Hazardous Compounds in Tobacco Smoke

Tobacco smoke is a toxic and carcinogenic mixture of more than 5,000 chemicals. The present article provides a list of 98 hazardous smoke components, based on an extensive literature search for known smoke components and their human health inhalation risks. An electronic database of smoke components containing more than 2,200 entries was generated. Emission levels in mainstream smoke have been found for 542 of the components and a human inhalation risk value for 98 components. As components with potential carcinogenic, cardiovascular and respiratory effects have been included, the three major smoke-related causes of death are all covered by the list. Given that the currently used Hoffmann list of hazardous smoke components is based on data from the 1990s and only includes carcinogens, it is recommended that the current list of 98 hazardous components is used for regulatory purposes instead. To enable risk assessment of components not covered by this list, thresholds of toxicological concern (TTC) have been established from the inhalation risk values found: 0.0018 μg day−1 for all risks, and 1.2 μg day−1 for all risks excluding carcinogenicity, the latter being similar to previously reported inhalation TTCs

Adverse health effects of anabolic-androgenic steroids

Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) are synthetic drugs derived from testosterone. Illegally, these drugs are regularly self-administered by body builders and power lifters to enhance their sportive performance. Adverse side effects of AAS include sexual dysfunction, alterations of the cardiovascular system, psyche and behavior, and liver toxicity. However, severe side effects appear only following prolonged use of AAS at high dose and their occurrence is limited. Occasionally, AAS abuse may be linked to certain social and psychological traits of the user, like low self-esteem, low self-confidence, suffered hostility, childhood conduct disorder, and tendency to high-risk behavior. The overwhelming stereotype about AAS is that these compounds cause aggressive behavior in males. However, the underlying personality traits of a specific subgroup of the AAS abusers, who show aggression and hostility, may be relevant, as well. Use of AAS in combination with alcohol largely increases the risk of violence and aggression. The dependence liability of AAS is very low, and withdrawal effects are relatively mild. Based on the scores for acute and chronic adverse health effects, the prevalence of use, social harm and criminality, AAS were ranked among 19 illicit drugs as a group of drugs with a relatively low harm

Harm potential of magic mushroom use: A review

In 2007, the Minister of Health of the Netherlands requested the CAM (Coordination point Assessment and Monitoring new drugs) to assess the overall risk of magic mushrooms. The present paper is an updated redraft of the review, written to support the assessment by CAM experts. It summarizes the literature on physical or psychological dependence, acute and chronic toxicity, risk for public health and criminal aspects related to the consumption of magic mushrooms. In the Netherlands, the prevalence of magic mushroom use was declining since 2000 (last year prevalence of 6.3% in 2000 to 2.9% in 2005), and further declined after possession and use became illegal in December 2008. The CAM concluded that the physical and psychological dependence potential of magic mushrooms was low, that acute toxicity was moderate, chronic toxicity low and public health and criminal aspects negligible. The combined use of mushrooms and alcohol and the quality of the setting in which magic mushrooms are used deserve, however, attention. In conclusion, the use of magic mushrooms is relatively safe as only few and relatively mild adverse effects have been reported. The low prevalent but unpredictable provocation of panic attacks and flash-backs remain, however, a point of concern. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserve

Ranking the Harm of Alcohol, Tobacco and Illicit Drugs for the Individual and the Population

Drug policy makers continuously face a changing pattern of drug use, i.e. new drugs appear on the market, the popularity of certain drugs changes or drugs are used in another way or another combination. For legislative purposes, drugs have mostly been classified according to their addictive potency. Such classifications, however, lack a scientific basis. The present study describes the results of a risk assessment study where 19 recreational drugs (17 illicit drugs plus alcohol and tobacco) used in the Netherlands have been ranked by a Dutch expert panel according to their harm based on the scientific state of the art. The study applies a similar approach as recently applied by Nutt et al. [Lancet 2007; 369: 1047-1053], so that the results of both studies could be compared. The harm indicators scored are acute and chronic toxicity, addictive potency and social harm. The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the legal classification of drugs in the Netherlands corresponds with the ranking of the drugs according to their science-based ranking of harm. Based on the results, recommendations are formulated about the legal classification of recreational drugs at national and international level which serves a rational approach for drug control. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Base

Bioaccumulation of organic micropollutants in different aquatic organisms. Sublethal toxic effects on fish

Bioaccumulation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was investigated in plankton, crustaceans, and fish from two relatively small Amsterdam lakes, with different levels of contamination. Ratios between contaminant concentrations in organisms and sediments ranged from 0.1 to 41.7. The accumulation of pollutants could not be explained as a simple partitioning between sediment, water, and organisms. Probably, both biomagnification (PCBs and OCPs) and biotransformation (PAHs) affect the bioaccumulation in aquatic organisms. These effects were more pronounced in organisms of the higher trophic levels of the aquatic food-chain. Mixed function oxygenase (MFO) activity of liver microsomal fractions was determined in three fish species (roach, ccl, and pike) and compared with those of similar fish taken from a less contaminated lake that served as a reference. Despite the low level of contaminants present in the two lakes, an induction of both cytochrome P-450 and ethoxy-resorufin-O-deothylase (EROD) activity was observed in all three fish species involved. Pentoxyresoufin-O-depentylase (PROD) activity was induced in pike and eel only. Both the 3-methylcholan-threne-type inducible isozymes (P-450IA) and the phenobarbital-type inducible isozymes (P-450IIB) seem to be induced in the fish. These findings suggest that MFO enzyme activity in fish liver may be a suitable and sensitive indicator for the presence of trace organics in the aquatic environment. Despite the enzyme induction, no significant liver enlargement was observed in the fish species investigated, which can be interpreted as the absence of some pathological changes