Harbor Sludge Becomes an Environmental Albatross
For centuries, port cities have literally battled against the tide to keep their harbors navigable and free of sediment buildup. But over the past three decades, sediment buildup has taken a toxic turn. The Focus article (p. A222) examines the health hazards associated with contaminated harbor sludge and tells what's being done to address this environmental threat.
Healthy Debate
Approximately 15% of the annual global death toll is due to one of the "big three" environmental health threats: contaminated drinking water, poor sanitation, and air pollution. The Spheres of Influence article (p. A234) looks at why, despite this alarming figure, human health seems to be a relatively low-ranking priority among several international agencies charged with improving world environmental health.
Biomarkers for Kidney Toxicity
A review of sensitive indicators of kidney toxicity by Mueller et al. (p. 227) indicates that early detection of dysfunction would help to prevent progression to end-stage renal disease, could identify those more susceptible to kidney toxicity, and should provide insight into mechanisms of damage caused by nephrotoxins. Examples of candidate biomarkers range from gross indicators of toxicity such as serum creatinine to highly sensitive indicators such as appearance of urinary prostaglandin.
Candidate Genes for Smoking
Rossing et al. (p. 231) reviewed the evidence for genetic influences on tobacco smoking behavior, with a particular focus on genes that control the dopamine pathway implicated in addiction. The potential for identification of susceptible individuals whose addictive habits may be assisted by novel pharmacologic agents is emphasized.
Indoor Fluoride Pollution in China
Coal containing high fluoride concentrations is used for heating, cooking, and food drying in rural China. Ando et al. (p. 239) reported dental fluorosis in most elementary and junior high school students in the fluorosis area, as well as ostosclerosis and osteoporosis in adults, emphasizing the need to replace fuel sources that promote airborne fluoride and food contamination.
Public Health Implications of Air Toxics
An atmospheric dispersion model using emissions data from stationary and mobile sources was used by Woodruff et al. (p. 245) to estimate ambient concentrations of 148 toxic air contaminants for each of 60,803 census tracts in the contiguous United States. Air toxics levels above which health risks may occur ranged from 8 to 32 per census tract, with a median of 13. Estimates of atmospheric concentrations of several carcinogenic chemicals suggest that hazardous air pollutants pose a potential public health problem.
Organochlorines in Snapping Turtles
The effects of organochlorine contaminants on sexual dimorphism in snapping turtles was demonstrated by deSolla et al. (p. 253). The degree of sexual dimorphism was less pronounced, and morphological measurements to discriminate the sex of turtles were more female-like in contaminated populations from Lake Ontario compared to those from reference sites.
Contaminant Alteration of Frog Sexuality
Reeder et al. (p. 261) demonstrated a significant relationship between sex ratio reversal and the presence of PCBs and PCDFs in cricket frogs collected over a 3- year period. In addition, there was a significant correlation between organochlorine contamination and sex ratio reversal, suggesting cricket frog sexuality may be altered by such environmental contaminants.
Antidote for Methylmercury Poisoning
Ballatori et al. (p. 267) show that oral administration of N-acetylcysteine is capable of accelerating urinary methylmercury excretion in mice, whether given concomitantly or 48 hours after methylmercury administration. The efficacy of treatment, relatively low toxicity, and wide availability indicate that N-acetylcysteine may be a valuable therapeutic agent for methylmercury poisoning.
TCDD in Humans 20 Years after Seveso
Two decades after the accidental release of TCDD into the atmosphere in Seveso, Italy, Landi et al. (p. 273) measured plasma TCDD in 62 exposed and 59 nonexposed subjects. The contaminant levels of TCDD were the highest ever recorded in humans. Persistently elevated TCDD levels remain in exposed subjects and decrease by distance from the accident site. Women exhibit consistently higher TCDD levels than men, probably because of differences in metabolism, body fat, or hormone-related factors.
Contaminants in Humans Eating Great Lakes Fish
Anderson et al. (p. 279) assayed blood and urine for organic contaminants and metals in humans consuming fish from Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Erie. A contaminant pattern among Lake subgroups was evident. Lake Erie sport fish consumers had consistently lower contaminant concentrations than consumers of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron sport fish.
Indoor Air and Respiratory Infections in India
Sharma et al. (p. 291) determined the incidence of acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in 642 infants in two urban slums in Delhi to examine the potential relationship of this condition with indoor air pollution from wood and kerosene heating. Twenty to 50% of the children were symptomatic, with pneumonia and bronchiolitis being the most common ailments. More infants from houses using kerosene exhibited ALRI than those from houses using wood.
Last Updated: April 24, 1998 |