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PubMedDate not supplied

Investigation of a reported cluster of bladder cancer cases in the Pottstown/Phoenixville area of Pennsylvania.

A urologist in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, noted an apparent excess of invasive bladder cancer cases in his practice area during 1988 and 1989. Background incidence data for the local area were derived from state Cancer Registry statistics. Seventeen additional cases were noted during review of local hospital tumor registry data. Exposure evaluation included complete occupational histories for 15 index cases and correlation of residential histories with a review of local industries, water quality data, and toxic waste sites. The data were compared with incidence data from 1984 and 1985, and no increase in bladder cancer incidence for this area in 1988 and 1989 was evident. There was, however, a higher bladder cancer incidence among white males in the study area and Chester County, compared with Pennsylvania as a whole. Residential histories and environmental analysis did not reveal a common environmental carcinogen. A high incidence of occupational exposure to suspected bladder carcinogens was noted. In addition, all but 4 of the index cases smoked cigarettes. The study was limited by an extreme paucity of water supply analysis data. Effective environmental monitoring would promote more effective research into environmental carcinogenesis.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Environmental health and monitoring in Estonia.

An assessment of environmental health and monitoring in Estonia after the dissolution of the Soviet Union has shown that the country suffered from neglect during the "cold war" after World War II, and efforts to improve the status quo have been slow since independence was gained in 1991. Conditions in Estonia are affected by the fifty-year long occupation. Industrial, military and agricultural activities have left a legacy of pollution and obsolete installations. The regulatory framework and life style attitudes from the Soviet era interfere with reform efforts. The current transition period holds risks that derive from a run-down infrastructure, a weak economy, and disruptions, inherent in the reorganization itself. Over the past few years a recession has further complicated the situation and the public health status has worsened. International assistance programmes as well as efforts by Estonians have led to some change and progress in environmental management since 1991, and lately ambitious environmental and public health sector programmes have been initiated by the government. Much work, however, still needs to be done. An examination of the recent history of this small country provides examples of environmental neglect and consequences, as well as recommended corrective measures.

Environmental Health↗
PubMed1997

Baseline studies in the Slave River, NWT, 1990-1994: Part II. Body burden contaminants in whole fish tissue and livers.

The Northwest Territories section of the Slave River is the recipient of chemical compounds from a variety of sources, including upstream industry and agriculture. In 1990, concerned government agencies formulated a practical, focussed, and comprehensive environmental monitoring program to assess contamination in the river and the Slave River Environmental Quality Monitoring Program was established. The program was designed to respond to the distinct requirements of two major monitoring goals. The first priority was to ascertain whether the fish in the Slave River were safe to eat. The second goal was to establish a baseline data set with which to compare future effects from upstream activities and long-range transport of contaminants. From the data gathered in the present study, it appears that whole tissue of fish (muscle) is fit for human consumption. Throughout the monitoring period, consistently low concentrations of organochlorine pesticides, PCBs, dioxin and furan isomers, PAHs, chlorinated phenolics, and heavy metals have been observed and median concentrations have all been below federal fish consumption advisories. Also, the numerous data values below analytical detection limits attest to the relatively uncontaminated nature of the fish. These results were comparable with other studies conducted on arctic animals. The heavy metals observed in fish tissue are probably of natural origins, since inorganic analyses of suspended sediment in the Slave River indicated relatively elevated levels, with no known anthropogenic source. While the present study concluded that contaminant levels in whole fish are low, toxaphene levels in burbot livers should continue to be monitored since concentrations were consistently above fish consumption advisories during the monitoring and are eaten extensively by the native peoples. The second goal of the monitoring program was to develop a baseline data set and the values tabled in the current paper are useful in establishing a foundation for future comparison.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

The piscine micronucleus test to assess the impact of pollution on the Japaratuba river in Brazil.

In situ investigations of the effects of mutagenic pollutants (environmental monitoring) have increasingly used bioindicators, and fish often have been used in these studies as sentinel organisms. In the present study, we have used the piscine micronucleus test (MNT) as an in situ biological indicator of chemical contamination in two fresh water fish species (Astyanax bimaculatus and Hoplias malabaricus). The fish were collected from two sites (Sites 1 and 2) in the Japaratuba River (Sergipe, Brazil), in an area impacted by a petrochemical industrial complex which indirectly contributes treated effluent (produced water) to the river. Responses in fish from these sites were compared to fish from a clean reference site (Jacarecica River - Sergipe, Brazil). The results indicated an enhanced frequency of micronuclei (MN) in peripheral red blood cells of A. bimaculatus collected at Sites 1 and 2 when compared to their respective negative control (A. bimaculatus collected from the Jacarecica River). H. malabaricus collected at Sites 1 and 2 did not have a significant increase in MN. The results of this study indicate that the piscine MNT is a useful in vivo technique for the detection of chemical contaminants in the aquatic environment and that the assay shows potential for in situ monitoring of water quality. Nevertheless, the results also demonstrated differential sensitivity of A. bimaculatus and H. malabaricus to the induction of MN.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Twenty years research in cholinesterase biosensors: from basic research to practical applications.

Over the last decades, cholinesterase (ChE) biosensors have emerged as an ultra sensitive and rapid technique for toxicity analysis in environmental monitoring, food and quality control. These systems have the potential to complement or replace the classical analytical methods by simplifying or eliminating sample preparation protocols and making field testing easier and faster with significant decrease in costs per analysis. Over the years, engineering of more sensitive ChE enzymes, development of more reliable immobilization protocols and progress in the area of microelectronics could allow ChE biosensors to be competitive for field analysis and extend their applications to multianalyte screening, development of small, portable instrumentations for rapid toxicity testing, and detectors in chromatographic systems. In this paper, we will review the research efforts over the last 20 years in fabricating AChE biosensors and the recent trends and challenges encounter once the sensor is used outside research laboratory for in situ real sample applications. The review will discuss the generations of cholinesterase sensors with their advantages and limitations, the existing electrode configurations and fabrication techniques and their applications for toxicity monitoring. We will focus on low-cost electrochemical sensors and the approaches used for enzyme immobilization. Recent works for achieving high sensitivity and selectivity are also discussed.

Biosensing Techniques↗
PubMed2004

Rapid identification of environmental bacterial strains by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

In recent years, various mass spectrometry procedures have been developed for bacterial identification. The accuracy and speed with which data can be obtained by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS) could make this a powerful tool for environmental monitoring. However, minor variations in the sample preparation can influence the mass spectra significantly. Therefore, the first objectives of this study were the adjustment and the optimization of experimental parameters allowing a rapid identification of whole bacterial cells without laborious sample preparation. The tested experimental parameters were matrix, extraction solvent, salt content, deposition method, culture medium and incubation time. This standardized protocol was applied to identify reference and environmental bacterial strains of Escherichia coli, Salmonella and Acinetobacter. The environmental bacterial strains were isolated from sewage sludge using an original microextraction procedure based on repeated sonications and enzymatic treatments. The bacterial identification was realized by the observation of the respective genus-, species- and strain-specific biomarkers. This bacterial taxonomy could be completed within one hour, with minimal sample preparation, provided that sufficient bacteria had been collected prior to MALDI-TOF analysis.

Actinobacteria↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Studying risks of waste landfill sites on human health: updates and perspectives].

OBJECTIVE: Updating current reviews on epidiomiological studies on health effects of waste landfill sites. MATERIALS: Seven ecological studies, two health monitoring investigations and two environmental investigations performed between 2000 and 2004 are discussed. RESULTS: Excesses of risk for cancer incidence, mortality and congenital malformations or no excesses were reported Increasing of low birth weight and different types of symptoms were consistently found. None or very poor environmental data and individual measurements of exposure were available in the majority of the studies. The use of biomarkers and environmental monitoring data to define individual exposure was suggested by some studies. CONCLUSIONS: The development of new and advanced environmental epidemiology studies on health effects of waste sites exposure is now recommended by the scientific community.

Congenital Abnormalities↗
PubMed2004

Using science to assess environmental vulnerabilities.

Beginning in 1995, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), Office of Research and Development has focused much of its ecological research in the Mid-Atlantic as part of the Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment (MAIA). The goal of MAIA is to improve the assessability of scientific information in environmental decision-making. Following the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) whose goal is to guide monitoring that effectively reflects current ecosystem condition and trends, MAIA's second, current, phase of research under the Regional Vulnerability Assessment (ReVA) program is designed to target risk management activities using available data and models. The papers presented here are from a conference held in May 2003 that presented results of research in this second phase of MAIA. The conference was organized into the following topics: 1. Assessing Current Impacts and Vulnerabilities 2. Forecasting Environmental Condition and Vulnerabilities 3. Developing Management Strategies to Optimize the Future, and 4. Assessing and Responding to Environmental Vulnerability.

Environmental Monitoring↗
PubMed2002

Genotoxic risk and oxidative DNA damage in workers exposed to antimony trioxide.

The growing use of antimony (Sb) compounds in industry and the consequent increase in the number of exposed workers make it important to carry out a health risk assessment. The main goal of this study was to assess the genotoxicity of Sb(2)O(3) in occupationally exposed workers. Genotoxicity was evaluated by the sister chromatid exchange (SCE) and micronucleus tests, and the enzyme (Fpg)-modified comet assay. In addition, antimony exposure levels were established by environmental monitoring with personal air samplers. We studied 23 male workers assigned to different fire retardant treatment tasks in the car upholstery industry and a control group of 23 healthy nonexposed males. The exposed workers were divided into two groups on the basis of their tasks and the work cycle: Group A comprised finishing and intermediate inspection operators who directly handled a mixture containing Sb(2)O(3); Group B were jet operators, not directly exposed to the compound. Environmental monitoring detected low Sb exposure levels but significant differences between the two groups, with Group A having the higher exposure level. Cytogenetic analyses showed no difference between exposed workers and controls for micronuclei and SCE. The enzyme-modified comet assay showed a probable relation between moderate levels of oxidative DNA damage and exposure to antimony, with a significantly higher proportion of workers in Group A having oxidative DNA damage compared to controls. The results support the theory that oxidative DNA damage is involved in the genotoxicity of antimony and indicate the need for further research in this field.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Health monitoring and conservation of wildlife in Sweden and Northern Europe.

Monitoring of wildlife diseases started in Scandinavia as sporadic postmortem examinations in the early 20th century. In 1945 a monitoring program for wildlife health was initiated. The program is today an integrated part of the National Environmental Monitoring programs in Sweden. The total material today comprises more than 80000 recorded investigations. There are similar programs in Denmark, Finland, and Norway, but no comparable program exists in other Northern European countries. The program has led to discoveries of new diseases in many mammals and birds, and demonstration of several environmental pollutants, such as mercury, lead, and cadmium, in wildlife. The success of the program is due to several factors such as: a rich wildlife with economically important game species; location of the program at the National Veterinary Institute with excellent facilities and competent staff, good cooperation with hunter and conservation organizations, stable financial support, a cool climate, and a successful relationship with media. Current work also includes more focused investigations on different specific pathogens and pollutants, as well as investigations in single animal species.

Animal Diseases↗
PubMed2000

Generic assessment endpoints are needed for ecological risk assessment.

This article presents arguments for the development of generic assessment endpoints for ecological risk assessment. Generic assessment endpoints would be ecological entities and attributes that are assumed to be worthy of protection in most contexts. The existence of generic assessment endpoints would neither create a requirement that they be used in every assessment nor preclude the use of other assessment endpoints. They would simply be a starting point in the process of identifying the assessment endpoints for a particular assessment. They are needed to meet legal mandates, to provide a floor for environmental degradation, to provide some consistency in environmental regulation, as exemplars for site- or project-specific assessment endpoints, to allow development of methods and models, to give risk managers the courage to act, for screening and site-independent assessments, to support environmental monitoring, to facilitate communication, and to avoid paralysis by analysis. Generic assessment endpoints should include not only a list of entities and attributes, but also explanations of each endpoint, guidance on their use and interpretation, and measures and models that could be used to estimate them.

Communication↗
PubMed2004

Using human disease outbreaks as a guide to multilevel ecosystem interventions.

Human health often depends on environmental variables and is generally subject to widespread and comprehensive surveillance. Compared with other available measures of ecosystem health, human disease incidence may be one of the most useful and practical bioindicators for the often elusive gauge of ecologic well-being. We argue that many subtle ecosystem disruptions are often identified only as a result of detailed epidemiologic investigations after an anomalous increase in human disease incidence detected by routine surveillance mechanisms. Incidence rates for vector-mediated diseases (e.g., arboviral illnesses) and direct zoonoses (e.g., hantaviruses) are particularly appropriate as bioindicators to identify underlying ecosystem disturbances. Outbreak data not only have the potential to act as a pivotal warning system for ecosystem disruption, but may also be used to identify interventions for the preservation of ecologic health. With this approach, appropriate ecologically based strategies for remediation can be introduced at an earlier stage than would be possible based solely on environmental monitoring, thereby reducing the level of "ecosystem distress" as well as resultant disease burden in humans. This concept is discussed using local, regional, and global examples, thereby introducing the concept of multilevel ecosystem interventions. Key words: bioindicators, disease control, disease outbreaks, ecologic management, ecosystem health, surveillance.

Disease Outbreaks↗
PubMed1981

Use of domesticated rabbit tissues for monitoring of environmental pollution by toxic metals (Mn, Pb, Cr, Cd, Ni).

Domesticated rabbits were exposed to natural environmental conditions in an area polluted by emissions from a ferromanganese alloys producing plant. The samples of blood, liver, kidneys, bones, spleen, heart, muscle tissue and hair of rabbits were analyzed, after low-pressure low-temperature, ashing in RF oxygen plasma, for the presence of Mn, Pb, Cr, Cd and Ni, using the Varian Techtron AA 6-D apparatus. Groups of 3 rabbits were killed at the following time intervals: immediately after birth, and then after the exposure of 1, 2, 6 and 12 months. The levels of toxic metals detected in the examined biological samples were compared with those detected in control rabbits from non-polluted area. Contents of the analyzed toxic metals were also determined in animal feed samples as well as in samples of air (24-hour samples), drinking water and soil. The results show that the described biological monitoring might be feasibly coupled with the prepared epidemiological studies conducted in areas contaminated with toxic microelements or other persistent substances that are known to accumulate in the mammalian organism.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

The use and misuse of biomarkers in ecotoxicology.

Substantial efforts have been devoted to developing and applying biomarkers for use in ecotoxicology. These efforts have resulted partly from a desire for early warning indicators that respond before measurable effects on individuals and populations occur and partly as an aid to identifying the causes of observed population- and community-level effects. Whereas older biomarkers focused on measures of organism physiology or biochemistry, advances in molecular biology are extending the biomarker philosophy to the level of the genes (i.e., ecotoxicogenomics). However, the extent to which biomarkers are able to provide unambiguous and ecologically relevant indicators of exposure to or effects of toxicants remains highly controversial. In the present paper, we briefly discuss the application of biomarkers in ecotoxicology and ecological risk assessment, and we provide examples of how they have been applied. We conclude that although biomarkers can be helpful for gaining insight regarding the mechanisms causing observed effects of chemicals on whole-organism performance and may, in some cases, provide useful indicators of exposure, individual biomarker responses should not be expected to provide useful predictions of relevant ecological effects--and probably not even predictions of whole-organism effects. Suites of biomarkers are only likely to provide increased predictability if they can be used in a comprehensive mechanistic model that integrates them into a measure of fitness. Until this can be achieved, biomarkers may be useful for hypothesis generation in carefully controlled experiments. However, because the aims of environmental monitoring and ecological risk assessment are to detect and/or predict adverse chemical impacts on populations, communities, and ecosystems, we should be focusing our efforts on improving methods to do this directly. This will involve developing and testing models of appropriate complexity that can describe real-world systems at multiple scales.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Epidemiological monitoring of environmental lead exposures in California State Hospitals.

Blood lead screening of 8062 state hospital residents in California revealed 143 residents with excessive lead levels (greater than or equal to 30 micrograms/dL). This screening was part of the Childhood Lead Project and was performed in 1978. The purpose of this study was to identify "critical" lead sources in California State Hospitals. Accurate identification is crucial if subsequent abatement programs are to be effective. The strategy involved the following sequence of steps: 1) Selection of cases based on blood lead and erythrocyte protoporphyrin screening. 2) Determination of pica habits and environmental exposures through interviews with ward's staff and/or parents. 3) Measurement of lead levels in environmental samples reflecting exposures. 4) Interpreting these data in order to identify critical lead sources. 5) Reducing exposure to critical lead sources. 6) Following up of cases and controls to validate the effects of this strategy. A group of 36 lead-burdened cases with pica (30-60 micrograms Pb/dL blood) and 36 matched controls (PbB less than 20 micrograms/dL) were selected from among the developmentally disabled residents of two California State Hospitals. These subjects were studied in order to identify the lead sources to which they were exposed and to abate the major ones. Three major lead sources were found in the state hospitals: wall and furniture paints (100-45,400 micrograms Pb/g paint); surface soil (33-570 micrograms Pb/g soil); educational format was presented to all involved staff. The results have indicated a trend towards lower lead intake by the lead-burdened cases. In one of the two hospitals a "lead-free unit" had been established. All the lead-burdened cases were transferred to this unit in August 1981. A few months later the blood lead levels of all the cases dropped below 30 micrograms/dL. Initial epidemiological monitoring indicated where there were preventable hazards, which abatement efforts succeeded in reducing. Further monitoring of such problems is indicated in this and other developmentally-disabled populations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

A knowledge-based approach to environmental biomonitoring.

This paper presents the design, development and implementation of an integrated GIS-controlled knowledge-based system for environmental monitoring applications, utilizing indigenous flora for assessing quality. The system gathers and combines geographical, ecological, and physicochemical data of organisms' response to pollution within an intelligent computer program that (a) recognises groups of indigenous species suitable for long-term monitoring of a specific pollutant or a combination of pollutants, (b) estimates the ambient concentration of pollutant(s) from the population of the species comprising the bioindicator group and (c) provides biomonitoring capacity indices at national and international/transboundary levels. Significantly, a novel system in the form of a rational framework at the conceptual design level has been developed, that actually contributes towards achieving a cost-effective long-term biomonitoring program, with the flexibility to counter on-course any (anticipated or not) variations/modifications of the surveillance environment: the scheme assumes a robust dynamic cooperation between instrumental and biomonitoring systems, with a view to minimise uncertainty and monitoring costs and increase reliability of pollution control and abatement, aiming eventually at the shifting, partially or totally, from instrumental to natural monitoring. The proposed approach is presently implemented at pilot-scale for establishing a biomonitoring network at a large industrial area in Greece. The results obtained indicate that a cost-effective program can be only attained and maintained under a suitable financial/organizational scheme at the macro level, whereas the micro level viability strongly depends upon careful management of human resources and fixed assets.

Biodiversity↗
PubMed1992

The study of exposure to cadmium in the general population. II. Morbidity studies.

An epidemiological study was performed to assess whether environmental pollution by cadmium as found in cadmium polluted areas of CSFR (Pribram and Frýdek-Mistek) is associated with changes in biological indicators of renal dysfunction in non-occupationally exposed population groups. Polluted areas were chosen on the basis of existing sources of Cd emission. The city of Prague was selected as a control area. Environmental monitoring (Cd in air, dust fall and soil) did not confirm significant contamination of selected areas. It was found that Cd levels in urine (Cd-U) of inhabitants living in areas chosen as Cd-contaminated were significantly higher than in the control area. Differences in concentrations of Cd in blood (Cd-B) levels between individual areas were not significant. No significant differences between the study populations were noted in the urinary excretion of low molecular weight proteins (beta 2-microglobulin, retinol binding protein) and albuminuria. However, total proteinuria and aminoaciduria in persons living in Pribram area was significantly higher. This area suffers from combined contamination by cadmium and lead. In smokers of both sexes the Cd-B levels were significantly higher in all areas, no significant differences were found in Cd-U levels. However, it was found that in smokers there is higher percentage of persons excreting more than 0.9 micrograms Cd.g-1 creatinine in urine. Consumption of home-grown vegetable and fruit in Cd-polluted areas led to significantly higher levels of Cd-B and Cd-U and total proteinuria. The results of the study show that smoking and food seem to be the most important sources of Cd intake in non-occupationally exposed populations. In spite of the fact that environmental monitoring does not reveal a significant contamination of selected areas by Cd, Cd-U levels confirmed that population living in these areas is really exposed to Cd.

Cadmium↗
PubMed2006

A resazurin-based biosensor for organic pollutants.

A new rapid biosensor method employing the dye resazurin as an indicator of bacterial respiration has been developed to provide a rapid, facile and specific biosensor for environmental contaminants that does not rely on genetic modification techniques, is suitable for a high-throughput multiwell format, and is ideally suited to resource-constrained environmental monitoring situations. This whole-cell biosensor has been applied to the test analyte toluene using natural toluene-degrading bacteria as the biological component and is competitive with more complex recombinant approaches. The redox-driven biosensor is dependent on the catabolism of a specific compound, concomitantly reducing the redox indicator resazurin to provide the analytical signal in a whole-cell biosensor assay.

Biological Assay↗