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PubMed2006

Biosolids-amended soils: Part II. Chemical lability as a measure of contaminant bioaccessability.

Biosolids recycling by amending agricultural soils has increased significantly over the last few decades. The presence of contaminants in small, bioavailable quantities has generated concerns about health threats resulting from accumulation of potential toxins in the food chain. In this study, land application of biosolids was evaluated for environmental risk. Chemical lability tests for metals were used for the test soils and included analyses for water soluble, exchangeable, and metals extractable by the physiologically based extraction test. Chemical extractions detected slight increases in labile metal concentrations for many of the treated soils, particularly those receiving long-term applications of 5 years or more. Significantly higher metal concentrations were observed in the soils that had been exposed to biosolids before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (Washington, D.C.) 503 Rule (U.S. EPA, 2004) was implemented.

Arsenic↗
PubMed2005

Aging and the environment: a research framework.

The rapid growth in the number of older Americans has many implications for public health, including the need to better understand the risks posed to older adults by environmental exposures. Biologic capacity declines with normal aging; this may be exacerbated in individuals with pre-existing health conditions. This decline can result in compromised pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic responses to environmental exposures encountered in daily activities. In recognition of this issue, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is developing a research agenda on the environment and older adults. The U.S. EPA proposes to apply an environmental public health paradigm to better understand the relationships between external pollution sources --> human exposures --> internal dose --> early biologic effect --> adverse health effects for older adults. The initial challenge will be using information about aging-related changes in exposure, pharmacokinetic, and pharmacodynamic factors to identify susceptible subgroups within the diverse population of older adults. These changes may interact with specific diseases of aging or medications used to treat these conditions. Constructs such as "frailty" may help to capture some of the diversity in the older adult population. Data are needed regarding a) behavior/activity patterns and exposure to the pollutants in the microenvironments of older adults; b) changes in absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion with aging; c) alterations in reserve capacity that alter the body's ability to compensate for the effects of environmental exposures; and d) strategies for effective communication of risk and risk reduction methods to older individuals and communities. This article summarizes the U.S. EPA's development of a framework to address and prioritize the exposure, health effects, and risk communications concerns for the U.S. EPA's evolving research program on older adults as a susceptible subpopulation.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Resolution of the long-term performance issues at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.

The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is a geological repository for disposal of U.S. defense transuranic radioactive waste. Built and operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), it is located in the Permian age salt beds in southeastern New Mexico at a depth of 655 m. Performance assessment for the repository's compliance with the 10,000-year containment standards was completed in 1996 and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certified in 1998 that the repository meets compliance with the EPA standards 40 CFR 191 and 40 CFR 194. The Environmental Evaluation Group (EEG) review of the DOE's application for certification identified a number of issues. These related to the scenarios, conceptual models, and values of the input parameters used in the calculations. It is expected that these issues will be addressed and resolved during the first 5-year recertification process that began with the first receipt of waste at WIPP on March 26, 1999, and scheduled to be completed in March 2004.

Geological Phenomena↗
PubMed2006

A brief targeted review of susceptibility factors, environmental exposures, asthma incidence, and recommendations for future asthma incidence research.

Relative to research on effects of environmental exposures on exacerbation of existing asthma, little research on incident asthma and environmental exposures has been conducted. However, this research is needed to better devise strategies for the prevention of asthma. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences held a conference in October 2004 to collaboratively discuss a future research agenda in this area. The first three articles in this mini-monograph summarize the discussion on potential putative environmental exposure; they include an overview of asthma and conclusions of the workshop participants with respect to public health actions that could currently be applied to the problem and research needs to better understand and control the induction and incidence of asthma, the potential role of indoor/outdoor air pollutants in the induction of asthma), and biologics in the induction of asthma. Susceptibility is a key concept in the U.S. EPA "Asthma Research Strategy" document and is associated with the U.S. EPA framework of protecting vulnerable populations from potentially harmful environmental exposures. Genetics, age, and lifestyle (obesity, diet) are major susceptibility factors in the induction of asthma and can interact with environmental exposures either synergistically or antagonistically. Therefore, in this fourth and last article we consider a number of "susceptibility factors" that potentially influence the asthmatic response to environmental exposures and propose a framework for developing research hypotheses regarding the effects of environmental exposures on asthma incidence and induction.

Asthma↗
PubMed1994

Comparison of European and American techniques for the analysis of volatile organic compounds in environmental matrices.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency has promulgated methods for analysis of volatile organic compounds by purge and trap, or dynamic headspace, gas chromatography. In western Europe, where environmental analyses are less heavily regulated, static headspace is widely used. In this paper, these two approaches are compared and contrasted for use with different environmental matrices. The theoretical basis and state of application for purge and trap and headspace analysis are discussed, and data are presented on the accuracy and precision of both approaches. Data are reported on the use of headspace analysis for different aqueous matrix types with different sample preparation procedures. A new method for direct headspace analysis of soil samples is presented and compared with the EPA-approved purge and trap method.

Chromatography, Gas↗
PubMed1991

Human exposure to dioxin.

Because 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is the most potent chemical carcinogen evaluated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), many people fear that exposure to even small amounts of TCDD could lead to serious health effects. Ambient measurements confirm that environmental TCDD contamination is widespread. The public is concerned about TCDD exposure from such diverse sources as municipal solid waste incinerators, pulp and paper mills, and contaminated fish and soil. This paper evaluates several critical issues including: (i) the extent of background contamination; (ii) accumulation in the food chain and the potential for human exposure from ingesting contaminated food items; (iii) the magnitude of TCDD emissions into the U.S. environment, and the relative contribution of various known TCDD sources to the total TCDD load; and (iv) setting environmental standards for TCDD.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Analysis of environmental and biologic methyl parathion data to improve future data collection.

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry analyzed concurrently collected data on environmental methyl parathion (MP) and urinary p-nitrophenol (PNP) at the request of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). The purpose of the analysis was to assess whether individuals' age or level of residential MP contamination might predict their urinary PNP level. Unlicensed pesticide applicators had sprayed residences in Mississippi with MP, which is approved as a pesticide only for outdoor agricultural use. Data were received from Mississippi for MP wipe sample levels for 409 homes and urinary PNP levels for 929 residents of the residences sampled. In addition to descriptive and bivariate analyses, ordinal logistic regression was performed after categorizing the data. Interpretation of results was limited by several identified data gaps and pre-existing data-quality issues. On the basis of the lessons learned from identified data gaps, specific recommendations were made to the U.S. EPA for improving future data collection methods for more meaningful exposure assessment in similar environmental contaminations. The recommended changes were successfully incorporated in subsequent data collected by other states that had experienced similar residential MP spraying.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2000

Air pollution. Panel backs EPA and 'six cities' study.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has won a major victory in the fierce battle over its tough new standard for particulate air pollution. Dealing a sharp blow to critics from industry, a nonpartisan research group has reevaluated key data that EPA relied upon to set that standard and has come out firmly behind the agency.

Air Pollution↗
PubMed1983

Legislative aspects of hazardous waste management.

In the fall of 1976 Congress enacted the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, commonly referred to as RCRA. The objective of the statute is to create an orderly system for the generation, handling and disposal of hazardous waste by means of a comprehensive tracking and record keeping mechanism. RCRA does not regulate directly by statute so much as it delegates rule making authority to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Pursuant to its mandate to develop regulations in accordance with the broad criteria of RCRA, EPA has published extensive regulations. These regulations address hazardous waste generation, transportation, treatment, storage and handling and its final disposal. The statute also offers remedies available to both EPA and the public at large to ensure enforcement of the provisions of RCRA and the EPA regulations. Additionally, it sets guidelines for states to implement their own hazardous waste management programs. This article is intended to introduce this complicated statutory/regulatory package to scientists and health professionals. It outlines the provisions of RCRA and the EPA regulations, abbreviates early judicial decisions interpreting these provisions and sets forth a brief description of various state approaches to hazardous waste management.

Government Agencies↗
PubMed1999

Sites in the United States contaminated with radioactivity.

Over the century that radioactive materials have been mined, processed, produced, and utilized, many sites across the United States have become contaminated. Such sites include bases and installations of the Department of Defense, weapons production and research facilities of the Department of Energy, properties under the authority of other Federal agencies, privately-owned and governmental facilities that are licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and its Agreement States, and sites licensed by or the responsibility of states. This review reports on aspects of work by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and others to identify sites contaminated with radioactive materials. It also describes the principal programs that have been instituted to deal with them.

Government Agencies↗
PubMed2005

Proceedings of the Hydrogen Sulfide Health Research and Risk Assessment Symposium October 31-November 2, 2000.

The Hydrogen Sulfide Health Research and Risk Assessment Symposium came about for several reasons: (1) increased interest by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and several state agencies in regulating hydrogen sulfide (H2S); (2) uncertainty about ambient exposure to H2S; (3) confusion and disagreement in the literature about possible health effects at low-level exposures; and (4) presentation of results of a series of recent animal bioassays. The American Petroleum Institute (API) proposed this symposium and the EPA became an early co-sponsor, with the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology (CIIT) and the American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) contributing expertise and funding assistance. The topics covered in this symposium included Animal Research, Human Research, Mode-of-Action and Dosimetry Issues, Environmental Exposure and Monitoring, Assessment and Regulatory Issues, and closed with a panel discussion. The overall goals of the symposium were to: gather together experts in H2S health effects research and individuals from governmental agencies charged with protecting the public health, provide a venue for reporting of recent research findings, identify gaps in the current information, and outline new research directions and promote research collaboration. During the course of the symposium, presenters provided comprehensive reviews of the state of knowledge for each topic. Several new research proposals discussed at the symposium have subsequently been initiated. This report provides a summary of the talks, poster presentations, and panel discussions that occurred at the Hydrogen Sulfide Health and Risk Assessment Symposium.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2004

In vitro models in endocrine disruptor screening.

The public and scientific concern that chemicals present in the human diet and the environment and their ability to disrupt the normal hormonal milieu in humans and wildlife have become a high-profile international issue. In 1998, the Endocrine Disruptor Screening and Testing Advisory Committee (EDSTAC) convened by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommended a tiered testing approach for the evaluation of estrogen, androgen, and thyroid-related effects of some 87,000 commercial chemicals and environmental contaminants. The function of this committee concluded with its final report, and the further implementation of the recommended testing strategy has now been carried forward with the assistance of the Endocrine Disruptor Methods Validation Subcommittee. The function of this body is to provide advice to the EPA on scientific and technical issues related specifically to the conduct of studies required for the validation of assays proposed by the EDSTAC as part of the tiered screening program. The EDSTAC recommended and alternative screening batteries encompass four in vitro mammalian assays. The current methodologies and validation status of the proposed in vitro EDSTAC assays are discussed and consist of estrogen/androgen receptor binding, estrogen/androgen gene transactivation, and minced testis, and one alternate (placental aromatase) in vitro screening assay.

Animal Testing Alternatives↗
PubMed1995

Approaches for exposure characterization and data needs for hazardous waste site assessment.

This article provides an understanding of the approaches for determining exposure and dose to populations in the vicinity of hazardous waste sites. A review of the federal legislation and jurisdiction for assessments is provided, and the approaches of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry are compared. These methods strive to aid in the evaluation of public health impacts of contaminants that were, are, or may be released to the community, and they are concerned with various aspects of the contaminant fate, human contact, and toxic response for chemicals of concern. Such approaches have been designed for generic contamination scenarios, but they aim to be applicable to a wide range of chemicals and sites in the real world. Along with any modeling framework for exposure and dose characterization, detailed information or real data are requisite for the completion of any site-specific assessment. What kinds of data are needed and where they may be found are also discussed. A comprehensive framework for exposure characterization, recently proposed by Georgopoulos and Lioy, is outlined. The framework is one employing the following elements: chemodynamic analyses of sources and receptors; characterization of the target population; toxicokinetic/toxicodynamic analyses; uncertainty/error analyses; and evaluation of the characterization performance.

Environmental Exposure↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The establishment of good laboratory practices at the Naval Medical Research Institute Toxicology Detachment.

A quality-management program (QMP) has been launched at the Naval Medical Research Institute Toxicology Detachment to support the planning, assessment, interpreting, and reporting of toxicology study data. The QMP conforms to the intent of the Good Laboratory Practice established by the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency for regulatory compliance. The biomedical data necessary to characterize the toxicity of materials of interest to the Navy are used to formulate occupational and environmental health-hazard evaluations and risk assessments, including appropriate exposure limits for personnel for Navy-specific circumstances of exposure. The goal of the QMP is to help management and investigators ensure the quality and integrity of the data collected in laboratory animal toxicology studies. These data are used to reduce or eliminate potential health risks from exposure to toxicants during Navy operations. The primary purpose of the risk-reduction program is to help ensure readiness to accomplish the military mission. This article briefly reviews the need for the QMP and the military relevance of the quality-assurance requirements. The pros and cons of establishing the QMP are discussed, and examples of specific research projects and programs that support the need for a quality management program are presented. Aspects of integrating the QMP program to ensure compliance with Good Laboratory Practice are reviewed, and the value of the improvements in the quality of data from the Naval Medical Research Institute/Toxicology Detachment is summarized.

Academies and Institutes↗
PubMed2000

Toxicology. Mercury report backs strict rules.

The debate, finally, seemed to be settled. After an 18-month review, a panel of the National Academy of Sciences last week weighed in on the health risks of mercury, endorsing strict safety levels proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1995. But already some scientists are contesting the panel's conclusions, and federal agencies are grappling with how to reconcile competing regulations.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

An empirical examination of factors influencing prediction of carcinogenic hazard across species.

This study was stimulated by a recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA, 1994) statement in draft environmental carcinogen risk assessment guidelines: "Several kinds of observations from animal studies can contribute to the judgment whether animal responses indicate a significant carcinogenic hazard to humans." We have investigated each of these kinds of observation using the cancer bioassay data system database. We obtained concordances from rat to mouse (and vice versa) for various subgroups of chemicals as follows: chemicals that induced tumors at multiple sites, chemicals that induce cancer in both sexes, chemicals that display reduced latency, and chemicals increasing the rates of rare tumors. The concordances are much higher for these chemical subgroups than the chemical groups that induce tumor at a single site, in only one sex, or without reduced latency, respectively. Thus, our findings support some of the EPA's suggested factors.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Cancer and noncancer risk to women in agriculture and pest control: the Agricultural Health Study.

The Agricultural Health Study is a collaborative effort involving the National Cancer Institute, the US Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. A goal of this investigation is to establish a large cohort of men and women that can be followed prospectively for 10 years or more to evaluate the role of agricultural exposures in the development of cancer, neurologic disease, reproductive difficulties, childhood developmental problems, and other chronic diseases. The study also will provide an opportunity to assess the role that diet, cooking methods, and other lifestyle factors have on the cause of cancer and other diseases. The cohort will be composed of approximately 112,000 adult study subjects, including 42,000 women, making this one of the largest cohorts of women ever assembled for an epidemiologic investigation of environmental and occupational exposures. Children of farm families also will be enrolled. The study will be conducted in Iowa and North Carolina. Enrollment will begin in December 1993 and continue for 3 years.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Persistent toxic chemicals: more than Stockholm persistent organic pollutants.

Schafer and Kegley bring up the important issue of excessive chemicals exposure of children. However, they do not consider in depth the "cumulative and simultaneous exposures faced by children, (.) moving beyond the chemical-by-chemical approach of the past", as quoted from the US Environmental Protection Agency national agenda to protect children from environmental health threats. Existing evidence for contamination by many substances beyond those dealt with in the article calls for additional protective measures. These could include an extra margin of exposure by a factor of 10 to cover cumulation of chemicals, for adults and children alike.

Child↗