as a “household-goods disaster born of corporate complacency and institutional paralysis.” The purpose of defining the nature of the incident and publishing a white paper is to create awareness and reflect upon painful experiences of the past, and thereby ensure that similar incidents do not recur. \u0000 \u0000Researchers in the fields of environmental toxicology and public health need to treat this incident as a warning to pay closer attention to the household products around them, and ensure that they do not contain dangerous, life-threatening products that could damage health. After all, risks that are not apparent to the general public may be clear to the eyes of an expert. In particular, toxicologists and public health experts should always question whether various chemicals used in day-to-day life and the substances in household products are actually safe. \u0000 \u0000One aspect of this incident that could be considered somewhat exceptional is that some researchers in the field of Environment and Public Health gathered their own funds to conduct an inves","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":"33 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70820539","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":"Existing test data for the Act on Registration & Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances","authors":"Bong-In Choi, B. Ryu, S. Na, Seon-Yong Chung","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2015017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2015017","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives In this study, the possibility of using existing test data provided in Korea and elsewhere for the registration of chemical substances was examined. Data on 510 chemical substances that are among the first subject to registration under the “Act on the Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances (K-REACH)” were analyzed. Methods The possibility of using existing data from 16 reference databases was examined for 510 chemical substances notified in July 2015 as being subject to registration. Results Test data with the reliability required for the registration of chemical substances under the K-REACH constituted 48.4% of the required physicochemical characteristics, 6.5% of the required health hazards, and 9.4% of the required environmental hazards. Conclusions Some existing test data were not within the scope of this research, including data used for registration in the European Union (EU). Thus, considering that 350 of these 510 species are registered in EU Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation & Restriction of Chemicals, more test data may exist that can be utilized in addition to the data identified in this study. Furthermore, the K-REACH states that non-testing data (test results predicted through Read Across, Quantitative Structure- Activity Relationships) and the weight of evidence (test results predicted based on test data with low reliability) can also be utilized for registration data. Therefore, if methods for using such data were actively reviewed, it would be possible to reduce the cost of securing test data required for the registration of chemical substances.","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":"30 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70820646","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":"Mobile phone use and risk of glioma: a case-control study in Korea for 2002-2007","authors":"Songyi Yoon, Jae-Wook Choi, Eunil Lee, H. An, H. Choi, Nam Kim","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2015015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2015015","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives There has been a growing concern about the possible carcinogenic effects of the electromagnetic radiofrequency fields emitted from mobile phones. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between mobile phone use and the development of gliomas in Korea. Methods Our study methods were based on the International Interphone study that aimed to evaluate possible adverse effects of mobile phone use. This study included 285 histologically-confirmed Korean patients 15 to 69 years of age, with gliomas diagnosed between 2002 and 2007 in 9 hospitals. The 285 individually matched controls were healthy individuals that had their medical check-up in the same hospitals. Unconditional logistic regression was used to calculate the adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for use of mobile phones. Results For the entire group, no significant relationship was investigated between gliomas and regular use of mobile phones, types of mobile phones, lifetime years of use, monthly service fee, and the other exposure indices. Analyses restricted to self-respondents showed similar results. For ipsilateral users, whose the body side for usual mobile phone use match the location of glioma, the aORs (95% CIs) for lifetime years of use and cumulative hours of use were 1.25 (0.55 to 2.88) and 1.77 (0.32 to 1.84), respectively. However, the contralateral users showed slightly lower risk than ipsilateral users. Conclusions Our results do not support the hypothesis that the use of mobile phones increases the risk of glioma; however, we found a non-significant increase in risk among ipsilateral users. These findings suggest further evaluation for glioma risk among long-term mobile phone users.","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":"30 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.5620/eht.e2015015","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70820506","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":"Comparative evaluation of the mutagenicity and genotoxicity of smoke condensate derived from Korean cigarettes","authors":"Ha Ryong Kim, Jeong Eun Lee, M. Jeong, Seong-Jin Choi, Kyuhong Lee, K. Chung","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2015014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2015014","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives Cigarette smoking is associated with carcinogenesis owing to the mutagenic and genotoxic effects of cigarette smoke. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mutagenic and genotoxic effects of Korean cigarettes using in vitro assays. Methods We selected 2 types of cigarettes (TL and TW) as benchmark Korean cigarettes for this study, because they represent the greatest level of nicotine and tar contents among Korean cigarettes. Mutagenic potency was expressed as the number of revertants per μg of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) total particulate matter whereas genotoxic potency was expressed as a concentration-dependent induction factor. The CSC was prepared by the International Organization for Standardization 3308 smoking method. CHO-K1 cells were used in vitro micronucleus (MNvit) and comet assays. Two strains of Salmonella typhimurium (Salmonella enterica subsp.enterica; TA98 and TA1537) were employed in Ames tests. Results All CSCs showed mutagenicity in the TA98 and TA1537 strains. In addition, DNA damage and micronuclei formation were observed in the comet and MNvit assays owing to CSC exposure. The CSC from the 3R4F Kentucky reference (3R4F) cigarette produced the most severe mutagenic and genotoxic potencies, followed by the CSC from the TL cigarette, whereas the CSC from the TW cigarette produced the least severe mutagenic and genotoxic potencies. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that the mutagenic and genotoxic potencies of the TL and TW cigarettes were weaker than those of the 3R4F cigarette. Further study on standardized concepts of toxic equivalents for cigarettes needs to be conducted for more extensive use of in vitro tests.","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":"30 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-12-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70820260","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":"Can screening effects explain increased risk of thyroid cancer among population living near nuclear power plants in Korea?","authors":"W. Lee","doi":"10.5620/eht.e2015013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2015013","url":null,"abstract":"Following reports in Korea of an increased risk of thyroid cancer among those living near nuclear power plants (NPPs) [1], there has been debate regarding the interpretation of the findings. One suggested explanation is the screening effect on thyroid cancer risk. The basic assumption of this argument is that the screening process increases the number of detected thyroid cancer cases in a population, leading to an increase in incidence and relative risk. The Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Company granted a project to support this assumption to gain an advantage in their legal litigation regarding thyroid cancer cases. However, these circumstances could occur in a limited condition and cannot always happen. Because the screening effect and causality are different issues, we must distinguish between the two different questions. Even if there is a screening effect, it does not mean that the observed increased risk of thyroid cancer does not result from living near NPPs. Therefore, I would like to make a few comments on this issue. \u0000 \u0000Screening increases absolute risk by increasing the number of detected cancer cases, but it does not directly affect the value of relative risk. If it did not occur differently, the relative risk would not be changed. For example, if a twofold increased screening occurred in both the exposed and non-exposed population, then the relative risk would not be changed. Previously, it was reported that the slope of the dose–response relationship between radiation and thyroid cancer did not differ significantly before and after screening among patients who had received radiation therapy, indicating that the association between radiation and thyroid cancer may not be changed by intensive screening [2]. A study from the Chernobyl accident also reported screening to be a weak confounder for radiation dose and thyroid cancer [3]. Furthermore, only a certain proportion of detected cases from screening would ultimately be confirmed as cancer cases because the device used for screening (e.g., ultrasonography) is not a diagnostic method. Therefore, the twofold screening rate difference, for example, does not directly indicate a twofold difference in incidence rate. However, when the screening occurs differently, distortion of the relative risk may be occurred. Therefore, we should determine whether populations living near NPPs experience more screening than other populations. If so, we need to examine how much this occurred differentially in relation to distance from NPPs. \u0000 \u0000The next issue is to separately identify the proportion of observed relative risk associated with living near NPPs and with screening. A large proportion of thyroid cancer cases is likely to be due to screening in Korea [4], but it may not account for the observed relative risk of thyroid cancer entirely. The effect is probably small, but this does not mean there is no risk from living near NPPs. For example, in a study from Fukushima, intensive thyroid screening p","PeriodicalId":11853,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Health and Toxicology","volume":"30 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2015-11-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70820246","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}