Developmental toxicity of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (epoxide resin badge) during the early life cycle of a native amphibian species

Bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (BADGE) is used in packaging materials, in epoxy adhesives, and as an additive for plastics, but it is also a potential industrial wastewater contaminant. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the adverse effects of BADGE on Rhinella arenarum by means of standardized bioassays at embryo–larval development. The results showed that BADGE was more toxic to embryos than to larvae at all exposure times. At acute exposure, lethality rates of embryos exposed to concentrations of 0.0005 mg/L BADGE and greater were significantly higher than rates in the vehicle control, whereas lethality rates of larvae were significantly higher in concentrations of 10 mg/L BADGE and greater. The toxicity then increased significantly, with 96‐h median lethal concentrations (LC50s) of 0.13 mg/L and 6.9 mg/L BADGE for embryos and larvae, respectively. By the end of the chronic period, the 336‐h LC50s were 0.04 mg/L and 2.2 mg/L BADGE for embryos and larvae, respectively. This differential sensitivity was also ascertained by the 24‐h pulse exposure experiments, in which embryos showed a stage‐dependent toxicity, with blastula being the most sensitive stage and S.23 the most resistant. The most important sublethal effects in embryos were cell dissociation and delayed development, whereas the main abnormalities observed in larvae related to neurotoxicity, as scare response to stimuli and narcotic effect.Fil: Hutler Wolkowicz, Ianina Ruth. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Svartz, Gabriela Veronica. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Aronzon, Carolina Mariel. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Perez Coll, Cristina Silvia. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

The NAS Perchlorate Review: Questions Remain about the Perchlorate RfD

Human exposure to perchlorate is commonplace because it is a contaminant of drinking water, certain foods, and breast milk. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conducted a perchlorate risk assessment in 2002 that yielded a reference dose (RfD) based on both the animal and human toxicology data. This assessment has been superceded by a recent National Academy of Science (NAS) review that derived a perchlorate RfD that is 20-fold greater (less stringent) than that derived by the U.S. EPA in 2002. The NAS-derived RfD was put on the U.S. EPA’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database very quickly and with no further public review. In this commentary we raise concerns about the NAS approach to RfD development in three areas of toxicity assessment: the dose that the NAS described as a no observable adverse-effect level is actually associated with perchlorate-induced effects; consideration of uncertainties was insufficient; and the NAS considered the inhibition of iodine uptake to be a nonadverse effect. We conclude that risk assessors should carefully evaluate whether the IRIS RfD is the most appropriate value for assessing perchlorate risk

Deriving a Provisional Tolerable Intake for Intravenous Exposure to Silver Nanoparticles Released from Medical Devices

Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are incorporated into medical devices for their anti-microbial characteristics. The potential exposure and toxicity of AgNPs is unknown due to varying physicochemical particle properties and lack of toxicological data. The aim of this safety assessment is to derive a provisional tolerable intake (pTI) value for AgNPs released from blood-contacting medical devices. A literature review of in vivo studies investigating critical health effects induced from intravenous (i. v.) exposure to AgNPs was evaluated by the Annapolis Accords principles and Toxicological Data Reliability Assessment Tool (ToxRTool). The point of departure (POD) was based on an i. v. 28-day repeated AgNP (20 nm) dose toxicity study reporting an increase in relative spleen weight in rats with a 5% lower confidence bound of the benchmark dose (BMDL05) of 0.14 mg/kg bw/day. The POD was extrapolated to humans by a modifying factor of 1,000 to account for intraspecies variability, interspecies differences and lack of long-term toxicity data. The pTI for long-term i. v. exposure to 20 nm AgNPs released from blood-contacting medical devices was 0.14 μg/kg bw/day. This pTI may not be appropriate for nanoparticles of other physicochemical properties or routes of administration. The methodology is appropriate for deriving pTIs for nanoparticles in general

Substance-tailored testing strategies in toxicology : an in silico methodology based on QSAR modeling of toxicological thresholds and Monte Carlo simulations of toxicological testing

International audienceThe design of toxicological testing strategies aimed at identifying the toxic effects of chemicals without (or with a minimal) recourse to animal experimentation is an important issue for toxicological regulations and for industrial decision-making. This article describes an original approach which enables the design of substance-tailored testing strategies with a specified performance in terms of false-positive and false-negative rates. The outcome of toxicological testing is simulated in a different way than previously published articles on the topic. Indeed, toxicological outcomes are simulated not only as a function of the performance of toxicological tests but also as a function of the physico-chemical Properties of chemicals. The required inputs for Our approach are QSAR predictions for the LOAELs of the toxicological effect of interest and statistical distributions describing the relationship existing between in vivo LOAEL values and results from in vitro tests. Our methodology is able to correctly predict the performance of testing strategies designed to analyze the teratogenic effects of two chemicals: di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate and Indomethacin. The proposed decision-support methodology can be adapted to any toxicological context as long as a Statistical Comparison between in vitro and in Vivo results is possible and QSAR models for the toxicological effect of interest can be developed

The noise policy statement for England : significance, application and implications

The Noise Policy Statement for England, published by Defra in March 2010, describes a ‘policy vision to facilitate decisions regarding what is an acceptable noise burden to place on society’. The publication of the NPSE coincided with the formal adoption and publication of the Noise Action Plans as required by the Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and the Environmental Noise Directive . However, the potential implications of the NPSE go much wider, and as this article shows, it may well turn out to have a considerable impact on the work of many members of the Institute of Acoustics

Risks for public health related to the presence of tetrodotoxin (TTX) and TTX analogues in marine bivalves and gastropods

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The INDEX Project - Critical Appraisal of the Setting and Implementation of Indoor Exposure Limits in the EU

The INDEX project (Critical Appraisal of the Setting and Implementation of Indoor Exposure Limits in the EU), coordinated by the EU/JRC and funded by DG SANCO, has been finished in December 2004. The project was carried out in collaboration with a Steering Committee of leading European experts in the area of indoor air pollution. Scope of INDEX was to identify priorities and to assess the needs for a Community strategy and action plan in the area of indoor air pollution. The key issues that have been addressed within the project are: - the setting up of a list of compounds to be measured and regulated in indoor environments with priority, on the basis of health impact criteria - to provide suggestions and recommendations on potential exposure limits for these compounds and - to provide information on links with existing knowledge, ongoing studies, legislation etc. at world scale. Suggestions and recommendations on potential exposure limits or other exposure control actions were defined for five prioritised compounds; formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, benzene, and naphthalene.JRC.I.5-Physical and chemical exposure