1,709 research outputs found
Biological Monitoring for Pesticide Risk Assessment in Farmers and Rural Population with a Tiered Protocol
No full textOBJECTIVES:
The assessment of exposure and of exposure-related risk for pesticides is a burdensome and expensive task. Since farmers are often exposed to many active substances, several times per year, at different working and environmental conditions, and their families, including children pregnant and breastfeeding women, the elderly, share the same environment, biological monitoring is the most promising technique for this purpose. However, there is still a difficulty to use the actual results of biological monitoring to assess individual risk, mainly due to the lack of suitable exposure limits.
METHODS:
To overcome this knowledge gap, the ICRH is currently establishing provisional Equivalent Biological Exposure Limits (EBELs) for priority pesticides. This multi-tiered approach exploits the extensive, although scattered information available in the scientific literature, in the authorization documents available from regulatory bodies, and the analysis of results from field studies.
RESULTS:
The established theoretical and computational basis and examples of the employed approach will be presented. In particular, it is possible to discriminate occupational exposure from agricultural tasks, including re-entry into treated fields, repair of agricultural equipment, from that of everyday life, from drinking water and from food. As proof-of-principle, the proposal of provisional EBELs for some priority pesticides, and an application to different agricultural tasks performed by Italian wine growers will be demonstrated.
CONCLUSIONS:
The establishment of a robust protocol for the determination of EBELs will allow individual risk assessment for farmers, for their families and for the general population of rural areas with moderate effort and cost.
REFERENCES:
Rubino FM, Mandic-Rajcevic S, Colosio C. et al. Toxicol Lett. 2012 Apr 25;210(2):189-97.
Colosio C, Rubino FM, Alegakis A, Mandic-Rajcevic S, et al. Toxicol Lett. 2012 Aug 13;213(1):49-56
«Infinito sarà il tempo dell'Ade». L'archéologie funéraire en Italie du Sud (fin vie?début iiie siècle av. J.-C.)
No full textA prototype algorithm to calculate Health-based occupational exposure limits for a safe use3 of pesticides
No full textDue to the limitations of the environmental monitoring in agriculture, and the potential advantages of biological monitoring, the identification of biological exposure limits for pesticide bio-monitoring is a timely and needed activity. We are therefore establishing algorithms to calculate some limits that take advantage of the availability, for most of the active ingredients of pesticides marketed in the EU, of the health-based limit “Acceptable Operator Exposure Level (AOEL)” and of an extensive toxicological information that often includes dermal absorption coefficients. The AOEL is the systemic dose of a pesticide that a worker can absorb during each working day without any long-term consequences for his health. However, the AOEL is expressed as a systemic dose, which is not directly comparable with measurable indicators. Therefore, the AOEL is mostly used in the pre-marketing risk assessment, when which the internal dose is calculated, rather than measured. This weakness hampers its preventive value for the routine monitoring of agricultural workers.
In order to calculate provisional biological limits of pesticides from their AOELs, we collected, in real life scenarios of Northern Italy, pesticide metabolite measurements in 24-hour urine, along with data on skin contamination levels, measured through skin pads. A plot of urinary excretion of pesticide metabolite vs. personal exposure referred to the AOEL limit (individual risk assessment) allows to calculate a tentative value for an Equivalent Biological Exposure Limit (EBEL). With this approach, we obtained two proof-of-principle results on a herbicide (propanil, EBEL=1 mg 3,4-DCA/L 24-h urine) and on a fungicide (mancozeb, EBEL=117 microg ETU/L 24-h urine).
The same approach allows foreseeing a provisional corresponding value for other related pesticides, based on the known use rates, absorption coefficients and respective AOELs, as demonstrated by a calculation that expands the EBEL limit as ETU to other dithiocarbamates.
This pilot study demonstrates that this method can be adopted to calculate “Health-Based Biological Exposure Limits” for biological monitoring of pesticide workers, and, in perspective, to establish EBELs in the pre-marketing phase to become part of the information made available when a new active ingredient is marketed
Are Pitch Contour and Quantity Independent Distinctive Features in Bosnian Serbian?
No full textWagner P, Mandic J. Are Pitch Contour and Quantity Independent Distinctive Features in Bosnian Serbian? Presented at the Between Stress and Tone , Leiden, The Netherlands.Abstract accepted for oral presentation at "Between Stress and Tone
Fatores determinantes na escolha de provedores de acesso à Internet: estudo de caso na cidade de Maringá
No full textDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Produção.A presente dissertação de Mestrado tem como objetivo traçar o perfil do usuário de Internet da cidade de Maringá, bem como identificar fatores que determinam a escolha dos provedores de acesso discado, uma vez que tecnologicamente todos os provedores possuem a mesma estrutura, fazendo com que o diferencial, na atração de clientes, passe a ser realizado através de serviços que venham trazer valor agregado a suas empresas. A pesquisa concentrou-se nas Faculdades Nobel, local escolhido em função de sua população heterogênea, de nível universitário. Através de uma análise descritiva simples, caracterizou-se o usuário de Internet do município de Maringá; identificaram-se os provedores mais utilizados na cidade; estabeleceram-se fatores que influenciam a decisão de escolha dos usuários para utilização dos serviços de Internet. Apesar dos muitos problemas apresentados pelos usuários em relação a seus respectivos provedores, concluiu-se haver satisfação por parte dos usuários em relação aos serviços prestados pelas empresas provedoras de acesso à Internet, no município de Maringá. Para as empresas da região, este trabalho tem grande relevância, uma vez que, conhecendo o perfil do seu cliente e sabendo de suas queixas mesmo este confirmando sua satisfação, é possível às empresas prestadoras do serviço de acesso à Internet planejar investimentos que tragam melhorias ao serviço de acesso prestado, além de procurar estratégias de marketing para atrair aquela parcela da população que ainda não faz parte de sua carteira de clientes
From Pre-marketing Studies and Authorization Dossiers to New Prospects for Pesticide Risk Assessment in Rural Enterprises
No full textThe role of pesticides in the modern society has been strengthened by the need for higher yield in food production and the ongoing battle against vector borne diseases in public health. Nevertheless, the toxicity of these chemicals is not fully specific to target organisms, thus posing a potential health threat to humans. In this frame, risk assessment and management are fundamental. In the occupational settings, variability of meteorological conditions, use of different concentrations of variable mixtures, and significant variations in the application times and modalities make this task very complicated, making necessary proposing novel approaches for conducting “in field” preventive activities. The amount of information collected during the process of authorization of a new active ingredient is unique, with a size similar of the one available for human drugs. Therefore, a possible way forward for risk assessment is represented by a better exploitation in the post-marketing phase of the data used for the registration process, combined with the data collected in real-life field studies usable for refining and validate the risk hypothesis generated through modelling. In particular, parameters such as Acceptable Operator Exposure Level (AOEL), acute reference dose (ArD) as well data regarding skin absorption, metabolism and relevant metabolites in animals can find use in the conduction of risk assessment activities in agricultural enterprises, through the creation of new tools for exposure and risk assessment. Such tool are usable even without conducting complicated and expensive measures, and therefore are adequate for the needs of small and medium sized agricultural enterprises
Introduction
No full textHearing is an intricate modality of sensory perception which is unceasingly involved in, and perceptive of, its environment. A delicate perception that similarly to sound – as its stimulus modality – informs the spatiotemporal dimension in which it takes place. It is a sense that mediates and connects, always situated but fundamentally overarching and extended into the open. Beyond its capacity for sensory perception, this chapter approaches hearing as an intrinsic quality to law’s functioning. In that sense, while it introduces hearing as a sense-making activity that adjudicates and informs the spatiotemporal acoustics of justice, it also questions and challenges law’s phenomenological and anthropocentric dimensions of hearing. The chapter concludes with outlining the contributions in this series and their engaging approaches to this end
Establishing health-based biological exposure limits for pesticides : A proof of principle study using mancozeb
No full textPesticides represent an economical, labor-saving, and efficient tool for pest management, but their intrinsic toxic properties may endanger workers and the general population. Risk assessment is necessary, and biological monitoring represents a potentially valuable tool. Several international agencies propose biological exposure indices (BEI), especially for substances which are commonly absorbed through the skin. Biological monitoring for pesticide exposure and risk assessment seems a natural choice, but biological exposure limits (BEL) for pesticides are lacking. This study aims at establishing equivalent biological exposure limits (EBEL) for pesticides using real-life field data and the Acceptable Operator Exposure Level (AOEL) of mancozeb as the reference. This study included a group of 16 vineyard pesticide applicators from Northern Italy, a subgroup of a more extensive study of 28 applicators. Their exposure was estimated using “patch” and “hand-wash” methodologies, together with biological monitoring of free ethylene-bis-thiourea (ETU) excretion in 24-h pre- and post-exposure urine samples. Modeling was done using univariate linear regression with ETU excretion as the dependent variable and the estimated absorbed dose as the independent variable. The median skin deposition of mancozeb in our study population was 125 μg, leading to a median absorbed dose of 0.9 μg/kg. The median post-exposure ETU excretion was 3.7 μg. The modeled EBEL for mancozeb was 148 μg of free ETU or 697 μg of total ETU, accounting for around 75% of the maximum theoretical excretion based on a mass balance model. Although preliminary and based on a small population of low-exposed workers, our results demonstrate a procedure to develop strongly needed biological exposure limits for pesticides
Reacting to audition stress
No full textResearch demonstrating how performers’ hearts respond to the pressures of an audition. Read the full report: Chanwimalueang T, Aufegger L, Adjei T, Wasley D, Cruder C, Mandic DP, & Williamon A (2017), Stage call: cardiovascular reactivity to audition stress in musicians, PLOS One, 12 (e0176023), 1-14. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0176023. See also http://researchonline.rcm.ac.uk/id/eprint/148/
Emerging health effects from pesticide exposure in Europe and in developing countries
No full textHuman exposure to agrochemicals brings about a significant portion of the global burden of disease. Although levels of exposure have been significantly reduced in Europe, they still remain high in the developing world, bringing about specific emerging health risks. The estimated number of acute pesticide poisoning is 250,000-500,000, with 3,000 to 30,000 deaths each year, mainly in developing countries. In these countries the highest rates of intentional poisonings also occur, with a total number of more than 870,000, most by pesticide ingestion. Acute pesticide poisoning can affect neurobehavioral functioning, perhaps through brain anoxia, but published literature suggests that also prolonged or repeated exposures can affect behavior. Neurobehavioral impairment in previously acutely poisoned subjects is documented, but neurobehavioral effects in chronically exposed subjects are still controversial, and different opinions are present. Existing evidence suggests that the risk is higher for the higher levels of exposure, such as those experienced in the developing world with, in some cases, mental health impairment, increased risk of depression and even suicide. Another emerging toxic effects currently under study is ‘endocrine disruption’ (ED), able to influence reproductive capability, thyroid function, risk of diabetes and to increase the risk for some specific tumors of hormone-controlled organs. As for cancer as a whole, despite the large number of studies available on the topic it can be concluded that there is not enough evidence that chronic pesticide exposure is responsible for cancer, apart from well known and nowadays forbidden carcinogenic compounds
- …
