Neurologic Abnormalities in Workers of a 1-Bromopropane Factory

We reported recently that 1-bromopropane (1-BP; n-propylbromide, CAS Registry no. 106-94-5), an alternative to ozone-depleting solvents, is neurotoxic and exhibits reproductive toxicity in rats. The four most recent case reports suggested possible neurotoxicity of 1-BP in workers. The aim of the present study was to establish the neurologic effects of 1-BP in workers and examine the relationship with exposure levels. We surveyed 27 female workers in a 1-BP production factory and compared 23 of them with 23 age-matched workers in a beer factory as controls. The workers were interviewed and examined by neurologic, electrophysiologic, hematologic, biochemical, neurobehavioral, and postural sway tests. 1-BP exposure levels were estimated with passive samplers. Tests with a tuning fork showed diminished vibration sensation of the foot in 15 workers exposed to 1-BP but in none of the controls. 1-BP factory workers showed significantly longer distal latency in the tibial nerve than did the controls but no significant changes in motor nerve conduction velocity. Workers also displayed lower values in sensory nerve conduction velocity in the sural nerve, backward recalled digits, Benton visual memory test scores, pursuit aiming test scores, and five items of the Profile of Mood States (POMS) test (tension, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and confusion) compared with controls matched for age and education. Workers hired after May 1999, who were exposed to 1-BP only (workers hired before 1999 could have also been exposed to 2-BP), showed similar changes in vibration sense, distal latency, Benton test scores, and depression and fatigue in the POMS test. Time-weighted average exposure levels in the workers were 0.34–49.19 ppm. Exposure to 1-BP could adversely affect peripheral nerves or/and the central nervous system

Urinary excretion of 3-phenoxybenzoic acid in middle-aged and elderly general population of Japan

Nagoya University, Department of Medical Technology金沢大学附属病院薬剤部Limited data are available on the background levels of exposure to synthetic pyrethroid (PYR) in Japan, despite their frequent application for agriculture and indoor extermination and possible effects of chronic and/or low-dose PYR exposure on human health. This study was conducted to describe the level and distribution of one of the major PYR metabolites, 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA), in urine samples collected from a general population in Japan. The subjects were 535 individuals (184 men and 351 women; 61.5±9.8 years of age, mean±S.D.) residing in a town in Hokkaido, a dairy and agricultural area. Urinary 3-PBA was found detectable in 98% of samples above the limit of detection of 0.02 μg/l. The geometric mean values of urinary 3-PBA in occupationally exposed farmers (n=87) and the remaining general group without occupational exposure (n=448) were 0.38 and 0.29 μg/l, respectively, ranging from <LOD to 17.09 μg/l. No significant differences in urinary 3-PBA concentrations were shown between these two groups. Moreover, 3-PBA concentrations were found comparable to those reported in some countries. The present study is, to our knowledge, the first report of a biological monitoring study of urinary 3-PBA, which elucidated the background environmental exposure level of PYR in the Japanese general population without occupational exposure. Further nationwide studies covering different seasons and age distribution are needed to monitor the urinary 3-PBA levels in Japan

産後うつとボンディングの関連の経産による変化: 子どもの健康と環境に関する全国調査からの経時的な結果より

富山大学・富医薬博乙77号・土田 暁子・2020/11/25関連論文Tsuchida A, Hamazaki K, Matsumura K, Miura K, Kasamatsu H, Inadera H; Japan Environment and Children\u27s Study (JECS) Group. Changes in the association between postpartum depression and mother-infant bonding by parity: Longitudinal results from the Japan Environment and Children\u27s Study. J Psychiatr Res. 2019 Mar;110:110-116. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.11.022. Epub 2018 Nov 28. PMID: 30616158.富山大

Identification of the sources of organic compounds that decalcify cement concrete and generate alcohols and ammonia gases

In this study, the emission sources of various types of airborne organic matter, which deteriorates cement concrete by penetrating into it together with moisture, were identified using high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatograph mass spectrometer. As a result, it was revealed that the types of organic matter contained in decalcified cement concrete were almost the same as those found in total suspended matter in the air, and that they were primarily being emitted as particles of exhaust from diesel vehicles and radial tires used in summer. Such organic matter includes substances suspected as having endocrine disrupting properties. Hydrolysis occurs when these substances penetrate into a highly alkaline cement concrete, and leads to deterioration of cement concrete and the release of particular kinds of alcohols and ammonia gases, which pollute indoor air and can cause sick building syndrome.Technical Not

Japan Environment and Children’s Study: backgrounds, activities, and future directions in global perspectives

Abstract There is worldwide concern about the effects of environmental factors on children’s health and development. The Miami Declaration was signed at the G8 Environment Ministers Meeting in 1997 to promote children’s environmental health research. The following ministerial meetings continued to emphasize the need to foster children’s research. In response to such a worldwide movement, the Ministry of the Environment, Japan (MOE), launched a nationwide birth cohort study with 100,000 pairs of mothers and children, namely, the Japan Environment and Children’s Study (JECS), in 2010. Other countries have also started or planned large-scale studies focusing on children’s environmental health issues. The MOE initiated dialogue among those countries and groups to discuss and share the various processes, protocols, knowledge, and techniques for future harmonization and data pooling among such studies. The MOE formed the JECS International Liaison Committee in 2011, which plays a primary role in promoting the international collaboration between JECS and the other children’s environmental health research projects and partnership with other countries. This review article aims to present activities that JECS has developed. As one of the committee’s activities, a workshop and four international symposia were held between 2011 and 2015 in Japan. In these conferences, international researchers and government officials, including those from the World Health Organization, have made presentations on their own birth cohort studies and health policies. In 2015, the MOE hosted the International Advisory Board meeting and received constructive comments and recommendations from the board. JECS is a founding member of the Environment and Child Health International Birth Cohort Group, and has discussed harmonization of exposure and outcome measurements with member parties, which will make it possible to compare and further combine data from different studies, considering the diversity in the measurements of variables between the studies. JECS is expected to contribute to the international environmental health research community and policy-making. More international collaboration would enhance our understanding of the possible environmental causes of diseases and disabilities