Health Risk Assessment of Exposure to 15 Essential and Toxic Elements in Spanish Women of Reproductive Age: A Case Study

This case study investigates the exposure of 119 Spanish women of reproductive age to 5 essential (Co, Cu, Mn, V, Zn) and 10 toxic (Ba, Be, Cs, Ni, Pb, Pt, Sb, Th, Al, U) elements and assesses their risk. The essential elements (Co, Cu, Mn, V, and Zn) showed average concentrations (GM: geometric mean) of 0.8, 35, 0.5, 0.2, and 347 μg/L, respectively. Five of the toxic elements (Ba, Cs, Ni, Al, U) exhibited detection frequencies of 100%. The GM concentrations of the novel toxic elements were 12 μg/L (Al), 0.01 μg/L (Pt), 0.02 μg/L (U), 0.12 μg/L (Th), 0.009 μg/L (Be) and 4 μg/L (Cs). The urine analysis was combined with a survey to assess any variations between subgroups and potential predictors of exposure to elements in the female population. Significant differences were obtained between the rural and urban areas studied for the toxic element Cs, with higher levels found in mothers living in urban areas. In relation to diet, statistically significantly higher levels of essential (Cu) and toxic (Ba) elements were detected in women with a high consumption of fish, while mothers who consumed a large quantity of legumes presented higher levels of the toxic element Ni (p = 0.0134). In a risk-assessment context, hazard quotients (HQs) greater than 1 were only observed for the essential elements Zn and Cu in P95. No deficiency was found regarding the only essential element for which a biomonitoring equivalent for nutritional deficit is available (Zn). For the less-studied toxic elements (Al, Pt, U, Th, Be, and Cs), HQs were lower than 1, and thus, the health risk due to exposure to these elements is expected to be low for the female population under study

Exposure and cumulative risk assessment to non-persistent pesticides in Spanish children using biomonitoring

The main objective of the present research is to evaluate the exposure to pesticides in children (n = 568) from the Valencian Region (Spain). Six non-speci!c and 20 speci!c metabolites of organophosphate pesticides (OPs), herbicides (Herb), and pyrethroids (Pyr) were analyzed in urine samples. The biomarkers with the highest detection frequencies (N70%) were diethyl phosphate, p-nitrophenol, 3-phenoxybenzoic acid, and 3,5,6- trichloro-2-pyridinol, whose geometric mean concentrations (ng·ml-n1) were 1.53, 1.03, 1.51 and 1.19, respec- tively. Robust regression models showed that the province of residence and the recent consumption of vegeta- bles, legumes and cereals were some of the most important predictors of pesticide exposure. Pesticide risk assessment is estimated using two different strategies: one based on the pesticides' mode of action (MoA); and the other based on cumulative assessment groups (CAGs), proposed by EFSA. The estimated daily intakes (EDIs) ranged from 0.08 (chlorpyrifos) to 1.62 !g·kg bw-1 ( -cyhalothrin). The MoA approach resulted in hazard quotientsrangingfrom0.01(chlorpyrifos)to0.65( -cyhalothrin),andahazardindexforOPslowerthan1.Sim- ilarly, the risk assessment based on CAGs led to total margins of exposure (MOETs) far from 100. In conclusion, both risk assessment strategies does not reveal any evidence of a potential health risk due to pesticide exposure in Spanish children

Cytomegalovirus specific polyfunctional T-cell responses expressing CD107a predict control of CMV infection after liver transplantation

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) viral load after liver transplantation (LT) is controlled by cell mediated immune responses (CMI). Quantification of CMV-specific T-cells may identify patients who control CMV spontaneously and avoid expensive and potentially toxic antiviral therapies. Prospective post-LT clinical, virological and immunological monitoring was carried out up to 1-year post-LT in a cohort of adult recipients. The CMV-specific T-cell response was characterized using flow cytometry intracellular cytokine staining in 49 LT recipients-R (79.6% R+, 20.4% R-). CMV infection occurred in 24 patients (18 D+/R+ and 6 D+/R-). Only patients with undetectable polyfunctional CMV-specific CD4+ T-cells developed CMV infection. Predictive models showed that polyfunctional CMV-specific CD4+ T-cells pre-existing before LT are protective for CMV reactivation posttransplantation. Quantitation of CD4+ T-cell responses to CMV may be a useful marker for spontaneous control of viral replication to tailor antiviral prophylaxis after LT

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in foods from the Region of Valencia: Dietary exposure and risk assessment

Dietary exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) of the population in the Region of Valencia, Spain, was assessed. A group of 320 composite samples of different fatty foods was collected and analyzed, including the following: vegetable oils, and foods of animal origin such as (a) !sh and seafood, (b) eggs, (c) milk and dairy products, and (d) meat and meat products. Two scenarios were assumed for left-censored results: lower-bound (LB) and upper-bound (UB). Vegetable oils, and !sh and seafood presented the highest content of PBDEs [mean values of 503 and 464 pg g'1 wet weight (ww) for total PBDEs, respectively, in the UB]. The dominating congeners were BDE47 in the food categories of !sh and seafood, meat and meat products, and vegetable oils, and BDE99 in the categories of eggs, and milk and dairy products. The dietary exposure to PBDEs through consumption of the studied foods by the pop- ulation in the Region of Valencia was estimated for adults (>15 years of age) and young people (6e15 years of age). Average intake levels (UB scenario) were 1.443 and 3.456 ng kg bw'1 day'1 for adults and young people, respectively. In a risk-assessment context, the margin of exposure (MOE) for congener BDE47, -99, '153, and '209 (ranged: 30-3E6) indicate that the current dietary exposure to these sub- stances does not pose a risk to human health

Biomonitoring of Phthalates, Bisphenols and Parabens inChildren: Exposure, Predictors and Risk Assessment

Exposure to emerging contaminants, such as phthalates, bisphenols and parabens in children has been associated with possible neurodevelopment and endocrine alterations. In the present study, the biomonitoring of biomarkers in children (5-12 years old) from the Valencia Region (Spain) have been implemented using urines from the BIOVAL program. More than 75% of the children studied (n = 562) were internally exposed (>LOQ) to bisphenols and parabens, and the whole population assessed (n = 557) were exposed to at least one phthalate. The geometric means (GM) of the concentrations of bisphenol A, methyl paraben and propyl paraben were 0.9, 1.4 and 0.39 ng/mL, respectively. Regarding phthalates, monoethyl phthalate GM was 55.0 ng/mL and diethyl hexylphthalate (as the sum of five metabolites) GM was 60.6 ng/mL. Despite the studied population being widely exposed, the detection frequencies and concentrations were in general lower than in previous studies involving children in Spain and in other countries in recent years. Furthermore, the risk assessment study concluded that the internal exposure to phthalates, bisphenols and parabens is lower than the guidance values established, and, therefore, a health risk derived from the exposure to these compounds in the studied population is not expected

Biomonitoring of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) in human milk: Exposure and risk assessment for lactating mothers and breastfed children from Spain

The main objective of the present research was to evaluate the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) in the human milk of Spanish lactating women who participated in the BETTERMILK project so that exposure and risk could be assessed for these mothers and their breastfed children. The total 'PCDD/Fs + dl-PCBs TEQ2005 concentrations in the upper-bound (UB) ranged from 1.29 to 13.48 pg\TEQ2005 g!1 lipid. The estimated geomet- ric mean level for the sum of PCDD/F and dl-PCBs was 4.10 and 4.42 pg\TEQ2005 g!1 lipid, lower-bound (LB) and UB respectively and were below the reference level reported by EFSA, which is associated with adverse effects in boys of 9 years and related to lactating mothers' exposure values of the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of around 2 pg\TEQ2005 kg!1 bw per week. Nevertheless, it was exceeded when the 95th percentile (8.31 pg\TEQ2005 g!1 lipid, as UB) was considered. Results from a multiple regression analysis showed that age has a signi!cant impact on milk 'PCDD/Fs + dl-PCBs levels, with higher concentrations observed in the milk from older mothers

Biomonitoring of non-persistent pesticides in urine from lactating mothers: Exposure and risk assessment

The aim of the present study was to assess the exposure to pesticides in urine from Spanish lactating mothers (n = 116). Six nonspecific (dialkyl phosphates) and 20 specific metabolites of organophosphate pesticides (OPs), herbicides and pyrethroids were analyzed. The most frequently detected biomarkers were diethyl phosphate, p-nitrophenol, 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol and 3-phenoxybenzoic acid, whose geometric means were 1.9 ng·mL-1, 0.8 ng·mL-1, 1.5 ng·mL-1 and 1.4 ng·mL-1, respectively. Herbicide metabolites were the least frequently detected biomarkers with detection frequencies between 0% (2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic acid) and 22% (2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid). Multiple regression analyses showed that the closeness to a farming activity, the place of residence and the presence of garden/plants at home were some of the most important contributors to urinary levels of pesticide metabolites. Estimated daily intake (EDI), hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) were obtained in order to interpret urinary levels of the most frequently detected pesticide metabolites in a risk assessment context. The highest EDIs were obtained for chlorpyrifos (0.40-1.14 μg·kg bw-1·day-1) and deltamethrin (0.34-4.73 μg·kg bw-1·day-1). The calculated HQ for chlorpyrifos, dimethoate, parathion and deltamethrin ranged from 0.01 to 0.47, and HI for OPs ranged from 0.09 to 0.33 showing that apparently there were low health risks due to the exposure to these pesticides in this group of Spanish breastfeeding women

Biomonitoring of Phthalates, Bisphenols and Parabens in Children: Exposure, Predictors and Risk Assessment

Exposure to emerging contaminants, such as phthalates, bisphenols and parabens in children has been associated with possible neurodevelopment and endocrine alterations. In the present study, the biomonitoring of biomarkers in children (5–12 years old) from the Valencia Region (Spain) have been implemented using urines from the BIOVAL program. More than 75% of the children studied (n = 562) were internally exposed (>LOQ) to bisphenols and parabens, and the whole population assessed (n = 557) were exposed to at least one phthalate. The geometric means (GM) of the concentrations of bisphenol A, methyl paraben and propyl paraben were 0.9, 1.4 and 0.39 ng/mL, respectively. Regarding phthalates, monoethyl phthalate GM was 55.0 ng/mL and diethyl hexyl phthalate (as the sum of five metabolites) GM was 60.6 ng/mL. Despite the studied population being widely exposed, the detection frequencies and concentrations were in general lower than in previous studies involving children in Spain and in other countries in recent years. Furthermore, the risk assessment study concluded that the internal exposure to phthalates, bisphenols and parabens is lower than the guidance values established, and, therefore, a health risk derived from the exposure to these compounds in the studied population is not expected

Geographical variability in mortality in urban areas : A joint analysis of 16 causes of death

Altres ajuts: Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER).The geographical distribution of mortality has frequently been studied. Nevertheless, those studies often consider isolated causes of death. In this work, we aim to study the geographical distribution of mortality in urban areas, in particular, in 26 Spanish cities. We perform an overall study of 16 causes of death, considering that their geographical patterns could be dependent and estimating the dependence between the causes of death. We study the deaths in these 26 cities during the period 1996-2015 at the census tract level. A multivariate disease mapping model is used in order to solve the potential small area estimation problems that these data could show. We find that most of the geographical patterns found show positive correlations. This suggests the existence of a transversal geographical pattern, common to most causes of deaths, which determines those patterns to a higher/lower extent depending on each disease. The causes of death that exhibit that un-derlying pattern in a more prominent manner are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and cirrhosis for men and cardiovascular diseases and dementias for women. Such findings are quite consistent for most of the cities in the study. The high positive correlation found between geographical patterns reflects the existence of both high and low-risk areas in urban set-tings, in general terms for nearly all the causes of death. Moreover, the high-risk areas found often coincide with neighborhoods known for their high deprivation. Our results suggest that dependence among causes of death is a key aspect to be taken into account when mapping mortality, at least in urban contexts