The August 2006 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives is now available. Below are highlights of a few papers that may be of particular interest to the news media.

In This Issue
Childhood Arsenic Exposure and Early Mortality
Arsenic in drinking water is an established cause of lung cancer, and preliminary evidence suggests that ingested arsenic may also cause nonmalignant lung disease. Antofagasta, the second largest city in Chile, had a distinct period of very high arsenic exposure that began in 1958 and lasted until 1971, when an arsenic removal plant was installed. Researchers compared mortality rates in Antofagasta with those of the rest of Chile. The findings suggest that exposure to arsenic in drinking water during early childhood or in utero has pronounced pulmonary effects, greatly increasing subsequent mortality in young adults from both malignant and nonmalignant lung disease.

Toluene, Noise, and Hearing Loss
Researchers investigated the risk of hearing loss among workers exposed to both toluene and noise at an adhesive materials manufacturing plant. The prevalence of hearing loss of ≥ 25 dB in the toluene plus noise group was much greater than that in the noise-only group and in administrative clerks. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the toluene plus noise group had an estimated risk for hearing loss ≥ 25 dB, 10.9 times higher than that of the noise-only group. The results suggest that toluene exacerbates hearing loss in a noisy environment, with the main impact on the lower frequencies.

Translocation of Inhaled Manganese Oxides to the Central Nervous System
Studies in monkeys with intranasally instilled gold ultrafine particles (UFPs) and in rats with inhaled carbon UFPs suggested that solid UFPs deposited in the nose travel along the olfactory nerve to the olfactory bulb. To determine if olfactory translocation occurs for other solid metal UFPs and assess potential health effects, researchers exposed rats to manganese oxide UFPs. The authors conclude that the olfactory neuronal pathway is efficient for translocating inhaled Mn oxide as solid UFPs to the central nervous system and that this can result in inflammatory changes. In spite of differences between humans and rodents, this pathway may be relevant in humans.

Prenatal Exposure to Air Pollution and Cognition
Researchers evaluated the role of prenatal exposure to urban pollutants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), environmental tobacco smoke, and pesticides, in the pathogenesis of neurobehavioral disorders in a prospective cohort study of nonsmoking African-American and Dominican mothers and children in New York City. High prenatal exposure to PAHs was associated with lower mental development index at 3 years of age; there were no differences in effect sizes by ethnicity. PAHs at levels recently encountered in New York City air may adversely affect children’s cognitive development, with implications for school performance.

Asbestos Exposure and Autoimmune Disease
To explore the potential association between asbestos exposure and risk of autoimmune disease, researchers conducted a case–control study among a cohort of current and former residents of Libby, Montana, a community with historical occupational and environmental exposure to asbestos-contaminated vermiculite. Cases were defined as those who reported having one of three systemic autoimmune diseases (SAIDs): systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, or rheumatoid arthritis. The preliminary findings support the hypothesis that asbestos exposure is associated with autoimmune disease. Refined measurements of asbestos exposure and SAID status among this cohort will help to further clarify the relationship between these variables.

Media may also be interested in EHP’s news articles. Among this month’s articles is a discussion of the potential risks of building homes on historic orchard lands (see “The Apple Bites Back: Claiming Old Orchards for Residential Development”). Another feature examines a nanoengineered replacement for hexavalent chromium (see “Shiny Science: A New Substitute for Hexavalent Chromium”). See the Table of Contents for these and other highlights.

To view more: GO TO FULL TABLE OF CONTENTS
To see earlier press releases: GO TO MEDIA/PRESS PAGE

*EHP is published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.