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Su Y, Santucci-Pereira J, Dang NM, Kanefsky J, Rahulkannan V, Hillegass M, Joshi S, Gurdogan H, Chen Z, Bessonneau V, Rudel R, Ser-Dolansky J, Schneider SS, Russo J. Effects of Pubertal Exposure to Butyl Benzyl Phthalate, Perfluorooctanoic Acid, and Zeranol on Mammary Gland Development and Tumorigenesis in Rats. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031398. [PMID: 35163327 PMCID: PMC8835802 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs)—including butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and zeranol (α-ZAL, referred to as ZAL hereafter)—can interfere with the endocrine system and produce adverse effects. It remains unclear whether pubertal exposure to low doses of BBP, PFOA, and ZAL has an impact on breast development and tumorigenesis. We exposed female Sprague Dawley rats to BBP, PFOA, or ZAL through gavage for 21 days, starting on day 21, and analyzed their endocrine organs, serum hormones, mammary glands, and transcriptomic profiles of the mammary glands at days 50 and 100. We also conducted a tumorigenesis study for rats treated with PFOA and ZAL using a 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) model. Our results demonstrated that pubertal exposure to BBP, PFOA, and ZAL affected endocrine organs and serum hormones, and induced phenotypic and transcriptomic changes. The exposure to PFOA + ZAL induced the most phenotypic and transcriptomic changes in the mammary gland. PFOA + ZAL downregulated the expression of genes related to development at day 50, whereas it upregulated genes associated with tumorigenesis at day 100. PFOA + ZAL exposure also decreased rat mammary tumor latency, reduced the overall survival of rats after DMBA challenge, and affected the histopathology of mammary tumors. Therefore, our study suggests that exposure to low doses of EDCs during the pubertal period could induce changes in the endocrine system and mammary gland development in rats. The inhibition of mammary gland development by PFOA + ZAL might increase the risk of developing mammary tumors through activation of signaling pathways associated with tumorigenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanrong Su
- The Irma H Russo, MD-Breast Cancer Research Laboratory, Fox Chase Cancer Center-Temple Health, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA; (J.S.-P.); (N.M.D.); (J.K.); (V.R.); (M.H.); (S.J.); (H.G.); (Z.C.); (J.R.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Julia Santucci-Pereira
- The Irma H Russo, MD-Breast Cancer Research Laboratory, Fox Chase Cancer Center-Temple Health, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA; (J.S.-P.); (N.M.D.); (J.K.); (V.R.); (M.H.); (S.J.); (H.G.); (Z.C.); (J.R.)
| | - Nhi M. Dang
- The Irma H Russo, MD-Breast Cancer Research Laboratory, Fox Chase Cancer Center-Temple Health, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA; (J.S.-P.); (N.M.D.); (J.K.); (V.R.); (M.H.); (S.J.); (H.G.); (Z.C.); (J.R.)
| | - Joice Kanefsky
- The Irma H Russo, MD-Breast Cancer Research Laboratory, Fox Chase Cancer Center-Temple Health, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA; (J.S.-P.); (N.M.D.); (J.K.); (V.R.); (M.H.); (S.J.); (H.G.); (Z.C.); (J.R.)
| | - Vishnuprabha Rahulkannan
- The Irma H Russo, MD-Breast Cancer Research Laboratory, Fox Chase Cancer Center-Temple Health, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA; (J.S.-P.); (N.M.D.); (J.K.); (V.R.); (M.H.); (S.J.); (H.G.); (Z.C.); (J.R.)
| | - Meardey Hillegass
- The Irma H Russo, MD-Breast Cancer Research Laboratory, Fox Chase Cancer Center-Temple Health, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA; (J.S.-P.); (N.M.D.); (J.K.); (V.R.); (M.H.); (S.J.); (H.G.); (Z.C.); (J.R.)
| | - Shalina Joshi
- The Irma H Russo, MD-Breast Cancer Research Laboratory, Fox Chase Cancer Center-Temple Health, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA; (J.S.-P.); (N.M.D.); (J.K.); (V.R.); (M.H.); (S.J.); (H.G.); (Z.C.); (J.R.)
| | - Hafsa Gurdogan
- The Irma H Russo, MD-Breast Cancer Research Laboratory, Fox Chase Cancer Center-Temple Health, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA; (J.S.-P.); (N.M.D.); (J.K.); (V.R.); (M.H.); (S.J.); (H.G.); (Z.C.); (J.R.)
| | - Zhen Chen
- The Irma H Russo, MD-Breast Cancer Research Laboratory, Fox Chase Cancer Center-Temple Health, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA; (J.S.-P.); (N.M.D.); (J.K.); (V.R.); (M.H.); (S.J.); (H.G.); (Z.C.); (J.R.)
| | - Vincent Bessonneau
- Silent Spring Institute, 320 Nevada Street, Suite 302, Newton, MA 02460, USA; (V.B.); (R.R.)
| | - Ruthann Rudel
- Silent Spring Institute, 320 Nevada Street, Suite 302, Newton, MA 02460, USA; (V.B.); (R.R.)
| | - Jennifer Ser-Dolansky
- Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute, UMASS Chan Medical School-Baystate, Springfield, MA 01199, USA; (J.S.-D.); (S.S.S.)
| | - Sallie S. Schneider
- Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute, UMASS Chan Medical School-Baystate, Springfield, MA 01199, USA; (J.S.-D.); (S.S.S.)
| | - Jose Russo
- The Irma H Russo, MD-Breast Cancer Research Laboratory, Fox Chase Cancer Center-Temple Health, 333 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA; (J.S.-P.); (N.M.D.); (J.K.); (V.R.); (M.H.); (S.J.); (H.G.); (Z.C.); (J.R.)
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Trowbridge J, Gerona R, McMaster M, Ona K, Clarity C, Bessonneau V, Rudel R, Buren H, Morello-Frosch R. Organophosphate and Organohalogen Flame-Retardant Exposure and Thyroid Hormone Disruption in a Cross-Sectional Study of Female Firefighters and Office Workers from San Francisco. Environ Sci Technol 2022; 56:440-450. [PMID: 34902963 PMCID: PMC9037981 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c05140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Occupational exposures to flame retardants (FRs), a class of suspected endocrine-disrupting compounds, are of health concern for firefighters. We sought to characterize exposure to FR compounds and evaluate their association with thyroid hormone levels, a biomarker of early effect, in female firefighters and office workers in San Francisco. In a cross-sectional study, we measured replacement organophosphate and organohalogen FRs in spot urine samples from firefighters (N = 86) and office workers (N = 84), as well as total thyroxine (T4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone in plasma for 84 firefighters and 81 office workers. Median bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate (BDCPP) levels were 5 times higher in firefighters than office workers. Among firefighters, a doubling of BDCPP was associated with a 2.88% decrease (95% confidence interval -5.28, -0.42) in T4. We did not observe significant associations between FRs and T4 among office workers. In the full group, intermediate body mass index and a college education were associated with higher FR levels. The inverse association observed between FRs and T4 coupled with the lack of studies on women workers and evidence of adverse health effects from FR exposure─including endocrine disruption and breast cancer risk─warrant further research on occupational exposures and identification of opportunities for exposure reduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Trowbridge
- Department
of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- School
of Public Health, University of California,
Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Roy Gerona
- Clinical
Toxicology and Environmental Biomonitoring Laboratory, Department
of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, United States
| | - Michael McMaster
- Department
of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of
California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, United States
- Center
for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and
Reproductive Sciences, University of California,
San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, United States
| | - Katherine Ona
- Center
for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and
Reproductive Sciences, University of California,
San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94143, United States
| | - Cassidy Clarity
- Department
of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- School
of Public Health, University of California,
Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | | | - Ruthann Rudel
- Silent Spring
Institute, Newton, Massachusetts 02460, United States
| | - Heather Buren
- United
Fire Service Women, San Francisco, California 94140-0487, United States
| | - Rachel Morello-Frosch
- Department
of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- School
of Public Health, University of California,
Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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Walker DI, Hart JE, Patel CJ, Rudel R, Chu JH, Garshick E, Pennell KD, Laden F, Jones DP. Integrated molecular response of exposure to traffic-related pollutants in the US trucking industry. Environ Int 2022; 158:106957. [PMID: 34737152 PMCID: PMC9624233 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to traffic-related pollutants, including diesel exhaust, is associated with increased risk of cardiopulmonary disease and mortality; however, the precise biochemical pathways underlying these effects are not known. To investigate biological response mechanisms underlying exposure to traffic related pollutants, we used an integrated molecular response approach that included high-resolution metabolomic profiling and peripheral blood gene expression to identify biological responses to diesel exhaust exposure. Plasma samples were collected from 73 non-smoking males employed in the US trucking industry between February 2009 and October 2010, and analyzed using untargeted high-resolution metabolomics to characterize metabolite associations with shift- and week-averaged levels of elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC) and particulate matter with diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM2.5). Metabolic associations with EC, OC and PM2.5 were evaluated for biochemical processes known to be associated with disease risk. Annotated metabolites associated with exposure were then tested for relationships with the peripheral blood transcriptome using multivariate selection and network correlation. Week-averaged EC and OC levels, which were averaged across multiple shifts during the workweek, resulted in the greatest exposure-associated metabolic alterations compared to shift-averaged exposure levels. Metabolic changes associated with EC exposure suggest increased lipid peroxidation products, biomarkers of oxidative stress, thrombotic signaling lipids, and metabolites associated with endothelial dysfunction from altered nitric oxide metabolism, while OC exposures were associated with antioxidants, oxidative stress biomarkers and critical intermediates in nitric oxide production. Correlation with whole blood RNA gene expression provided additional evidence of changes in processes related to endothelial function, immune response, inflammation, and oxidative stress. We did not detect metabolic associations with PM2.5. This study provides an integrated molecular assessment of human exposure to traffic-related air pollutants that includes diesel exhaust. Metabolite and transcriptomic changes associated with exposure to EC and OC are consistent with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and the adverse health effects of traffic-related air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas I Walker
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.
| | - Jaime E Hart
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Chirag J Patel
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Jen-Hwa Chu
- Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Eric Garshick
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Pulmonary, Allergy, Sleep and Critical Care Medicine, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Kurt D Pennell
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, United States
| | - Francine Laden
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Dean P Jones
- Clinical Biomarkers Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
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Clarity C, Trowbridge J, Gerona R, Ona K, McMaster M, Bessonneau V, Rudel R, Buren H, Morello-Frosch R. Associations between polyfluoroalkyl substance and organophosphate flame retardant exposures and telomere length in a cohort of women firefighters and office workers in San Francisco. Environ Health 2021; 20:97. [PMID: 34454526 PMCID: PMC8403436 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-021-00778-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2021] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Environmental chemical exposures can affect telomere length, which in turn has been associated with adverse health outcomes including cancer. Firefighters are occupationally exposed to many hazardous chemicals and have higher rates of certain cancers. As a potential biomarker of effect, we assessed associations between chemical exposures and telomere length in women firefighters and office workers from San Francisco, CA. METHODS We measured serum concentrations of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), urinary metabolites of flame retardants, including organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs), and telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes in women firefighters (N = 84) and office workers (N = 79) who participated in the 2014-15 Women Workers Biomonitoring Collaborative. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess associations between chemical exposures and telomere length. RESULTS Regression results revealed significant positive associations between perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and telomere length and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and telomere length among the whole cohort. Models stratified by occupation showed stronger and more significant associations among firefighters as compared to office workers. Among firefighters in models adjusted for age, we found positive associations between telomere length and log-transformed PFOA (β (95%CI) = 0.57(0.12, 1.02)), PFOS (0.44 (0.05, 0.83)), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) (0.43 (0.02, 0.84)). Modeling PFAS as categories of exposure showed significant associations between perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and telomere length among firefighters. Significant associations between OPFR metabolites and telomere length were seen for bis (1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BDCPP) and telomere length among office workers (0.21(0.03, 0.40)) and bis (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (BCEP) and telomere length among firefighters (- 0.14(- 0.28, - 0.01)). For OPFRs, the difference in the direction of effect by occupational group may be due to the disparate detection frequencies and concentrations of exposure between the two groups and/or potential unmeasured confounding. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest positive associations between PFAS and telomere length in women workers, with larger effects seen among firefighters as compared to office workers. The OPFR metabolites BDCPP and BCEP are also associated with telomere length in firefighters and office workers. Associations between chemical exposures and telomere length reported here and by others suggest mechanisms by which these chemicals may affect carcinogenesis and other adverse health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassidy Clarity
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management University of California, 130 Mulford Hall, 94720, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jessica Trowbridge
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management University of California, 130 Mulford Hall, 94720, Berkeley, CA, USA
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Roy Gerona
- Department of Obstetrics, Clinical Toxicology and Environmental Biomonitoring Lab, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Katherine Ona
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Obstetrics, Center for Reproductive Sciences, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Michael McMaster
- Department of Cell and Tissue Biology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Obstetrics, Center for Reproductive Sciences, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Vincent Bessonneau
- Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA, USA
- Univ. Rennes, Inserm, EHESP, Irset (Institut de Recherche en Santé, Environnement et Travail) - UMR_S 1085, F-35000, Rennes, France
| | | | | | - Rachel Morello-Frosch
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management University of California, 130 Mulford Hall, 94720, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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Knudsen TB, Fitzpatrick SC, De Abrew KN, Birnbaum LS, Chappelle A, Daston GP, Dolinoy DC, Elder A, Euling S, Faustman EM, Fedinick KP, Franzosa JA, Haggard DE, Haws L, Kleinstreuer NC, Buck Louis GM, Mendrick DL, Rudel R, Saili KS, Schug TT, Tanguay RL, Turley AE, Wetmore BA, White KW, Zurlinden TJ. FutureTox IV Workshop Summary: Predictive Toxicology for Healthy Children. Toxicol Sci 2021; 180:198-211. [PMID: 33555348 PMCID: PMC8041457 DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfab013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
FutureTox IV, a Society of Toxicology Contemporary Concepts in Toxicology workshop, was held in November 2018. Building upon FutureTox I, II, and III, this conference focused on the latest science and technology for in vitro profiling and in silico modeling as it relates to predictive developmental and reproductive toxicity (DART). Publicly available high-throughput screening data sets are now available for broad in vitro profiling of bioactivities across large inventories of chemicals. Coupling this vast amount of mechanistic data with a deeper understanding of molecular embryology and post-natal development lays the groundwork for using new approach methodologies (NAMs) to evaluate chemical toxicity, drug efficacy, and safety assessment for embryo-fetal development. NAM is a term recently adopted in reference to any technology, methodology, approach, or combination thereof that can be used to provide information on chemical hazard and risk assessment to avoid the use of intact animals (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], Strategic plan to promote the development and implementation of alternative test methods within the tsca program, 2018, https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-06/documents/epa_alt_strat_plan_6-20-18_clean_final.pdf). There are challenges to implementing NAMs to evaluate chemicals for developmental toxicity compared with adult toxicity. This forum article reviews the 2018 workshop activities, highlighting challenges and opportunities for applying NAMs for adverse pregnancy outcomes (eg, preterm labor, malformations, low birth weight) as well as disorders manifesting postnatally (eg, neurodevelopmental impairment, breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, fertility). DART is an important concern for different regulatory statutes and test guidelines. Leveraging advancements in such approaches and the accompanying efficiencies to detecting potential hazards to human development are the unifying concepts toward implementing NAMs in DART testing. Although use of NAMs for higher level regulatory decision making is still on the horizon, the conference highlighted novel testing platforms and computational models that cover multiple levels of biological organization, with the unique temporal dynamics of embryonic development, and novel approaches for estimating toxicokinetic parameters essential in supporting in vitro to in vivo extrapolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas B Knudsen
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ORD, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | | | | | - Linda S Birnbaum
- National Institute of Environmental Health Science, NIH, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Anne Chappelle
- Chappelle Toxicology Consulting, LLC, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, USA
| | | | | | - Alison Elder
- University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Susan Euling
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Children’s Health Protection, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | | | | | - Jill A Franzosa
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ORD, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Derik E Haggard
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ORD, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE);, Texas, USA
| | | | | | | | - Donna L Mendrick
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, NCTR, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Katerine S Saili
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ORD, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Thaddeus T Schug
- National Institute of Environmental Health Science, NIH, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | | | | | - Barbara A Wetmore
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ORD, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kimberly W White
- American Chemistry Council, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Todd J Zurlinden
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ORD, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
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Clarity C, Trowbridge J, Gerona R, Ona K, McMaster M, Bessonneau V, Rudel R, Buren H, Morello-Frosch R. Associations between polyfluoroalkyl substance and organophosphate flame retardant exposures and telomere length in a cohort of women firefighters and office workers in San Francisco. medRxiv 2020:2020.11.05.20226183. [PMID: 33173912 PMCID: PMC7654908 DOI: 10.1101/2020.11.05.20226183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Environmental chemical exposures can affect telomere length, which in turn has been associated with adverse health outcomes including cancer. Firefighters are occupationally exposed to many hazardous chemicals and have higher rates of certain cancers. As a potential marker of effect, we assessed associations between chemical exposures and telomere length in women firefighters and office workers from San Francisco, CA. METHODS We measured serum levels of polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), urinary metabolites of flame retardants, including organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs), and telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes in women firefighters and office workers who participated in the 2014-15 Women Workers Biomonitoring Collaborative. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess associations between chemical exposures and telomere length. RESULTS Regression results revealed significant positive associations between perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and telomere length and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and telomere length among the whole cohort. Models stratified by occupation showed stronger and more significant associations among firefighters as compared to office workers. Among firefighters in models adjusted for age, we found positive associations between telomere length and log-transformed PFOA ( β (95%CI) = 0.57(0.12, 1.02)), PFOS (0.44 (0.05, 0.83)), and perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) (0.43 (0.02, 0.84)). Modeling PFAS as categories of exposure showed significant associations between perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) and telomere length among firefighters. Significant associations between OPFR metabolites and telomere length were seen for bis(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (BDCPP) and telomere length among office workers (0.21(0.03, 0.40)) and bis(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (BCEP) and telomere length among firefighters (-0.14(-0.28, -0.01)). For OPFRs, the difference in the direction of effect by occupational group may be due to the disparate detection frequencies and levels of exposure between the two groups and/or potential unmeasured confounding. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest positive associations between PFAS and telomere length in women workers, with larger effects seen among firefighters as compared to office workers. The OPFR metabolites BDCPP and BCEP are also associated with telomere length in firefighters and office workers. Associations between chemical exposures and telomere length reported here and by others suggest mechanisms by which these chemicals may affect carcinogenesis and other adverse health outcomes.
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Rudel R. Abstract IA14: High-throughput methods for screening for breast carcinogens. Cancer Prev Res (Phila) 2020. [DOI: 10.1158/1940-6215.envcaprev19-ia14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The recognition that biologic activities of carcinogens extend beyond “carcinogen = DNA-damaging agent” creates a roadmap for improved approaches to test chemicals and predict which ones are likely to increase cancer risk, so we can avoid them. For breast cancer, for instance, the established risks from hormone treatment in utero or later in life are examples of the powerful influence of receptor-mediated effects in carcinogenesis. Breast cancer research also implicates other important biologic activities including inflammation, oxidative stress, epigenetic alterations, and DNA repair, while the sensitivity of the breast to DNA-damaging agents is demonstrated by effects of ionizing radiation. In addition, over 200 diverse chemicals that cause mammary gland tumors in rodents provide insight into important structural features and biologic activities for breast carcinogenesis. For example, these chemicals include many halogenated hydrocarbons, aromatic amino/nitro compounds, and epoxide-forming chemicals, as well as hormones. Also, the increased risk associated with in utero hormone exposure highlights that new models are needed to detect chemicals that produce these effects and to predict effects on risk. To protect public health, it is necessary to develop and apply rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective chemical toxicity screening for the thousands of chemicals in commercial use. The characteristics of carcinogens provide a useful set of biologic targets for such testing. As an example that applies this concept, we developed a 500-gene panel called BCScreen that includes genes associated with 14 characteristics of breast carcinogens. In MCF-7, expression patterns distinguish known estrogenic chemicals like BPA and genistein from PFOA, a highly fluorinated pollutant that has been shown to alter mammary gland development. An important consideration is that responses in common in vitro models, most of which are cancer cell lines, may be different from normal tissues. Normal tissue models may provide more relevant output but also pose challenges. For example, expression profiling of estradiol response in normal breast epithelial organoids that maintain ER function shows different responses compared with MCF-7, and organoids from different individuals also had distinct responses. Assays that can detect chemicals that activate estrogen receptor or increase synthesis of estradiol or progesterone also highlight chemicals of concern for breast cancer. While human studies have not been especially helpful for detecting cancer risk associated with thousands of commercial chemicals, approaches that determine the biologic activities of the known human carcinogens and flag chemicals with similar activities may provide a pathway to prevention, and new methods are needed to do this. Risk predictions for environmental chemicals also must take into account the cofactors that influence background cancer risk, including host susceptibility and coexposures.
Citation Format: Ruthann Rudel. High-throughput methods for screening for breast carcinogens [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Environmental Carcinogenesis: Potential Pathway to Cancer Prevention; 2019 Jun 22-24; Charlotte, NC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2020;13(7 Suppl): Abstract nr IA14.
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Dorman DC, Chiu W, Hales BF, Hauser R, Johnson KJ, Mantus E, Martel S, Robinson KA, Rooney AA, Rudel R, Sathyanarayana S, Schantz SL, Waters KM. Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) neurotoxicity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of animal evidence. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev 2018; 21:269-289. [PMID: 30352012 PMCID: PMC6786272 DOI: 10.1080/10937404.2018.1514829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
A recent systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis of human studies found an association between prenatal serum polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) concentrations and a decrease in the IQ of children. A SR of experimental developmental animal PBDE-mediated neurotoxicity studies was performed in the present study. Outcomes assessed included measures related to learning, memory, and attention, which parallel the intelligence-related outcomes evaluated in the human studies SR. PubMed, Embase, and Toxline were searched for relevant experimental non-human mammalian studies. Evaluation of risk of bias (RoB) and overall body of evidence followed guidance developed by the National Toxicology Program. Animal studies using varying designs and outcomes were available for BDEs 47, 99, 153, 203, 206, and 209 and the technical mixture DE-71. Study reporting of methods and results was often incomplete leading to concerns regarding RoB. A meta-analysis of 6 Morris water maze studies showed evidence of a significant increase in last trial latency (effect size of 25.8 [CI, 20.3 to 31.2]) in PBDE-exposed animals with low heterogeneity. For most endpoints, there were unexplained inconsistencies across studies and no consistent evidence of a dose-response relationship. There is a "moderate" level of evidence that exposure to BDEs 47, 99, and 209 affects learning. For other PBDEs and other endpoints, the level of evidence was "low" or "very low". The meta-analysis led to stronger conclusions than that based upon a qualitative review of the evidence. The SR also identified RoB concerns that might be remedied by better study reporting.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C. Dorman
- Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Weihsueh Chiu
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Barbara F. Hales
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Russ Hauser
- Department of Environmental Health and Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kamin J. Johnson
- Predictive Safety Center, Corteva Agriscience™, Agriculture Division of DowDuPont™, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Ellen Mantus
- Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington DC, USA
| | - Susan Martel
- Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington DC, USA
| | - Karen A. Robinson
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrew A. Rooney
- Office of Health Assessment and Translation, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | | | - Sheela Sathyanarayana
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle WA, USA
| | - Susan L. Schantz
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Katrina M. Waters
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
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Dorman DC, Chiu W, Hales BF, Hauser R, Johnson KJ, Mantus E, Martel S, Robinson KA, Rooney AA, Rudel R, Sathyanarayana S, Schantz SL, Waters KM. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of human and animal evidence of prenatal diethylhexyl phthalate exposure and changes in male anogenital distance. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev 2018; 21:207-226. [PMID: 30199328 DOI: 10.1080/10937404.2018.1505354.systematic] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Male reproductive alterations found in animals and humans following in utero phthalate exposure include decreased anogenital distance (AGD) and other reproductive-tract malformations. The aim of this investigation was to conduct systematic reviews of human and animal evidence of the effect of in utero exposure to diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) on anogenital distance (AGD) in males. PubMed, Embase, and Toxline were searched for relevant human and experimental animal studies on August 15, 2016. Search results were screened for relevance, and studies that met the inclusion criteria were evaluated for quality and data extracted for analysis. Confidence in the human and animal bodies of evidence was assessed and hazard conclusions reached by integrating evidence streams. The search yielded 6 relevant human studies and 19 animal studies. Meta-analysis of 5 human observational prospective cohort studies showed that increased maternal urinary concentrations of DEHP metabolites were associated with decreased AGD in boys (-4.07 [CI, -6.49 to -1.66] % decrease per log10 rise in DEHP metabolites). Meta-analysis and meta-regression of the 19 experimental animal studies found reduced AGD with DEHP treatment, with a dose-response gradient, and with heterogeneity explained by species and strain. There is a moderate level of evidence from human investigations and a high level of data from animal studies that in utero exposure to DEHP decreases AGD. Based upon the available human and animal evidence, and consideration of mechanistic data, DEHP is presumed to be a reproductive hazard to humans on the basis of effects on AGD.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Dorman
- a Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine , North Carolina State University , Raleigh , NC , USA
| | - Weihsueh Chiu
- b Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine , Texas A&M University , College Station , TX , USA
| | - Barbara F Hales
- c Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics , McGill University , Montreal , Quebec , Canada
| | - Russ Hauser
- d Department of Environmental Health and Department of Epidemiology , Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health , Boston , MA , USA
| | - Kamin J Johnson
- e Predictive Safety Center , The Dow Chemical Company , Midland , MI , USA
| | - Ellen Mantus
- f Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology at the National Academies of Sciences , Engineering, and Medicine , Washington , DC , USA
| | - Susan Martel
- f Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology at the National Academies of Sciences , Engineering, and Medicine , Washington , DC , USA
| | - Karen A Robinson
- g Department of Medicine , Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore , MD , USA
| | - Andrew A Rooney
- h Office of Health Assessment and Translation, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services , Research Triangle Park , NC , USA
| | | | - Sheela Sathyanarayana
- j Department of Pediatrics , University of Washington, Seattle Children's Research Institute , Seattle , WA , USA
| | - Susan L Schantz
- k Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , IL , USA
| | - Katrina M Waters
- l Biological Sciences Division , Pacific Northwest National Laboratory , Richland , WA , USA
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Dorman DC, Chiu W, Hales BF, Hauser R, Johnson KJ, Mantus E, Martel S, Robinson KA, Rooney AA, Rudel R, Sathyanarayana S, Schantz SL, Waters KM. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of human and animal evidence of prenatal diethylhexyl phthalate exposure and changes in male anogenital distance. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev 2018; 21:207-226. [PMID: 30199328 PMCID: PMC6786271 DOI: 10.1080/10937404.2018.1505354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Male reproductive alterations found in animals and humans following in utero phthalate exposure include decreased anogenital distance (AGD) and other reproductive-tract malformations. The aim of this investigation was to conduct systematic reviews of human and animal evidence of the effect of in utero exposure to diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) on anogenital distance (AGD) in males. PubMed, Embase, and Toxline were searched for relevant human and experimental animal studies on August 15, 2016. Search results were screened for relevance, and studies that met the inclusion criteria were evaluated for quality and data extracted for analysis. Confidence in the human and animal bodies of evidence was assessed and hazard conclusions reached by integrating evidence streams. The search yielded 6 relevant human studies and 19 animal studies. Meta-analysis of 5 human observational prospective cohort studies showed that increased maternal urinary concentrations of DEHP metabolites were associated with decreased AGD in boys (-4.07 [CI, -6.49 to -1.66] % decrease per log10 rise in DEHP metabolites). Meta-analysis and meta-regression of the 19 experimental animal studies found reduced AGD with DEHP treatment, with a dose-response gradient, and with heterogeneity explained by species and strain. There is a moderate level of evidence from human investigations and a high level of data from animal studies that in utero exposure to DEHP decreases AGD. Based upon the available human and animal evidence, and consideration of mechanistic data, DEHP is presumed to be a reproductive hazard to humans on the basis of effects on AGD.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C. Dorman
- Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Weihsueh Chiu
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Barbara F. Hales
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Russ Hauser
- Department of Environmental Health and Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kamin J. Johnson
- Predictive Safety Center, The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, MI, USA
| | - Ellen Mantus
- Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Susan Martel
- Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Karen A. Robinson
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrew A. Rooney
- Office of Health Assessment and Translation, Division of the National Toxicology Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | | | - Sheela Sathyanarayana
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Susan L. Schantz
- Department of Comparative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Katrina M. Waters
- Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, USA
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Corvi R, Madia F, Guyton KZ, Kasper P, Rudel R, Colacci A, Kleinjans J, Jennings P. Moving forward in carcinogenicity assessment: Report of an EURL ECVAM/ESTIV workshop. Toxicol In Vitro 2017; 45:278-286. [PMID: 28911985 PMCID: PMC5735222 DOI: 10.1016/j.tiv.2017.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2017] [Revised: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 09/10/2017] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
There is an increased need to develop novel alternative approaches to the two-year rodent bioassay for the carcinogenicity assessment of substances where the rodent bioassay is still a basic requirement, as well as for those substances where animal use is banned or limited or where information gaps are identified within legislation. The current progress in this area was addressed in a EURL ECVAM- ESTIV workshop held in October 2016, in Juan les Pins. A number of initiatives were presented and discussed, including data-driven, technology-driven and pathway-driven approaches. Despite a seemingly diverse range of strategic developments, commonalities are emerging. For example, providing insight into carcinogenicity mechanisms is becoming an increasingly appreciated aspect of hazard assessment and is suggested to be the best strategy to drive new developments. Thus, now more than ever, there is a need to combine and focus efforts towards the integration of available information between sectors. Such cross-sectorial harmonisation will aid in building confidence in new approach methods leading to increased implementation and thus a decreased necessity for the two-year rodent bioassay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raffaella Corvi
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), EU Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EURL ECVAM), Ispra, (VA), Italy.
| | - Federica Madia
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), EU Reference Laboratory for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EURL ECVAM), Ispra, (VA), Italy
| | - Kathryn Z Guyton
- Monographs Programme, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | - Peter Kasper
- Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), Bonn, Germany
| | | | - Annamaria Colacci
- Centre for Environmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment, Environmental Protection and Health Prevention Agency, Emilia Romagna Region, Italy
| | - Jos Kleinjans
- Department of Toxicogenomics, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Paul Jennings
- Division of Molecular and Computational Toxicology, Amsterdam Institute for Molecules, Medicines and Systems, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, HZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Trasande L, Zoeller RT, Hass U, Kortenkamp A, Grandjean P, Myers JP, DiGangi J, Hunt PM, Rudel R, Sathyanarayana S, Bellanger M, Hauser R, Legler J, Skakkebaek NE, Heindel JJ. Burden of disease and costs of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals in the European Union: an updated analysis. Andrology 2016; 4:565-72. [PMID: 27003928 DOI: 10.1111/andr.12178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Revised: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
A previous report documented that endocrine disrupting chemicals contribute substantially to certain forms of disease and disability. In the present analysis, our main objective was to update a range of health and economic costs that can be reasonably attributed to endocrine disrupting chemical exposures in the European Union, leveraging new burden and disease cost estimates of female reproductive conditions from accompanying report. Expert panels evaluated the epidemiologic evidence, using adapted criteria from the WHO Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation Working Group, and evaluated laboratory and animal evidence of endocrine disruption using definitions recently promulgated by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency. The Delphi method was used to make decisions on the strength of the data. Expert panels consensus was achieved for probable (>20%) endocrine disrupting chemical causation for IQ loss and associated intellectual disability; autism; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; endometriosis; fibroids; childhood obesity; adult obesity; adult diabetes; cryptorchidism; male infertility, and mortality associated with reduced testosterone. Accounting for probability of causation, and using the midpoint of each range for probability of causation, Monte Carlo simulations produced a median annual cost of €163 billion (1.28% of EU Gross Domestic Product) across 1000 simulations. We conclude that endocrine disrupting chemical exposures in the EU are likely to contribute substantially to disease and dysfunction across the life course with costs in the hundreds of billions of Euros per year. These estimates represent only those endocrine disrupting chemicals with the highest probability of causation; a broader analysis would have produced greater estimates of burden of disease and costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Trasande
- New York University (NYU) School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.,NYU Wagner School of Public Service, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Nutrition, Food & Public Health, NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, New York, NY, USA.,NYU Global Institute of Public Health, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - R T Zoeller
- University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - U Hass
- National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Søborg, Denmark
| | - A Kortenkamp
- Institute of Environment, Health and Societies, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK
| | - P Grandjean
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.,University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - J P Myers
- Environmental Health Sciences, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | | | - P M Hunt
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - R Rudel
- Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA, USA
| | - S Sathyanarayana
- Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - M Bellanger
- EHESP School of Public Health, Paris, France
| | - R Hauser
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - J Legler
- Department of Chemistry and Biology, Institute for Environmental Studies, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - N E Skakkebaek
- Department of Growth and Reproduction, Rigshospitalet, EDMaRC and University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - J J Heindel
- Division of Extramural Research and Training, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
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13
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Osborne G, Rudel R, Schwarzman M. Evaluating chemical effects on mammary gland development: A critical need in disease prevention. Reprod Toxicol 2015; 54:148-55. [DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2014.07.077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2013] [Revised: 06/26/2014] [Accepted: 07/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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15
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Rudel R, Newton E. LETTER TO THE EDITOR, Exposure Assessment for Decabromodiphenyl Ether (decaBDE) is Likely to Underestimate General U.S. Population Exposure. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011. [DOI: 10.3109/15417060490906422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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16
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Adams C, Brown P, Morello-Frosch R, Brody JG, Rudel R, Zota A, Dunagan S, Tovar J, Patton S. Disentangling the exposure experience: the roles of community context and report-back of environmental exposure data. J Health Soc Behav 2011; 52:180-96. [PMID: 21673146 PMCID: PMC3175404 DOI: 10.1177/0022146510395593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
This article examines participants' responses to receiving their results in a study of household exposure to endocrine disrupting compounds and other pollutants. The authors study how the "exposure experience"-the embodied, personal experience and understanding of chronic exposure to environmental pollutants-is shaped by community context and the report-back process itself. In addition, the authors investigate an activist, collective form of exposure experience. The authors analyze themes of expectations and learning, trust, and action. The findings reveal that while participants interpret scientific results to affirm lay knowledge of urban industrial toxics, they also absorb new information regarding other pollutant sources. By linking the public understanding of science literature to the illness and exposure experience concepts, this study unravels the complex relationship between lay experience and lay understanding of science. It also shows that to support policy development and/or social change, community-based participatory research efforts must attend to participants' understanding of science.
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17
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Altman RG, Morello-Frosch R, Brody JG, Rudel R, Brown P, Averick M. Pollution comes home and gets personal: women's experience of household chemical exposure. J Health Soc Behav 2008; 49:417-35. [PMID: 19181047 PMCID: PMC2720130 DOI: 10.1177/002214650804900404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
We report on interviews conducted with participants in a novel study about environmental chemicals in body fluids and household air and dust. Interviews reveal how personal and collective environmental history influence the interpretation of exposure data, and how participants fashion an emergent understanding of environmental health problems from the articulation of science and experience. To the illness experience literature, we contribute a framework for analyzing a new category of embodied narratives--"exposure experience"--that examines the mediating role of science. We update social scientific knowledge about social responses to toxic chemicals during a period in which science alters public understanding of chemical pollution. This article is among the first published accounts of participants' responses to learning personal exposure data, research identified as critical to environmental science and public health. Our findings raise the importance of reporting even uncertain science and underscore the value of a community-based reporting strategy
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Abstract
Environmental data frequently are left censored due to detection limits of laboratory assay procedures. Left censored means that some of the observations are known only to fall below a censoring point (detection limit). This presents difficulties in statistical analysis of the data. In this paper, we examine methods for estimating the correlation between variables each of which is censored at multiple points. Multiple censoring frequently arises due to adjustment of singly censored laboratory results for physical sample size. We discuss maximum likelihood (ML) estimation of the correlation and introduce a new method (cp.mle2) that, instead of using the multiply censored data directly, relies on ML estimates of the covariance of the singly censored laboratory data. We compare the ML methods with Kendall's tau-b (ck.taub) which is a modification Kendall's tau adjusted for ties, and several commonly used simple substitution methods: correlations estimated with nondetects set to the detection limit divided by 2 and correlations based on detects only (cs.det) with nondetects setto missing. The methods are compared based on simulations and real data. In the simulations, censoring levels are varied from 0 to 90%, p from -0.8 to 0.8, and v (variance of physical sample size) is set to 0 and 0.5, for a total of 550 parameter combinations with 1000 replications at each combination. We find that with increasing levels of censoring most of the correlation methods are highly biased. The simple substitution methods in general tend toward zero if singly censored and one if multiply censored. ck.taub tends toward zero. Least biased is cp.mle2, however, it has higher variance than some of the other estimators. Overall, cs.det performs the worst and cp.mle2 the best.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Newton
- Silent Spring Institute, 29 Crafts Street, Newton, Massachusetts 02458, USA.
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Kriebel D, Tickner J, Epstein P, Lemons J, Levins R, Loechler EL, Quinn M, Rudel R, Schettler T, Stoto M. The precautionary principle in environmental science. Environ Health Perspect 2001; 109:871-6. [PMID: 11673114 PMCID: PMC1240435 DOI: 10.1289/ehp.01109871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 197] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Environmental scientists play a key role in society's responses to environmental problems, and many of the studies they perform are intended ultimately to affect policy. The precautionary principle, proposed as a new guideline in environmental decision making, has four central components: taking preventive action in the face of uncertainty; shifting the burden of proof to the proponents of an activity; exploring a wide range of alternatives to possibly harmful actions; and increasing public participation in decision making. In this paper we examine the implications of the precautionary principle for environmental scientists, whose work often involves studying highly complex, poorly understood systems, while at the same time facing conflicting pressures from those who seek to balance economic growth and environmental protection. In this complicated and contested terrain, it is useful to examine the methodologies of science and to consider ways that, without compromising integrity and objectivity, research can be more or less helpful to those who would act with precaution. We argue that a shift to more precautionary policies creates opportunities and challenges for scientists to think differently about the ways they conduct studies and communicate results. There is a complicated feedback relation between the discoveries of science and the setting of policy. While maintaining their objectivity and focus on understanding the world, environmental scientists should be aware of the policy uses of their work and of their social responsibility to do science that protects human health and the environment. The precautionary principle highlights this tight, challenging linkage between science and policy.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Kriebel
- Lowell Center for Sustainable Production, Department of Work Environment, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts 01854, USA.
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Abicht A, Müller-Felber W, Fischer P, Jakob I, Kürz L, Rudel R, Mortier W, Pongratz D, Lochmüller H. Congenital myasthenic syndromes: clinical and genetic analysis of 18 patients. Eur J Med Res 1997; 2:515-22. [PMID: 9498929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMS) are a group of rare gentic disorders in which neuromuscular transmission is compromised by a variety of mechanisms, other than autoimmunity. Recently, substantial progress has been made by the identification of mutations in acetylcholine receptor (AChR) genes which cause CMS. We report on the clinical and genetic analysis of 18 independent CMS patients. All patients were clinically classified as sporadic cases of CMS (group III according to ENMC consensus). In order to investigate the prevalence of AChR mutations in this group we analyzed structural domains of the AChR genes at strategically important sites - the channel pore-lining regions (M2 domains) of the alpha, beta and epsilon subunits, and the extracellular domain close the acetylcholine (ACh) binding site. All patients showed wild-type sequence in these regions, mutations were not detected. Therefore, we conclude, that point mutations in domains which are known to cause slow channel congenital myasthenic syndromes (SCCMS) are rare in group III-patients in Germany. Determining the genetic defects causing CMS may have implications for diagnosis and genetic counseling of CMS patients. Moreover, this may be important for the therapeutic management of CMS as some patients may profit form quinidine sulfate. Therefore, further efforts will be undertaken to elucidate the underlying defects of CMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Abicht
- Friedrich-Baur-Institut, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen, Germany
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Abstract
We present a hypothetical case study using the Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) metric to compare cancer risks incurred by residents living near a Superfund site to occupational fatality risks incurred by workers employed in that site's remediation. Since cancer occurs late in life, and because we assume its mortality rate is 60%, each case results in 8.8 YPLL. Each occupational fatality, which typically occurs earlier in life, results in 38.1 YPLL. In our case study, the residential population of 5000 incurred 1.3 YPLL, compared to 5.7 YPLL incurred by the 500 workers. Several uncertain assumptions may influence our calculations; moreover, occupational risks may be viewed as more "voluntary" than risks incurred by residents. However, because the magnitude of the YPLL incurred by workers and residents may be comparable, risk managers should consider occupational risks when evaluating remedial alternatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- J T Cohen
- Gradient Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
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Lehmann-Horn F, Rudel R. Channelopathies: Their Contribution to Our Knowledge About Voltage-Gated Ion Channels. Physiology (Bethesda) 1997. [DOI: 10.1152/physiologyonline.1997.12.3.105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Since 1990, many mutations in genes encoding voltage-dependent sodium, potassium, calcium, and chloride channels have been discovered to cause disorders of heart, skeletal muscle, brain, or kidney. Study of the defective gene products has furthered our knowledge not only of pathology but also of ion-channel function.
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Abstract
Many substances are active in in vitro tests for estrogenic activity, but data from multigenerational and other toxicity studies are not available for many of those substances. Controversy has arisen, therefore, concerning the likelihood of adverse health effects. Based on a toxic equivalence factor risk assessment approach, some researchers have concluded that exposure to environmental estrogens is not associated with estrogen receptor (ER)-mediated health effects. Their rationale cites the low potency of these compounds in in vitro assays relative to estradiol, and the widespread exposure to pharmaceutical, endogenous, and dietary estrogens. This reasoning relies on two assumptions: that the relative estrogenic potency in in vitro assays is predictive of the relative potency for the most sensitive in vivo estrogenic effect; and that all estrogens act via the same mechanism to produce the most sensitive in vivo estrogenic effect. Experimental data reviewed here suggest that these assumptions may be inappropriate because diversity in both mechanism and effect exists for estrogenic compounds. Examples include variations in ER-ligand binding to estrogen response elements, time course of nuclear ER accumulation, patterns of gene activation, and other mechanistic characteristics that are not reflected in many in vitro assays, but may have significance for ER-mediated in vivo effects. In light of these data, this report identifies emerging methodological issues in risk assessment for estrogenic compounds: the need to address differences in in vivo end points of concern and the associated mechanisms; pharmacokinetics; the crucial role of timing and duration of exposure; interactions; and non-ER-mediated activities of estrogenic compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Rudel
- Silent Spring Institute, Newton, Massachusetts 02158, USA.
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Brody JG, Rudel R, Maxwell NI, Swedis SR. Images of Breast Cancer. Public Health Rep 1997; 112:89. [PMID: 19313323 PMCID: PMC1381850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
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Abstract
Epidemiological data relating arsenic ingestion and skin and internal cancers strongly suggest a sublinear or threshold relationship. Physiological saturation of methylation-based arsenic detoxification has been proposed as one explanation for a sublinear response. We have evaluated the molecular bases for sublinearity in light of new data and hypotheses regarding arsenic genotoxicity and chemical carcinogenesis. A review of the dose-response relationships observed in arsenic genotoxicity assays is presented. With the exception of sister chromatid exchanges, sublinear dose-response relationships for arsenic-induced chromosomal aberrations were observed repeatedly in different mammalian and human cell systems. Arsenic also enhanced the clastogenicity and mutagenicity of other DNA damaging agents with a sublinear dose response. Consistent with the dose response of arsenic-induced genetic alterations, arsenic also inhibited DNA ligases I and II, enzymes which play a role in DNA repair, with a sublinear dose response. In some cases, protective effects of relatively low exposures to arsenic have been observed, again consistent with sublinearity. We discuss recent theories on the mechanism of arsenic carcinogenicity and the potential implications for dose-response modeling and risk assessment. Overall, based on available arsenic genotoxicity data, we conclude that it is likely that arsenic indirectly induces genetic damage with a sublinear dose response in humans, thus providing a biological basis for a sublinear dose-response relationship for human cancer. Furthermore, these results suggest that linear dose-response modeling from populations experiencing high arsenic exposures is likely to overpredict cancer risks at relatively low arsenic levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Rudel
- Silent Spring Institute, Inc., 29 Crafts Street, Newton, Massachusetts, 02158, USA
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Brody JG, Rudel R, Maxwell NI, Swedis SR. Mapping out a search for environmental causes of breast cancer. Public Health Rep 1996; 111:494-507. [PMID: 8955694 PMCID: PMC1381895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Geographic patterns and time trends for breast cancer suggest there are preventable causes that may include environmental factors. This article describes the development of new methods used in the Cape Cod Breast Cancer and Environment Study to investigate whether synthetic chemicals in the environment contribute to breast cancer risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- J G Brody
- Silent Spring Institute, Newton, MA 02158, USA.
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Abstract
1. Increasing concentrations of ATP (0.5 microM-300 microM) produced a biphasic increase in intracellular calcium concentration [Ca]i in rat parotid acinar cells, reflecting two distinct Cai responses to extracellular ATP. 2. In the absence of Mg2+ (with 3 mM CaCl2 in the buffer solution), the more sensitive response was maximal at 3-5 microM and was not further increased by 30 microM ATP. This response to ATP was not well maintained and was blocked by ADP (0.5 mM). A second, much larger increase in Cai was observed on addition of 300 microM ATP. This larger effect, which we have described previously, appears to be mediated by ATP4-, and was selectively reversed by 4,4'-di-isothiocyanato-dihydrostilbene-2,2'-disulphonate as well as by high concentrations of alpha,beta-methylene ATP. 3. Among ATP analogues, only the putative P2Z agonist, 3'-0-(4-benzoyl)benzoyl-ATP distinguished between the two responses. This analogue was at least 10 fold more potent than ATP in stimulating the ATP(4-)-response, but did not evoke the more sensitive response. The agonist potency series for both responses to ATP was identical for other analogues examined (ATP > ATP gamma S = 2-methylthio ATP (a P2y-selective agonist) >> ADP, ITP and alpha,beta-methylene ATP (a P2x-selective agonist)). 4. Although the effect of ATP4- could best be characterized as a P2z-type purinoceptor response, this effect was strongly and selectively blocked by reactive blue 2, a putative P2y-purinoceptor antagonist. Reactive blue 2 may bind to and block P2z purinoceptors since [gamma 32P]-ATP binding to parotid cells was inhibited by this compound. 5. In contrast to the response to ATP4-, the more sensitive response to ATP was potentiated by 2+ reactive blue 2 and was less affected by increases in external Mg2+ and Ca2+.6. Parasympathetic denervation selectively increased the more sensitive response, suggesting that it maybe physiologically regulated.
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Affiliation(s)
- M K McMillian
- Neuroscience Programe, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts 02111
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Talamo BR, Rudel R, Kosik KS, Lee VM, Neff S, Adelman L, Kauer JS. Pathological changes in olfactory neurons in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Nature 1989; 337:736-9. [PMID: 2465496 DOI: 10.1038/337736a0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 241] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is a central nervous system disorder characterized by the presence of neurofibrillary tangles, neuritic plaques and dystrophic neurites in susceptible areas of the brain. Investigation of the mechanism and development of the disease has been hampered by the lack of an animal model and the inaccessibility of neural tissue during the illness. Deficits in odour detection and discrimination are among the signs of Alzheimer's and previous anatomical studies suggest that olfactory pathways may be involved early in the illness. Neurons in the olfactory epithelium, which are of central origin, are relatively accessible for biopsy and could be used as a source of living nerve cells for the study of Alzheimer's disease if they can be shown to have characteristics of this disease. As these neurons have the unusual property of arising from stem cells throughout the life of the organism, they are good candidates for the development of cell cultures or cell lines which may express the disorder from living patients. We report here that nasal epithelium tissue taken at autopsy shows unique pathological changes in morphology, distribution and immunoreactivity of neuronal structures in patients with Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- B R Talamo
- Department of Neurology, Tufts Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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