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Sufficient evidence supports a relationship between certain myeloid neoplasms and exposure to benzene or formaldehyde. DNA methylation could underlie benzene- and formaldehyde-induced health outcomes, but data in exposed human populations are limited. We conducted two crosssectional epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS), one in workers exposed to benzene and another in workers exposed to formaldehyde. Using HumanMethylation450 BeadChips, we investigated differences in blood cell DNA methylation among 50 benzene-exposed subjects and 48 controls, and among 31 formaldehyde-exposed subjects and 40 controls. We performed CpG-level and regional-level analyses. In the benzene EWAS, we found genome-wide significant alterations, i.e., FWER-controlled P-values <0.05, in the mean and variance of methylation at 22 and 318 CpG sites, respectively, and in mean methylation of a large genomic region. Pathway analysis of genes corresponding to benzene-associated differential methylation sites revealed an impact on the AMPK signalling pathway. In formaldehyde-exposed subjects compared to controls, 9 CpGs in the DUSP22 gene promoter had genome-wide significant decreased methylation variability and a large region of the HOXA5 promoter with 44 CpGs was hypomethylated. Our findings suggest that DNA methylation may contribute to the pathogenesis of diseases related to benzene and formaldehyde exposure. Aberrant expression and methylation of HOXA5 previously has been shown to be clinically significant in myeloid leukaemias. The tumour suppressor gene DUSP22 is a potential biomarker of exposure to formaldehyde, and irregularities have been associated with multiple exposures and diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human activities have become so extensive that all ecosystems on the planet have been altered to some extent. The fate of humankind will be determined by how sustainable ecosystems and renewable resource species in them are managed. The implication of this is obvious: humanity must live within nature's carrying capacity. In recent years, we have recognized that economic growth depends on natural capital, the importance of identifying ourselves as a part of the international ecological economics community, and positive integration of economy and ecology. The aim of this paper is to describe a method for integrated analysis of economic growth and natural carrying capacity through linking the concept of ecological footprint with valuation of ecosystem services. When applied to China for the period 1987-2003, empirical evidence suggests that the Chinese economy surpassed its carrying capacity after 1992. Perhaps we should abandon our high-growth predilection and initiate the transition to a steady-state economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human activities have become so extensive that all ecosystems on the planet have been altered to some extent. The fate of humankind will be determined by how sustainable ecosystems and the renewable resources in them are managed. The implication of this is obvious: humanity must live within nature's carrying capacity. In recent years, humans have recognised that growth of the economy depends on natural capital, and it is important that we now recognise that we are part of an international ecological economics community, so as to better integrate the economy and ecology. However, there are few successful examples of this. The aim of this paper is to show a method for integrated analysis between economic growth and natural carrying capacity by linking the concepts of ecological footprint and valuation of ecosystem services. When applied to China for the period 1987-2003, the empirical evidence suggests that the size of the Chinese economy surpassed the carrying capacity in 1992. Perhaps, we should abandon our high-growth predilection and initiate a transition to a steady-state economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Samples of surface sediment and shellfish were collected from Minjiang Estuary-Mazu and Xiamen-Jinmen sea areas and were analyzed for hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), dichlorodiphenyl-trichlorophenyl (DDT) and its degraded derivatives dichloro-diphenyl-dichloroethane (DDT) and dichloro-dichlorophenyl-ethylene (DDE), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) by gas chromatography. Concentration ranges of HCHs, DDTs, and PCBs in the sediments were 0.03–0.48, 1.10–14.3, and ND to 0.76 ng/g dw, respectively; those for shellfish samples were ND to 1.5, 21.5–892, dw and ND–3.7 ng/g dw, respectively. The results showed that the concentrations of such oganochlorine compounds (OCs) in the sediments were usually low as compared with other sea areas and estuaries, and the organochlorines were accumulated in marine bivalve mollusks, particularly in oyster. With respect to the concentrations of HCHs, DDTs, and PCBs in the samples of either sediment or shellfish, DDTs were higher than HCHs and PCBs. The concentrations of OCs in shellfish samples varied with the sampling locations and organism species but were generally higher than those in the sediments. The concentration distributions, compositions, and residue levels of these OCs are extensively discussed and evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deals with a study which examined the nature of chromosomal aberrations detected in humans exposed to benzene. Historical background; Discussion of chromosomal aberrations as a biomarker of cancer risk; Detection of chromosomal aberrations in preleukemia and benzene-poisoned patients; Cytogenetic changes detected in benzene-exposed individuals.