Toxics

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Open AccessArticle

Personal Exposure to Air Pollution in Office Workers in Ireland: Measurement, Analysis and Implications

by Andrew McCreddin, Laurence Gill, Brian Broderick and Aonghus McNabola

Toxics 2013, 1(1), 60-76; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/toxics1010060 - 02 Dec 2013

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 10054

An experimental assessment of personal exposure to PM₁₀ in 59 office workers was carried out in Dublin; Ireland. Two hundred and fifty five samples of 24 hour personal exposure were collected in real time over a 28 month period. The investigation included [...] Read more.

An experimental assessment of personal exposure to PM₁₀ in 59 office workers was carried out in Dublin; Ireland. Two hundred and fifty five samples of 24 hour personal exposure were collected in real time over a 28 month period. The investigation included an assessment of the uptake of pollutants in the lungs during various daily activities using a Human Respiratory Tract Model. The results of the investigation showed that indoor air quality was the overriding determinant of average daily personal exposure as participants in the study spent over 92% of their time indoors. Exposure in the workplace and exposure at home were the most important microenvironments in total uptake of particulate matter. Exposure while commuting or shopping were found to play a minor role in comparison. The investigation highlighted the importance of considering pollutant uptake as well as personal exposure among receptors where variations in levels of physical activity and duration of exposure are present. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Risk Assessment of Environmental Contaminants)

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Chronic Exposure to Particulate Nickel Induces Neoplastic Transformation in Human Lung Epithelial Cells

by Amie L. Holmes, Therry The, Kelsey Thompson, Michael Mason, Sanjeev Kandpal, Tongzhang Zheng and John Pierce Wise, Sr.

Toxics 2013, 1(1), 46-59; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/toxics1010046 - 25 Nov 2013

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 6405

Abstract

Nickel is a well-known human lung carcinogen with the particulate form being the most potent; however, the carcinogenic mechanism remains largely unknown. Few studies have investigated the genotoxicity and carcinogenicity of nickel in its target cell, human bronchial epithelial cells. Thus, the goal [...] Read more.

Nickel is a well-known human lung carcinogen with the particulate form being the most potent; however, the carcinogenic mechanism remains largely unknown. Few studies have investigated the genotoxicity and carcinogenicity of nickel in its target cell, human bronchial epithelial cells. Thus, the goal of this study was to investigate the effects of particulate nickel in human lung epithelial cells. We found that nickel subsulfide induced concentration- and time-dependent increases in both cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in human lung epithelial cells (BEP2D). Chronic exposure to nickel subsulfide readily induced cellular transformation, inducing 2.55, 2.9 and 2.35 foci per dish after exposure to 1, 2.5 and 5 μg/cm² nickel subsulfide, respectively. Sixty-one, 100 and 70 percent of the foci isolated from 1, 2.5, and 5 μg/cm² nickel subsulfide treatments formed colonies in soft agar and the degree of soft agar colony growth increased in a concentration-dependent manner. Thus, chronic exposure to particulate nickel induces genotoxicity and cellular transformation in human lung epithelial cells. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers)

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Genotoxicity of Silver Nanoparticles in Lung Cells of Sprague Dawley Rats after 12 Weeks of Inhalation Exposure

by Hyun Sun Cho, Jae Hyuck Sung, Kyung Seuk Song, Jin Sik Kim, Jun Ho Ji, Ji Hyun Lee, Hyeon Ryol Ryu, Kangho Ahn and Il Je Yu

Toxics 2013, 1(1), 36-45; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/toxics1010036 - 19 Nov 2013

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 6258

Abstract

Due to the widespread use of silver nanoparticles in consumer products, the toxicity of silver nanoparticles has also been studied in relation to their application. However, most genotoxicity studies of silver nanoparticles have been performed in vitro. Therefore, this study evaluated the [...] Read more.

Due to the widespread use of silver nanoparticles in consumer products, the toxicity of silver nanoparticles has also been studied in relation to their application. However, most genotoxicity studies of silver nanoparticles have been performed in vitro. Therefore, this study evaluated the DNA damage to lung cells caused by repeated inhalation of silver nanoparticles. Male Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to silver nanoparticles for 12 weeks in a whole-body inhalation chamber. The animals were divided into one control group and three dose groups that were exposed to silver nanoparticles (14–15 nm diameter) at concentrations of 0.66 × 10⁶ particles/cm³ (49 μg/m³, low dose), 1.41 × 10⁶ particles/cm³ (117 μg/m³, middle dose), and 3.24 × 10⁶ particles /cm³ (381 μg/m³, high dose), respectively, for six hours/day over 12 weeks. The rats were sacrificed after the 12-week exposure period and the DNA damage assessed using a Comet assay of cells obtained from the right lungs. The olive tail moment values were 2.93 ± 0.19, 3.81 ± 0.23, 3.40 ± 0.22, and 5.16 ± 0.32 for the control, low-, middle-, and high-dose groups, respectively. Although no dose-dependent results were observed, a significant increase in the level of DNA damage was noted for the high-dose group. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers)

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Open AccessReview

Ecotoxicology: The Challenges for the 21^st Century

by Marco Vighi and Sara Villa

Toxics 2013, 1(1), 18-35; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/toxics1010018 - 18 Nov 2013

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 10983

Abstract

The usual procedures for ecological risk assessment (ERA) have been based for decades on simplified approaches in order to provide basic information on the huge amount of chemicals introduced into the environment. These approaches allowed the development of international regulatory tools capable of [...] Read more.

The usual procedures for ecological risk assessment (ERA) have been based for decades on simplified approaches in order to provide basic information on the huge amount of chemicals introduced into the environment. These approaches allowed the development of international regulatory tools capable of substantially reducing the adverse effects on ecosystems in developed countries. Nevertheless, these approaches suffer from a lack of ecological realism and are poorly suitable for understanding the actual consequences for ecosystem health. The need for more ecologically-based approaches is now recognized by the scientific community and has been highlighted by a recent document of the European Commission. In this paper, a synthesis is presented of the most important issues and the need for research to improve the ecological realism of exposure and effect assessment and the tools that should be developed to reach this objective. In particular, the major challenges are the following: the effects of variable exposure patterns; the vulnerability of ecosystems; the indirect ecological effects; the responses to multiple stress factors; the improvement of ecological modeling. The possibilities for using new scientific achievements in regulatory ERA are also discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers)

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Open AccessReview

Inorganic Arsenic Exposure and Children’s Neurodevelopment: A Review of the Evidence

by David C. Bellinger

Toxics 2013, 1(1), 2-17; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/toxics1010002 - 15 Oct 2013

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 7609

Abstract

Experimental studies suggest a myriad of mechanisms by which inorganic arsenic can interfere with central nervous system development, and, indeed, epidemiological studies published in the last dozen years suggest that exposure to arsenic impairs children’s cognitive development. Most of the studies have been [...] Read more.

Experimental studies suggest a myriad of mechanisms by which inorganic arsenic can interfere with central nervous system development, and, indeed, epidemiological studies published in the last dozen years suggest that exposure to arsenic impairs children’s cognitive development. Most of the studies have been conducted in developing countries (e.g., Bangladesh, India, Mexico), where exposure to arsenic is thought to be considerably higher than it is in developed countries. This review summarizes the results of these studies, focusing in particular on issues pertinent to risk assessment, including the existence of critical windows of vulnerability, characteristics of the dose-effect relationships (e.g., the lowest adverse effect level, the functional form), the most sensitive neurodevelopmental endpoints, and potential effect modifiers such as host characteristics (e.g., methylation efficiency, sex) and co-exposures to other neurotoxicants (e.g., lead, manganese). At present, the epidemiological data do not permit firm conclusions to be drawn regarding these issues. Several factors that complicate an effort to compare the results of studies are identified, including use of a variety of indices of external and internal exposure, and inconsistency in the measurement of important potential confounders for neurodevelopmental outcomes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers)

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Open AccessEditorial

Introducing Toxics

by David C. Bellinger

Toxics 2013, 1(1), 1; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/toxics1010001 - 11 Apr 2013

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4048

Abstract

With this inaugural issue, Toxics begins its life as a peer-reviewed, open access journal focusing on all aspects of toxic chemicals. We are interested in publishing papers that present a wide range of perspectives on toxicants and naturally occurring toxins, including exposure, biomarkers, [...] Read more.

With this inaugural issue, Toxics begins its life as a peer-reviewed, open access journal focusing on all aspects of toxic chemicals. We are interested in publishing papers that present a wide range of perspectives on toxicants and naturally occurring toxins, including exposure, biomarkers, kinetics, biological effects, fate and transport, treatment, and remediation. Toxics differs from many other journals in the absence of a page or word limit on contributions, permitting authors to present their work in as much detail as they wish. Toxics will publish original research papers, conventional reviews, meta-analyses, short communications, theoretical papers, case reports, commentaries and policy perspectives, and book reviews (Book reviews will be solicited and should not be submitted without invitation). Toxins and toxicants concern individuals from a wide range of disciplines, and Toxics is interested in receiving papers that represent the full range of approaches applied to their study, including in vitro studies, studies that use experimental animal or non-animal models, studies of humans or other biological populations, and mathematical modeling. We are excited to get underway and look forward to working with authors in the scientific and medical communities and providing them with a novel venue for sharing their work. [...] Full article

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Toxics, Volume 1, Issue 1 (December 2013) – 6 articles , Pages 1-76

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