Health effect attributions effects

R. W. Gotchy, Health Effects Attributed to Coal andNuclearFuel Cycle Alternatives, Report NUREG-0332, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission,... 

In the United States, the largest concentration of atmospheric vanadium occurs over Eastern seaboard cities where residual fuels of high vanadium content from Venezuela are burned ia utility boilers. Coal ash ia the atmosphere also coataias vanadium (36). Ambient air samples from New York and Boston contain as much as 600—1300 ng V/m, whereas air samples from Los Angeles and Honolulu contained 1—12 ng V/m. Adverse pubHc health effects attributable to vanadium ia the ambieat air have aot beea deteroiiaed. lacreased emphasis by iadustry oa controlling all plant emissions may have resulted ia more internal reclamation and recycle of vanadium catalysts. An apparent drop ia consumption of vanadium chemicals ia the United States since 1974 may be attributed, in part, to such reclamation activities. 

Health effects attributed to sulfur oxides are likely due to exposure to sulfur dioxide, sulfate aerosols, and sulfur dioxide adsorbed onto particulate matter. Alone, sulfur dioxide will dissolve in the watery fluids of the upper respiratory system and be absorbed into the bloodstream. Sulfur dioxide reacts with other substances in the atmosphere to form sulfate aerosols. Since most sulfate aerosols are part of PMj 5, they may have an important role in the health impacts associated with fine particulates. However, sulfate aerosols can be transported long distances through the atmosphere before deposition actually occurs. Average sulfate aerosol concentrations are about 40% of average fine particulate levels in regions where fuels with high sulfur content are commonly used. Sulfur dioxide adsorbed on particles can be carried deep into the pulmonary system. Therefore, reducing concentrations of particulate matter may also reduce the health impacts of sulfur dioxide. Acid aerosols affect respiratory and sensory functions. 

In workers exposed to airborne levels up to 7.6mg/m blood levels of organic fluoride were higher than background but there were no adverse health effects attributable to the exposure. ... 

It has little, if any, adverse effect on the lung, and there are no reports of organic disease or toxic effect. The health effects attributed to wood, cotton, flax, jute, and hemp are not attributable to their cellulose content but rather to the presence of other substances. 

What are these charges against marijuana Deleterious health effects attributed to marijuana include ... 

The National Coimcil for Radiation Protection (NCRP) has identified a negligible individual risk level (NIRL) as a level of annual excess risk of health effects attributable to irradiation below which further effort to reduce radiation to the individual is unwarranted. The NCRP emphasized that this level should not be confused with an acceptable risk level, a level of significance or a standard. The NCRP recommended a level around half the natural background radiation level the final recommended NIRL level is 1 mrem this level is now called negligible individual dose (NID) level (Harley, 2001, 2008). 

Butanal has low acute toxicity. Exposure to a large dose may have a temporary narcotic effect. Exposure to low concentrations of butanal vapors produces irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. The compound has an unpleasant odor. Impurities (butyric acid) may be present that make the smell even more objectionable. Health effects attributed to chronic exposure to low doses of butanal vapors have not been described. Dermatitis may be expected after prolonged and repeated exposures to solutions containing butanal. 

In 1991, the National Academy of Sciences studied the health effects attributable to toxic waste sites and concluded, [W]e find that the health of some members of the public is in danger, but We are currently unable to answer the question of the overall impact on public health of hazardous wastes. The Academy pointed out that Millions of tons of hazardous materials are slowly migrating into groundwater in areas where they could pose problems in the future, even though current risks could be negligible. The Academy concluded, ...the committee does find sufficient evidence that hazardous wastes have produced health effects in some populations. We are concerned that populations may be at risk that have not been adequately identified, because of the inadequate program of site identification and assessment. ... 

The primary adverse health effect attributed to neon exposures is simple asphyxiation due to the displacement of oxygen necessary for life. No animal or in vitro studies were found in scientific literature, but it is known that humans and other animals requiring oxygen can die by asphyxiation, if exposed to high concentrations of neon. 

As discussed in the previous problem set, the four major steps in a health risk assessment are hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization. A health risk assessment initially involves the identification of human health effects attributed to exposure to a chemical, usually on a continuous basis. A dose-response assessment determines how different levels of exposure to a hazard or pollutant affect the likelihood or severity of the health effects. An exposure assessment determines the extent of human exposure. These are combined to provide a risk characterization value. 

Hippuric acid was identified as a major metabolite associated with black tea consumption. " The compound l,3-dihydroxyphenyl-2-0-sulfate (sulfate conjugate of pyrogallol) was also identified as a black tea metabolite in humans. " Very low levels of theaflavins in plasma and urine were reported in humans after consumption of black tea. It was reported that the ingestion of either green tea or black tea results in a major increase in the excretion of hippuric acid into urine. The authors concluded that green tea and black tea consumption result in similar amounts of microbial degradation products that are absorbed by the body. They speculated that these microbial metabolites, not the native tea flavonoids, may be responsible for at least some of the health effects attributed to tea consumption. ... 

Although these are the major polyphenolics in berries, it may or may not be these particular components that are responsible for some of the health effects attributed to berries. In our present scientific environment, it is common to take the reductionist point of view, where researchers study single compounds as new therapeutic agents, but in reality, it may be that the end resnlt is based on hundreds of distinct molecules. Although this idea presents a hnge challenge scientifically, it may not be as far-fetched today as it once seemed. In the following section, we will discuss some of the literature that indicates possible involvement of at least the anthocyanins and pro-anthocyanidins in prevention of cancers. 

Benefits. The Economic Analysis describes the estimated benefits of the rulemaking in qualitative and quantitative terms. Benefits result from the prevention of adverse health effects attributable to lead exposure. These health effects include impaired cognitive function in children and several illnesses in children and adults. EPA estimated the benefits of avoided incidence of IQ loss due to reduced lead exposure to children under the age of 6. There are not sufficient data at this time to develop dose-response functions for other health effects in children or for pregnant women. The benefits of avoided exposure to adults were not quantified due to uncertainties about the exposure of adults to lead in dust from renovation, repair, and painting activities in these facilities. 

The effects attributed to air pollutants range from mild eye irritation to mortality. In most cases, the effect is to aggravate preexisting diseases or to degrade the health status, making persons more susceptible to infection or development of a chronic respiratory disease. Some of the effects associated with specific pollutants are listed in Table 7-2. Further information is available in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criteria documents summarized in Chapter 22. 

Since these PM standards were established, the EPA has reviewed peer-reviewed scientific studies that suggest that significant health effects occur at concentrations below the 1987 standards. In addition, some studies attributed adverse health effects to particles smaller than 10 microns. In July 1997, the EPA, under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), added standards for particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less (PM, ). The annual PM, 5 standard was set at 15 pg/ni and the 24-hour PMj standard was set at 65 p.g/m . 

The purpose of an exposure and risk assessment is to characterize the magnitude and extent of human or environmental exposure to selected pollutants and to quantify the potential adverse effects of those exposures. The assessment can be used both to provide a baseline estimate of existing health risks attributable to an environmental pollutant and to determine the potential reduction in exposure and risk for various control options. Exposure and risk assessments are playing an increasingly central role in... 

Human illness, as a result of microbial infection, is an ever-increasing public health crisis. Children often represent the most at-risk population. Worldwide every year billions of cases of microbial infection occur and millions of deaths can be directly attributed to microbial pathogens.1 The Centers for Disease Control estimates that microbial infections are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, with approximately 75,000 deaths attributable to microbial pathogens annually.2 Not only are there serious physical health effects associated with microbial infections, but the cost of health care associated with microbial infections is shocking. For example, in the United States alone, upper respiratory tract infections in children under the age of 15 account for more than 50 million visits to a doctor s office each year.3... 

The interaction between exposure intensity and duration of exposure in the development of neurobehavioral deficits is not understood, in part because of a lack of biomarkers of long-term lead exposure. The strongest evidence for health effects of low level lead exposures on neurodevelopmental deficits is based on relationships between measured health outcomes and PbB concentrations. Although these studies suggest that a significant amount of the variability in the health outcomes (e.g., neurobehavioral deficits) can be attributed to variability in PbB concentrations, a substantial amount of variability in the outcomes usually cannot be assigned to PbB, even after many known potential confounders have been considered (i.e., Needleman and Gatsonis 1990 Pocock et al. 1994 Schwartz 1994 Winneke 1996). 

Indoor radon in most houses come primarily from soil gas infiltrating into the house because of pressure-driven flow. The radon decays into a series of decay products to which most of the health effects are attributed. These decay products begin attached to ultrafine particles that either plateout on surfaces such as walls, furniture, etc., or become attached to larger particles that are present in the indoor air. The nature of those particles depends on the kinds of sources that exist in the house such as smokers, gas stoves, etc. 

Another advantage cited for organic electronics is their perceived low environmental impact and high expected consumer safety. This assumption is generally based on the notion that plastics are easily recycled and are considered safe to humans and animals. However, the materials used are often completely new compositions with poorly understood health and safety attributes. The assumption that all plastics are completely safe for humans is inaccurate, as is exemplified by recent concerns about the toxicity of polyvinyl chloride (PVC).39 In contrast, most inorganic nanoparticle materials are already on the consumer market and have extensive historical data on their safety in a variety of applications. Some materials, such as zinc oxide, are even considered reasonably safe for ingestion and therefore are commonly used in food and cosmetics. However, the health effects and interactions of nanoparticles on the human body are still a topic of debate.40... 

In this paper I have tried to show that measurement of health benefits attributable to TSCA is not feasible. I hope that in doing so I have not belabored the obvious. For new chemicals and for most existing chemicals, prospective evaluation of health benefits to be achieved by various exposure controls will have to be based on extrapolation from microbial and animal data. However, while such extrapolation may be useful in a qualitative sense, quantitative risk assessment techniques involve considerable uncertainty, and in any case have not been developed for chronic effects other than cancer. 

The lack of information is well illustrated by trying to examine the costs and benefits of TSCA. The major benefits of the act are the adverse health effects avoided by whatever actions are taken under the act s authority or because of the act s existence. But for many actions, such as voluntary testing by industry, we are not sure whether to attribute the action to TSCA s existence. We also are not sure how to relate such actions to reduced exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals. Insofar as exposure is reduced, we usually do not have any precise idea of the health consequences of such reduced exposure. And even if we knew the health consequences we would not know how to place a dollar value on them. 

A second unanswered concern is whether the antibody induced by the recombinant protein has any discernible health effect. Other than some reports of neutralization of biological activity, little pathology has been attributed to the presence of antibodies in patients given recombinant protein therapy. It should also be noted that the question of antibody specificity has not been well studied, so that it is entirely conceivable that autoimmune pathology or even an anaphylaxis response could be induced. Equally important is the concern that induced antibody might neutralize the endogenous hormone or protein that it is intended to replace or supplement. 

Paprika is well established worldwide and will probably increase in volume due to the popularity of tomato products and possibly by analogy to the health effects being attributed to the carotenoids. 

Henry TB, Menn FM, Fleming JT et al. (2007) Attributing effects of aqueous C60 nano-aggregates to tetrahydrofuran decomposition products in larval zebrafish by assessment of gene expression. Environ. Health Perspect. 115 1059-1065. 

It should be noted that phenol is the simplest form, or parent compound, of the class of chemicals commonly referred to as phenols or phenolics, many of which are natural substances widely distributed throughout the environment. There is some confusion in the literature as to the use of the term phenol in some cases it has been used to refer to a particular phenolic compound that is more highly substituted than the parent compound (Doan et al. 1979), whereas in other cases it has been used to refer to the class of phenolic compounds (Beveridge 1997). This chapter, however, addresses only those health effects which can be directly attributable to the parent compound, monohydroxybenzene, or phenol. As Deichmann and Keplinger (1981) note It cannot be overemphasized that the structure-activity relationships of phenol and phenol derivatives vary widely, and that to accept the properties of individual phenolic compounds as being those of phenol is a misconception and leads to error and confusion. ... 

There is no clinical disease state unique to heptachlor. A major problem in developing a biomarker of effect for heptachlor or heptachlor epoxide is that human exposures to these compounds have occurred concomitantly with exposures to other chemicals, and it is difficult to attribute the health effects to heptachlor or heptachlor epoxide alone. More data that quantify the biological effects as well as data that distinguish heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide exposures from those of other chemicals would be useful for developing biomarkers of effect for population monitoring. Biomarkers that could indicate the length of time since exposure would also be useful. 

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