Measuring Lead Exposure in Infants, Children, and Other Sensitive Populations


Book Description

Lead is a ubiquitous toxic agent that is especially damaging to the young child and the developing fetus. Unlike many environmental health risks, the risks associated with lead are no longer theoretical but have been observed for many years. Indeed, the first regulation of lead in paint was enacted in the 1920s. Currently, because of growing evidence of lead toxicity at lower concentrations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently lowered its lead-exposure guideline to 10 ug/dl lead in blood from 25 ug/dl. Measuring Lead Exposure in Infants, Children, and Other Sensitive Populations addresses the public health concern about the logistics and feasibility of lead screening in infants and children at such low concentrations. This book will serve as the basis for all U.S. Public Health Service activities and for all state and local programs in monitoring lead.







Lead Toxicity


Book Description




Reproductive and Developmental Toxicity of Metals


Book Description

The Permanent Commission and International Association on Occupational Health (PCIAOH) established in 1969 a Subcommittee on the Toxicology of Metals under the chairmanship of Lars Friberg. This committee, which later was named the Scientific Committee on the Toxicology of Metals, has organized a number of previous meetings that have led to publications in three major areas of metal toxicology: a preliminary meeting in Slanchev Bryag, Bulgaria in- 1971, followed by a meeting in 1972 in Buenos Aires, Argentina which produced two reports (Dukes and Friberg, 1971; Task Group on Metal Accumulation, 1973), that discussed the metabolism of metals with special reference to absorption, excretion and biological half-times. The effects and dose-response relationships of toxic metals, including a discussion of general principles, was the second major topic addressed by the Scientific Committee at a meeting in Tokyo in 1974 (Nordberg, 1976). The philosophy of this conference, as well as the previous one in Buenos Aires, was based on the concept of a "threshold dose" for the occurrence of adverse effects. In a conference held in Atlanta, USA in 1980, the scope of discussion on metal effects was broadened to include the role of metals in carcinogenesis. Thus, for the first time, the Scientific Committee took under consideration the possibility of non-threshold relationships (Belman and Nordberg, 1981). In addition, the Scientific Committee on the Toxicology of Metals organized a workshop on metal interactions in Stockholm 1977 (Nordberg et al.




Metals, Fertility, and Reproductive Toxicity


Book Description

Environmental endocrine disruptors have been at the heart of discussions about chemicals and their effects on fertility, but the focus has been on organic compounds and the role of metals has been largely overlooked - until now. Taking an organ-system-based approach, Metals, Fertility, and Reproductive Toxicity examines the effects of metals found in the everyday environment on fertility rates in humans and animal populations. This volume summarizes and evaluates the literature in the area of metal effects on fertility and reproduction in humans, laboratory animals, and wildlife. International experts have contributed chapters that explore how the ovary, testes, uterine system, and neuroendocrine system, among others, respond to metal exposure. Reviewing both current knowledge and cutting edge data, the chapters focus on either a particular metal or a particular population. A massive amount of data on this subject has been generated, summarized, and reviewed over the years. While there are many books available on metals toxicity and on reproductive toxicity, no current book explores both in the same volume. Culling information from throughout the literature, Metals, Fertility, and Reproductive Toxicity supplies an in-depth look at the role of metals in endocrine disruption and the spectrum of mechanisms involving metals that can influence reproduction.







Drinking Water and Health,


Book Description

The most recent volume in the Drinking Water and Health series contains the results of a two-part study on the toxicity of drinking water contaminants. The first part examines current practices in risk assessment, identifies new noncancerous toxic responses to chemicals found in drinking water, and discusses the use of pharmacokinetic data to estimate the delivered dose and response. The second part of the book provides risk assessments for 14 specific compounds, 9 presented here for the first time.




Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment


Book Description

Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment reviews advances made during the last 10-15 years in fields such as developmental biology, molecular biology, and genetics. It describes a novel approach for how these advances might be used in combination with existing methodologies to further the understanding of mechanisms of developmental toxicity, to improve the assessment of chemicals for their ability to cause developmental toxicity, and to improve risk assessment for developmental defects. For example, based on the recent advances, even the smallest, simplest laboratory animals such as the fruit fly, roundworm, and zebrafish might be able to serve as developmental toxicological models for human biological systems. Use of such organisms might allow for rapid and inexpensive testing of large numbers of chemicals for their potential to cause developmental toxicity; presently, there are little or no developmental toxicity data available for the majority of natural and manufactured chemicals in use. This new approach to developmental toxicology and risk assessment will require simultaneous research on several fronts by experts from multiple scientific disciplines, including developmental toxicologists, developmental biologists, geneticists, epidemiologists, and biostatisticians.




Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology


Book Description

Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology, Second Edition, is a comprehensive and authoritative resource that provides the latest literature on this complex subject with a primary focus on three core components—parent, placenta, and fetus—and the continuous changes that occur in each. Enriched with relevant references describing every aspect of reproductive toxicology, this revised and updated resource addresses the totality of the subject, discussing a broad range of topics, including nanoparticles and radiation, gases and solvents, smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, and metals, amongst others. With a special focus on placental toxicity, this book is the only available reference to connect the three key risk stages, also including discussions on reproductive and developmental toxicity in domestic animals, fish, and wildlife. Completely revised and updated to include the most recent developments in the field, the book is an essential resource for advanced students and researchers in toxicology, as well as biologists, pharmacologists, and teratologists from academia, industry, and regulatory agencies. Provides a complete, up-to-date, integrated source of information on the key risk stages during reproduction and development Includes new chapters covering significant developments, such as dose-response assessment for developmental toxicity, juvenile toxicity, and neural tube defects, as well as emerging science, such as stem cell application, toxicoproteomics, metabolomics, endocrine disruption, surveillance and regulatory considerations, and risk assessment Offers diverse and unique in vitro and in vivo toxicity models for reproductive and developmental toxicity testing in a user-friendly format that assists in comparative analysis




How Tobacco Smoke Causes Disease


Book Description

This report considers the biological and behavioral mechanisms that may underlie the pathogenicity of tobacco smoke. Many Surgeon General's reports have considered research findings on mechanisms in assessing the biological plausibility of associations observed in epidemiologic studies. Mechanisms of disease are important because they may provide plausibility, which is one of the guideline criteria for assessing evidence on causation. This report specifically reviews the evidence on the potential mechanisms by which smoking causes diseases and considers whether a mechanism is likely to be operative in the production of human disease by tobacco smoke. This evidence is relevant to understanding how smoking causes disease, to identifying those who may be particularly susceptible, and to assessing the potential risks of tobacco products.