Potential health risk of endocrine disruptors in construction sector and plastics industry: a new paradigm in occupational health

Endocrine disruptors (EDs) belong to large and diverse groups of agents that may cause multiple biological effects associated with, for example, hormone imbalance and infertility, chronic diseases such as diabetes, genome damage and cancer. The health risks related with the exposure to EDs are typically underestimated, less well characterized, and not regulated to the same extent as, for example, carcinogens. The increased production and utilization of identified or suspected EDs in many different technological processes raises new challenges with respect to occupational exposure settings and associated health risks. Due to the specific profile of health risk, occupational exposure to EDs demands a new paradigm in health risk assessment, redefinition of exposure assessment, new effects biomarkers for occupational health surveillance and definition of limit values. The construction and plastics industries are among the strongest economic sectors, employing millions of workers globally. They also use large quantities of chemicals that are known or suspected EDs. Focusing on these two industries, this short communication discusses: (a) why occupational exposure to EDs needs a more specific approach to occupational health risk assessments, (b) identifies the current knowledge gaps, and (c) identifies and gives a rationale for a future occupational health paradigm, which will include ED biomarkers as a relevant parameter in occupational health risk assessment, surveillance and exposure preventioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Geochemical transect through a travertine mount: A detailed record of CO 2 -enriched fluid leakage from Late Pleistocene to present-day – Little Grand Wash fault (Utah, USA)

International audienceActive and fossil endogenic travertine mounts scattered along the Little Grand Wash fault are studied asrecords of Quaternary CO2-enriched fluid leakage. This study focusses on a particular area where a fossilmount formed in a near-surface setting by successive circulation/sealing episodes from Late Pleistoceneto Mid-Holocene and where a modern surface travertine is still being formed by a CO2-enriched fluidsource. The fossil mount is composed of horizontal and vertical veins whereby the vertical veins recordednumerous cycles of circulation/sealing/dissolution events and were used as conduits for the CO2-enriched fluid circulation from the depth to the surface or along sub-horizontal fractures where successiveprecipitation events are recorded. The modern travertine is being built at the surface by successiveeruption of Crystal Geyser, an anthropic geyser active since the 1930's.d13C and d18O signatures and U/Th datings, ranging from 11.5 ky till present-day allows calibrating indetail the CO2 enriched fluid leakage along a single fault segment and in a post glacial context, as lastglaciations in the study area took place 15 ky ago. The dataset shows a high decrease of the oxygen stableisotope values till about 6 ky, then the variations reflect a constant range until present-day. This tends torestrain the period of local increase of the meteoric water input in the aquifer that is sourcing the CO2-enriched water.The fossil travertine represents a 7 ky-long record of CO2 leakage above a natural reservoir, from LatePleistocene to Mid-Holocene. The flux of CO2 leakage through time and the total escaping volume havebeen computed and appears to be low in comparison with an anthropogenic leak provoked, for instance,by a non-sealed well

Plan santé au travail 2016-2020 : mieux connaître la polyexposition

International audienceThroughout their professional careers, workers can potentially be exposed to multiple health risk factors simultaneously. As part of the French 2016-2020 National Occupational Health Plan, specific initiatives aimed to improve consideration of multiple exposures and how to avoid them, a major challenge in the field of occupational health, safety, and prevention. To this end, an initial review listed the measures taken to address the question of multiple exposures at institutional level in France and in other countries in Europe and North America. A subsequent analysis phase, based on the exploitation of the 2017 Sumer survey results (Medical surveillance of employees’ exposure to occupational risks), identified a range of homogeneous profiles of workers with multiple exposures into which almost all French employees fall.Tout au long de leur carrière professionnelle, les travailleurs sont susceptibles d’être exposés simultanément à de multiples facteurs de risque sanitaires. Dans le cadre du Plan santé au travail (PST) 2016-2020, une action spécifique visait l’amélioration de la prise en compte de la polyexposition, un défi majeur pour l’ensemble des acteurs de la sécurité sanitaire et de la prévention. À ce titre, un premier état des lieux a recensé les principales actions conduites sur la question de la polyexposition au niveau institutionnel en France et dans d’autres pays en Europe et en Amérique du Nord. Une seconde phase d’analyse, fondée sur l’exploitation des résultats de l’enquête Sumer 2016-2017 (Surveillance médicale des expositions des salariés aux risques professionnels), a permis l’identification de profils homogènes de travailleurs polyexposés. Ces profils objectivent des situations de polyexpositions qui concernent la quasi-totalité des salariés français

Evolution of fault permeability during episodic fluid circulation : evidence for the effects of fluid–rock interactions from travertine studies (Utah–USA).

International audienceFaults are known to be important pathways for fluid circulation within the crust. The transfer properties along faults can evolve over time and space. The Little Grand Wash and Salt Wash normal faults, located on the Colorado Plateau, are well known examples of natural CO2 leakage systems from depth to surface. Previous studies dated and established a chronology of CO2-enriched fluid source migration along the fault traces and linked the aragonite veins observed close to Crystal Geyser to CO2-pulses. However, multiple circulation events recorded along a given fault segment deserve to be studied in minute detail in order to unravel the chronology of these events, precipitation processes and associated mechanisms. A combination of structural geology, petrography, U/Th dating, oxygen and carbon isotope analysis were used to study the fault related CO2-enriched paleo-circulations in order to build a conceptual model of CO2-circulation along the faults. This study resulted in the precise descriptions of the features attesting CO2-enriched fluid circulation by a characterization of their relationship and architecture at the outcrop scale. These features are witnesses of a large range of circulation/sealing mechanisms, as well as changes in fluid chemistry and thermodynamic state of the system, providing evidence for (i) the evolution of the fluid through a pathway from depth to the surface and (ii) different cycles of fault opening and sealing. Large circulation events linked with fault opening/sealing are observed and calibrated in nature with millennial circulation and sealing time-lapses. Numerical modelling indicates that such sealing timescale can be explained by the introduction of a fault sealing factor that allows modifying permeability with time and that is calibrated by the natural observations

Evolution of fault permeability during episodic fluid circulation: Evidence for the effects of fluid-rock interactions from travertine studies (Utah-USA)

© 2015 Elsevier B.V.. Faults are known to be important pathways for fluid circulation within the crust. The transfer properties along faults can evolve over time and space. The Little Grand Wash and Salt Wash normal faults, located on the Colorado Plateau, are well known examples of natural CO2 leakage systems from depth to surface. Previous studies dated and established a chronology of CO2-enriched fluid source migration along the fault traces and linked the aragonite veins observed close to Crystal Geyser to CO2-pulses. However, multiple circulation events recorded along a given fault segment deserve to be studied in minute detail in order to unravel the chronology of these events, precipitation processes and associated mechanisms. A combination of structural geology, petrography, U/Th dating, oxygen and carbon isotope analysis were used to study the fault related CO2-enriched paleo-circulations in order to build a conceptual model of CO2-circulation along the faults. This study resulted in the precise descriptions of the features attesting CO2-enriched fluid circulation by a characterization of their relationship and architecture at the outcrop scale. These features are witnesses of a large range of circulation/sealing mechanisms, as well as changes in fluid chemistry and thermodynamic state of the system, providing evidence for (i) the evolution of the fluid through a pathway from depth to the surface and (ii) different cycles of fault opening and sealing. Large circulation events linked with fault opening/sealing are observed and calibrated in nature with millennial circulation and sealing time-lapses. Numerical modelling indicates that such sealing timescale can be explained by the introduction of a fault sealing factor that allows modifying permeability with time and that is calibrated by the natural observations.status: publishe

Biomonitoring of occupational exposure to bisphenol A, bisphenol S and bisphenol F: a systematic review

Project HBM4EU (Horizon 2020 no. 733032)Bisphenol A (BPA) and its substitutes bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF) are endocrine disrupting chemicals widely used in the production of polycarbonate plastics, epoxy resins and thermal papers. The aim of the review was to identify occupational studies using human biomonitoring (HBM) as a tool for bisphenol exposure assessment and to characterize research gaps on the topic as part of the HBM4EU project. Hence, a systematic literature search using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology was conducted for articles published between 2000 and 27th March 2020 across three databases (PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science). Thirty studies on the occupational HBM of BPA met the inclusion criteria. Regarding BPS and BPF, only 4 and 2 publications were retrieved, respectively. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of the studies selected for BPA were conducted in Asia whereas half of BPS and BPF studies were undertaken in Europe. Studies on BPA in plastic and epoxy resin sectors were infrequent in Europe while Asian data showed higher exposure when the substance is employed as raw material. The main data on BPS were among cashiers while BPF data were available from incinerator workers. Several research gaps have been identified: (i) shortage of HBM studies on occupational exposure, especially to BPS and BPF; (ii) different methodological designs making suitable comparisons between studies difficult; and (iii) only few studies conducted on the industrial applications of bisphenols outside Asia. This review highlights the lack of recent occupational HBM studies on bisphenols and the need for a harmonized approach to acquire reliable data. Considering the increasing replacement of BPA by BPS and BPF, it is of relevance to evaluate the exposure to these substances and the impact of the available risk management measures on workers exposure and possible health risk.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio