Search results for "Human exposure"
showing 10 items of 22 documents
Assessing human health risks from pesticide use in conventional and innovative cropping systems with the BROWSE model
2017
Background: Reducing the risks and impacts of pesticide use on human health and on the environment is one of the objectives of the European Commission Directive 2009/128/EC in the quest for a sustainable use of pesticides. This Directive, developed through European national plans such as Ecophyto plan in France, promotes the introduction of innovative cropping systems relying, for example, on integrated pest management. Risk assessment for human health of the overall pesticide use in these innovative systems is required before the introduction of those systems to avoid that an innovation becomes a new problem. Objectives: The objectives of this work were to assess and to compare (1) the hum…
Trace elements in scalp hair of children chronically exposed to volcanic activity (Mt. Etna, Italy)
2014
Abstract The aim of this survey was to use scalp hair as a biomonitor to evaluate the environmental exposure to metals and metalloids of schoolchildren living around the Mt. Etna area, and to verify whether the degree of human exposure to trace elements is subject to changes in local environmental factors. Twenty trace elements were determined in 376 samples of scalp hair from schoolboys (11–13 years old) of both genders, living in ten towns located around the volcanic area of Mt. Etna (Sicily). The results were compared with those (215 samples) from children living in areas of Sicily characterized by a different geological setting (reference site). As, U and V showed much higher concentrat…
BPA, an Energy Balance Disruptor
2014
International audience; Bisphenol A (BPA) is used extensively in the world and is present in a diverse range of manufactured articles including dental resins, polycarbonate plastics, and the inner coating of food cans. It is a high volume chemical, with global production at 3.6 × 109 kg per year. BPA was identified as a high priority for assessment of human health risk because it was considered to present greatest potential for human exposure. Most studies of the health effects of BPA have focused on endocrine disruption leading to reproductive toxicity, but it displays additional side effects, including liver damage, disrupted pancreatic β-cell function, thyroid hormone disruption, and obe…
Analytical methods for human biomonitoring of pesticides. A review.
2015
Biomonitoring of both currently-used and banned-persistent pesticides is a very useful tool for assessing human exposure to these chemicals. In this review, we present current approaches and recent advances in the analytical methods for determining the biomarkers of exposure to pesticides in the most commonly used specimens, such as blood, urine, and breast milk, and in emerging non-invasive matrices such as hair and meconium. We critically discuss the main applications for sample treatment, and the instrumental techniques currently used to determine the most relevant pesticide biomarkers. We finally look at the future trends in this field.
Assessment of Human Exposure to Deoxynivalenol, Ochratoxin A, Zearalenone and Their Metabolites Biomarker in Urine Samples Using LC-ESI-qTOF.
2021
Human are exposed to a wide range of mycotoxins through dietary food intake, including processed food. Even most of the mycotoxin exposure assessment studies are based on analysis of foodstuffs, and evaluation of dietary intake through food consumption patterns and human biomonitoring methods are rising as a reliable alternative to approach the individual exposures, overcoming the limitations of the indirect dietary assessment. In this study, human urine samples were analyzed, seeking the presence of deoxynivalenol (DON), ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEA), and their metabolites. For this purpose, 40 urine samples from female and male adult residents in the city of Valencia (Spain) were …
A discussion of potential exposure metrics for use in epidemiological studies on human exposure to radiowaves from mobile phone base stations
2000
There is currently a high level of concern in many countries that exposure to radiowaves from mobile phone base stations may be hazardous to health. When investigating such suggested risks, epidemiologists need to define an exposure metric that can reliably discriminate between exposed and unexposed groups of people. We conducted a feasibility study to investigate if either short-term measurements of electric field strength, calculations of electric field strength, or distance from nearby mobile phone base stations could be used to develop a metric reflecting an individual's exposure to radiowaves. With electric field strengths in the range of 0.012-0.343 V/m, radiowaves from mobile phone b…
Third-hand smoke exposure and health hazards in children
2013
Smoking still represents a huge public health problem. Millions of children suffer the detrimental effects of passive smoking. An increasing number of countries have recently issued laws to regulate smoking in public places. Instead, homes remain a site where children are dangerously exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). The combination of tobacco smoke pollutants which remain in an indoor environment, the so-called ‘third-hand smoke’ (THS), represent a new concept in the field of tobacco control. THS consists of pollutants that remain on surfaces and in dust after tobacco has been smoked, are re-emitted into the gas-phase, or react with other compounds in the environment to form se…
Whole body vibrations during field operations in the vineyard
2013
Human exposure to mechanical vibration can be a significant risk factor for exposed workers and this also occurs in the agricultural sector, in particular with reference to the driver of the tractor during field operations. The aim of this paper is the evaluation of Whole Body Vibrations for the operator driving tractors during the field operations in the vineyard. The experimental tests were performed using a wheeled and a track-laying tractor. They were coupled to four different machines: rototilling (RT), chisel plough (CP), flail mowers (FM) and vibro farmer (VF). Two homogeneous plots of vineyard, about 200 m long, were identified different only for slope: 0% and 30%. The tests were pe…
Characterization of the Magnetic Induction Field produced by Secondary Substations
2014
The aim of this paper is to develop a methodology for measuring the magnetic field distribution around the prefabricated secondary substations in vibrated reinforced concrete, as well as the definition of a methodology to determining the maximum value of magnetic induction produced by the substations in correspondence to nominal current of the transformer. As proposed has been developed in conformity with laws and standards and can be applied to active and passive secondary substations. The experimental validation of the proposed methodology, carried out by a measurements campaign whose results are reported, confirms the validity and returns a versatile and simple tool for the verification …
How trace element distributions can be used to probe human exposure to atmospheric fallout
2011
Medical literature recognised several effects of human exposure to inhalation of air dispersed particles that could induce pulmonary diseases, but the hypothesis that reactions occurring between inhaled particles and human respiratory fluids could involve trace element leaching was poorly understood and only a scarce literature about in-vitro experiments suggested it. The present research was carried out on a group of volunteer patients exposed to the natural inhalation of atmospheric particles in a highly anthropized area close to Mt. Etna under explosive volcanic eruption in Summer 2001. Collected data shoed, for the first time, that the dissolution of inhaled solids influenced the chemis…