Environment and health - Product safety

Title

Review of the science linking chemical exposures to the human risk of obesity and diabetes

Reference

A CHEM Trust report 2012

Author(s)

CHEM Trust

Study type

Report

Abstract

It is a commonly held view that obesity is all to do with too many calories taken in and too few expended in exercise, with a genetic predisposition in some individuals. However, a new line of research suggests that exposure to certain manmade chemicals in our environment can play an important role in the development of obesity. While obesity is a known risk factor for diabetes,
evidence is growing that chemical exposures are also implicated in
diabetes. The epidemiological evidence for a link between chemicalexposures and diabetes is stronger than that linking chemicals with obesity.

This review summarises the recent science which suggests that exposure
to certain common chemicals is linked with the increasing incidence
of obesity and diabetes. The human population is exposed to these suspect
chemicals on a daily basis, mostly via food and consumer products.

Policy theme(s)

Chemicals >> Impacts >> Health impacts
Environment and health >> Health risks >> Product safety

Keywords

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://www.chemtrust.org.uk/documents/CHEM%20Trust%20Obesity%20&%20Diabetes%20Full%20Report.pdf
This study is free to view

Contact the study author at:

gwynne.lyons@chemtrust.org.uk

Title

Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles in Food and Personal Care Products

Reference

Weir, A., Westerhoff, P., Fabricius, L., Hristovski, K., von Goetz, N.,

Author(s)

Environmental Science & Technology  46 (4), 2242-2250.

Study type

Peer Review Journal    

Abstract

Titanium dioxide is a common additive in many food, personal care, and other consumer products used by people, which after use can enter the sewage system and, subsequently, enter the environment as treated effluent discharged to surface waters or biosolids applied to agricultural land, incinerated wastes, or landfill solids. This study quantifies the amount of titanium in common food products, derives estimates of human exposure to dietary (nano-) TiO2, and discusses the impact of the nanoscale fraction of TiO2 entering the environment. The foods with the highest content of TiO2 included candies, sweets, and chewing gums. Among personal care products, toothpastes and select sunscreens contained 1% to >10% titanium by weight. While some other crèmes contained titanium, despite being colored white, most shampoos, deodorants, and shaving creams contained the lowest levels of titanium (<0.01 μg/mg). For several high-consumption pharmaceuticals, the titanium content ranged from below the instrument detection limit (0.0001 μg Ti/mg) to a high of 0.014 μg Ti/mg. Electron microscopy and stability testing of food-grade TiO2 (E171) suggests that approximately 36% of the particles are less than 100 nm in at least one dimension and that it readily disperses in water as fairly stable colloids. However, filtration of water solubilized consumer products and personal care products indicated that less than 5% of the titanium was able to pass through 0.45 or 0.7 μm pores. Two white paints contained 110 μg Ti/mg while three sealants (i.e., prime coat paint) contained less titanium (25 to 40 μg Ti/mg). This research showed that, while many white-colored products contained titanium, it was not a prerequisite. Although several of these product classes contained low amounts of titanium, their widespread use and disposal down the drain and eventually to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) deserves attention. A Monte Carlo human exposure analysis to TiO2 through foods identified children as having the highest exposures because TiO2 content of sweets is higher than other food products and that a typical exposure for a US adult may be on the order of 1 mg Ti per kilogram body weight per day. Thus, because of the millions of tons of titanium-based white pigment used annually, testing should focus on food-grade TiO2 (E171) rather than that adopted in many environmental health and safety tests (i.e., P25), which is used in much lower amounts in products less likely to enter the environment (e.g., catalyst supports, photocatalytic coatings).

Policy theme(s)

Chemicals >> Pollutants/hazardous substances >> Nanomaterials
Environment and health >> Health risks >> Product safety

Keywords

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es204168d
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Contact the study author at:

p.westerhoff@asu.edu.

Title

Impact of engineered nanomaterials on health

Reference

EASAC and JRC joint report
September 2011

Author(s)

EASAC and JRC

Study type

Report

Abstract

This policy report is the result of the first strategic liaison between the JRC and EASAC and provides independent, cross-referenced, science-based analysis of the impact of nanomaterials on human health. Our report is directed at European and national policy-makers and citizens. Nanomaterials have the potential to play a major role in European innovation, economic growth and industrial
competitiveness. In order to capitalise on this technology and reap the promised benefits, the EU must ensure the appropriate framework for its success. A key element in this regard concerns a harmonised assessment of the safety of nanomaterials and this requires a strengthened dialogue between policy-makers and scientists.

Policy theme(s)

Chemicals >> Pollutants/hazardous substances >> Nanomaterials
Environment and health >> Health risks >> Product safety

Keywords

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://www.easac.eu/fileadmin/PDF_s/EASAC_Nanosafety_Report_WEB.pdf
This study is free to view

Contact the study author at:

www.easac.eu/

Title

Widely Used Pesticides with Previously Unknown Endocrine Activity Revealed as in Vitro Antiandrogens

Reference

Environ Health Perspect 119:794-800. doi:10.1289/ehp.1002895.

Author(s)

Frances Orton, Erika Rosivatz, Martin Scholze, Andreas Kortenkamp

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Background: Evidence suggests that there is widespread decline in male reproductive health and that antiandrogenic pollutants may play a significant role. There is also a clear disparity between pesticide exposure and data on endocrine disruption, with most of the published literature focused on pesticides that are no longer registered for use in developed countries.
Objective: We used estimated human exposure data to select pesticides to test for antiandrogenic activity, focusing on highest use pesticides.
Methods: We used European databases to select 134 candidate pesticides based on highest exposure, followed by a filtering step according to known or predicted receptor-mediated antiandrogenic potency, based on a previously published quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) model. In total, 37 pesticides were tested for in vitro androgen receptor (AR) antagonism. Of these, 14 were previously reported to be AR antagonists (“active”), 4 were predicted AR antagonists using the QSAR, 6 were predicted to not be AR antagonists (“inactive”), and 13 had unknown activity, which were “out of domain” and therefore could not be classified with the QSAR (“unknown”).
Results: All 14 pesticides with previous evidence of AR antagonism were confirmed as antiandrogenic in our assay, and 9 previously untested pesticides were identified as antiandrogenic (dimethomorph, fenhexamid, quinoxyfen, cyprodinil, λ-cyhalothrin, pyrimethanil, fludioxonil, azinphos-methyl, pirimiphos-methyl). In addition, we classified 7 compounds as androgenic.
Conclusions: Due to estimated antiandrogenic potency, current use, estimated exposure, and lack of previous data, we strongly recommend that dimethomorph, fludioxonil, fenhexamid, imazalil, ortho-phenylphenol, and pirimiphos-methyl be tested for antiandrogenic effects in vivo. The lack of human biomonitoring data for environmentally relevant pesticides presents a barrier to current risk assessment of pesticides on humans.

Policy theme(s)

Chemicals >> Pollutants/hazardous substances >> Pesticides  
Chemicals >> Impacts >> Health impacts
Environment and health >> Health risks >> Product safety

Keywords

antiandrogen, AR-Lux, biomonitoring, endocrine disruption, fungicide.

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1002895
This study is free to view

Contact the study author at:

francesorton@gmail.com

Title

Reference

Environ Health Perspectives 119:547-552. doi:10.1289/ehp.1002559

Author(s)

Nicolas J. Cabaton, Perinaaz R. Wadia, Beverly S. Rubin, Daniel Zalko, Cheryl M. Schaeberle, Michael H. Askenase, Jennifer L. Gadbois, Andrew P. Tharp, Gregory S. Whitt, Carlos Sonnenschein, Ana M. Soto

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Background: Perinatal exposure to low-doses of bisphenol A (BPA) results in alterations in the ovary, uterus, and mammary glands and in a sexually dimorphic region of the brain known to be important for estrous cyclicity.
Objectives: We aimed to determine whether perinatal exposure to environmentally relevant doses of BPA alters reproductive capacity.
Methods: Female CD–1 mice that were exposed to BPA at 0, 25 ng, 250 ng, or 25 µg/kg body weight (BW)/day or diethylstilbestrol (DES) at 10 ng/kg BW/day (positive control) from gestational day 8 through day 16 of lactation were continuously housed with proven breeder males for 32 weeks starting at 2 months of age. At each delivery, pups born to these mating pairs were removed. The cumulative number of pups, number of deliveries, and litter size were recorded. The purity of the BPA used in this and our previous studies was assessed using HPLC, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance.
Results: The forced breeding experiment revealed a decrease in the cumulative number of pups, observed as a nonmonotonic dose–response effect, and a decline in fertility and fecundity over time in female mice exposed perinatally to BPA. The BPA was 97% pure, with no evidence of contamination by other phenolic compounds.
Conclusions: Perinatal exposure to BPA leads to a dose-dependent decline in the reproductive capacity of female mice. The effects on the cumulative number of pups are comparable to those previously reported in mice developmentally exposed to DES, a compound well known to impair reproduction in women. This association suggests the possibility that early BPA exposure may also affect reproductive capacity in women.

Policy theme(s)

Chemicals>> Impacts>>Health impacts
Environment and health>> Health risks>> Product safety

Keywords

biphasic dose response, bisphenol A, endocrine disruptor, fecundity, fertility, fetal origins of adult disease, perinatal exposure.

Entry Source:

N/A

Referred to in EC doc:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1002559 
This study is free to view

Contact the study author at:

ana.soto@tufts.edu

Title

Environmental and health hazard ranking and assessment of plastic polymers based on chemical composition

Reference

Science of The Total Environment
Volume 409, Issue 18, 15 August 2011, Pages 3309-3324

Author(s)

Delilah Lithner, Âke Larsson and Göran Dave

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Plastics constitute a large material group with a global annual production that has doubled in 15 years (245 million tonnes in 2008). Plastics are present everywhere in society and the environment, especially the marine environment, where large amounts of plastic waste accumulate. The knowledge of human and environmental hazards and risks from chemicals associated with the diversity of plastic products is very limited. Most chemicals used for producing plastic polymers are derived from non-renewable crude oil, and several are hazardous. These may be released during the production, use and disposal of the plastic product. In this study the environmental and health hazards of chemicals used in 55 thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers were identified and compiled. A hazard ranking model was developed for the hazard classes and categories in the EU classification and labelling (CLP) regulation which is based on the UN Globally Harmonized System. The polymers were ranked based on monomer hazard classifications, and initial assessments were made. The polymers that ranked as most hazardous are made of monomers classified as mutagenic and/or carcinogenic (category 1A or 1B). These belong to the polymer families of polyurethanes, polyacrylonitriles, polyvinyl chloride, epoxy resins, and styrenic copolymers. All have a large global annual production (1-37 million tonnes). A considerable number of polymers (31 out of 55) are made of monomers that belong to the two worst of the ranking model's five hazard levels, i.e. levels IV-V. The polymers that are made of level IV monomers and have a large global annual production (1-5 million tonnes) are phenol formaldehyde resins, unsaturated polyesters, polycarbonate, polymethyl methacrylate, and urea-formaldehyde resins. This study has identified hazardous substances used in polymer production for which the risks should be evaluated for decisions on the need for risk reduction measures, substitution, or even phase out.

Policy theme(s)

Environment and health >> Health risks >> Product safety
Risk assessment >> Hazards >> Hazardous substances

Keywords

Plastics, Plastic polymers, Hazardous substances, Toxicity, Health, Environment

Entry Source:

N/A

Referred to in EC doc:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969711004268
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Contact the study author at:

delilah.lithner@gmail.com

Title

Comparisons of IL-8, ROS and p53 responses in human lung epithelial cells exposed to two extracts of PM2.5 collected from an e-waste recycling area, China.

Reference

Environmental Research Letters, 6, 024013 DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/6/2/024013

Author(s)

Fangxing Yang, Shiwei Jin, Ying Xu and Yuanan Lu.

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

To identify the different effects of organic-soluble and water-soluble pollutants adsorbed on PM2.5 (PM: particulate matter) released from e-waste (electrical/electronic waste) on inflammatory response, oxidative stress and DNA damage, interleukin-8 (IL-8), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and p53 protein levels were determined and compared in human lung epithelial A549 cells exposed to extracts of PM2.5 collected from two sampling sites in an e-waste recycling area in China. It is found that both extracts induced increases of IL-8 release, ROS production and p53 protein expression. The differences between the organic-soluble and water-soluble extracts were determined as of significance for ROS production (p < 0.05) and p53 protein expression (p < 0.01). The ROS production and p53 protein expression induced by the organic-soluble extracts were found to be greater than those induced by the water-soluble extracts, for both sampling sites. The results indicated that PM2.5 collected from the e-waste recycling areas could lead to inflammatory response, oxidative stress and DNA damage, and the organic-soluble extracts had higher potential to induce such adverse effects on human health.

Policy theme(s)

Chemicals >> Impacts >> Health impacts
Environment and health >> Health risks >> Product safety
Waste >> Waste management >> Hazardous waste

Keywords

IL-8, ROS, p53, PM2.5, A549 cells, e-waste

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://iopscience.iop.org/1748-9326/6/2/024013
It is free to view this study

Contact the study author at:

fxyang@ihb.ac.cn  and ylu@hawaii.edu

Title

Deleterious effects in mice of fish-associated methylmercury contained in a diet mimicking the Western populations' average fish consumption

Reference

Environment International
Volume 37, Issue 2, February 2011, Pages 303-313

Author(s)

Jean-Paul Bourdineaud, Masatake Fujimura, Muriel Laclau, Masumi Sawada and Akira Yasutake

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

Methylmercury (MeHg) is a potent neurotoxin, and human beings are mainly exposed to this pollutant through fish consumption. Only a few contradictory epidemiological studies are currently available examining the impact of fish consumption on human populations. In the present study, we wanted to address whether a diet mimicking the fish consumption of Western populations could result in observable adverse effects in mice, and whether beneficial nutriments from fish were able to counterbalance the deleterious effects of MeHg, if any. In Europe and the United States, fish consumption varies widely between countries, from 11 to 100 g fish/day. A mid-range value of 25 g fish/day corresponds to a
fish contribution to the total diet of 1.25% on a dry weight basis. We decided to supplement a vegetarian-based mouse diet with 1.25% of lyophilized salmon flesh (SAL diet), or 1.25% of a blend of lyophilized cod, tuna, and
swordfish (CTS diet). Total mercury contents were 1.15±0.15, 2.3±0.1 and 35.75±0.15 ng Hg/g of food pellets for the control, SAL and CTS diets, respectively. After two months feeding, the CTS diet resulted in significant observable effects as compared to the control and SAL diets, encompassing decreased body growth, altered behavioral performance and increased anxiety level, modification of mitochondrial respiratory protein subunit concentrations in kidney and brain structures,modified gene expression patterns in kidneys, liver and muscles, and a decrease of dopamine concentrations in the hypothalamus and striatum.Our findings have health implications, firstly because 1.25% of CTS flesh in the diet corresponds to an average exposure to MeHg below the WHO provisory tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) (1.6 µg MeHg/kg of body weight/
week), and secondly because many people in Western populations, among them women of child-bearing age,are exceeding the PTWI value (for instance, 35% of the French population inhabiting the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts).

Policy theme(s)

Chemicals >> Pollutants/hazardous substances >> Heavy metals
Environment and health >> Health risks >> Product safety
Marine ecosystems >> Fisheries

Keywords

Fish consumption, Methylmercury, Ecotoxicology,Tuna

Entry Source:

Selected for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412010001959
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Contact the study author at:

jp.bourdineaud@epoc.u-bordeaux1.fr

Title

Reference

Environmental Chemistry Letters
DOI: 10.1007/s10311-010-0306-y

Author(s)

Nesrine Gdoura, Abdelwaheb Abdelmouleh, Jean-Claude Murat, Khansa Chaabouni, Fatma Makni-Ayedi and Abdelfattah Elfeki

Study type

Peer Review Journal

Abstract

In recent years, a number of studies have clearly pointed out the nutritional benefits of fish consumption. However, some concerns about potential health risks derived from contaminants found in fish have also been raised. Therefore, balancing adequately the risks and benefits of fish consumption is currently a health key issue. As tuna fish represents a large part of the traditional food in some countries, the possible impact of tuna fish consumption on public health was investigated. Hepatic damages following consumption of tuna fish white (ordinary) or red (dark) muscle were evaluated in rat. Under our experimental conditions, feeding the animals for 60 days with white or, more markedly, red tuna meat resulted in 1) an elevated uric acid level in blood, 2) an accumulation of lead in liver, 3) an atrophy of liver, 4) an increase in plasma aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities, and 5) an oxidative stress in liver including an increased level of lipids peroxidation and enhanced activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase. In addition, liver histology revealed several abnormalities. These alterations could be attributed to both lead accumulation and high purine levels in tuna meat. We conclude that attention should be paid to a possible health impact of frequent and important consumption of tuna fish meat, especially the dark one.

Policy theme(s)

Chemicals >> Pollutants/hazardous substances >> Heavy metals
Environment and health >> Health risks >> Product safety
Marine ecosystems >> Fisheries

Keywords

Tuna fish consumption, Rat liver, Oxidative, Stress, Lead

Entry Source:

Shortlisted for Science for Environment Policy News Alert

Referred to in EC doc:

N/A

View this study at:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/q50115w08328872q/fulltext.pdf
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Contact the study author at:

abdelfattah.elfeki@fss.rnu.tn