Toxic metals in ayurvedic preparations from a public health lead poisoning cluster investigation.

Background Herbal formulations, traditional medicine, and complementary and alternative medicine are used by the majority of the world's population. Toxicity associated with use of Ayurvedic products due to metal content is an increasingly recognized potential public health problem. Objectives Report on toxic metals content of Ayurvedic products obtained during an investigation of lead poisoning among users of Ayurvedic medicine. Methods Samples of Ayurvedic formulations were analyzed for metals and metalloids following established US. Environmental Protection Agency methods. Results Lead was found in 65% of 252 Ayurvedic medicine samples with mercury and arsenic found in 38 and 32% of samples, respectively. Almost half of samples containing mercury, 36% of samples containing lead and 39% of samples containing arsenic had concentrations of those metals per pill that exceeded, up to several thousand times, the recommended daily intake values for pharmaceutical impurities. Conclusions Lack of regulations regarding manufacturing and content or purity of Ayurvedic and other herbal formulations poses a significant global public health problem.

Uncontrolled combustion of shredded tires in a landfill -Part 2: Population exposure, public health response, and an air quality index for urban fires.

The Iowa City Landfill in eastern Iowa, United States, experienced a fire lasting 18 days in 2012, in which a drainage layer of over 1 million shredded tires burned, generating smoke that impacted the surrounding metropolitan area of 130,000 people. This emergency required air monitoring, risk assessment, dispersion modeling, and public notification. This paper quantifies the impact of the fire on local air quality and proposes a monitoring approach and an Air Quality Index (AQI) for use in future tire fires and other urban fires. Individual fire pollutants are ranked for acute and cancer relative risks using hazard ratios, with the highest acute hazard ratios attributed to SO2, particulate matter, and aldehydes. Using a dispersion model in conjunction with the new AQI, we estimate that smoke concentrations reached unhealthy outdoor levels for sensitive groups out to distances of 3.1 km and 18 km at 24-h and 1-h average times, respectively. Modeled and measured concentrations of PM2.5 from smoke and other compounds such as VOCs and benzo[a]pyrene are presented at a range of distances and averaging times, and the corresponding cancer risks are discussed. Through reflection on the air quality response to the event, consideration of cancer and acute risks, and comparison to other tire fires, we recommend that all landfills with shredded tire liners plan for hazmat fire emergencies. A companion paper presents emission factors and detailed smoke characterization.

Core courses in public health laboratory science and practice: findings from 2006 and 2011 surveys.

OBJECTIVES: We identified academic training courses or topics most important to the careers of U.S. public health, environmental, and agricultural laboratory (PHEAL) scientist-managers and directors, and determined what portions of the national PHEAL workforce completed these courses. METHODS: We conducted electronic national surveys in 2006 and 2011, and analyzed data using numerical ranking, Chi-square tests comparing rates, and Spearman's formula measuring rank correlation. RESULTS: In 2006, 40 of 50 PHEAL directors identified 56 course topics as either important, useful, or not needed for someone in their position. These course topics were then ranked to provide a list of 31 core courses. In 2011, 1,659 of approximately 5,555 PHEAL scientific and technical staff, using a subset of 25 core courses, evidenced higher core course completion rates associated with higher-level job classification, advanced academic degree, and age. The 2011 survey showed that 287 PHEAL scientist-managers and directors, on average, completed 37.7% (n=5/13) of leadership/managerial core courses and 51.7% (n=6/12) of scientific core courses. For 1,659 laboratorians in all scientific and technical classifications, core-subject completion rates were higher in local laboratories (42.8%, n=11/25) than in state (36.0%, n=9/25), federal (34.4%, n=9/25), and university (31.2%, n=8/25) laboratories. CONCLUSIONS: There is a definable range of scientific, leadership, and managerial core courses needed by PHEAL scientist-managers and directors to function effectively in their positions. Potential PHEAL scientist-managers and directors need greater and continuing access to these courses, and academic and practice entities supporting development of this workforce should adopt curricula and core competencies aligned with these course topics.

Sterols as bio-markers for waste impact and source characterization in stream sediment.

Sterols are involved in life processes in organisms and are therefore potential biomarkers for assessment of environmental ecosystems. Current data indicate that sterols are persistent in stream sediments, since sterols are not sufficiently soluble in water to be readily detected in water samples. Stream sediment therefore can act as an integrating exposure index of pollution for animal or human waste in streams. The study reported here was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 involved development and validation of a simplified method for the determination of sterols, and Phase 2 involved application of that method to evaluate actual environmental samples. Stream sediment samples from agricultural settings, wastewater-treatment-facility outfalls, and recreational state parks in Iowa and Pennsylvania were analyzed for sterol compounds. Sterol profiles differ considerably among animals, and the study distinguished sterol profiles within stream sediments. Feces from different animal species were also analyzed to provide reference sterol profiles. Individual-sterol and total-sterol concentrations were determined. Sterols were observed in 73.4 percent of environmental sediment samples tested (n = 124) and at 100 percent of the sites (n = 18). Coprostanol, a key indicator of fecal pollution, was observed in 38.7 percent of the environmental sediment samples tested and at 72.2 percent of the sites. Samples were collected from multiple points at selected sites, and duplicate samples were analyzed at a frequency of 16.1 percent. One to five months later, additional samples were collected from the duplicate locations and were analyzed. Data generated by the study provide a basis for stream sediment monitoring that enables the chronological recording of waste impact; this method may be coupled with other measurements to determine the extent and possible source of stream contaminants.