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The research field of "Toxicologic Pathology" evaluates potentially toxic chemical exposures and chemically mediated illnesses in humans and experimental animals. Comparative studies of chemical exposures between model organisms and humans are essential for the risk assessment of chemicals and human health. Here we review the development and activities of the Japanese Society of Toxicologic Pathology (JSTP) during its 37-year history. Toxicological pathology studies provide many interesting and valuable findings. Rodent cancer bioassay data demonstrate the importance of dose levels, times, and duration of exposures to chemicals that possibly cause human cancers. Studies of toxic injuries in the nasal cavity demonstrate that specific chemical compounds affect different target cells and tissues. These observations are relevant for current air pollution studies in the preventive medicine field. Future toxicological pathology studies will be enhanced by applying molecular pathology with advanced observation techniques. In addition to the nasal cavity, another sense organ such as the tongue should be a potential next program of our mission for risk assessment of inhaled and ingested chemicals. As a message to the younger members of the JSTP, interdisciplinary and global cooperation should be emphasized. Elucidating the mechanisms of toxicologic pathology with a combination of advanced expertise in genetics and molecular biology offers promise for future advances by JSTP members.

Objective: Hazardous materials (HAZMAT) incidents, including the deliberate release of toxic chemicals, can cause a significant drain on resources as well as heightened anxiety in the community. Recent high‐profile incidents, including the 2018 illegal waste storage fire in Victoria, Australia, have highlighted the complexity but also the value of multidisciplinary approaches to HAZMAT events. This brief report examines issues from a public health perspective and reflects on the experience of such events in South Australia. Methods: The type, location and time of HAZMAT incidents for the period 2001 to 2018 (inclusive) in South Australia were compiled and classified from a database of the state Technical Advice Coordinator. Results: The profile of HAZMAT events was diverse, including fires, spills, unknown chemicals, sabotage and suicides. Incidents frequently occurred around transportation corridors and storage facilities. Public health agency involvement was most evident for known or suspected biological agents (toxins) and chemical toxicants with persistent exposures. Conclusion and implications for public health: Public health agencies are likely to have a greater future role in HAZMAT management as the complexity of incidents increases (e.g. mass casualty events and events involving vulnerable subpopulations). There is a need for a national HAZMAT surveillance database to coordinate agency responses on a national level. A unified approach to risk communication for vulnerable communities is also critical.

The results of examinations of adolescent boys with varying degrees of obesity and delayed sexual development (DSD) showed that the content of hormones (kisspeptin, leptin, testosterone, gonadotropins, etc.) correlated with the level of essential and toxic chemical elements in urine. Correlations between urine concentrations of zinc, selenium and levels of leptin, kisspeptin and testosterone were found. This points to the etiological determinant of microelementosis in the formation of DSD in obesity in boys — possibly the effect of high lead content in urine.

Paraquat (1, 1’ dimethyl 4,4’ dipyridylium) is a highly toxic chemical herbicide or week killer. It is one of the most common herbicides used today, but it can cause fatal poisoning when ingested or inhaled. It is often difficult to diagnose in the face of non specific clinical features. Although it is freely available herbicide, few cases have been reported from India. We have reported a case of fatal paraquat poisoning at Hindu Rao Hospital and NDMC Medical College, Delhi.

Thyroid hormones are known for controlling metabolism of lipids, carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, and electrolytes and for regulating body temperature. Normal thyroid status depends on the chemical/elemental composition of body fluids and tissues, which changes depending on physiological state, lifestyle and environment. A deficiency or excess of certain essential chemical elements (selenium, zinc, copper, iron or fluorine) or exposure to toxic (cadmium or lead) or potentially toxic elements (manganese or chromium) interacts with thyroid hormone synthesis and may disturb thyroid homeostasis. In our review, accessible databases (Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science) were searched for articles from 2001–2021 on the influence of selected chemical elements on the development of hypothyroidism. Our review adopted some of the strengths of a systematic review. After non-eligible reports were rejected, 29 remaining articles were reviewed. The review found that disruption of the physiological levels of elements in the body adversely affects the functioning of cells and tissues, which can lead to the development of disease.

This study covers the present state of chemical accidents in Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongnam areas in South Korea for 6 years from 2013 to 2018. It analyzes a total of 87 chemical accidents (an average of 14.5 accidents annually) according to regional characteristics in various angles. The types of accidents include insufficient facility management (40.2%), inadvertent worker activity (37.9%), and transportation vehicle accidents (21.8%). According to regional analysis, 26 cases were found in Busan, 39 cases in Ulsan and 22 cases in Gyeongnam areas. The rate of accidents was high on Monday (20.7%) and Thursday (18.4%) as well as 9-11 AM (19.5%) and 1-3 PM (18.4%) during the day. The most frequent toxic chemical substances causing the accident was found ammonia (23.2%), followed by sulfuric acid (14.5%), chlorine (10.1%) and nitric acid (8.7%). Nine people died and 57 people were injured from the chemical accidents. It is expected that this research provides an important basis for the chemical management policies in South Korea.

Objectives Traditional moxibustion might be not safe due to the excessive heat stimulation or toxic chemical components involved. Electric moxibustion (EM), which has been recently developed as an alternative, offers adjustable and constant heat stimulation. This study aimed to investigate the psychophysical and psychophysiological responses to EM heat stimulation. Methods Twenty-seven healthy volunteers received two different levels of heat stimulation using EM. High-temperature (HT) and medium-temperature (MT) heat stimulations were randomly delivered at the TE5 acupoint on the left or right arm. Participants rated the intensity and the spatial information of the heat sensations immediately after each EM stimulation. Local blood flow around the acupoint was measured with Laser Doppler perfusion imaging before and after heat stimulation. Results Both HT-EM and MT-EM induced considerable heat sensations and enhanced local blood flow around the acupoints. HT-EM resulted in greater heat sensation compared to MT-EM. HT-EM induced a higher increase in local blood flow around the stimulation site compared to MT-EM. No remarkable adverse effects were noted. Conclusion Two different levels of EM heat stimulation induced two different levels of heat sensations and enhanced local blood flow. This preliminary study suggests that the newly developed EM can be further applied to examine the effectiveness of moxibustion in clinical trials.

Background Considering that the quality control indicators in Chinese medicine (CM) are disconnected from safety and effectiveness, Prof. Chang-xiao Liu et al. has proposed a concept regarding the quality marker (Q-marker) of CM to promote the healthy development of the CM industry and improve the CM quality control method. Purpose In this study, we proposed a strategy to discover and verify the toxicity Q-marker of CM based on network toxicology. Methods First, traditional biochemical pathology indicators and sensitive biomarkers were used to predict the toxicity of CM. Next, the chemical composition of toxic CMs and their metabolites were rapidly identified by multidimensional detection techniques. Subsequently, the interaction network between “toxicity - toxic chemical composition - toxic target - effect pathway” was built through network toxicology, and the potential toxicity Q-marker of CM was initially screened. Finally, the chemical properties of toxicity Q-markers were verified by traceability and testability. Results Based on the predicted results of network toxicology, the toxic compounds of CM were preliminarily identified, and the toxic mechanism was comprehensively interpreted. In the context of definite biological properties and chemical properties, the toxicity Q-marker was finally confirmed. Conclusion This extensive review provides a study method for the toxicity Q-marker of CM, which helps to systemically and thoroughly reveal the internal toxicity mechanism of CM. The in-depth study of the toxicity Q-marker provides the material basis and technical support for the safety evaluation of CM.

Fish processing by grilled can produce emissions that contribute to pollutants in the air, which contain toxic chemical compounds that can provide short-term and long-term effects on human health. Some studies report a positive relationship between the amount of exposure to air pollution and the platelet index. The research was conducted on the subject of grilled fish sellers in Palangka Raya (73 respondents) and the control was fish food seller without selling grilled fish (33 respondents). Measurement of platelet indices (MPV, PDW, P-LCR, and PCT) used KX300 Hematology Analyzers. The results showed a significant difference in platelet indices for MPV, PDW and P-LCR parameters in the exposed group compared to controls, with values in the exposed group higher than controls and for PCT parameters, there was no significant difference even though the exposure value was higher than the control. The content of harmful chemical compounds present in the smoke of processing grilled fish can increase platelet activation that can lead to inflammation.

Early detection of exposure to a toxic chemical, e.g., in a military context, can be life-saving. We propose to use machine learning techniques and multiple continuously measured physiological signals to detect exposure, and to identify the chemical agent. Such detection and identification could be used to alert individuals to take appropriate medical counter measures in time. As a first step, we evaluated whether exposure to an opioid (fentanyl) or a nerve agent (VX) could be detected in freely moving guinea pigs using features from respiration, electrocardiography (ECG) and electroencephalography (EEG), where machine learning models were trained and tested on different sets (across subject classification). Results showed this to be possible with close to perfect accuracy, where respiratory features were most relevant. Exposure detection accuracy rose steeply to over 95% correct during the first five minutes after exposure. Additional models were trained to correctly classify an exposed state as being induced either by fentanyl or VX. This was possible with an accuracy of almost 95%, where EEG features proved to be most relevant. Exposure detection models that were trained on subsets of animals generalized to subsets of animals that were exposed to other dosages of different chemicals. While future work is required to validate the principle in other species and to assess the robustness of the approach under different, realistic circumstances, our results indicate that utilizing different continuously measured physiological signals for early detection and identification of toxic agents is promising.

Biotoxins are toxic chemical agents produced by harmful marine micro- and macroalgae. All types of alga contain high amounts of poisonous compounds, which represent a risk to the biological community and human wellbeing. Many types of marine biotoxins are being identified recently with different laboratory diagnostic tests that vary according to the composition of toxins. Future work should also include developing of the molecular assays for the rapid, real-time detection of harmful species and toxin genes. Literature review demonstrated that marine biotoxin are of two types, such as hydro-philic toxins and lipophilic toxins. The most common and harmful of these poisons are domoic acid (DA), saxitoxin, azaspiracid, ciguatoxin, okadaic acid toxins, yesso toxins, and Pectenotoxins. This review chapter focuses on types of shellfish poisoning, their related biotoxins, symptoms, prevention, and treatments.

Fluoroacetamide (FAM) is a small (77 Da) and highly toxic chemical, formerly used as a rodenticide and potentially as a poison by terrorists. Poisoning with FAM has occurred in humans, but few reliably rapid detection methods and antidotes have been reported. Therefore, producing a specific antibody to FAM is not only critical for the development of a fast diagnostic but also a potential treatment. However, achieving this goal is a great challenge, mainly due to the very low molecular weight of FAM. Here, we design two groups of FAM haptens for the first time, maximally exposing the fluorine or amino groups, with the aid of linear aliphatic or phenyl-contained spacer arms. Interestingly, whereas the hapten with fluorine at the far end of the hapten did not induce an antibody response to FAM, the hapten with an amino group at the far end and phenyl-contained spacer arm triggered a significantly specific antibody response. Finally, a monoclonal antibody (mAb) named 5D11 was successfully obtained with an IC50 value of 97 μg mL−1 and negligible cross-reactivities to the other nine functional and structural analogs.

This special issue will describe cutting-edge translational research on the development of safe and effective therapeutics for treating exposure to toxic chemical threat agents that target the nervous system. These studies are supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Countermeasures Against Chemical Threats (CounterACT) program. Chemical threats include chemical warfare agents, pesticides and other toxic chemicals whose primary mode of action is targeted within the nervous system. Depending on the dose, the effects of these toxic chemicals can be lethal or cause serious morbidity including neuropathology and neurological deficits. Current topics in research on organophosphorus pesticides and chemical warfare agents include developing alternatives to currently approve acetylcholinesterase reactivators, control of seizures that are refractory to benzodiazepine drugs, and treatments for serious morbidity caused by non-lethal exposures. There is also an effort to understand the mechanisms of toxicity and treatments for other neuro-active agents such as tetramine and hydrogen sulfide. A robust translational research effort on nerve agents is essential for being better prepared with an effective medical response capability during chemical emergencies.

Aim. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of asthma and asthma-like symptoms in seasonal agricultural workers living in fields with toxic chemical exposure. Methods. European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) questionnaire was used to assess the prevalence of asthma and asthma-like symptoms in the study. Results. Of the study group, 51.1% (267) were male and the age of the study group ranged from 18 to 88 years and the mean (SD) was 45.68 (13.39) years. The prevalence of asthma attacks in seasonal agricultural workers in the last one year (current prevalence) was 11.2%; the prevalence of asthma (cumulative prevalence) was 15.1%. In the study, smoking was found to be an important risk factor for current asthma. The prevalence of cumulative asthma was higher in seasonal agricultural workers with allergic rhinitis (p<0.05 for each). Conclusions. Seasonal agricultural workers are exposed to the worst conditions of working groups. These difficult conditions also cause many health problems. Asthma has also been identified as an important health problem among seasonal agricultural workers.

In recent years, consumer interest in health and health foods (e.g., dietary supplements) has increased, and the types of and market for health foods have also expanded rapidly. The safety of health foods is a significant concern in many countries. Numerous adverse events associated with the consumption of health foods have been reported. There are cases that have resulted in serious liver failure, renal failure, and death in other countries. These products may contain undeclared medical ingredients and toxic chemical compounds that are illegally and intentionally added or contain natural plant toxins. Products containing high levels of heavy metals have also been reported to cause such adverse events. Some products remain on the market, even after regulatory agencies alert consumers and issue warnings to their sellers. Moreover, because people can buy health foods from sources overseas via the Internet, adverse effects associated with the use of such products remain a concern. Two cases of adverse events were reported in Japanese individuals who purchased "OxyElite Pro" products imported privately. They are advertised as weight-loss and muscle-building products and have been associated with many cases of liver failure and hepatitis in the USA. In this paper, regulatory systems and adverse events associated with the use of health foods in other countries are discussed.

Highly absorbent polymers capable of trapping large volumes of organic liquids are attractive materials for cleaning up toxic chemical spills. Here we report development of a homopolymer network using N-butyl-N-phenylacrylamide with poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate as the cross-linker, that absorbs a variety of organic liquids by swelling. The nonelectrolytic basis of this polymer allows it to be used in areas where organic liquids and water coexist in the form of an emulsion. We demonstrate that this new polymer swells up to 20× in nonpolar organic liquids and up to 33× in more polar organic liquids but has negligible swelling in water. Consequently, this novel selectively superabsorbent polymer has potential use in a broad range of applications to capture and remove hazardous materials.

Cyanide is a highly toxic chemical, and acute exposure depletes cells and tissue of oxygen, depressing the respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological systems and potentially leading to death. Cyanide has been used as a weapon since ancient Rome and continues to pose a potential threat today. A well-characterized animal model is necessary for the development of novel methods of rapid detection and treatment. This manuscript describes the development of an inhalation exposure system designed to evaluate the lethality of acute cyanide inhalation in the porcine model.A custom designed hydrogen cyanide (HCN) inhalation exposure system provided stable cyanide concentrations to un-anesthetized swine while monitoring respiratory parameters. Real-time respiratory monitoring, cyanide concentration and body weight were used to calculate inhaled doses.The inhalation exposure system generated controlled HCN ranging from 260 to 986 ppm to achieve inhaled doses between 1.78 and 3.97 mg/kg. Based on survival outcomes, the median lethal dose was determined to be 2.21 mg/kg, and the median lethal exposure level was 5893 mg min/mThe ability of the HCN inhalation exposure system to deliver target inhaled doses and the determination of the inhaled median lethal dose in swine support the use of the exposure system and animal model for the evaluation of medical countermeasures of acute inhaled HCN toxicity.

IntroductionRecent terror attacks and assassinations involving highly toxic chemical weapons have stressed the importance of sufficient respiratory protection of medical first responders and receivers. As full-face respirators cause perceptual-motor impairment, they not only impair vision but also significantly reduce speech intelligibility. The recent introduction of electronic voice projection units (VPUs), attached to a respirator, may improve communication while wearing personal respiratory protection.ObjectiveTo determine the influence of currently used respirators and VPUs on medical communication and speech intelligibility.Methods37 trauma anaesthetists carried out an evaluation exercise of six different respirators and VPUs including one control. Participants had to listen to audio clips of a variety of sentences dealing with scenarios of emergency triage and medical history taking.ResultsIn the questionnaire, operators stated that speech intelligibility of the Avon C50 respirator scored the highest (mean 3.9, ±SD 1.0) and that the Respirex Powered Respiratory Protective Suit (PRPS) NHS-suit scored lowest (1.6, 0.9). Regarding loudness the C50 plus the Avon VPU scored highest (4.1, 0.7), followed by the Draeger FPS-7000-com-plus (3.4, 1.0) and the Respirex PRPS NHS-suit scored lowest (2.3, 0.8).ConclusionsWe found that the Avon C50 is the preferred model among the tested respirators. In our model, electronic voice projection modules improved loudness but not speech intelligibility. The Respirex PRPS NHS-suit was rated significantly less favourably in respect of medical communication and speech intelligibility.

Natural colourants with bio-potential are of great commercial demands as we are moving away from the hazardous and toxic chemical dyes. Bixa orellana L. a representative of Bixaceae is rich in bixin and nor-bixin pigments which could be explored for various applications. In the present study, extraction and characterization of bixin and its associated pigment from the aril of the B. orellana L. seeds were performed using various spectroscopic techniques. Spectroscopic analysis and Gas chromatographic profiling of the pigment were performed to understand the present pigments. Toxicity was evaluated through in silico method. The major component, bixin and nor-bixin were proved to be non-toxic, non-carcinogenic and non-mutagenic through in silico methods. The pigment was found to be a potent antioxidant as well as bactericidal against opportunistic bacteria. It was found that bixin extract was a potential antioxidant and bactericidal agent. Hence it could be used for imparting bactericidal potential for cellulosic materials like papers or textiles in biomedical applications.

The development of farming technologies that allow the production of agricultural products free of chemical compounds that are harmful to the agricultural environment as well as the consumers is a challenge that several research groups have addressed. In several case studies the effect of various treatments of organic fertilization on quality variables of the agricultural product to be produced has been analyzed. The above is of vital importance for the development of agriculture that allows the sustainable development of the communities. The objective of this work was to study the antioxidant and nutraceutical properties of samples at 5 degrees of maturation of the variety Fragaria x ananassa Camino Real organically grown and compared with a commercial strawberry sample as a control; The parameters to be considered were: Superoxide dismutase activity, amount of anthocyanidins and total reducing sugars. The results indicate that the strawberry organically grown presents competitive nutritional properties and in some parameters superior to the commercially grown strawberry. In this work we can elucidate the benefits of developing sustainable agriculture techniques which allow the production of food free of toxic chemical agents for human health, as well as contribute to the preservation of the environment of the various communities.

Current problem facing researchers globally is microplastics as well as toxic chemical pollution of the ecosystem. Microplastics carry toxic chemicals in the ecosystem.serving as a vector for transport. In this study, a review of the literature has been conducted with the following objectives: (1) to summarise the concentrations of toxic chemicals such heavy metals and hydrophobic organic contaminants sorped on microplastics; (2) to evaluate their spatial distribution regarding adsorbed contaminant (3) to discuss plausible mechanism by which microplastics adsorp or desorp toxic chemicals in the environment; (4) to discuss implications of their occurrence in air, water and soil media; and (5) to discuss the impact of ingested microplastics to human health. Microplastics are ubiquitous environmental contaminant. Concentrations of sorped toxic chemical varied with location which represents a local problem; industrialized areas (especially areas experiencing crude oil related activities or have history of crude oil pollution) have higher concentrations than less industrialized areas. Ingestion of microplastics has been demonstrated in a range of marine and soil organisms as well as edible plants, thus possible contaminating the base of the food-web. Potential health effect to human is by particle localization, chemical toxicity and microbal toxins. We conclude by highlighting the gap in knowledge and suggesting key future areas of research for scientists and policymakers.

The conventional method for effective or toxic chemical substance identification of multicomponent herbal medicine is based on single component separation, which is time-consuming, labor intensive, inefficient, and neglects the interaction and integrity among the components; therefore, it is necessary to find an alternative routine to evaluate the components more efficiently and scientifically. In this study, sodium aescinate injection (SAI), obtained from different manufacturers and prepared as “components knockout” samples, was chosen as the case study. The chemical fingerprints of SAI were obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography to provide the chemical information. The effectiveness and irritation of each sample were evaluated using anti-inflammatory and irritation tests, and then “Gray correlation” analysis (GCA) was applied to rank the effectiveness and irritability of each component to provide a preliminary judgment for product optimization. The prediction model of the proportions of the expected components was constructed using the artificial neural network. The results of the GCA showed that the irritation sorting of each SAI component was in the order of B > A > G > J > I > H > D > F > E > C and the effectiveness sorting of SAI components was in the order of D > C > B > A > F > E > H > I > G > J; the predictive proportion of SAI was optimized by the BP neural network as A: B: C: D: E: F = 0.7526: 0.5005: 5.4565: 1.4149: 0.8113: 1.0642. This study provided a scientific, accurate, reliable, and efficient approach for the proportion optimization of multicomponent drugs, which has a good prospect of popularization and application in product upgrading and development of herbal medicine.

In this chapter, we will provide an overview of (1) the structure and function of the respiratory system, highlighting similarities and differences between humans and laboratory animals; (2) toxicant-induced pathology of the upper and lower respiratory tract, with site-specific examples and discussion of key mechanisms underlying toxicologic pathology of the lung; and (3) common and ancillary methods of analysis in respiratory toxicologic pathology. Our aim is to provide the non-pathologist with the fundamentals of respiratory pathology caused by toxic chemical agents.

Mycotoxins are a group of naturally occurring toxic chemical substances, produced mainly by microscopic filamentous fungal species. Regarding potential synergisms or even mitigating effects between toxic elements, mycotoxin contamination will continue to be an area of concern for producers, manufacturers, regulatory agencies, researchers, and consumers in the future. In Serbia, recent drought and then flooding confirmed that mycotoxins are one of the foodborne hazards most susceptible to climate change. In this article, we review key aspects of mycotoxin contamination of the food supply chain and implications for public health from the Serbian perspective.

New construction materials, building and car interiors, and furnishings typically cause air pollution by means of emitting toxic chemical substances indoors. The level of health hazard to the occupants depends on the emission rate of the pollutants, the period of occupant exposure to the pollutants and the concentration of the emitted toxic substances. Typical health effects induced by the indoor air contaminants include symptoms such as dizziness, light-headedness, concentration trouble, nausea, epistaxis, eyes, nose and throat irritation, dryness of nose and throat, and decreased mucous flow rate. Traditional offline indoor air detection techniques, namely, mass spectrometry (MS), gas chromatography (GC) and UV spectroscopy involve collection of indoor air samples from the field followed by laboratory analysis. Because these techniques are slow and time consuming, online indoor air detection and monitoring techniques which are fast, reliable and accurate enough to trigger more extensive analysis are required. In this paper, ion mobility spectrometry for an alternative indoor air detection technique is studied. An aspiration-type ion mobility spectrometer (IMS), in the form of a portable and handheld unit, is employed for the online detection of indoor air contaminants. By means of sniff tests performed on the 62 most commonly occurring indoor air contaminants, the sensitivity of aspiration-type IMS technique towards the indoor air contaminants and hence its suitability for indoor air quality detection is evaluated and demonstrated.

In this study, Iron nanoparticles (FeNPs) were synthesized by green chemical method. A reducing and stabilizing agent from plant were used instead of toxic chemical reagent. It was observed that FeNPs was obtained at room temperature (25-35 °C) using bioreducing agent without voltammetric method. The optimum condition for FeNPs synthesis was studied. The nanoparticles have been preliminary characterized by UV-vis spectrophotometry.

The use of VX and sarin as weapons of assassination and warfare raises important considerations for healthcare professionals who may encounter victims, bystanders, and responders who require prompt assessment and treatment. Chemical warfare agents such as VX and sarin constitute a considerable threat to the health of the civilian population, military personnel, and peacekeeping forces. Healthcare providers should recognize symptoms of nerve agent exposure, understand regional and international notification procedures for potential attacks, as well as the indications for and available supply of antidotal therapy.

Background: The illegal production of alcoholic beverages, due to the non-standard conditions, increases the risk of producing counterfeit and toxic products. The chemical analysis of toxic components in illegally-produced alcoholic beverages is necessary for each country. The present study aimed to identify the existence of methanol and other potentially toxic compounds in the seized illegally-produced alcoholic beverages. Methods: In this descriptive laboratory-based study, we analyzed the toxic chemical components in sized illegally-produced alcoholic beverages, submitted to the Forensic Toxicology Laboratory of the Legal Medicine Center of Markazi Province, Arak City, Iran, in a year. A total of 100 seized illegally-produced alcohol beverage samples were collected. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of ethanol, methanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, and acetone was performed by the Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detection (GC–FID) method. Results: Methanol was detected in 6% of the evaluated samples (concentration range:1.2%-12%v/v). Acetone was detected in two of the studied samples (mean concentration: 0.7%v/v), and 2-propanol with a concentration of 0.5%v/v was found in one sample. Besides, ethanol was detected in all explored samples (mean concentration: 24%v/v). Conclusion: Methanol was the main toxic chemical component in illegal alcoholic beverages; thus, it should be considered in public health policy and prevention programs in the country.

PURPOSE Firefighters around the world are exposed to physical hazards and toxic chemical agents during fire incident response. Occupational epidemiologic studies of the firefighter workforce have documented an excess cancer risk for brain, digestive, genitourinary, and lymphohematopoietic organs compared with the general population. Despite the elevated cancer risk, little is known about what specific types of carcinogenic chemicals first responders encounter during a typical work shift, particularly in low-resources settings, like the Dominican Republic. This pilot study characterizes objective measurements of carcinogenic exposure using passive sampling silicone-based wristbands among Dominican firefighters. METHODS Firefighters from a metropolitan fire service in the Dominican Republic were asked to wear a silicone-based wristband during one typical 24-hour shift. A pre- and postshift survey was administered to the firefighter to assess their self-reported sociodemographic, employment, and work shift characteristics. Wristbands were collected after their 24-hour shift and processed for the type and quantity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a family of known carcinogenic compounds, to which firefighters were exposed. RESULTS Among 15 firefighters who wore a wristband during their 24-hour shift, 73.3% responded to a fire with an average of 3.7 calls during the shift. Fire incident responses included structural fires (54.5%), outside and other fires (36.4%), and vehicle fires (9.1%). Total PAH exposure was significantly higher among Dominican firefighters who responded to a fire compared with firefighters with no fire during their shift (261 parts per billion [ppb] v 117 ppb, respectively; P = .003). Among the 19 PAHs quantified, low-molecular-weight phenanthrene was present in the highest concentration (32 ppb) among firefighters not responding to fires. CONCLUSION Passive objective sampling of PAHs using silicone-based wristbands among Dominican firefighters showed direct exposure to carcinogenic compounds during a typical 24-hour firefighter shift. Firefighters not attending a fire had lower levels of PAHs, suggesting carcinogenic contaminants are present at the fire station.

The current study aims to assess the long-term effects of very low dose exposures to a complex chemical mixture on motor performance and behavioural changes in rats. For twelve months (equivalent to thirty years in human terms), four groups of Sprague Dawley rats (five males and five females per group) were exposed to a thirteen chemical mixture (in drinking water) in doses of 0, 0.25, 1 and 5xADI/TDI (acceptable daily intake/tolerable daily intake) (mg/kg body weight/day). After twelve month exposure, the rats' motor performances were assessed by rotarod test, and their behavioural changes were assessed by open field exploratory test and elevated plus maze test. Exposure to the chemical mixture resulted in a statistically significant increase in the locomotor activity quantified by the number of crossings over external squares and in the spatial orientation activity quantified as the number of rearings in the lower dose group (0.25xADI/TDI) compared with the control group (p 0.05). No significant changes were observed in the two higher dose groups (1xADI/TDI, 5xADI/TDI) compared with the control group. The administration of a very low doses of a cocktail of 13 chemicals led to a dose-dependent stimulation of the nervous system, rather than its inhibition.

Acrylamide (AA) is a toxic chemical compound found in cooked foods. Considerable evidences suggest that oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction are contributed to AA toxicity. Ceric ...

Infertility is defined as inability of a couple to get a pregnancy after a year of regular intercourse without the use of contraceptive methods. The infertility of a couple caused by male factor only is related to 20-30% of cases of infertility. Causes of male infertility may be testicular or posttestic, and may be caused by: duct obstruction or ejaculatory disorders; genetic alterations, such as some syndromes (Klinefelter, XX or XYY man syndrome); by external factors of the human body, in other words, environmental factors such as exposure to radiation (radiation and chemotherapy), toxic chemical agents, such as solvents, pesticides and metals such as lead and manganese; occupational diseases, stress, heat exposure in some professions; by the exacerbated consumption of legal and illegal drugs; or idiopathic (with no apparent cause).

In the 16th century, Paracelsus-the father of modern toxicology-wrote that "all things are poison and nothing is without poison; the dose alone makes a thing not poison." While it's conceivable that too much of a good thing, such as water or oxygen, could be fatal, the opposite-that smaller quantities of a bad thing might be beneficial-may be harder to believe. But four centuries after Paracelsus shared this idea, two researchers decided to apply the more counterintuitive notion of Paracelsus' dogma for a notoriously toxic chemical: carbon monoxide (CO).

Introduction US law requires disclosure of quantities of toxic chemicals (constituents) in cigarette smoke by brand and sub-brand. This information may drive smokers to switch to cigarettes with lower chemical quantities, under the misperception that doing so can reduce health risk. We sought to understand past brand-switching behavior and whether learning about specific chemicals in cigarette smoke increases susceptibility to brand switching. Methods Participants were US adult smokers surveyed by phone (n = 1,151, probability sample) and online (n = 1,561, convenience sample). Surveys assessed whether smokers had ever switched cigarette brands or styles to reduce health risk and about likelihood of switching if the smoker learned their brand had more of a specific chemical than other cigarettes. Chemicals presented were nicotine, carbon monoxide, lead, formaldehyde, arsenic, and ammonia. Results Past brand switching to reduce health risk was common among smokers (43% in phone survey, 28% in online survey). Smokers who were female, over 25, and current “light” cigarette users were more likely to have switched brands to reduce health risks (all p < .05). Overall, 61–92% of smokers were susceptible to brand switching based on information about particular chemicals. In both samples, lead, formaldehyde, arsenic, and ammonia led to more susceptibility to switch than nicotine (all p < .05). Conclusions Many US smokers have switched brands or styles to reduce health risks. The majority said they might or would definitely switch brands if they learned their cigarettes had more of a toxic chemical than other brands. Brand switching is a probable unintended consequence of communications that show differences in smoke chemicals between brands.

Background: Dioxin is accepted as an important toxic chemical that can induce carcinogenesis. The dioxin contamination in air is accepted as an important air pollutant. Apart from the industry, the dioxin in air can be generated by other little mentioned sources. Methods: Here, the authors assessed the cancer risk due to inhalation exposure to dioxins air pollutant generated by dead body incineration at Buddhist temple based on situation in Indochina. Indeed, there are many thousand Buddhist temples in Indochina and the dead body incineration is routinely done at the temple every day and the dioxin generated from this activity is little mentioned. Results: According to this study, the risk of cancer due to exposure to dioxins air pollutant generated by dead body incineration at Buddhist temple is high and should be the issue for proper public health management. Conclusion: Dioxins air pollutant generated by Dead bodyIncineration at Buddhist temple is an important cancer risk for both adult and children living in that area.

Liver is the largest and important organ in the body, involved in the metabolism of food and drugs. Liver diseases are potentially life threatening for humans. The etiology of liver disorder varied due to different reasons like autoimmune disorder, viral infection, toxic chemical, and due to changing diet style. Liver injury produces pathological changes like increase level of SGOT, SGPT, TB and generation of free radical radicals. A better understanding of primary mechanisms is mandatory for designing of new therapeutic drugs. Therefore, animal models are being developed to mimic human liver diseases. Animal models are being used for several decades to study the pathogenesis of liver disorders and related toxicities. In this review, we revealed various animal models with their merits and demerits. Our main focus is to explore all new and traditional animal models under broad classification like non-invasive, invasive and genetic models which directly or indirectly produce hepatotoxicity.

Obesity is so common within the world’s population and prevalence has increased markedly over. And we know that toxic chemical substance exposure increased that both of obesity prevalence and formation of health problems related with obesity. Nuclear receptors that are sensors of exposure to xenobiotics. In addition recent studies have proposed a first set of obesogens that target nuclear hormone receptor signaling pathways with relevance to adipocyte biology and the developmental origins of health and disease. In this paper assesses the information about a huge puclic helath problem that is obesity and its relationship also evaluated that nuclear receptor signaling pathways of obesogens.

Extensive dose response studies have assessed the potential of toxic chemical agents to induce aneuploidy in the yeast model. An assessment of such findings revealed that hormetic-like biphasic dose responses were commonly observed. A preliminary estimate of the frequency of the hormetic responses using a priori entry and evaluative criteria was approximately 65-80%.

The use of toxic chemical defences to repel and deter predators is widespread across living organisms, yet there are surprisingly few formal models of toxin evolution. Published models tend to focus on a trade-off between individual benefits and costs of toxicity, and treat predators as simple agents of selection, reducing future attacks when they encounter toxic prey. In this paper we argue, however, that the physiological characteristics of predators may be crucial in determining the nature and outcomes of toxin evolution. To examine this idea we devised and explored a model in which prey defence evolves in the context of predator physiology. We represented this as dose–effect relationships in predators for nutrition and toxins along with variable rates of predator metabolism. Incorporating variables of predator physiology can change views of toxin evolution. A key point is that inclusion of predator physiological variables requires that the nutritional value of prey is explicitly represented in the model, and this directly affects predictions for toxin evolution. In our model costly toxins generally evolve to the point that they are ‘minimally unprofitable’: just toxic enough to make prey typically unprofitable given their nutritional value to predators. As the nutritional value of prey increases, so the minimally unprofitable toxin level of prey tends to increase in step; hence another general prediction from this model is that toxin levels within prey should often correlate with the nutritional value of the prey. Predator physiology and cognition also contribute to variation in the social nature of defence. We argue that incorporating representations of predator physiology is important in the comprehension of toxin evolution and make suggestions for directions of future work.

Disinfection of drinking water is a challenging and controversial issue. Chemical and ultraviolet (UV) methods are used to deactivate bacteria. Some of the chemical disinfection causes threats to public health since they produce toxic chemical compounds. Recently, several researchers conducted experiments and mathematical models to deactivate pathogenic bacteria from wastewater and drinking water using UV. The intensity of UV is very effective in deactivating bacteria. The authors compared the radiation intensity of a single and double lamp in a UV reactor for water treatment using computational fluid dynamics. The results indicated that the mean volume emission rate of single lamp and double lamp in the reactor was similar. However, the energy distribution of single lamps was much better than the double lamp in the reactor. The sensitivity analysis using three different UV transmittances (UVT), 70, 80 and 90%, indicated that the increase in % UVT value improved the energy distribution in the UV reactor.

Relevance due to lack of knowledge of the biological effects lipidorhistory fraction of peloids, while well known for the curative properties of the water-soluble components of these compounds. The aim of this work was to investigate the effects of some fractions of lipids sapropel for the correction of the excretory functions of the liver of rats with toxic chemical hepatitis. The experiments were carried out on 50 white rats male Wistar rats. On the model of toxic and chemical hepatitis studied the effects of applications of the solutions of the total lipid extract and polar fractions of lipids sapropel in the process of biliary excretion. Determined the content of total bilirubin and cholesterol, bile acids. It is shown that the application of the total lipid extract of sapropel have a regenerating effect on the process of bile secretion, formation of bilirubin, synthesis of bile acids. The effects of the polar fraction of lipids sapropel were less pronounced. Therefore, the lipid components of sapropel can be used for correction of the excretory functions of the liver.

Purpose. Chemically hazardous objects, where toxic substances are used, manufactured and stored, and also main lines, on which the hazardous materials transportation is conducted, pose potential sources of atmosphere accidental pollution.Development of the CFD model for evaluating the efficiency of the building local protection from hazardous substantives ingress by using air curtain and sorption/desorption of hazardous substance on indoor surfaces. Methodology. To solve the problem of hydrodynamic interaction of the air curtain with wind flow and considering the building influence on this process the model of ideal fluid is used. In order to calculate the transfer process of the hazardous substance in the atmosphere an equation of convection-diffusion transport of impurities is applied. To calculate the process of indoors air pollution under leaking of foul air Karisson & Huber model is used. This model takes into account the sorption of the hazardous substance at various indoors surfaces. For the numerical integration of the model equations differential methods are used. Findings. In this paper we construct an efficient CFD model of evaluating the effectiveness of the buildings protection against ingress of hazardous substances through the use of an air curtain. On the basis of the built model a computational experiment to assess the effectiveness of this protection method under varying the location of the air curtain relative to the building was carried out. Originality. A new model was developed to compute the effectiveness of the air curtain supply to reduce the toxic chemical concentration inside the building. Practical value. The developed model can be used for design of the building local protection against ingress of hazardous substances.

Nuclear reactors are usually associated with the production of energy, but some reactors, including the reactor facility of the University of Technology Delft, The Netherlands, are being used for scientific research. This review describes the current possible applications of such a research facility in medicine. This concerns in the first place the production of various nuclides and chemical carriers, which are now widely used in clinical medicine. Both α and β emitters can be effective in the treatment of tumors and metastases, while γ-emission allows imaging of organs and activity of biological processes. A less well-known application of a research reactor is instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), a technique for qualitative and quantitative multi-element analysis of major, rare and trace elements in all kinds of materials, including those from human origin such as blood, nails, hair and tissue samples. In contrast to mass spectrometry, INAA is not restricted to measurement in small samples, since even large samples up to kilograms can be analyzed. This is especially of importance when an element is not distributed homogeneously in materials. INAA is also used in biomonitoring to measure the burden of toxic chemical compounds and elements in biological substances. A promising development is the use of enriched stable isotopes, an attractive alternative for the application of radioactive tracers in the study of the bioavailability and distribution of essential trace elements and metals in the human body.

A wide range of toxic hazards exists, both natural and man-made. A toxic hazard may be defined as any substance which has the ability to cause harm or damage to living organisms. The term ‘toxin’ is often used synonymously with any poison, but should be reserved to mean any toxic chemical which originates from a biological organism. Toxic trauma is the result of acute exposure to hazardous substances that cause life-threatening, seriously disabling acute effects and the intermediate effects that follow. Toxic agents may be classed as toxic industrial chemicals (TIC) or agents of chemical warfare (CW). Some agents such as chlorine and phosgene are both TIC and CW agents. Both TIC and CW agents may be classified in terms of their actions on somatic systems. TIC are also classified and identified using the UN HAZMAT system which assigns each agent into one of nine classes and gives an identification code number. Each toxic agent has four distinct properties, physical form, persistencytoxicity and latency, which determine their action in the body and also the risks of transmission of the hazard to other persons.

In the article are represented results of both acute toxicities and safety determination of selenium-containing metal-complex substances πQ1983, πQ2170 that have high pharmacological activities in acute exogenous hypoxia after their introperitoneal or enteral introductions in mice. According with established parameters LD50 the couple of studied substances must be referred to the category of high toxic chemical agents. However, substance πQ1983 can be recommended for its preclinical investigation because it has enough permissible parameters of ED50 and therapeutic indexes.