Are Chinese consumers at risk due to exposure to metals in crayfish? A bioaccessibility-adjusted probabilistic risk assessment

Freshwater crayfish, the world's third largest crustacean species, has been reported to accumulate high levels of metals, while the current knowledge of potential risk associated with crayfish consumption lags behind that of finfish. We provide the first estimate of human health risk associated with crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) consumption in China, the world's largest producer and consumer of crayfish. We performed Monte Carlo Simulation on a standard risk model parameterized with local data on metal concentrations, bioaccessibility (phi), crayfish consumption rate, and consumer body mass. Bioaccessibility of metals in crayfish was found to be variable (68-95%) and metal-specific, suggesting a potential influence of metal bioaccessibility on effective metal intake. However, sensitivity analysis suggested risk of metals via crayfish consumption was predominantly explained by consumption rate (explaining >92% of total risk estimate variability), rather than metals concentration, bioaccessibility, or body mass. Mean metal concentrations (As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Se and Zn) in surveyed crayfish samples from 12 provinces in China conformed to national safety standards. However, risk calculation of phi-modified hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) suggested that crayfish metals may pose a health risk for very high rate consumers, with a HI of over 24 for the highest rate consumers. Additionally, the phi-modified increased lifetime risk (ILTR) for carcinogenic effects due to the presence of As was above the acceptable level (10(-5)) for both the median (ILTR = 2.5 x 10(-5)) and 90th percentile (ILTR = 1.8 x 10(-4)), highlighting the relatively high risk of As in crayfish. Our results suggest a need to consider crayfish when assessing human dietary exposure to metals and associated health risks, especially for high crayfish-consuming populations, such as in China, USA and Sweden.HZ by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41273087). LN was supported by European Union Marie Curie Actions, Grant FP People 2010 “IRSES Electroacross” and BG by the SAGE-IGERT Fellowship (US National Science Foundation)

Insight versus Effort. Communicating the Creative Process Leading to New Products

Studies of the creative process identify two relevant sources of new ideas and products: Insight, a sudden, dreamlike, illuminating experience; and effort, deliberate, structured, hard work. With the aim of investigating the communication of the creative process,this research proposes that consumers hold associations between insight and arts, and between effort and sciences. These lay theories induce differential evaluations of new products: consumersevaluate more favorably artistic and scientific products presented as the outcome of insight or effort, respectively. The strength of the proposed effects, however,depends on the level of consumer expertise in the relevant product domain. We maintain that,as audience expertise increases, lay theories become less relevant and the effects of creative process narratives are attenuated. Five studies support the proposed conceptual framework and showthatnarratives of thecreative process influence the evaluations of new products, depending on the product domain and on consumer expertise

Youth and Risky Consumption: Moving Toward a Transformative Approach

Recent statistics indicate that youth continue to engage in a wide variety of risky behaviours in spite of significant investment devoted to improving their well-being. One possible factor is a paternalistic view in understanding risk and promoting well-being. Participants in the Youth and Risk track of the Transformative Consumer Research conference challenge the paternalistic view, arguing in this paper for a more inclusive perspective that requires a re-examination of the nature of risk. The paternalistic view is discussed, and then countered with a more participatory approach that develops a role for youth in research in order to achieve socially desirable outcomes

Advancing a participatory approach for youth risk behavior:foundations, distinctions, and research

Researchers of youth risk behavior frequently assume that behavior is volitional; the choice is to either engage in a risky behavior or a safe alternative. Yet, many factors may constrain life choices, not the least of which is how individuals view risk. The study here examines youth risk research to identify general knowledge gaps and shortcomings that may be limiting the positive impact of research-based efforts to promote youth well-being. The study proposes alternative approaches that address these gaps and shortcomings in particular with recognition of the social contexts of both risks and the programs designed to address those risks. A distinctive foundation for a participatory approach to understanding youth risk behavior is then developed