Identifying and Prioritizing Chemicals with Uncertain Burden of Exposure: Opportunities for Biomonitoring and Health-Related Research.

BackgroundThe National Institutes of Health's Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) initiative aims to understand the impact of environmental factors on childhood disease. Over 40,000 chemicals are approved for commercial use. The challenge is to prioritize chemicals for biomonitoring that may present health risk concerns.ObjectivesOur aim was to prioritize chemicals that may elicit child health effects of interest to ECHO but that have not been biomonitored nationwide and to identify gaps needing additional research.MethodsWe searched databases and the literature for chemicals in environmental media and in consumer products that were potentially toxic. We selected chemicals that were not measured in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. From over 700 chemicals, we chose 155 chemicals and created eight chemical panels. For each chemical, we compiled biomonitoring and toxicity data, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency exposure predictions, and annual production usage. We also applied predictive modeling to estimate toxicity. Using these data, we recommended chemicals either for biomonitoring, to be deferred pending additional data, or as low priority for biomonitoring.ResultsFor the 155 chemicals, 97 were measured in food or water, 67 in air or house dust, and 52 in biospecimens. We found in vivo endocrine, developmental, reproductive, and neurotoxic effects for 61, 74, 47, and 32 chemicals, respectively. Eighty-six had data from high-throughput in vitro assays. Positive results for endocrine, developmental, neurotoxicity, and obesity were observed for 32, 11, 35, and 60 chemicals, respectively. Predictive modeling results suggested 90% are toxicants. Biomarkers were reported for 76 chemicals. Thirty-six were recommended for biomonitoring, 108 deferred pending additional research, and 11 as low priority for biomonitoring.DiscussionThe 108 deferred chemicals included those lacking biomonitoring methods or toxicity data, representing an opportunity for future research. Our evaluation was, in general, limited by the large number of unmeasured or untested chemicals. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP5133

Recommendation for an interface system for product related computer data to enhance the Engineering Change Order/Preliminary Change Order function

The following document will explore product and information integration by demonstrating the potential economic, strategic, and technical benefits attainable in the Engineering Change Order/Preliminary Change Order function. Information is the foundation of today\u27s corporate enterprise. An organization\u27s success can depend on how effectively it identifies, manages and uses its information. As an organization grows or becomes more complex, the infrastructure of information becomes more complex. The management and distribution of information corporation wide becomes a key element in the strategic position of the organization in its given market

Transfer of Air Force technical procurement bid set data to small businesses, using CALS and EDI: Test report

This report documents a test transfer of three Air Force technical procurement bid sets to one large and twelve small businesses, using the Department of Defense (DoD) Continuous Acquisition and Life-cycle Support (CALS) and ANSI ASC X12 Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) standards. The main goal of the test was to evaluate the effectiveness of using CALS technical data within the context of the DoD`s EDI-based standard approach to electronic commerce in procurement, with particular emphasis on receipt and use of the data by small contractors. Air Force procurement data was provided by the Sacramento Air Logistics Center at McClellan Air Force Base; the manufacturing participants were selected from among McClellan`s ``Blue Ribbon`` contractors, located throughout the US. The test was sponsored by the Air Force CALS Test Network, headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The test successfully demonstrated the technical feasibility of including CALS MIL-R-28002 (Raster) engineering data in an EDI Specification/Technical Information transaction set (ANSI ASC X12 841) when issuing electronic requests for quotation to small businesses. In many cases, the data was complete enough for the contractor participant to feel comfortable generating a quote. Lessons learned from the test are being fed back to the CALS and EDI standards organizations, and to future implementors of CALS-EDI based acquisition or contracting systems, which require the transfer of technical information, such as engineering data, manufacturing process data, quality test data, and other product or process data, in the form of a CALS or other digital datafile

The SEURAT-1 Approach towards Animal Free Human Safety Assessment

SEURAT-1 is a European public-private research consortium that is working towards animal-free testing of chemical compounds and the highest level of consumer protection. A research strategy was formulated based on the guiding principle to adopt a toxicological mode-of-action framework to describe how any substance may adversely affect human health. The proof of the initiative will be in demonstrating the applicability of the concepts on which SEURAT-1 is built on three levels: (i) Theoretical prototypes for adverse outcome pathways are formulated based on knowledge already available in the scientific literature on investigating the toxicological modes-of-action leading to adverse outcomes (addressing mainly liver toxicity); (ii) adverse outcome pathway descriptions are used as a guide for the formulation of case studies to further elucidate the theoretical model and to develop integrated testing strategies for the prediction of certain toxicological effects (i.e., those related to the adverse outcome pathway descriptions); (iii) further case studies target the application of knowledge gained within SEURAT-1 in the context of safety assessment. The ultimate goal would be to perform ab initio predictions based on a complete understanding of toxicological mechanisms. In the near-term, it is more realistic that data from innovative testing methods will support read-across arguments. Both scenarios are addressed with case studies for improved safety assessment. A conceptual framework for a rational integrated assessment strategy emerged from designing the case studies and is discussed in the context of international developments focusing on alternative approaches for evaluating chemicals using the new 21st century tools for toxicity testing

Pulping of Non-Woody Biomass

The use of trees for paper production has contributed to the problem of deforestation with radical negative impact on the environment thereby causing an imbalance in the ecosystem. An increase in the demand and consumption of paper has also induced depletion of woods resources for paper production, thus resulting in limited availability of the raw materials. This work examined the use of non-woody biomasses as alternative raw materials, which are accessible and convertible into pulp and paper of the same quality as those obtained from wood

Some calorimetric studies of the metals and chlorides of cerium and neodymium

The following thermal data have been measured f or some of t he compounds and metals of cerium and neodymiumz (1) the heats of solution and dilution of the anhydr ous chlorides i n aqueous solution; (2) the changes in heat capacities of solution and dilution of the anhydrous chlorides in aqueous solution; (3) the heats of solution of the anhydrous chlorides and metals in aqueous hydrochloric acid; (4) the heats of solution of the hydrated chlorides in aqueous solution; ( 5) the heats of precipitation of the oxalates in aqueous oxalic acid solution; and (6) the heat capacity of neodymium metal in the temperature range of 0° to 250°C. In addition, the heats of solution and dilution of potassium chloride and oxalic acid hydrate in aqueous solution, and the heat capacity of tantalum metal from 0°C to 425°C have been measured