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Prichystalova R, Caron-Beaudoin E, Richardson L, Dirkx E, Amadou A, Zavodna T, Cihak R, Cogliano V, Hynes J, Pelland-St-Pierre L, Verner MA, van Tongeren M, Ho V. An approach to classifying occupational exposures to endocrine disrupting chemicals by sex hormone function using an expert judgment process. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2021; 31:753-768. [PMID: 32704083 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-020-0253-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are exogenous substances that interfere with the endocrine system and cause adverse effects. We aimed to classify the effects of 24 known EDCs, prevalent in certain occupations, according to four modes of action (estrogenic, antiestrogenic, androgenic, and/or antiandrogenic). A literature search, stratified into four types of literature was conducted (namely: national and international agency reports; review articles; primary studies; ToxCastTM). The state of the evidence of each EDC on sex hormone function was summarized and reviewed by an expert panel. For each mode of action, the experts evaluated the likelihood of endocrine disruption in five categories: "No", "Unlikely", "Possibly", "Probably", and "Yes". Seven agents were categorized as "Yes," or having strong evidence for their effects on sex hormone function (antiandrogenic: lead, arsenic, butylbenzyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, dicyclohexyl phthalate; estrogenic: nonylphenol, bisphenol A). Nine agents were categorized as "Probable," or having probable evidence (antiandrogenic: bis(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, nonylphenol, toluene, bisphenol A, diisononyl phthalate; androgenic: cadmium; estrogenic: copper, cadmium and; anti-estrogenic: lead). Two agents (arsenic, polychlorinated biphenyls) had opposing conclusions supporting both "probably" estrogenic and antiestrogenic effects. This synthesis will allow researchers to evaluate the health effects of selected EDCs with an added level of precision related to the mode of action.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Prichystalova
- Faculty of Safety Engineering, Technical University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - E Caron-Beaudoin
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - L Richardson
- Centre de recherche du CHUM (CRCHUM), Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - E Dirkx
- Centre de recherche du CHUM (CRCHUM), Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - A Amadou
- Département Prévention Cancer Environnement, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France
- Inserm UA 08 Radiations: Défense, Santé, Environement, Lyon, France
| | - T Zavodna
- Institute of Experimental Medicine of the CAS, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - R Cihak
- Výzkumný ústav organických syntéz a.s., Centre for Ecology, Toxicology and Analytics, Rybitví, Czech Republic
| | - V Cogliano
- National Center for Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA
| | - J Hynes
- JH Tox Consulting, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - L Pelland-St-Pierre
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - M A Verner
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
- Centre de recherche en santé publique (CReSP), Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - M van Tongeren
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Division of Population Health, Health Services Research & Primary Care, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - V Ho
- Centre de recherche du CHUM (CRCHUM), Montréal, QC, Canada.
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
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Electric Field-Driven Direct Interspecies Electron Transfer for Bioelectrochemical Methane Production from Fermentable and Non-Fermentable Substrates. Processes (Basel) 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/pr8101293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The bioelectrochemical methane production from acetate as a non-fermentable substrate, glucose as a fermentable substrate, and their mixture were investigated in an anaerobic sequential batch reactor exposed to an electric field. The electric field enriched the bulk solution with exoelectrogenic bacteria (EEB) and electrotrophic methanogenic archaea, and promoted direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) for methane production. However, bioelectrochemical methane production was dependent on the substrate characteristics. For acetate as the substrate, the main electron transfer pathway for methane production was DIET, which significantly improved methane yield up to 305.1 mL/g chemical oxygen demand removed (CODr), 77.3% higher than that in control without the electric field. For glucose, substrate competition between EEB and fermenting bacteria reduced the contribution of DIET to methane production, resulting in the methane yield of 288.0 mL/g CODr, slightly lower than that of acetate. In the mixture of acetate and glucose, the contribution of DIET to methane production was less than that of the single substrate, acetate or glucose, due to the increase in the electron equivalent for microbial growth. The findings provide a better understanding of electron transfer pathways, biomass growth, and electron transfer losses depending on the properties of substrates in bioelectrochemical methane production.
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Reutman SR, LeMasters GK, Knecht EA, Shukla R, Lockey JE, Burroughs GE, Kesner JS. Evidence of reproductive endocrine effects in women with occupational fuel and solvent exposures. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2002; 110:805-811. [PMID: 12153763 PMCID: PMC1240953 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.02110805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Hydrocarbons (HCs) found in fuels and solvents are ubiquitous in the environment, yet we know little about their effects on the endocrine system. The objective of this study was to assess the potential reproductive endocrine effects of low-dose HCs encountered by female U.S. Air Force personnel with fuel (primarily JP-8 jet fuel) and solvent exposures (n = 63). We estimated the internal dose of HCs in fuels and solvents by measuring their levels in exhaled breath, including the sum of aliphatic HCs (C6H14-C16H34) and the sum of aromatic HCs (benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and m,p,o-xylenes). Adverse outcome measures included urinary endocrine markers that have been associated with nonconceptive (vs. conceptive) menstrual cycles in ovulatory women: lower preovulatory luteinizing hormone (LH) and mid-luteal phase pregnanediol 3-glucuronide (Pd3G) and estrone 3-glucuronide, and higher follicle phase Pd3G. We also obtained reproductive and exposure information from baseline questionnaires and daily diaries. Toluene was the most frequently found analyte in the breath, with values up to 52.0 ppb, and benzene breath levels were up to 97.5 ppb. Regression analysis revealed that preovulatory LH levels were significantly lower (p = 0.007) among women whose total aliphatic HC levels were above the median. The relationship between elevated aliphatic HC exposure and lowered preovulatory LH levels in the present study suggests that compounds in fuels and some solvents may act as reproductive endocrine disruptors. Confirmation of these findings is needed, not only to determine if fuel and solvent exposure may impact other LH-dependent physiologic functions but also to examine effects of fuels and solvents on conception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan R Reutman
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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Luderer U, Morgan MS, Brodkin CA, Kalman DA, Faustman EM. Reproductive endocrine effects of acute exposure to toluene in men and women. Occup Environ Med 1999; 56:657-66. [PMID: 10658543 PMCID: PMC1757663 DOI: 10.1136/oem.56.10.657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Despite observation of adverse reproductive effects of toluene, including alterations of serum gonadotropins (luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)) in humans, little is known of the mechanism of toxicity. The hypothesis was tested that toluene acutely suppresses pulsatile gonadotropin secretion by measuring LH and FSH at frequent intervals during controlled exposure to toluene. METHODS Women in the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle and men were randomised to inhale filtered air with or without 50 ppm toluene through a mouthpiece for 3 hours (19% of the OSHA permissible exposure limit). Blood was sampled by intravenous catheter at 20 minute intervals for 3 hours before, 3 hours during, and 3 hours after exposure. Plasma LH, FSH, and testosterone were measured. Pulse amplitude, pulse frequency, and mean concentrations of LH and FSH for each of the 3 hour periods before, during and after exposure to toluene versus sham exposure were calculated with the ULTRA pulse detection program and compared by analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures. RESULTS In men mean concentrations of LH showed a significant interaction (p < 0.05) between exposure and sampling period, with a greater LH decline during exposure to toluene than sham exposure. However, there was no concomitant effect on testosterone concentrations. The LH pulse frequency of women in the luteal phase showed a trend towards a significant interaction between exposure and sampling period (p = 0.06), with a greater decline in pulse frequency during exposure to toluene than sham exposure. There were no other significant effects of exposure to toluene. CONCLUSIONS Three hour exposure to 50 ppm toluene did not result in abnormal episodic LH or FSH secretion profiles, however, subtle effects on LH secretion in men and women in the luteal phase were found. The clinical relevance of these effects is unclear, indicating the need for further study of reproductive function in exposed workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- U Luderer
- Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, University of California, Irvine, USA
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Plenge-Bönig A, Karmaus W. Exposure to toluene in the printing industry is associated with subfecundity in women but not in men. Occup Environ Med 1999; 56:443-8. [PMID: 10472314 PMCID: PMC1757762 DOI: 10.1136/oem.56.7.443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine the possible influence of exposure to toluene on human fertility. METHODS In a cross sectional study, a sample of 150 male and 90 female printing industry workers were interviewed retrospectively on reproductive experience with a modified version of the European study of infertility and subfecundity questionnaire. Exposure categories comprised job descriptions and information on exposure measurements obtained by industrial hygienists. The fecundability ratio (FR) was estimated on the basis of time to pregnancy (TTP) or periods of unprotected intercourse not leading to pregnancy (PUNP) by means of survival analysis with proportional hazard models. Confounders such as age, ethnicity, smoking, parity, pelvic inflammatory diseases, and frequency of sexual intercourse were controlled for in the analyses. RESULTS 256 Periods of TTP or PUNP were reported by men and 174 by women. After exclusion of induced abortions, birth control failures, and periods without employment for female workers we were able to analyse 169 periods in men and 100 periods in women. Male workers who had been exposed to different concentrations of toluene and their partners did not show a reduction in fecundity. In women (39 periods occurred during exposure) fecundity was reduced (FR 0.47, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.29 to 0.77). Neither, restriction to only the first period nor exclusion of PUNPs changed the results (FR 0.48, 95% CI 0.24 to 0.97). CONCLUSION After considering possible biases, low daily exposure to toluene in women seems to be associated with reduced fecundity. This result is in accordance with other findings for organic solvents and supports both the hypotheses that (a) organic solvents could affect hormonal regulation, and that (b) organic solvents increase early fetal losses which in turn contributes to longer times of unprotected intercourse.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Plenge-Bönig
- NORDIG Institute for Health Research and Prevention, Hamburg, Germany
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Lundberg I, Nise G, Hedenborg G, Högberg M, Vesterberg O. Liver function tests and urinary albumin in house painters with previous heavy exposure to organic solvents. Occup Environ Med 1994; 51:347-53. [PMID: 8199687 PMCID: PMC1127982 DOI: 10.1136/oem.51.5.347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The serum activities or concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT), alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), albumin, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), bilirubin (BIL), cholic acid (CHOL), chenodeoxycholic acid (CHENO), and transferrin with isoelectric point 5.7, and the urinary excretion of albumin were determined among male current or former house painters (n = 135) and house carpenters (n = 71) who had worked in their trades for at least 10 years before 1970. Workers who showed a value above the 90th percentile among the carpenters in at least one of the tests ASAT, ALAT, GGT, BIL, CHOL, or CHENO were regarded as showing "possible signs of liver dysfunction". Each participant's lifetime solvent exposure was evaluated by interview. The painters were divided into categories with low, intermediate, and heavy cumulative exposure during life (LTSE) or during the most exposed year (MEYSE). All participants stated none or slight recent exposure. The prevalence of possible signs of liver dysfunction increased with solvent exposure category according to LTSE as well as MEYSE with a numerically higher risk estimate in the heavy exposure category for MEYSE than for LTSE. ALP activity increased with exposure category according to both exposure estimates. This increase seemed to be due to an interaction between exposure to solvents and current or previous long term intake of medicines potentially toxic to the liver. None of these results was affected by whether or not the subjects had been exposed to solvents during the year before the investigation. The exposure to solvents was not significantly related to any other outcome variable. It is concluded that long term heavy exposure to solvents may elicit changes in conventional liver function tests indicative of a mild chronic effect on the liver. The findings also suggest that heavy solvent exposure during short time periods is a more likely cause of the findings than lifetime cumulative solvent exposure and that an interaction between solvent exposure and medicines potentially harmful to the liver may be important in the causation of the effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- I Lundberg
- Department of Occupational Health, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden
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