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Biomedical subjects

B W Carnow

Publications and source records attributed to B W Carnow.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

A review of environmental characteristics and health effects of barium in public water supplies.

A comprehensive review is made of sources, occurrence, removal, health effects and water quality standard of barium in public drinking water supplies. The primary source of naturally occurring barium in drinking water results from the leaching and eroding of this metal from sedimentary rocks into the aquifers of ground water. It is a localized problem in several areas of the United States. The removal of barium from drinking water appears to be most efficiently accomplished utilizing ion exchange softening. Health effects studies are based primarily on animal experimentation. Such effects include stimulation of smooth, striated, and cardiac muscle, elevation of blood pressure, initiation of catecholamine release, rapid and preferential deposition in bone, and excretion principally in the feces. Humans over 60 years of age appear to be at high risk to developing cardiac arrhythmias following the barium enema. The current United States drinking water standard of 1.0 mg/l is based on several faulty assumptions and should be critically reevaluated.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

The "urban factor" and lung cancer: cigarette smoking or air pollution?

Data are presented which suggest that cigarette smoking, and to a lesser degree, urban pollution as indexed by benzo[a]pyrene are etiologic factors in the causation of lung cancer. The dose--response relationship to benzo[a]pyrene to lung cancer death rate in the urban community was estimated by using data on lung cancer deaths among coke oven workers. It appears to be an excess of 2--5 mumg/m3 of benzo[a]pyrene per 100,000 population, suggesting that a lifetime community exposure to benzo[a]pyrene on a continuing basis may have a greater impact on lung deaths in the community than that considered by the Royal College of Physicians.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMedDate not supplied

High barium levels in public drinking water and its association with elevated blood pressure.

A maximum contaminant level for barium in drinking water has been set at 1. mg/L. This study examines for the first time, whether there are significant differences in mean blood pressure levels between a high and a low barium community. A total of approximately 2,400 Illinois residents in West Dundee, with a mean barium drinking water level of 7.3 mmg/L, and in McHenry, with a mean barium level of 0.1 mg/L, were studied. All other drinking water constituents were nearly identical between the two communities, with the major difference being the level of barium ingested. No significant differences (P greater than .05) were found in blood pressures between the high and low barium communities. Adjustment for duration of exposure, home water softeners, and high blood pressure medication did not alter the findings. The data from this study suggest that elevated levels of barium in drinking water do not significantly elevate blood pressure levels in adult males or females. It is recommended that the drinking water standard of 1. mg/L be re-examined for other possible health effects.

Adolescent↗