Obtaining information about susceptibility from the epidemiological literature

The influence of traffic-related pollution on individuals' life-style: results from the BRFSS

This paper employs the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2001) data in conjunction with the Environmental Protection Agency's Air Quality System data to investigate how air pollution caused by motor vehicle emissions affects the likelihood of good health and the amount of health investments. Models are estimated using three different measures of overall health: a measure of self-assessed health and two health outcome indicators (asthma and blood pressure). A multivariate probit approach is used to estimate recursive systems of equations for self-assessed health, health outcomes and life-styles. The most interesting result concerns the influence of pollution on health-improving life-style choices: only if traffic pollution is in the 'satisfactory range' (AQI level at or below 100), individuals will have incentive to invest in health.

Biological research on drug abuse and addiction in Hispanics: current status and future directions

Impressive progress has been made in the understanding of biological contributions to drug abuse and addiction. An area that has only recently begun to receive attention is potential ethnic and racial differences in biological systems that contribute to, or protect from, problem drug use. This article reviews recent research on drug abuse and addiction in Hispanics in which biological questions have been addressed, including work on genes, gene products (proteins), physiology and pharmacotherapy. Taken together, work to date suggests that there are both similarities and differences between Hispanics and other ethnic groups in biological factors related to drug abuse and addiction. Although the results are intriguing, relatively few studies have been done, and those that have been done have often been inconclusive due to low numbers of Hispanic subjects. Moreover, studies have often failed to recognize the complexity and heterogeneity of Hispanic populations in the United States and around the world. After reviewing the current status of the field, recommendations are given for future research in both humans and relevant animal models that will lead to a better understanding of drug abuse and addiction in Hispanics.

Lead concentration in soil from a small 15th-century industrial site: occupational and environmental health implications

Former industrial sites are often reclaimed for new homes and other occupational uses. Such sites may still contain toxic chemicals that could put the health of the community at risk. The persistence of these residual chemicals and their effects on human health must not be underestimated. Hence, there is a need to analyze such sites to ensure that the public health will not be put at risk. It is also essential that the levels of release of heavy metals into the environment be monitored and regulated. In this study the lead (Pb) concentration in soil from a small 15th-century industrial site was determined to assess and evaluate its occupational and environmental health implications. Concentrations of Pb measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) and inductively coupled plasma-emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) techniques were 4,298.755 mg/L (SD 0.316; RSD 0.5%) and 4,300 mg/L (SD 0.3809; RSD 0.8%), respectively, both above the safe limit. It is concluded that reclaiming a disused industrial site without adequate soil analysis and proper remediation would be likely to pose occupational and environmental health risks.

Sociodemographic aspects of human susceptibility to toxic chemicals: Do class and race matter for realistic risk assessment?

Susceptibility is well-recognized as a potentially important aspect of health risk assessment, particularly for groups such as pregnant women and their fetuses, infants, children, the elderly, and the infirm, that are known or suspected to be more vulnerable to environmental insults. More recently, it has become apparent that economically disadvantaged groups are likely to be systematically both more exposed and more susceptible to environmental pollution. This article reviews the reasons why low-income communities and many racial minorities are at an increased risk because they are more susceptible to the adverse health effects of toxic chemicals. The scientific challenges of quantifying the magnitude of environmental health risks for these groups are discussed, emphasizing ramifications for risk assessment and risk management decisions. Problems incorporating susceptibility into risk-based decision making are identified, and specific actions are recommended to address these deficiencies.

Accounting for susceptibility in risk assessment: current practice and new directions

Differences in susceptibility between individuals can lead to variability in response to chemical exposures which in turn modify the risk of illness. As a means of exploring the basis for such differences in susceptibility, a project was undertaken to determine what data were available on the range of response variability for several health effects: neurotoxicity, reproductive/developmental toxicity, pulmonary toxicity, and cancer. In addition, modeling approaches for characterizing response variability were examined and evaluated. The main goal of this effort was to determine whether human response variability was adequately accounted for in the current risk assessment procedures for human health effects. The conclusions of the project were that few data are available, both because variability has rarely been the primary focus of study, and because data are not usually reported in such a way that response variability can be determined. Several recommendations were made to facilitate better characterization of interindividual variability, including the study of variability in available human data (e.g. the NHANES database) and allowing greater access to raw data from epidemiologic studies. In addition, the identification of relevant biomarkers, improved understanding of sources of variability, interaction of chemical effects with other exposures or pre-existing disease, and retrospective evaluations of risk assessments were recommended. It is hoped that these recommendations will stimulate research on susceptibility and response variability and encourage the reporting of data in a way that facilitates analysis of interindividual variability in response.