Epidemiology chemical

In a review of data on occupational chemicals that may contaminate breast milk (Byczkowski et al. 1994), it is stated that lead may be excreted in milk in amounts lethal to the infant and that the metal may be mobilized from bone stores to milk during the lactation period. Even when the concentration of lead in mother s milk is low, the absorption of metals into the systemic circulation of infants is generally high when they are on a milk diet. To better understand the sensitivity of the nursing infant to chemicals, epidemiological studies, chemical monitoring, and model development and application are needed. 

By observing human, animal, or plant populations exposed to a chemical (epidemiology)... 

University of Miami School of Medicine, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Division of Chemical Epidemiology, Miami, FL 33177... 

The importance of chemical epidemiology in assessing the health hazard potential of environmental chemicals is obvious. 

TABLE 4.2.1.2 Examples of Chemicals Epidemiologically Linked to Cancer... 

A2 - Suspected human carcinogens. Chemical substances, or substances associated with industrial process, which are suspect of inducing cancer, based on their limited epidemiological evidence or demonstration of carcinogenesis in one or more animal species by appropriate methods. 

There are numerous methods available to identify the potential for chemicals to cause both healtli conditions and adverse effects on tlie eiiviroiiment. These can include, but are not limited to, toxicology, epidemiology, molecular and atomic structural analysis, MSDS sheets, engineering approaches to problem solving, fate of chemicals, and carcinogenic versus non-carcinogenic healtli hazards... 

Epidemiology is an important inelhod employed in the identification of human lo.xicily and healtli hazards resulting from e.xposure to chemicals. It... 

Exposure Registries. No exposure registries for methyl parathion were located. This substance is not currently one of the compounds for which a subregistry has been established in the National Exposure Registry. The substance will be considered in the future when chemical selection is made for subregistries to be established. The information that is amassed in the National Exposure Registry facilitates the epidemiological research needed to assess adverse health outcomes that may be related to exposure to methyl parathion. 

Case-Control Study—A t5q)e of epidemiological study which examines the relationship between a particular outcome (disease or condition) and a variety of potential causative agents (such as toxic chemicals). In a case-controlled study, a group of people with a specified and well-defined outcome is identified and compared to a similar group of people without outcome. 

Cross-sectional Study—A type of epidemiological study of a group or groups which examines the relationship between exposure and outcome to a chemical or to chemicals at one point in time. 

Agarwal et al. 1978), the quantification of these specific enzymes may indicate that exposure to endosulfan has occurred. Blood tests, such as decay curves for aminopyrine in plasma, which are semiquantitative indices of liver enzyme induction, have been used successfully in the past to demonstrate enzyme induction in pesticide-exposed workers. Because numerous chemicals found at hazardous waste sites also induce these hepatic enzymes, these measurements are not specific for endosulfan exposure. However, measurements of enzyme activity, together with the detection of the parent compound or its metabolites in tissue or excreta, can be useful indicators of exposure. All of these potential biomarkers require further verification in epidemiological studies. Further studies with focus on the development of methods to separate and measure the estrogenicity of endosulfan in in vitro assays would be valuable since these assays are more sensitive and discriminative than other conventional biomarkers. Preliminary results have been presented by Sonnenschein et al. (1995). 

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