Exposures to environmental phenols in Southern California firefighters and findings of elevated urinary benzophenone-3 levels.

Firefighters are at increased risk for exposure to toxic chemicals compared to the general population, but few studies of this occupational group have included biomonitoring. We measured selected phenolic chemicals in urine collected from 101 Southern California firefighters. The analytes included bisphenol A (BPA), triclosan, benzophenone-3 (BP-3), and parabens, which are common ingredients in a range of consumer products. BP-3, BPA, triclosan, and methyl paraben were detected in almost all study subjects (94-100%). The BP-3 geometric mean for firefighters was approximately five times higher than for a comparable National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) subgroup. Demographic and exposure data were collected from medical records and via a questionnaire, and covariates were examined to assess associations with BP-3 levels. BP-3 levels were elevated across all firefighter age groups, with the highest levels observed in the 35 to 39year old group. Body fat percentage had a significant inverse association with BP-3 concentrations. Our results indicate pervasive exposure to BP-3, BPA, triclosan, and methyl paraben in this population of firefighters, consistent with studies of other populations. Further research is needed to investigate possible explanations for the higher observed BP-3 levels, such as occupational or California-specific exposures.

Review of the evidence regarding the carcinogenicity of hexavalent chromium in drinking water.

Recent analyses have revealed that 38% of municipal sources of drinking water in California have detectable levels of hexavalent chromium. This observation provided new impetus to characterize the carcinogenic risk associated with oral exposure to hexavalent chromium in drinking water. Notwithstanding the well-characterized increases in cancer associated with inhalation exposure to this chemical, the marked reduction of hexavalent chromium to trivalent chromium in the stomach suggests that exposure to hexavalent chromium in drinking water may not pose a carcinogenic risk. A reevaluation of studies that investigated the toxicokinetics, the genotoxicity, and the mechanism of carcinogenicity of hexavalent chromium, as well as the available human and animal cancer studies, was undertaken to determine if there is evidence that exposure to this chemical in drinking water may pose a carcinogenic risk. Mechanistic studies suggest the potential for a carcinogenic response if hexavalent chromium enters cells. Both toxicokinetic and genotoxicity studies indicate that a portion of an orally administered dose of hexavalent chromium is absorbed and gets into cells of several tissues, causing DNA damage. The only lifetime oral study of hexavalent chromium in animals conducted thus far yielded a statistically significant increase in stomach tumors compared to controls. Also, in a limited-term cancer study, co-exposure to hexavalent chromium in drinking water and ultraviolet light produced skin tumors in mice. The only available cancer study of humans exposed to hexavalent chromium in drinking water revealed a statistically significant increase in stomach tumors. Moreover, a meta-analysis of occupational studies also revealed a statistically significant increase in stomach cancers. The increases in stomach tumors in both human and animal studies, along with the toxicokinetic, genotoxic, and mechanistic data, suggest that oral exposure to this agent appears to pose a carcinogenic risk.

Breast milk and lipid intake distributions for assessing cumulative exposure and risk.

Breast milk consumption is the primary route of infant exposure to certain lipophilic toxicants that have accumulated over decades in maternal adipose tissue, as well as to less persistent toxicants from maternal exposure during lactation. Such infant exposures occur at a time of rapid growth and development when susceptibility to certain toxicants can be greatest. Breast milk and lipid intake rates are presented for the 0-6 and 0-12 month age periods for infants fed according to the American Academy of Pediatrics' current recommendations (exclusive breast-feeding for 0-6 months and continued breast-feeding to 12 months). Intake rates are normalized to infant bodyweight to account for the covariance of consumption and bodyweight. Frequency distributions describe the population variability in intake. For age 0-12 months, daily average milk intake is 100.7 +/- 22.7 g/kg day (mean +/- SD), with a 95th percentile of 153.5 g/kg day. Breast milk intake distributions are also developed for infants exclusively breast-fed (no significant calories from non-breast milk sources) over their first year, and for the entire (nursing and non-nursing) infant population. For short-term exposures, intake can be derived from the regression equation presented here. Lipid intake estimated assuming a 4% lipid content (current risk assessment practice) is compared and found comparable to that derived from measured lipid content. The national trend of increased breast-feeding found in surveys further supports including the breast milk pathway in risk assessment.