Inferring Past Pesticide Exposures: A Matrix of Individual Active Ingredients in Home and Garden Pesticides Used in Past Decades

BACKGROUND: In retrospective studies of the health effects of home and garden pesticides, self-reported information typically forms the basis for exposure assessment. Study participants generally find it easier to remember the types of pests treated than the specific pesticides used. However, if the goal of the study is to assess disease risk from specific chemicals, the investigator must be able to link the pest type treated with specific chemicals or products. OBJECTIVES: Our goal was to develop a “pesticide–exposure matrix” that would list active ingredients on the market for treating different types of pests in past years, and provide an estimate of the probability that each active ingredient was used. METHODS: We used several different methods for deriving the active ingredient lists and estimating the probabilities. These methods are described in this article, along with a sample calculation and data sources for each. RESULTS: The pesticide–exposure matrix lists active ingredients and their probabilities of use for 96 distinct scenarios defined by year (1976, 1980, 1990, 2000), applicator type (consumer, professional), and pest type (12 categories). Calculations and data sources for all 96 scenarios are provided online. CONCLUSIONS: Although we are confident that the active ingredient lists are reasonably accurate for most scenarios, we acknowledge possible sources of error in the probability estimates. Despite these limitations, the pesticide–exposure matrix should provide valuable information to researchers interested in the chronic health effects of residential pesticide exposure

Risk of renal cell carcinoma in relation to blood telomere length in a population-based case–control study

Background: There are few known risk factors for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Two small hospital-based case–control studies suggested an association between short blood telomere length (TL) and increased RCC risk. Methods: We conducted a large population-based case–control study in two metropolitan regions of the United States comparing relative TL in DNA derived from peripheral blood samples from 891 RCC cases and 894 controls. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using unconditional logistic regression in both unadjusted and adjusted models. Results: Median TL was 0.85 for both cases and controls (P=0.40), and no differences in RCC risk by quartiles of TL were observed. Results of analyses stratified by age, sex, race, tumour stage, and time from RCC diagnosis to blood collection were similarly null. In multivariate analyses among controls, increasing age and history of hypertension were associated with shorter TL (P<0.001 and P=0.07, respectively), and African Americans had longer TL than Caucasians (P<0.001). Conclusion: These data do not support the hypothesis that blood TL is associated with RCC. This population-based case–control study is, to our knowledge, the largest investigation to date of TL and RCC

Design management: changing roles of the professions

This paper sets out to explore how recent changes in procurement in construction have affected the roles that professions play in the design process. It discusses how professions that traditionally took the role of design manager now find themselves participating within previously unforeseen contexts, working in multidisciplinary teams led by contractors and with changed responsibilities at the design stage. Supply chain members who were not previously involved during the early project phases are being engaged at the earliest phases of the project life cycle and even taking leadership roles while designers sometimes work as supply chain partners. A study of design in construction and other sectors shows that in dealing with design management issues it is critical to deepen appreciation for the unique characteristics of design and the design process. The paper argues that contractors and designers taking on design management roles in a dynamic industry seeking to explore best practice and innovative approaches to procurement and in the delivery of projects need to acquire new skills, management education and develop the necessary qualities

A Case-Control Study of Peripheral Blood Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number and Risk of Renal Cell Carcinoma

Background: Low mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number is a common feature of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), and may influence tumor development. Results: from a recent case-control study suggest that low mtDNA copy number in peripheral blood may be a marker for increased RCC risk. In an attempt to replicate that finding, we measured mtDNA copy number in peripheral blood DNA from a U.S. population-based case-control study of RCC. Methodology/Principal Findings: Relative mtDNA copy number was measured in triplicate by a quantitative real-time PCR assay using DNA extracted from peripheral whole blood. Cases (n = 603) had significantly lower mtDNA copy number than controls (n = 603; medians 0.85, 0.91 respectively; P = 0.0001). In multiple logistic regression analyses, the lowest quartile of mtDNA copy number was associated with a 60% increase in RCC risk relative to the highest quartile (OR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.1–2.2; Ptrend = 0.009). This association remained in analyses restricted to cases treated by surgery alone (OR Q1 = 1.4, 95% CI = 1.0–2.1) and to localized tumors (2.0, 1.3–2.8). Conclusions/Significance: Our findings from this investigation, to our knowledge the largest of its kind, offer important confirmatory evidence that low mtDNA copy number is associated with increased RCC risk. Additional research is needed to assess whether the association is replicable in prospective studies

Condition Indices as Surrogates of Energy Density and Lipid Content in Juveniles of Three Fish Species

To guide the selection of condition indices for juvenile fishes, we compared the ability of several indirect condition indices (those based on length-mass relationships, the hepatosomatic index, and relative lipid estimates from the Distell fish fatmeter) to assess energy density and lipid content of Summer Flounder Paralichthys dentatus, Striped BassMorone saxatilis, and Atlantic Croakers Micropogonias undulatus. These species use estuarine areas as nurseries, but they have different life history strategies and ecological niches that affect their energy storage strategies. We tested hypotheses that differences in the distribution and role of lipids as energy stores among species would influence the suitability of condition indices for estimating energy and lipid content. Length-based indices were most suitable for estimating energy and lipid content of juvenile Summer Flounder and Striped Bass, suggesting that length-based indices may be appropriate for juveniles that store energy as proteins (i.e., juveniles with low lipid content). The fatmeter suitably predicted energy and lipid content of Atlantic Croakers, indicating its potential for assessing condition of juveniles that store lipids for migration and that display a high range of observed lipid content. Even though a small size range was examined, fish length improved predictions of energy and lipid content for some of the indirect condition indices for Atlantic Croakers and Summer Flounder, suggesting that fish length should be considered when developing relationships among measures of condition. The selection of condition indices should be tailored to the life stage and species of interest based on the energy and lipid storage strategies used by the fish

Childhood Brain Tumours: Associations With Parental Occupational Exposure to Solvents

Background: Parental occupational exposures have been associated with childhood brain tumours (CBT), but results are inconsistent. Few studies have studied CBT risk and parental solvent exposure, suggesting a possible association. We examined the association between CBT and parental occupational exposure to solvents in a case–control study.Methods: Parents of 306 cases and 950 controls completed detailed occupational histories. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for both maternal and paternal exposure to benzene, other aromatics, aliphatics and chlorinated solvents in key time periods relative to the birth of their child. Adjustments were made for matching variables (child’s age, sex and state of residence), best parental education and occupational exposure to diesel exhaust.Results: An increased risk of CBT was observed with maternal occupational exposures to chlorinated solvents (OR=8.59, 95% CI 0.94–78.9) any time before birth. Paternal exposure to solvents in the year before conception was associated with an increased CBT risk: OR=1.55 (95% CI 0.99–2.43). This increased risk appeared to be mainly attributable to exposure to aromatic solvents: OR=2.72 (95% CI 0.94–7.86) for benzene and OR=1.76 (95% CI 1.10–2.82) for other aromatics.Conclusions: Our results indicate that parental occupational exposures to solvents may be related to an increased risk of CBT

Defining Ecological Drought for the Twenty-First Century

THE RISING RISK OF DROUGHT. Droughts of the twenty-first century are characterized by hotter temperatures, longer duration, and greater spatial extent, and are increasingly exacerbated by human demands for water. This situation increases the vulnerability of ecosystems to drought, including a rise in drought-driven tree mortality globally (Allen et al. 2015) and anticipated ecosystem transformations from one state to another—for example, forest to a shrubland (Jiang et al. 2013). When a drought drives changes within ecosystems, there can be a ripple effect through human communities that depend on those ecosystems for critical goods and services (Millar and Stephenson 2015). For example, the “Millennium Drought” (2002–10) in Australia caused unanticipated losses to key services provided by hydrological ecosystems in the Murray–Darling basin—including air quality regulation, waste treatment, erosion prevention, and recreation. The costs of these losses exceeded AUD $800 million, as resources were spent to replace these services and adapt to new drought-impacted ecosystems (Banerjee et al. 2013). Despite the high costs to both nature and people, current drought research, management, and policy perspectives often fail to evaluate how drought affects ecosystems and the “natural capital” they provide to human communities. Integrating these human and natural dimensions of drought is an essential step toward addressing the rising risk of drought in the twenty-first century