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Biomedical subjects

D Ozonoff

Publications and source records attributed to D Ozonoff.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1987

Leukemias and blood dyscrasias following exposure to chlordane and heptachlor.

We present 25 new cases of blood dyscrasia, including leukemias, production defects, and thrombocytopenic purpura, generally following home termite treatment with the chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides chlordane and heptachlor (C/H). These newly reported cases are consistent with 34 previously published case reports associating blood dyscrasias with C/H exposure. Additionally, the newly reported leukemias are consistent with epidemiologic evidence of excess risk of leukemia and other cancers in C/H-exposed populations and with the carcinogenic action of C/H in animals. The importance of case reports in warning of the association of blood dyscrasias to C/H exposure is emphasized. Until the voluntary halt in production in July 1987, millions of homes in the United States were treated with chlordane and heptachlor for termites even though their agricultural uses were phased out in 1978, largely on the grounds of "imminent hazard" because of carcinogenicity. In view of the recognized myelotoxicity, carcinogenicity, and other chronic toxic effects of these pesticides, a national program for monitoring all homes treated is urgently needed to detect persistent contamination.

Anemia, Aplastic↗
PubMed1982

Medical aspects of the hazardous waste problem.

Although no one knows exactly how much toxic material continues to be released into our environment, most observers believe the amount is substantial. In the last few years, in the state of Massachusetts alone, 22 communities have had their municipal water supplies seriously compromised by chemical contamination, (1) causing alarm and dismay among water users. Nation-wide, public concern has reached the point that in some opinion polls, hazardous waste ranks second only behind inflation as a cause of serious worry. Despite widespread anxiety, shared by public health officials, few studies have shown conclusive evidence of health consequences from toxic materials in the environment. Even in the case of such gross contamination as in the Love Canal area of Niagara Falls, New York, health effects have been difficult to establish. (2) This is partly due to intrusion of the adversary process in cases where liability is involved; it is also a result, however, of inherent technical problems that plague any determination of health hazard. This paper reviews some of these problems, considers some current risk assessment approaches, and touches on medicolegal and regulatory aspects of the hazardous waste problem.

Environmental Exposure↗
PubMed1979

Recombinant DNA research: the scope and limits of regulation.

The paper provides an overview of public policy issues pertaining to the use of gene-splicing (recombinant DNA [deoxyribonucleic acid]) techniques in research and for industrial applications. Included is a discussion of the regulatory framework at the federal and institutional levels. The principal limitation of the current federal guidelines is its failure to provide mandatory coverage for private sector activities. Four municipalities and two states have passed their own legislation to remedy the situation. These enactments and their tie-in to the public health sector are examined.

Advisory Committees↗
PubMed1975

Disagreements in chest roentgen interpretation.

Each of 100 chest radiographs selected randomly from a hospital population were read by five experienced radiologists. The films were rich in abnormal findings. Disagreement analysis was performed considering the entire content of the interpretation. The disagreements were graded by a panel as to type (false negative, false positive, and indeterminate) and significance. The overall repeatability of the panel's performance was 75 percent. Forty-one percent of the reports contained potentially significant errors and 56 percent indeterminate disagreements. Among all errors 78 percent were false negatives and 22 percent were false positives. The error rate varied among readers. An average of 25 percent of important findings were omitted by an individual reader. An association between specific abnormalities and the types of disagreement was found.

Diagnostic Errors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cancer risk and tetrachloroethylene-contaminated drinking water in Massachusetts.

A population-based case-control study was used to evaluate the relationship between cases of bladder cancer (n = 61), kidney cancer (n = 35), and leukemia (n = 34) and exposure to tetrachloroethylene from public drinking water. Subjects were exposed to tetrachloroethylene when it leached from the plastic lining of drinking water distribution pipes. Relative delivered dose of tetrachloroethylene was estimated, using an algorithm that accounted for (1) residential history and duration, (2) whether lined pipe served the neighborhood, (3) distribution system flow characteristics, and (4) pipe age and dimensions. Whether or not latency was considered, an elevated relative risk of leukemia was observed among ever exposed subjects (adjusted OR = 1.96, 95% CI = 0.71-5.37, with latency; adjusted OR = 2.13, 95% CI = 0.88-5.19, without latency) that increased further among subjects whose exposure level was over the 90th percentile (adjusted OR = 5.84, 95% CI = 1.37-24.91, with latency; adjusted OR = 8.33, 95% CI = 1.53-45.29, without latency). When latency was ignored, there was also an increased relative risk of bladder cancer among subjects whose exposure level was over the 90th percentile (adjusted OR = 4.03, 95% CI = 0.65-25.10). Given that tetrachloroethylene is a common environmental and workplace contaminant in the United States, its carcinogenic potential is a matter of public health concern.

Adolescent↗