Published by De Gruyter

Volume 8 Issue 1-4

Issue of Reviews on Environmental Health

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Contents
Journal Overview

Publicly Available October 11, 2016

Titelei

Page range: i-iii

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Publicly Available October 11, 2016

Page range: iv-vi

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October 11, 2016

The Caffeine Content of Some Beverages With a Review of Intake from this Source

G. V. James

Page range: 1-2

October 11, 2016

Toxicity of Polyacrylamide and Acrylamide Monome

Diana J. King, Richard R. Noss

Page range: 3-16

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to present information gathered regarding, in general, the physical characteristics, and, in particular, the possible toxic nature of polyacrilamides. A short discussion of the properties and toxicity of the acrylamide monomer is also included. The United States government, specifically the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, already regulates several uses of polyacrylamide; criteria and standards have been established based on numerous toxicological studies of both polyacrylamide and acrylamide. These studies are reviewed and summarized. The regulations generally restrict both the amount of residual acrylamide monomer in the polyacrylamide and the amount of polymer that may be used in the specified application. By imposing this type of restriction, a maximum limit on the amount of acrylamide in contact with food or drinking water can be indirectly achieved.

October 11, 2016

Lead Poisoning by Contaminated Flour

C. Hershko, A. Eisenberg, A. Avni, F. Grauer, C. Acker, M. Hamdallah, S. Shahin, J. Moreb, E. Richter, E. Weissenberg

Page range: 17-24

Abstract

Between October 1982 and June 1983, 43 patients were identified with symptomatic lead poisoning in three Arab villages of the Nablus district. Because of the clustering of clinical poisoning by household units, investigation was focussed on potential sources common to all members of the households. After excluding water, olive oil and a variety of foodstuff, lead in high concentrations was discovered in locally ground flour in all affected households. The source of poisoning was lead poured into the fissures between the metal housing and the driveshaft of the millstone. Significant lead contamination of freshly ground flour was demonstrated in 23% of the 146 community flour mills operating in West Bank villages. Since the completion of these studies, similar outbreaks of lead poisoning caused by contaminated flour mills have been identified in the Upper Galilee and in Spain. As the methods of milling in the Mediterranean area are similar, a coordinated international effort is needed in order to eliminate this health hazard from countries where similar community stone mills are still in use.

October 11, 2016

Reactive Changes in Smokers and Arterial Disease and COPD

Honor M. Anthony

Page range: 25-86

Abstract

The review examines the effects of smoking on blood parameters, concentrating on those seen as responses or reactions to the insult of smoking, and finds evidence that smoking causes chronic leucocytosis, macrocytosis and raised haematocrit, raised plasma fibrinogen concentration, reduction of the serum ratio of high to low density lipoprotein (HDL/LDL ratio), and platelet changes. Each of the changes resolved on “quitting”, though for fibrinogen the evidence was indirect. Reports that elevations of the white cell count (WCC), and plasma fibrinogen and reduction of the HDL/LDL ratio each predict myocardial infarction, and that higher haematocrit increases the risk of cerebro-vascular incidents are reviewed, with reports of associations with other forms of arterial disease and COPD, and of their significance for the prognosis of established disease. After noting pathological mechanisms which implicate each of these factors, and platelets, in reactions likely to contribute to the development of atherosclerosis, infarction, arterial spasm, and/or lung damage, the author concludes that the evidence in man, backed up by experimental data, provides very strong support for the view that elevations of WCC, haematocrit, plasma fibrinogen and reduction of the HDL/LDL ratio represent (or are closely associated with) intermediate causal mechanisms through which smoking induces arterial disease and probably lung disease, and that experimental evidence indicates that platelet changes and macrocytosis also contribute. Differences in the extent of these responses to smoking could be valuable in differentiating the relative harmfulness of different types of cigarette (or of other inhaled pollutants) in terms of these diseases, and in predicting the susceptibility of individuals to these smoking-related diseases.

October 11, 2016

Lead Toxicology and Neurotoxicology

Moma J. McIntosh, Michael R. Moore, Abraham Goldberg

Page range: 87-118

October 11, 2016

Pollutant Toxicity to Aquatic Animals - Methods of Study and Their Applications

P. D. Abel

Page range: 119-156

Abstract

The toxicity of water pollutants to aquatic animals is reviewed, with particular emphasis on methods for measuring lethal toxicity, factors influencing toxicity, the measurement of chronic and sublethal toxicity, and the role of toxicological data in formulating water quality standards. Methods for measuring lethal toxicity are well established and have been applied to a wide range of fish and invertebrate species. Their applications and limitations are discussed. The measurement of sublethal toxicity employs very diverse techniques ranging from biochemical to the use of experimental ecosystems. Profitable techniques are those which possess one or more of the characteristics: sensitivity, specificity, ecological relevance. A large data base now exists on the toxicity of pollutants to aquatic species, singly and in combination, and on the effects of environmental conditions, and interspecific and intraspecific biotic factors. Toxicological data and information from field studies are complementary, and their use in formulating water quality standards for the preservation of aquatic life is discussed.

October 11, 2016

Air Pollution- Effects of Nitrogen Dioxide

Archana Tewari, N.P. Shukla

Page range: 157-164

October 11, 2016

Pharmacological Interaction and Combined Toxicity of Exposure to Environmental Chemicals

Thomothy T. Iyaniwura

Page range: 165-174

Abstract

Environmental chemicals are capable of interaction with each other and with endogenous substances to minimize or augment their individual toxicities. Interaction between chemicals could take place via the absorption, distribution and excretory routes. Induction and inhibition of the hepatic drug metabolising enzymes also play a significant role in chemical activation, detoxification and interactions. Knowledge of the various mechanisms of toxicity of combined exposure to chemical compounds, in the work or natural environment, are invaluable in predicting their human hazards.

About this journal

Objective
Reviews on Environmental Health is an international peer-reviewed journal that aims to fill the need for publication of review articles on hot topics in the field of environmental health. It is intended to be an inspiring forum for scientists, environmentalists, physicians, engineers, and students who are concerned with aspects of human health, including quality of life, that are determined by physiological and psychosociological interactions between humans and physical, chemical, biological, and social factors in the environment.
Reviews on Environmental Health is an important niche not served by any other journal, namely, a place to publish thoughtful reviews on a variety of topics related to both health and the environment. One challenge is to link the research on environmental causes of disease to the clinical practice of medicine. Reviews on Environmental Health is a source of integrated information on environmental health topics that will be of value to the broad scientific community, whether students, junior and senior professionals, or clinicians.

Topics

Environmental toxicology
Neurotoxicology
Immunology
Oncology
Dermatology
Epidemiology
Molecular biology
Pharmacogenetics
Child health
Medicine, occupational health and risk assessment
Water, air, and soil quality control
Methods for biomonitoring and remediation

Article formats
Reviews, Letters to the Editor, Editorials

Volume 8 Issue 1-4

Issue of Reviews on Environmental Health

Titelei

Table of Contents

The Caffeine Content of Some Beverages With a Review of Intake from this Source

Toxicity of Polyacrylamide and Acrylamide Monome

Abstract

Lead Poisoning by Contaminated Flour

Abstract

Reactive Changes in Smokers and Arterial Disease and COPD

Abstract

Lead Toxicology and Neurotoxicology

Pollutant Toxicity to Aquatic Animals - Methods of Study and Their Applications

Abstract

Air Pollution- Effects of Nitrogen Dioxide

Pharmacological Interaction and Combined Toxicity of Exposure to Environmental Chemicals

Abstract