Proposals for new spray drift exposure values in orchards and vineyards for residents and bystanders.

In the EU, predicted exposure to spray drift for residents and bystanders from applications in orchards and vineyards is based on data from one study published in 1987, where one downwind distance (8 m) was considered. CropLife Europe conducted sixteen new GLP compliant studies in 4 EU countries, 8 in orchards, 8 in vineyards with early and late season applications, using adult and child mannequins located 5, 10 and 15 m downwind from the last row to measure dermal and inhalation exposures. The resulting "Bystander Resident Orchard Vineyard (BROV)" database comprises 288 observations and offers a more comprehensive option for exposure prediction. There were differences between adult and child, crop type, leaf cover and distance from the sprayer, supporting the derivation of mean, median, 75th and 95th percentile exposures for each subset. Exposures did not generally correlate with wind speed, wind direction, sprayer type, spray quality, spray concentration or amount applied. Dermal and inhalation exposure were lower in vineyards than in orchards and further analysis is required to understand why.

Philosophy of psychiatry: theoretical advances and clinical implications.

Work at the intersection of philosophy and psychiatry has an extensive and influential history, and has received increased attention recently, with the emergence of professional associations and a growing literature. In this paper, we review key advances in work on philosophy and psychiatry, and their related clinical implications. First, in understanding and categorizing mental disorder, both naturalist and normativist considerations are now viewed as important - psychiatric constructs necessitate a consideration of both facts and values. At a conceptual level, this integrative view encourages moving away from strict scientism to soft naturalism, while in clinical practice this facilitates both evidence-based and values-based mental health care. Second, in considering the nature of psychiatric science, there is now increasing emphasis on a pluralist approach, including ontological, explanatory and value pluralism. Conceptually, a pluralist approach acknowledges the multi-level causal interactions that give rise to psychopathology, while clinically it emphasizes the importance of a broad range of "difference-makers", as well as a consideration of "lived experience" in both research and practice. Third, in considering a range of questions about the brain-mind, and how both somatic and psychic factors contribute to the development and maintenance of mental disorders, conceptual and empirical work on embodied cognition provides an increasingly valuable approach. Viewing the brain-mind as embodied, embedded and enactive offers a conceptual approach to the mind-body problem that facilitates the clinical integration of advances in both cognitive-affective neuroscience and phenomenological psychopathology.

Statement on the assessment of quality of data available to EFSA to derive the health-based guidance values for carbendazim.

Carbendazim (CBZ) is an active substance in plant protection products that is no longer authorised within the European Union. CBZ is classified according to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 as mutagenic, category 1B and toxic for reproduction, category 1B. In 2010, EFSA established consumers' health-based guidance values (HBGVs) for CBZ (ADI and ARfD). In compliance with Article 43 of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, the European Commission asked EFSA on 1 March 2024 to carry out a follow-up qualitative assessment of the data gaps that were identified in the studies used in the framework of the assessment of the HBGVs for CBZ, in order to confirm the reliability of the existing toxicological studies and their impact for the setting of the HBGVs. By considering missing information in the extensive database and the reliability of the available toxicological studies, EFSA concluded that missing information does not prevent setting of HBGVs and that the critical effects of CBZ were investigated in studies of sufficient reliability and acceptability. Therefore, the HBGVs derived in 2010 are protective for the consumers.

Exploring the influence of activity participation on the economic value of nature-based recreation in the Sierra Nevada.

A more comprehensive understanding of how recreational values and forest visitation rates vary across different activities enables forest managers to tailor conservation and management strategies to align with preferences among visitors, ensuring more effective allocation of budgetary resources. However, current research often focuses on only a few recreational activities, resulting in limited insights for forest managers. This study aims to expand the nature-based activities considered so that management can better serve the broader public. We conduct a travel cost analysis using a large survey-based dataset to estimate the value of nature-based recreation in national forests in the Sierra Nevada region and assess how these values differ across main activities. We categorize recreational activities into five broad groups (Passive, Active, Camping, Winter, and Other) to offer a comprehensive view of recreational preferences. A truncated negative binomial regression accounting for endogenous stratification is used to analyze the relationship between the number of trips to the forests, travel cost, activity categories, and socio-demographic variables. Our results suggest a mean consumer surplus (CS) of $65 per visit per person to national forests in the Sierra Nevada. Aggregated over annual per person visits, the total CS is approximately $313.3 million per year. Our findings reveal variations in CS across activity groups, with winter activities (e.g., skiing, snowboarding) and active activities (e.g., hiking, fishing) attracting the highest number of visits, and the highest total CS. Our results provide valuable insights for national forest managers, facilitating the strategic allocation of limited resources to recreational activities that maximize societal welfare.

Balance measures of mini and brief balance evaluation system tests for Iranian population.

Introduction: Falling is a serious problem for all ages. There are several tests to assess balance. Mini-BESTest and brief-BESTest are balance tests for which there are no normative values for Iranian people. We aimed to provide the normative values of mini-BESTest and brief-BESTest among healthy Iranian adults. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed. Three hundred healthy adults (150 males and 150 females) in six age groups (18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, +70 years) completed the tests using Persian mini-BESTest and brief-BESTest. Normative values were calculated for age groups. Results: Normative values of mini-BESTest and brief- BESTest decreased significantly with age (from 27 to 21.9 for mini-BESTest and from 22.9 to 15.4 for brief BESTest). There were no significant differences between genders except for females in 30-39 and 40-49 years age groups which scored better on brief-BESTest and mini-BESTest, respectively. Males had significantly scored better in brief- BESTest in 60-69 and ≥ 70 age groups. Conclusions: The normative values of the mini-BESTest and brief-BESTest provided for healthy Iranian adults can help clinicians when assessing subjects with balance dysfunction.

Social construction of kentongan for disaster risk reduction in highland java and its potential for educational tool.

Kentongan (bamboo instruments), a traditional Javanese communication tool, continues to exist to this day, and its existence is based on its function, especially in the Java mountains. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze and uncover local wisdom behind the social construction of the Kentongan, exploring the practical and symbolic meanings and the societal and cultural implications. It also explored the community's local knowledge regarding the mitigation of disasters (disaster risk reduction), as well as its cultural heritage within the community's social fabric. To unravel knowledge held by the local community, a qualitative method using a phenomenological approach was adopted, complemented by a thorough review of relevant literature. Furthermore, the snowball approach was employed to select informants, focusing on identifying key individuals who were cross-verified through member checks. The village head and the elders were identified as the key informants, and the data collected were analyzed using an interactive model. The results showed that Kentongan served as a telecommunication tool to signal disasters, alert individuals of dangerous situations, and indicate the presence of fire. Additionally, it served as a means to assemble people or initiate prayers, and the conveyed messages could be inferred through the number of beats and the sounds produced. Empathy and social solidarity emerged as the underlying social values embedded within Kentongan. The associated significance and symbolism were actively practiced and passed down through generations within the community. As a form of indigenous knowledge, Kentongan held great relevance in the lives of the local population, thereby presenting the potential to be integrated into educational contexts as a valuable source of learning.

A comparative study of surfactant distribution and fate (western and eastern) Egyptian Mediterranean coasts focusing on its environmental toxicity.

One of the most difficult-to-manage new contaminants constantly released into the environment is linear alkylbenzene sulphonate (LAS), an anionic surfactant. Significant volumes of LAS are received by the Mediterranean coast of Egypt. The current study is a comprehensive assessment of the environmental fate of the LAS 1505 km off the Mediterranean coast of Egypt in the fall of 2023 in order to track its geographic spread and eventual demise in the water column. Critical analysis of LAS revealed that it is vertically distributed in various ways according to sources, uses, production amounts, and salinity levels. The vertical variation of LAS can be explained by its amphiphilic structure. A significant increase in surfactant concentration (>300 µg/L) was recorded in 66% and 43% of the total samples, ranging from 301.128 to 455.36 and from 304.556 to 486.135 for the western and eastern sides along the Egyptian Mediterranean coast, respectively. Evaluation of the average acute and chronic risk quotient (RQ) along the investigated locations revealed that fish were the most susceptible to LAS in both long and short exposure periods. The presented results also indicated significant LAS toxicity to three trophic levels (RQ values > 1). LAS toxicity to marine organisms was greater in the western than in eastern coastal regions according to acute and chronic mixture risk characterization ratios (RCRmix). The three trophic levels in the study area had the following order of acute relative contribution (RC) to LAS toxicity: fish > invertebrates > algae. The ANOVA test results showed that in both the western and eastern regions, LAS varied significantly (p < 0.05) with salinity (1.04E-60 and 5.44E-42) and depth (6.02E-65 and 1.59E-47), respectively. In addition, a significant difference was observed using the ANOVA test between the eastern and western regions of the Egyptian Mediterranean coast.

Factors Contributing to the Resilience of Sub-Saharan African Widows: A Scoping Review.

This scoping review aims to synthesize the factors contributing to the resilience of African widows, a topic that has been overlooked. This oversight is concerning, considering the substantial population of African widows, as well as the increasing number of young widows in Africa. We conducted a comprehensive search across various databases (including Academic Search Complete, Africa-wide, PsycARTICLES, PsychINFO, Humanities Sources Worldwide, Proquest, Pubmed, Scopus, Wiley Online, and Taylor & Francis) to identify studies of the resilience of widows living in Africa. From an initial pool of 124 records, we carefully evaluated 19 papers for inclusion. Employing a narrative synthesis approach, we synthesized the findings from the eight selected studies. This analysis revealed that the resilience of African widows is a multifaceted socio-ecological process, primarily facilitated by personal and relational resilience factors. Notably, there is a limited emphasis on the role of cultural resources, which may be attributed to the prevalence of dehumanizing cultural practices experienced by African widows. In conclusion, our findings underscore the need for greater attention to macrosystemic resources, including culturally supportive practices, to bolster the resilience of African widows.

Estimation of instantaneous peak flows in Canadian rivers: an evaluation of conventional, nonlinear regression, and machine learning methods.

Instantaneous peak flows (IPFs) are often required to derive design values for sizing various hydraulic structures, such as culverts, bridges, and small dams/levees, in addition to informing several water resources management-related activities. Compared to mean daily flows (MDFs), which represent averaged flows over a period of 24 h, information on IPFs is often missing or unavailable in instrumental records. In this study, conventional methods for estimating IPFs from MDFs are evaluated and new methods based on the nonlinear regression framework and machine learning architectures are proposed and evaluated using streamflow records from all Canadian hydrometric stations with natural and regulated flow regimes. Based on a robust model selection criterion, it was found that multiple methods are suitable for estimating IPFs from MDFs, which precludes the idea of a single universal method. The performance of machine learning-based methods was also found reasonable compared to conventional and regression-based methods. To build on the strengths of individual methods, the fusion modeling concept from the machine learning area was invoked to synthesize outputs of multiple methods. The study findings are expected to be useful to the climate change adaptation community, which currently heavily relies on MDFs simulated by hydrologic models.

The ethics of research informed consent from the Kyrgyz perspective: A qualitative study.

To ensure informed consent is tailored to ethnic Asian communities, it is necessary to establish an ethical foundation that is relevant to the specific populations. We hypothesized that certain communitarian factors unique to traditional Kyrgyz culture may influence an individual's decision to participate in research. Guided by Seedhouse's (2005) Rational Field Theory, we conducted qualitative, in-depth interviews with cultural experts in Kyrgyzstan to identify the ethical foundations of decision-making for informed consent in Kyrgyz culture. The results indicate that Kyrgyz people have a distinctive decision-making style influenced by their nomadic culture and history, which values and prioritizes family integrity and reputation. These findings indicate that a multidimensional approach based on socio-cultural sensitivities is necessary to assess the appropriateness of consent procedures. We believe our results may have implications for revising the guidelines of local and regional research ethics committees in Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries.

Pain prediction model based on machine learning and SHAP values for elders with dementia in Taiwan.

INTRODUCTION: Pain conditions are common in elderly individuals, including those with dementia. However, symptoms associated with dementia may lead to poor recognition, assessment and management of pain. In this study, we incorporated the variables based on questionnaires into a machine learning algorithm to build a prediction model for the pain index of elderly individuals with dementia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 113 cases were collected through questionnaires and used to build prediction models for the patient's pain index. Three machine learning algorithms were incorporated for comparison in this study. To interpret the prediction model, SHapley additive explanations values were used to depict the ranking importance of variables and the relationship between features and pain index. RESULTS: In the comparison of models, random forests with feature selection outperformed in terms of root mean square error and mean absolute error. A total of 11 features were selected based on embedded method. The results showed that the Karnofsky scale played a key role in predicting pain index for elderly individuals with dementia and was positively associated with pain index. Arthritis is the most important disease to predicting the pain index. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provided the key insights to predict the pain index of elderly patients with dementia. In the future, it can be used to develop an application system or webpage, which can reduce the use of labour and improve the efficiency.

When addressing resources is not enough: lessons learned from a respectful maternal and neonatal care provider training intervention evaluation in Kenya and Tanzania.

BACKGROUND: Respectful Maternal and Neonatal Care (RMNC) maintains and respects a pregnant person's dignity, privacy, informed choice, and confidentiality free from harm and mistreatment. It strives for a positive pregnancy and post-pregnancy care experiences for pregnant people and their families, avoiding any form of obstetric violence. Though RMNC is now widely accepted as a priority in obstetric care, there is a gap in resources and support tools for healthcare wproviders to clearly understand the issue and change long-established practices such as non-humanized caesarean sections. MSI Reproductive Choices (MSI) manages 31 maternities across 7 countries with a zero-tolerance approach towards disrespectful maternity care and obstetric violence. MSI developed and implemented a hybrid training package, which includes an online module and 1-day in-person workshop that allows healthcare providers to explore their beliefs and attitudes towards RMNC. It leverages methodologies used in Values-Clarification-Attitudes-Transformation (VCAT) workshops and behaviour change approaches. METHODS: The impact of this training intervention was measured from the healthcare providers' and patients' perspectives. Patient experience of (dis)respectful care was collected from a cross-sectional survey of antenatal and postnatal patients attending MSI maternities in Kenya and Tanzania before and following the RMNC training intervention. Healthcare providers completed pre- and post-workshop surveys at day 1, 90 and 180 to measure any changes in their knowledge, attitudes and perception of intended behaviours regarding RMNC. RESULTS: The results demonstrate that healthcare provider knowledge, attitudes and perceived RMNC practices can be improved with this training interventions. Patients also reported a more positive experience of their maternity care following the training. CONCLUSION: RMNC is a patient-centred care priority in all MSI maternities. The training bridges the gap in resources currently available to support changes in healthcare wproviders' attitudes and behaviours towards provision of RMNC. Ensuring health system infrastructure supports compassionate obstetric care represents only the first step towards ensuring RMNC. The results from the evaluation of this RMNC provider training intervention demonstrates how healthcare provider knowledge and attitudes may represent a bottleneck to ensuring RMNC that can be overcome using VCAT and behaviour change approaches.

Human molybdenum exposure risk in industrial regions of China: New critical effect indicators and reference dose.

Evidence increasingly suggests molybdenum exposure at environmental levels is still associated with adverse human health, emphasizing the necessity to establish a more protective reference dose (RfD). Herein, we conducted a study measuring 15 urinary metals and 30 clinical health indicators in 2267 participants residing near chemical enterprises across 11 Chinese provinces to investigate their relationships. The kidney and cystatin-C emerged as the most sensitive organ and critical effect indicator of molybdenum exposure, respectively. Odds of cystatin-C-defined chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the highest quantile of molybdenum exposure significantly increased by 133.5% (odds ratio [OR]: 2.34, 95% CI: 1.78, 3.11) and 75.8% (OR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.24, 2.49) before and after adjusting for urinary 14 metals, respectively. Intriguingly, cystatin-C significantly mediated 15.9-89.5% of molybdenum's impacts on liver and lung function, suggesting nephrotoxicity from molybdenum exposure may trigger hepatotoxicity and pulmonary toxicity. We derived a new RfD for molybdenum exposure (0.87 µg/kg-day) based on cystatin-C-defined estimated glomerular filtration rate by employing Bayesian Benchmark Dose modeling analysis. This RfD is significantly lower than current exposure guidance values (5-30 µg/kg-day). Remarkably, >90% of participants exceeded the new RfD, underscoring the significant health impacts of environmental molybdenum exposure on populations in industrial regions of China.

Evaluating UV-C Sensitivity of Calonectria pseudonaviculata in Model Buffer Solution Using UV-C Light-Emitting-Diode System.

Calonectria pseudonaviculata, responsible for boxwood blight, produces sticky conidia that pose a contamination risk in boxwood production, cross-contamination tools and equipment and other resources. This study evaluated UV-C LED irradiation (263-287 nm) as a disinfection method by examining its effectiveness in inactivating conidia and determining the UV-C sensitivity. Conidial suspensions were exposed to quantifiable UV-C doses under dynamic stirring condition. Average volumetric intensity was quantified by accounting for UV gradients and UV dose was calculated as a product of average fluence rate (mW/cm2) and exposure time (s). UV-C irradiation effectively inactivated the tested pathogen following log-linear + shoulder kinetics as identified by parameters of goodness of model fit (i.e. high R2 and low RMSE values). The model predicted the UV sensitivity of C. pseudonaviculata conidia as 46.6 mJ/cm2/log. A total of 2.04 log reductions of the population could be obtained by an exposure of 60 mJ.cm-2 of UV-C dose. The calculated D10 was 13.53 ± 0.98 mJ.cm-2 (R2 = 0.97, RMSE = 0.14), Kmax = 0.17 ± 0.01, and shoulder length (Sl) = 33.06 ± 1.81 mJ.cm-2. These findings indicate that UV-C irradiation could be a viable option for disinfecting tools, equipment, and possibly propagation cuttings in nurseries.

Determining Hemodynamically Significant Coronary Artery Disease: Patient-Specific Cutoffs in Quantitative Myocardial Blood Flow Using [15O]H2O PET Imaging.

Currently, cutoffs of quantitative [15O]H2O PET to detect fractional flow reserve (FFR)-defined coronary artery disease (CAD) were derived from a single cohort that included patients without prior CAD. However, prior CAD, sex, and age can influence myocardial blood flow (MBF). Therefore, the present study determined the influence of prior CAD, sex, and age on optimal cutoffs of hyperemic MBF (hMBF) and coronary flow reserve (CFR) and evaluated whether cutoff optimization enhanced diagnostic performance of quantitative [15O]H2O PET against an FFR reference standard. Methods: Patients with chronic coronary symptoms underwent [15O]H2O PET and invasive coronary angiography with FFR. Optimal cutoffs for patients with and without prior CAD and subpopulations based on sex and age were determined. Results: This multicenter study included 560 patients. Optimal cutoffs were similar for patients with (n = 186) and without prior CAD (hMBF, 2.3 vs. 2.3 mL·min-1·g-1; CFR, 2.7 vs. 2.6). Females (n = 190) had higher hMBF cutoffs than males (2.8 vs. 2.3 mL·min-1·g-1), whereas CFRs were comparable (2.6 vs. 2.7). However, female sex-specific hMBF cutoff implementation decreased diagnostic accuracy as compared with the cutoff of 2.3 mL·min-1·g-1 (72% vs. 82%, P < 0.001). Patients aged more than 70 y (n = 79) had lower hMBF (1.7 mL·min-1·g-1) and CFR (2.3) cutoffs than did patients aged 50 y or less, 51-60 y, and 61-70 y (hMBF, 2.3-2.4 mL·min-1·g-1; CFR, 2.7). Age-specific cutoffs in patients aged more than 70 y yielded comparable accuracy to the previously established cutoffs (hMBF, 72% vs. 76%, P = 0.664; CFR, 80% vs. 75%, P = 0.289). Conclusion: Patients with and without prior CAD had similar [15O]H2O PET cutoffs for detecting FFR-defined significant CAD. Stratifying patients according to sex and age led to different optimal cutoffs; however, these values did not translate into an increased overall accuracy as compared with previously established thresholds for MBF.

Randomized, crossover trial: comparing the effects of standardized egg-white meal and Vital® on global gastric emptying parameters and intragastric meal distribution in healthy Asian participants.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Measurements of gastric emptying and accommodation for alternative test-meal protocol during gastric emptying scintigraphy (GES), such as high-calorie nutrient drinks, are not fully established. We aimed to compare the effects of standardized egg-white meal (EWM) versus high-calorie nutrient drink (Vital®; Abbott Laboratories) on global GES parameters and intragastric meal distribution at immediate scan (IMD0h). METHODS: Of 84 screened participants, 60 asymptomatic healthy Asian population (38 females; 24.0 ± 1.5 years; 23.8 ± 2.6 kg/m2) were recruited in this 2 × 2 (AB/BA) crossover trial. Participants were randomized to a 4-h GES with 99mTc-radiolabeled EWM (~255.8 kcal), followed by a 200 mL Vital® (300 kcal), or vice versa, separated by a 2-week washout period. Global meal retention (GMR), power-exponential model emptying parameters (half-emptying [T1/2], lag phases [Tlag2%, Tlag5%, Tlag10%]), and IMD0h were determined and compared. RESULTS: GMRs for both test meals were within the international standard references for solid GES. Compared to EWM, Vital® exhibited significantly lower GMRs (faster emptying) from 0.5 to 3 h (all P < 0.001) but comparable at 4 h (P = 0.153). Similar observations were found for the model-based T1/2 and the different Tlag thresholds (all P < 0.001). Furthermore, IMD0h was found to be lower with Vital®, indicating lower gastric accommodation (faster antral filling) immediately post-ingestion (P < 0.001). Both test meals showed significant moderate-to-strong positive associations at the late-phase GE (GMR 2-4 h, T1/2) (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, Vital® is an acceptable alternative test meal to the EWM for GES; however, exercise caution when interpreting early-phase GE. The normative values for global GES parameters and IMD0h are also established.

Number of positive lymph nodes and lymph node ratio predict recurrence and survival in hypopharyngeal cancer based on SEER database and validation of real-world data.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the impacts of the number of positive lymph nodes (NPLN) and lymph node ratio (LN ratio) for patients with hypopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (HPSCC) based on SEER database, which were validated in the real-world data of China. METHODS: A total of 520 patients from SEER database were analyzed. Then 195 patients with pathologically stage III or IV HPSCC in our center were retrospectively studied. RESULTS: In the SEER database, NPLN ≥ 3 was found in 36.9% of patients. Multivariate analysis revealed that LN ratio ≥ 0.138 was significant with poorer overall survival (OS) (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.525, p = 0.001) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) (HR = 1.697, p < 0.001), so was the NPLN ≥ 3 (HR = 1.388, p = 0.013; HR = 1.479, p = 0.008). Patients with NPLN ≥ 3 were found in 103 (52.8%) in our center. Multivariate analysis confirmed a significant association regarding OS (p = 0.005) or CSS (p = 0.003) between patients with LN ratio ≥ 0.138 or not. In addition, disease recurrence rate differed significantly between the patients with NPLN ≥ 3 (27.2%) and NPLN < 3 (14.1%, p = 0.026). Moreover, postoperative chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) was significantly associated with better prognosis in patients with NPLN ≥ 3. CONCLUSION: In the SEER database, NPLN ≥ 3 and LN ratio ≥ 0.138 were independent poor prognostic factors for patients with HPSCC. Whereas identifying worldwide cut-off values for LN ratio is difficult and surgeon-dependent. In our cohort, adjuvant CCRT was beneficial for OS in patients with NPLN ≥ 3.

When concern is not enough: Overcoming the climate awareness-action gap.

Climate concern is on the rise in many countries and recent research finds that lifestyle- and behaviour-change could advance climate action; yet, individuals struggle to move their climate concern into action. This is known as the 'awareness-action inconsistency,' 'psychological climate paradox,' or 'values-action gap.' While this gap has been extensively studied, climate action implementation and policy-design seldom sufficiently apply that body of knowledge in practice. This Perspective presents a comprehensive heuristic to account for how individuals bring climate change into their awareness (climate action-logics), how they keep climate change out of their awareness (climate shadow), how social narratives contribute to shaping choices (climate discourses), and how systems and structures influence and constrain agency (climate-action systems). The heuristic is illustrated with an example of 15-Minute Cities in Canada. Understanding the multifaceted dilemma that weighs on people's sense-making and behaviours may help policy-makers and practitioners to ameliorate the climate awareness-action gap.

Human biomonitoring follow-up study on PFOA contamination and investigation of possible influencing factors on PFOA exposure in a German population originally exposed to emissions from a fluoropolymer production plant.

BACKGROUND: In the past, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was produced and applied as an emulsifier in a fluoropolymer production plant in the Altötting district, southern Bavaria (Germany). This chemical was released directly into the environment, resulting in the contamination of the local drinking water. During a human biomonitoring (HBM) survey in 2018, increased median PFOA blood serum levels, compared to a normally exposed control group with no known source of PFOA exposure from Munich, Germany, were detected in the resident population (23.18 µg/l in the general population, 20.71 µg/l in the children's group). The follow-up study aimed to investigate whether purification of the drinking water as the main PFOA exposure source has been successful in reducing internal PFOA exposure and to estimate the association of internal PFOA exposure with possible influencing factors. METHODS: Only individuals who had already participated in the HBM study in 2018 were included. For the determination of the PFOA serum concentration, 5 ml of blood was drawn from each participating person. Blood samples were collected in the period from June to August 2022. Furthermore, information on sociodemographic characteristics, health status, dietary behaviour and other lifestyle factors were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire. To examine the association of PFOA blood serum levels with possible influencing factors, such as age, gender and consumption of fish and game meat, a logistic regression model with a PFOA value > 10 µg/l as outcome was used. RESULTS: A total of 764 individuals participated in the follow-up study in 2022. Analyses were performed separately for the general population (n = 559), women of reproductive age (15-49 years old) (n = 120), and children under 12 years old (n = 30). Median PFOA blood levels have decreased by 56.9% in the general population, by 59.8% in the group of women of reproductive age and by 73.4% in the group of children under 12 years old. In the general population, a higher probability of a PFOA value > 10 µg/l was found for those aged 40-59 years (Odds ratio (OR) = 2.33 (95%CI: 1.23 to 4.43, p = 0.01) and those aged 60 years and older (OR = 5.32, 95%CI: 2.78 to 10.19, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In all study groups, the median PFOA serum levels decreased as expected after a half-life of four years, which confirms that contamination via drinking water has ceased. Furthermore, our study identified age as a significant predictor of internal PFOA exposure, while no influence was found for the consumption of fish and game meat. Further investigations are needed to quantify in a more detailed way the influence of dietary habits on PFOA exposure.

The relationship of Value dimensions in Turk Society with fatalistic tendencies, safety motivation, risk perception and safety performance.

Understanding the role of people in occupational accidents is very difficult. It is always assumed that people perform the behaviour that feels right to them. This study's main topic is the relationship between values, which form the basis of human behaviour, and safety motivation, fatalistic tendencies, risk perception and safety behaviour. In this context, for the aim of the study, path analysis and partial correlation analysis were used to examine the relationship between variables, and tests were used to examine the relationship between demographic variables with 701 participants from NUTS-12 region of Turkey. According to the findings of the research, it was determined that most of the 19 value dimensions and the top values of self-protection and growth and the top value dimensions of conservation, self-enhancement, self-transcendence and openness to change affect fatalism tendencies, risk perception, safety motivation(SM) and safety performance(SP). While self-protection, conservation and self-enhancement top values have a negative effect on SP, openness to change, self-transcendence and growth top values have a positive effect on SP. Taking into consideration that individuals will exhibit behaviours based on the value dimensions they attach importance to, OHS trainings should be developed in accordance with the value dimensions given importance according to NUTS-12 regions. Furthermore, legal support should be provided to eliminate and reduce the negative aspects of value dimensions for OHS.