Restriction on human exposure to xenobiotics: theory and practice

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 55-68
Author(s):  
Krzysztof L. Krzystyniak ◽  
M. Obiedziński ◽  
H. Kalota ◽  
A. Marszałek
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
Human Biomonitoring ◽  
Chemical Exposure ◽  
Environmental Chemicals ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Environmental Toxicants ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
Effect Analysis ◽  
Endocrine Disruptor Chemicals

Exposure to environmental xenobiotics, which influence the everyday life of all humans in our times, has become a subject of intensive analysis by scientists, authorities of environmental hazards, state authorities and authors of legislation. Toxicological risk assessment of chemicals in contaminated food and water as well as polluted air is expressed in basic ‘toxic units’. A broad-scale human biomonitoring (HBM) for environmental toxicants is the strategy of a cause-effect analysis of chemical exposure to environmental xenobiotics. HBM demonstrates the relationships between exposure to xenobiotics and the following health disorders: obesity, impaired reproduction, type 1 diabetes (T1D), autism, cancers and other diseases in the society. Developing effective toxicological tools and legislative standards is expected to help in eliminating endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDCs), which cause infertility. The exceptional category of xenobiotics, which highly influences human health, and is treated as a priority problem to be controlled in the European Union, form genotoxic carcinogens. According to a current assessment, hundreds of chemical xenobiotics and their metabolites, in the minimum detectable quantity, mostly all of anthropogenic origin, can be found in the organisms of inhabitants in western countries. Despite the permanent presence of xenobiotics in human environment, it is worth taking into consideration practical methods to limit and avoid contacts with environmental chemicals. It concerns the provision of water and air filters, the thermal processing of food, the selection of food products, and other aspects of everyday life.

scholarly journals Chemical Exposure: European Citizens’ Perspectives, Trust, and Concerns on Human Biomonitoring Initiatives, Information Needs, and Scientific Results

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1532
Author(s):  
Maria Uhl ◽  
Ricardo R. Santos ◽  
Joana Costa ◽  
Osvaldo Santos ◽  
Ana Virgolino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
Human Biomonitoring ◽  
Chemical Exposure ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Scientific Results

Over the last few decades, citizen awareness and perception of chemical products has been a topic of interest, particularly concerning national and international policy decision makers, expert/scientific platforms, and the European Union itself. To date, few qualitative studies on human biomonitoring have analysed communication materials, made recommendations in terms of biomonitoring surveillance, or asked for feedback in terms of specific biomonitoring methods. This paper provides in-depth insight on citizens’ perceptions of knowledge of biomonitoring, impact of chemical exposure on daily life, and claims on how results of research should be used. Four semi-structured focus groups were held in Austria, Portugal, Ireland, and the United Kingdom (UK). The cross-sectional observational qualitative design of this study allows for better understanding of public concern regarding chemicals, application, and use of human biomonitoring. The main findings of this study include citizens’ clear articulation on pathways of exposure, the demand on stakeholders for transparent decision-making, and sensitivity in communication of results to the public. Validated and trustful communication is perceived as key to empowering citizens to take action. The results can be used to facilitate decision-making and policy development, and feeds into the awareness needs of similar and future projects in human biomonitoring. Furthermore, it also brings to light ideas and concepts of citizens’ in shaping collaborative knowledge between citizens’, experts, scientists, and policy makers on equal terms.

scholarly journals Environmental substances associated with osteoporosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
H Elonheimo ◽  
R Lange ◽  
H Tolonen
Keyword(s):  
Bone Health ◽  
Fragility Fractures ◽  
Human Biomonitoring ◽  
Chemical Exposure ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Inverse Association ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Mineral Density ◽  
Other Substances ◽  
Cadmium And Lead

Abstract Background Osteoporosis is a disease adversely affecting the bone health and causing fragility fractures. Osteoporosis is affecting the lives of approximately 200 million people worldwide and causing nearly 9 million fractures annually. In the European Union the economic burden of osteoporosis and prior fragility fractures was estimated at €37 billion in 2010; the costs are predicted to double by the year 2050. The disease takes both personal and economic toll by causing significant disability and increasing health-care costs as the population ages. There is evidence, that certain environmental substances may increase the risk of osteoporosis. Methods In the framework of the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) a set of 18 priority substances and substance groups were selected to be further studied. Within HBM4EU a scoping document has been prepared for each of the substance groups. Based on a review of the recent literature, a scoping review of substances which might be associated with osteoporosis was prepared. Results The literature research revealed that there is a possible link of osteoporosis and heavy metals such as cadmium and lead. Additionally, for phthalates and per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), a potential association was observed. Especially women in perimenopausal and postmenopausal stage have been identified as being at greater risk of harmful effects. Other substances such as bisphenols, arsenic, mercury and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are suspected to have adverse effects on bone health but the evidence is still incomplete. Conclusions Although there is some evidence that these environmental substances have an adverse effect on human health, more research is needed. Some of the evidence is inconsistent, and there is a lack of extensive epidemiological studies. Since people are exposed to many substances simultaneously, there is a need to initiate studies which attempt to clarify the possible combined effects. Key messages Exposure to cadmium, lead, phthalates and PFASs may adversely affect bone health and increase a risk of osteoporosis. An inverse association of chemicals and bone mineral density is often detected. The growing concern of chemical exposure requires initiating of epidemiological studies on the subject. Multidisciplinary action for safeguarding citizenś health in Europe and worldwide is needed.

ON THE NEED FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF HYGIENIC STANDARDS (MACs) IN THE WATER AND AIR OF THE WORKING AREA FOR PERFLUOROOCTANOIC ACID IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

2020 ◽  
pp. 21-31
Author(s):  
Kh. Kh. Khamidulina ◽  
E. V. Tarasova ◽  
A. S. Proskurina ◽  
A. R. Egiazaryan ◽  
I. V. Zamkova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Waste Water ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Perfluorooctanoic Acid ◽  
Stockholm Convention ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Industrial Emissions ◽  
Hazard Class ◽  
Human Environment ◽  
Class 1 ◽  
The Russian Federation

Currently, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) has no hygienic standards in the air of the working area and objects of the human environment in the Russian Federation. By the decision of the Stockholm Convention SC-9/12, PFOA, its salts and derivatives are included in Part I of Annex A of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in 2019 (with exceptions for possible use). The Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade included PFOA, its salts and derivatives in the list of potential candidates for inclusion in Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention at the next meeting COP10 in 2021. The use of this chemical on the territory of the Russian Federation entails water and air pollution. Industrial emissions and waste water from fluoropolymer production, thermal use of materials and products containing polytetrafluoroethylene, biological and atmospheric degradation of fluorotelomer alcohols, waste water from treatment facilities are the sources of the release of PFOA into the environment. Analysis of international databases has showed that PFOA is standardized in the air of the working area in Germany, Japan, and Switzerland. In the countries of the European Union, as well as the USA and Canada, the issue of PFOA standardizing in drinking water is being now actively under discuss. Taking into account the high toxicity and hazard of the substance and the serious concern of the civil society of the Russian Federation, the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing requested the Russian Register of Potentially Hazardous Chemical and Biological Substances to develop MACs for perfluorooctanoic acid in the air of the working area and water as soon as possible. The MACs for PFOA have been proposed using risk analysis: 0,005 mg/m3, aerosol, hazard class 1 – in the air of the working area and 0,0002 mg/L, the limiting hazard indicator – sanitary-toxicological, hazard class 1 – in the water.

scholarly journals The Role of the Human Microbiome in Chemical Toxicity

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 251-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason M. Koontz ◽  
Blair C. R. Dancy ◽  
Cassandra L. Horton ◽  
Jonathan D. Stallings ◽  
Valerie T. DiVito ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Human Microbiome ◽  
Chemical Exposure ◽  
Environmental Chemicals ◽  
Microbial Interactions ◽  
World Population ◽  
Toxic Exposure ◽  
Chemical Toxicity ◽  
Microbial Enzymes ◽  
Overwhelming Evidence

There is overwhelming evidence that the microbiome must be considered when evaluating the toxicity of chemicals. Disruption of the normal microbial flora is a known effect of toxic exposure, and these disruptions may lead to human health effects. In addition, the biotransformation of numerous compounds has been shown to be dependent on microbial enzymes, with the potential for different host health outcomes resulting from variations in the microbiome. Evidence suggests that such metabolism of environmental chemicals by enzymes from the host's microbiota can affect the toxicity of that chemical to the host. Chemical-microbial interactions can be categorized into two classes: Microbiome Modulation of Toxicity (MMT) and Toxicant Modulation of the Microbiome (TMM). MMT refers to transformation of a chemical by microbial enzymes or metabolites to modify the chemical in a way that makes it more or less toxic. TMM is a change in the microbiota that results from a chemical exposure. These changes span a large magnitude of effects and may vary from microbial gene regulation, to inhibition of a specific enzyme, to the death of the microbes. Certain microbiomes or microbiota may become associated with different health outcomes, such as resistance or susceptibility to exposure to certain toxic chemicals, the ability to recover following a chemical-induced injury, the presence of disease-associated phenotypes, and the effectiveness of immune responses. Future work in toxicology will require an understanding of how the microbiome interacts with toxicants to fully elucidate how a compound will affect a diverse, real-world population.

scholarly journals Still a long journey to decentralize geopolitics

2021 ◽  
pp. 204382062110177
Author(s):  
Ning An ◽  
Jo Sharp ◽  
Ian Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Everyday Life ◽  
State Level ◽  
The State ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Analytic Framework ◽  
Confucian Culture

In this brief response paper, we respond to the insightful commentaries that critically engage with our original article in this forum. First, we discuss whether Confucian culture is fundamental to Chinese geopolitics, emphasizing how and why culture is part of a wider epistemic resource. We also note that our model is not normative, but an analytic framework for understanding complex non-western situations. Second, we discuss the geographies and scales of our model, noting a core tension between geopolitics at the state level and in everyday life. Third, we address the ‘gap’ between theory and practice under our Confucian model, noting that there is often a strategic inclusion (or exclusion) of Confucianism in practice. We finish by emphasizing that our paper is part a longer journey to further decentralize the western hold upon geopolitics.

scholarly journals Pilot study testing a European human biomonitoring framework for biomarkers of chemical exposure in children and their mothers: experiences in the UK

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (20) ◽  
pp. 15821-15834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Exley ◽  
Dominique Aerts ◽  
Pierre Biot ◽  
Ludwine Casteleyn ◽  
Marike Kolossa-Gehring ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Human Biomonitoring ◽  
Chemical Exposure ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Mothers Experiences

scholarly journals Chemical Exposure-Induced Changes in the Expression of Neurotrophins and Their Receptors in the Main Olfactory System of Mice Lacking TRPM5-Expressing Microvillous Cells

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 2939 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah AlMatrouk ◽  
Kayla Lemons ◽  
Tatsuya Ogura ◽  
Wangmei Luo ◽  
Chantel Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Olfactory Bulb ◽  
Transient Receptor Potential ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Receptor Potential ◽  
Transient Receptor Potential Channel ◽  
Chemical Exposure ◽  
Environmental Chemicals ◽  
Signaling Proteins ◽  
Main Olfactory Epithelium ◽  
Gene Transcripts

Functional maintenance of the mammalian main olfactory epithelium (MOE) is challenging because of its direct exposure to a wide spectrum of environmental chemicals. We previously reported that transient receptor potential channel M5-expressing microvillous cells (TRPM5-MCs) in the MOE play an important role in olfactory maintenance. To investigate the underpinning mechanisms, we exposed transcription factor Skn-1a knockout (Skn-1a−/−) mice lacking TRPM5-MCs, and TRPM5-GFP mice to either vehicle (water) or a mixture of odorous chemicals and chitin for two weeks and analyzed the expression of olfactory signaling proteins using immunolabeling and neurotrophin (NT) and NT receptor (NTR) gene transcripts using real-time quantitative PCR. The chemical exposure did not significantly attenuate the immunolabeling of olfactory signaling proteins. Vehicle-exposed Skn-1a−/− and TRPM5-GFP mice expressed similar levels of NT and NTR gene transcripts in the MOE and olfactory bulb. Chemical exposure significantly increased MOE expression of p75NTR in Skn-1a−/− mice, while p75NTR expression was reduced in TRPM5-GFP mice, as compared to vehicle-exposed mice. Additionally, our RNA in situ hybridization analysis and immunolabeling confirmed MOE expression of most NTs and NTRs. Together, these results indicate that TRPM5-MCs and chemical exposure influence expression of some NTs and NTRs in the MOE and olfactory bulb (OB).

scholarly journals 'To do or not to do'? The neurobiology of decision-making in daily life: I. Getting the basics

2007 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
André Palmini ◽  
Victor Geraldi Haase
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Moral Issues ◽  
Temporal Perspective ◽  
Prefrontal Cortical ◽  
Cortical Regions

Abstract The constant conflict between decisions leading to immediate pleasurable consequences versus behaviors aiming at long-term social advantages is reviewed here in the framework of the evolutionary systems regulating behavior. The inescapable temporal perspective in decision-making in everyday life is highlighted and integrated with the role of the executive functions in the modulation of subcortical systems. In particular, the representations of the 'non-existent' future in the prefrontal cortical regions and how these representations can bridge theory and practice in everyday life are addressed. Relevant discussions regarding the battle between emotions and reasons in the determination of more complex decisions in the realm of neuroeconomics and in moral issues have been reserved for a second essay.

The terroir of bureaucratic practice: Everyday life and scholarly method in the study of policy

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 617-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Merje Kuus
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Lived Experience ◽  
Cultural Geography ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Policy Studies ◽  
Policy Practice ◽  
Michel De Certeau ◽  
Do So

This article seeks to connect political geographic scholarship on institutions and policy more firmly to the experience of everyday life. Empirically, I foreground the ambiguous and indeterminate character of institutional decision-making and I underscore the need to closely consider the sensory texture of place and milieu in our analyses of it. My examples come from the study of diplomatic practice in Brussels, the capital of the European Union. Conceptually and methodologically, I use these examples to accentuate lived experience as an essential part of research, especially in the seemingly dry bureaucratic settings. I do so in particular through engaging with the work of Michel de Certeau, whose ideas enjoy considerable traction in cultural geography but are seldom used in political geography and policy studies. An accent on the texture and feel of policy practice necessarily highlights the role of place in that practice. This, in turn, may help us with communicating geographical research beyond our own discipline.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document