Nanoparticles in the environment: assessment using the causal diagram approach

Nanoparticles (NPs) cause concern for health and safety as their impact on the environment and humans is not known. Relatively few studies have investigated the toxicological and environmental effects of exposure to naturally occurring NPs (NNPs) and man-made or engineered NPs (ENPs) that are known to have a wide variety of effects once taken up into an organism

Chemical contamination in fish species from rivers in the North of Luxembourg: Potential impact on the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra).

Contamination levels of PCBs, and of the heavy metals cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg) were analyzed in four fish species from seven rivers in the North of Luxembourg. During August and September 2007, 85 samples of fish were collected belonging to four species: the stone loach (Barbatula barbatula, n = 12 pools), the chub (Squalius cephalus, n = 36), the barbel (Barbus barbus, n = 23) and eel (Anguilla anguilla, n = 14). The concentration of seven indicator PCBs (P7PCBs) reached a mean of 39 ng g 1 and varied between 4.0 and 346.2 ng g 1 (wet wt) depending on the site and species. Fish collected at Wal- lendorf on the Our River and sites on the Wiltz and the Clerve rivers showed the highest concentrations for PCBs. In comparison with 1994, PCB levels in fish decreased strongly during the last decade in these rivers. Lead was detected at low levels (0–181.4 ng g 1 wet wt). Mercury concentrations ranged between 10.3 and 534.5ngg 1 (wet wt) exceeding maximum tolerable levels for human consumption of 500 ng g 1 in two fish out of 85. Chubs and eels from the Sûre River were the most contaminated by mer- cury. Cadmium levels varied between 4.0 and 103.9 ng g 1 (wet wt). In addition to mercury in fish, cad- mium was the most problematic pollutant on the Our, the Wiltz, the Clerve and the Troine Rivers, because values found in 20% of fish exceeded the threshold of about 10–50 ng g 1 (wet wt) recommended for human health. The total PCB level predicted to accumulate in livers from otter potentially feeding on these fish based on a previously published mathematical model is 37.7 lg g 1 (lipid wt), which is between a proposed ‘‘safe level” and a ‘‘critical level” for otters. Rivers in the North of Luxembourg are thus to some extent polluted, and the establishment of otter populations could be affected by current levels of contamination.Peer reviewe

The bio-nano-interface in predicting nanoparticle fate and behaviour in living organisms: towards grouping and categorising nanomaterials and ensuring nanosafety by design

In biological media, nanoparticles acquire a coating of biomolecules (proteins, lipids, polysaccharides) from their surroundings, which reduces their surface energy and confers a biological identity to the particles. This adsorbed layer is the interface between the nanomaterial and living systems and therefore plays a significant role in determining the fate and behaviour of the nanoparticles. This review summarises the state of the art in terms of understanding the bio-nano interface and provides direction for potential future research and recommendations for future priorities and strategies to support the safe implementation of nanotechnologies. The central premise is that nanomaterials must be studied as biological entities under the appropriate exposure conditions and that this should be implemented in study design and reporting for nanosafety assessment. The implications of the bio-nano interface for nanomaterials fate and behaviour are described in light of four interlinked perspectives: the Coating concept; the Translocation concept; the Signalling concept, and the Kinetics concept. A key conclusion is that nanoparticles cannot be viewed as non-interacting species, but rather must be thought of, and studied as, biological entities, where their interaction with the environment is mediated by the proteins and other biomolecules that adsorb to them, and the key parameter to characterise then becomes the nature, composition and evolution of the bio-nano interfac

Downscaling of a Three-Dimensional Alveolar In Vitro Model for High-Throughput Screening of Inhalable Respiratory Sensitizers in the Food Industry

Allergic diseases represent an increasing global health problem, among which food and respiratory allergies play an important part. Inhalation of sensitizers from food sources primes the immune system for an exacerbated response upon subsequent exposure via the ingestion route. With the increasing emergence of novel food additives and proteins and growing morbidity in both food and respiratory allergies, the hazard assessment of the allergenicity of food components is of paramount importance. A three-dimensional (3D) alveolar in vitro model for respiratory sensitization prediction was downscaled from the 6- to the 24-well plate insert format, to meet the industry’s high-throughput (HTS) screening requirements. The resemblance of the cellular architecture of the downscaled model to the alveolar region of the lung was evaluated through microscopy techniques and the functionality of the in vitro model was assessed following air-liquid interface (ALI) exposure to ammonium persulfate (APS). The model represents a promising in vitro tool to screen for the respiratory sensitization potential of food components in a fast and reliable approach

Policy relevant results from an expert elicitation on the health risks of phthalates

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The EU 6th Framework Program (FP)-funded Health and Environment Network (HENVINET) aimed to support informed policy making by facilitating the availability of relevant knowledge on different environmental health issues. An approach was developed by which scientific agreement, disagreement, and knowledge gaps could be efficiently identified, and expert advice prepared in a way that is usable for policy makers. There were two aims of the project: 1) to apply the tool to a relevant issue; the potential health impacts of the widely used plasticizers, phthalates, and 2) to evaluate the method and the tool by asking both scientific experts and the target audience, namely policy makers and stakeholders, for their opinions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The tool consisted of an expert consultation in several steps on the issue of phthalates in environmental health. A diagram depicting the cause-effect chain, from the production and use of phthalates to potential health impacts, was prepared based on existing reviews. This was used as a basis for an online questionnaire, through which experts in the field were consulted. The results of this first round of consultation laid the foundation for a new questionnaire answered by an expert panel that, subsequently, also discussed approaches and results in a workshop. One major task of the expert panel was to pinpoint priorities from the cause-effect chain according to their impact on the extent of potential health risks and their relevance for reducing uncertainty. The results were condensed into a policy brief that was sent to policy makers and stakeholders for their evaluation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The experts agreed about the substantial knowledge gaps within the field of phthalates. The top three priorities for further research and policy action were: 1) intrauterine exposure, 2) reproductive toxicology, and 3) exposure from medical devices. Although not all relevant information from the cause-effect chain is known for phthalates, most experts thought that there are enough indications to justify a precautionary approach and to restrict their general use. Although some of the experts expressed some scepticism about such a tool, most felt that important issues were highlighted.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The approach used was an efficient way at summarising priority knowledge gaps as a starting point for health risk assessment of compounds, based on their relevance for the risk assessment outcome. We conclude that this approach is useful for supporting policy makers with state-of-the-art scientific knowledge weighed by experts. The method can assist future evidence-based policy making.</p

Policy relevant Results from an Expert Elicitation on the Human Health Risks of Decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) and Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD)

Aim: Apply a recently developed expert elicitation procedure to evaluate the state of the current knowledge of the two brominated flame retardants (BFRs) most commonly used today; decabromo-diphenyl ether (decaBDE) and hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and their potential impact on human health in order to support policy considerations. This expert elicitation was organized by the HENVINET (Health and Environment Network) Consortium. Method: The HENVINET expert elicitation procedure that was used in the evaluations of decaBDE and HBCD is a rapid assessment tool aimed at highlighting areas of agreement and areas of disagreement on knowledge-related key issues for environment and health policy decision making. Results: The outcome of the expert consultation on BFRs was concrete expert advice for policy makers with specific priorities for further action made clear for both stakeholders and policy makers. The experts were not in agreement whether or not the knowledge currently available on decaBDE or HBCD is sufficient to justify policy actions, but most experts considered that enough data already exists to support a ban or restriction on the use of these compounds. All experts agreed on the necessity of more research on the compounds. Priority issues for further research were, among others: more studies on the extent of human exposure to the compounds. more studies on the fate and concentration in the human body of the compounds

Appropriateness to set a group health based guidance value for T2 and HT2 toxin and its modified forms

Acknowledgements: The Panel wishes to thank the members of the Working Group on HBGV for mycotoxins and their modified forms: Jan Alexander, Chiara Dall'Asta, Arno Gutleb, Manfred Metzler, Isabelle Oswald and Dominique Parent-Massin for the preparatory work on this scientific opinion, and the EFSA staff members: Marco Binaglia and Hans Steinkellner for the support provided to this scientific opinion.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Appropriateness to set a group health based guidance value for nivalenol and its modified forms

The Panel wishes to thank the members of the Working Group on HBGV for mycotoxins and their modified forms: Jan Alexander, Chiara Dall'Asta, Arno Gutleb, Manfred Metzler, Isabelle P Oswald and Dominique Parent‐Massin for the preparatory work on this scientific output, and the EFSA staff members: Marco Binaglia and Hans Steinkellner for the support provided to this scientific output. Adopted: 15 March 2017Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Improving quality in nanoparticle-induced cytotoxicity testing by a tiered inter-laboratory comparison study

The quality and relevance of nanosafety studies constitute major challenges to ensure their key role as a supporting tool in sustainable innovation, and subsequent competitive economic advantage. However, the number of apparently contradictory and inconclusive research results has increased in the past few years, indicating the need to introduce harmonized protocols and good practices in the nanosafety research community. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate if best-practice training and inter-laboratory comparison (ILC) of performance of the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay for the cytotoxicity assessment of nanomaterials among 15 European laboratories can improve quality in nanosafety testing. We used two well-described model nanoparticles, 40-nm carboxylated polystyrene (PS-COOH) and 50-nm amino-modified polystyrene (PS-NH2). We followed a tiered approach using well-developed standard operating procedures (SOPs) and sharing the same cells, serum and nanoparticles. We started with determination of the cell growth rate (tier 1), followed by a method transfer phase, in which all laboratories performed the first ILC on the MTS assay (tier 2). Based on the outcome of tier 2 and a survey of laboratory practices, specific training was organized, and the MTS assay SOP was refined. This led to largely improved intra- and inter-laboratory reproducibility in tier 3. In addition, we confirmed that PS-COOH and PS-NH2 are suitable negative and positive control nanoparticles, respectively, to evaluate impact of nanomaterials on cell viability using the MTS assay. Overall, we have demonstrated that the tiered process followed here, with the use of SOPs and representative control nanomaterials, is necessary and makes it possible to achieve good inter-laboratory reproducibility, and therefore high-quality nanotoxicological data.Web of Science108art. no. 143