-
International Journal of Biometeorology Aug 2022Although it is thought that peloid and paraffin treatments may have positive effect on pain, functional status, and quality of life in patients with hallux rigidus (HR),... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Comparison of the efficacies of peloid therapy and paraffin treatment given as an adjuncts to exercise therapy in patients with hallux rigidus: a randomized, uncontrolled, prospective study.
Although it is thought that peloid and paraffin treatments may have positive effect on pain, functional status, and quality of life in patients with hallux rigidus (HR), there are no comprehensive and comparative studies with a high level of evidence. We aimed to compare peloid and paraffin treatments in symptomatic hallux rigidus patients. A total of 113 patients diagnosed with HR between May 2019 and June 2021 were included in the study. After exclusion criteria, the remaining 90 patients were randomly divided into two groups: the peloid therapy group (peloid therapy + home exercise) and the paraffin therapy group (paraffin therapy + home exercise). Peloid and paraffin treatments were applied for 2 weeks (5 days a week for a total of 10 sessions). Patients were evaluated before treatment, at the end of treatment, and one month after treatment. The groups were compared in terms of pain, functional status, quality of life, and joint range of motion. In the final analysis, 40 patients in each treatment group were compared. Statistically significant improvements were achieved for all parameters at the end of treatment and at follow-up, and the treatments were found to be highly effective. As a result of the comparison, the methods were not found to be superior to each other. The present study is the first randomized study comparing peloid therapy and paraffin therapy given as an adjuncts to exercise therapy. Exercise therapy plus peloid and exercise therapy plus paraffin treatments seem to have similar effects on HR; however, controlled trials are necessary for confirmation of our results.
Topics: Exercise Therapy; Hallux Rigidus; Humans; Mud Therapy; Pain; Paraffin; Prospective Studies; Quality of Life; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 35654863
DOI: 10.1007/s00484-022-02311-4 -
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex... Jan 2022There are large knowledge gaps concerning environmental levels and fate of many organic pollutants, particularly for chemicals of emerging concern in tropical regions of...
There are large knowledge gaps concerning environmental levels and fate of many organic pollutants, particularly for chemicals of emerging concern in tropical regions of the Global South. In this study, we investigated the levels of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) and dechloranes in air and soil in rural, suburban, and urban regions in and around Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Samples were also collected near the city's main municipal waste dumpsite and an electronic waste (e-waste) handling facility. In passive air samples, short chain CPs (SCCPs) dominated, with an average estimated concentration of 22 ng/m, while medium chain CPs (MCCPs) had an average estimated concentration of 9 ng/m. The average estimated air concentration of ∑dechloranes (Dechlorane Plus (DP) + Dechlorane 602 + Dechlorane 603) was three to four orders of magnitudes lower, 2 pg/m. In soil samples, MCCPs dominated with an average concentration of 640 ng/g dw, followed by SCCPs with an average concentration of 330 ng/g dw, and ∑dechloranes with an average concentration of 0.9 ng/g dw. In both air and soil, DP was the dominating dechlorane compound. Urban pulses were observed for CPs and dechloranes in air and soil. CPs were in addition found in elevated levels at the municipal waste dumpsite and the e-waste handling facility, while DPs were found in elevated levels at the e-waste handling facility. This suggests that waste handling sites represent important emission sources for these pollutants. Investigations into seasonal trends and environmental fate of CPs and dechloranes showed that monsoonal rain patterns play a major role in governing air concentrations and mobility, particularly for the less volatile MCCPs and dechloranes. This study is the first to report levels of CPs in air from sub-Saharan Africa, and DP, Dechlorane 602, and Dechlorane 603 in soil from sub-Saharan Africa.
Topics: China; Environmental Monitoring; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Paraffin; Soil; Tanzania
PubMed: 34626702
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118298 -
Environmental Science & Technology Sep 2022A semiquantitative high-resolution mass spectrometry method was developed and applied to assess the occurrence of bromo-/chloro paraffins (BCPs) and olefins (BCOs) in...
A semiquantitative high-resolution mass spectrometry method was developed and applied to assess the occurrence of bromo-/chloro paraffins (BCPs) and olefins (BCOs) in the environment. More than 400 possible BCPs and BCO congener groups were detected in dust, air, and sewage sludge samples collected from Australia. Median chain analytes with the number of halogen atoms <7 (CHClBr, 14 ≤ ≤ 17, + < 7) prevailed in the dust and sludge samples, while short chain analytes (CHClBr, 10 ≤ ≤ 13, + < 7) predominated the air samples. The estimated concentrations of ∑BCPs and ∑BCOs in dust and sludge were approximately 20% that of the chlorinated paraffins (CPs) present, with the median concentrations of 5.4 μg/g (dust) and 0.18 μg/g (sludge) for ∑BCPs and 22 μg/g (in dust) and 0.50 μg/g (sludge) for BCOs. In the air samples, the concentrations of BCPs (0.020 pg/m) and BCOs (0.032 pg/m) were 3-4 orders of magnitudes lower than the concentrations of CPs (790 pg/m). Significant correlations ( < 0.001) were found between the concentration of CPs, BCPs, and BCOs in all the matrices.
Topics: Alkenes; Australia; China; Dust; Environmental Monitoring; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Paraffin; Sewage
PubMed: 35976999
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c03576 -
Environmental Geochemistry and Health Dec 2023The widespread contamination of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) of the soil environment has raised global concern due to their highly persistent and toxic properties....
Short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in agricultural and industrial soils from Shanghai, China: surface and vertical distribution, penetration behavior, and health risk assessment.
The widespread contamination of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) of the soil environment has raised global concern due to their highly persistent and toxic properties. However, little information is available regarding these industrial toxicants' spatial-vertical distribution and penetration potentials. In this study, short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs and MCCPs, respectively) were analyzed in pooled surface and core soils (0-45 cm) samples collected from agricultural and industrial areas in Shanghai. ∑SCCP concentrations in agricultural and industrial surface soils ranged from 52.6 to 237.6 and 98.3 to 977.1 ng/g dry weight (dw), respectively. ∑MCCP levels were comparatively higher and ranged from 417.2 to 1690.8 and 370.9 to 10,712.7 ng/g dw in agricultural and industrial soils, respectively. CCl SCCPs and CCl MCCPs were the predominant homologues in all samples. Analysis of the soil vertical profiles revealed that MCCP concentrations decreased significantly with depth (P < 0.01). SCCPs more efficiently penetrated into the soils than MCCPs because of their higher water solubility and less octanol-water partition coefficient (K) values. A preliminary risk assessment suggested no potential health risks caused by non-dietary exposure. The daily exposure doses of CPs via ingestion were significantly (P < 0.01) higher for children (5.41 ± 2.11 × 10 and 1.68 ± 1.03 × 10 μg kg day) and adults (2.56 ± 0.99 × 10 and 7.94 ± 4.87 × 10 μg kg day) than dermal permeation exposure. Furthermore, CPs at current levels posed low ecological risks (0.1 ≤ RQ < 1) according to the risk quotient model. This study enhanced our understanding of the fates and behaviors of CPs in the terrestrial environment.
Topics: Adult; Child; Humans; Soil; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Paraffin; China; Environmental Monitoring; Risk Assessment; Water
PubMed: 37306889
DOI: 10.1007/s10653-023-01632-6 -
The Science of the Total Environment Feb 2022Because of their highly persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic properties, short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) have become emerging contaminants and have been...
Because of their highly persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic properties, short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) have become emerging contaminants and have been included in Annex A (elimination) of the Stockholm Convention since 2017. The contamination of SCCPs has been observed in the environment and biota worldwide but has not been detected in Taiwanese river ecosystems. Thus, this study aimed to determine the occurrence of SCCPs in sediments and fish from 30 major rivers in Taiwan and to evaluate the risk of SCCPs to river ecosystems and human health. The concentrations of SCCPs in sediments and fish ranged from ND (not detected) to 12.6 mg/kg dw and ND to 2.07 mg/kg ww, respectively. The concentrations of SCCPs in sediments were significantly correlated with some indicators of the discharge sources and water quality variables, indicating that SCCPs were released via human activities and various discharges into rivers and accumulated in sediments. The bioaccumulation of SCCPs in fish exhibited species-specific profiles and was related to environmental contamination levels and the living pattern and trophic level of the fish. The SCCP levels in sediments from 20 major rivers in Taiwan might pose a potential ecological risk to river ecosystems according to the criteria of the Federal Environmental Quality Guidelines in Canada, the biota-sediment accumulation factor and the risk quotient. Consumption of SCCP-contaminated river fish by different gender and age groups showed no significant health risk to residents in Taiwan evaluated by the estimated daily intake and hazard quotient. However, there was a health concern for the 0- to 3-year-old group due to the consumption of contaminated river fish at a bioaccessibility of 100% for SCCPs by the margin of exposure. Routine monitoring of SCCPs in river ecosystems is needed to protect aquatic organisms and human health.
Topics: Animals; Child, Preschool; China; Ecosystem; Environmental Monitoring; Humans; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Paraffin; Risk Assessment; Taiwan
PubMed: 34656600
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150969 -
The Science of the Total Environment Aug 2023Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) involve a wide range of complex mixtures of chlorinated alkanes. The versatility of their physicochemical properties and their wide range of... (Review)
Review
Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) involve a wide range of complex mixtures of chlorinated alkanes. The versatility of their physicochemical properties and their wide range of use has turned them into ubiquitous materials. This review covers the scope of remediating CP-contaminated water bodies and soil/sediments via thermal, photolytic, photocatalytic, nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI), microbial and plant-based remediation techniques. Thermal treatments above 800 °C can lead to almost 100 % degradation of CPs by forming chlorinated polyaromatic hydrocarbons and thus should be supported with appropriate pollution control measures leading to high operational and maintenance costs. The hydrophobic nature of CPs lowers their water solubility and reduces their subsequent photolytic degradation. However, photocatalysis can have considerably higher degradation efficiency and generates mineralized end products. The NZVI also showed promising CP removal efficiency, especially at lower pH, which is challenging to achieve during field application. CPs can also be bioremediated by introducing both naturally occurring bacteria and also by engineered bacterial strains which are capable of producing specific enzymes (like LinA2 and LinB) to catalyze CP degradation. Depending on the type of CP, bioremediation can even achieve a dechlorination efficiency of >90 %. Moreover, enhanced degradation rates can be achieved through biostimulation. Phytoremediation has also exhibited CP bioaccumulation and transformation tendencies, both at lab-scale and in field-scale studies. The future research scope can include developing more definitive analytical techniques, toxicity and risk assessment studies of CPs and their degradation products, and technoeconomic and environmental assessment of different remediation approaches.
Topics: Soil; Paraffin; Environmental Monitoring; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Biodegradation, Environmental; Water
PubMed: 37149167
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.163941 -
The Science of the Total Environment Dec 2019Short-chain chlorinated paraffin (SCCP) pollution has become a global threat. Much attention has been paid to their environmental occurrence and toxicity. In this... (Review)
Review
Short-chain chlorinated paraffin (SCCP) pollution has become a global threat. Much attention has been paid to their environmental occurrence and toxicity. In this review, we summarized the wide distribution of SCCPs in various environmental matrices and biota, including human beings. Toxicokinetics and the toxicities of SCCPs, including lethality, hepatotoxicity, developmental toxicity, carcinogenicity, endocrine- and metabolism-disrupting effects, and immunomodulatory effects have been considered. The mechanisms of SCCP toxicity are mainly related to oxidative stress, metabolic disturbance, endocrine disruption and binding to biomacromolecules. In the future, further studies of SCCPs should focus on searching for their novel toxicity targets, and uncovering their toxic effects using transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and mutigenerational toxicity.
Topics: Biota; China; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollutants; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Paraffin
PubMed: 31416033
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.133834 -
Environmental Science & Technology Jan 2019This study presents the first investigation of concentrations and congener group patterns of short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs and MCCPs) in 159 dust...
This study presents the first investigation of concentrations and congener group patterns of short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs and MCCPs) in 159 dust samples from plastic sports courts and synthetic turf in Beijing, China. The geometric mean concentration of SCCPs and MCCPs in dusts from plastic tracks (5429 and 15157 μg g) and basketball courts (5139 and 11878 μg g) were significantly higher than those from plastic tennis courts, badminton courts, and synthetic turf; meanwhile, they were 1-3 orders of magnitude higher than in dusts from other indoor environments. The friction between sneaker soles and plastic track materials may lead to the wear and decomposition of rubber, which may be an important source of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) in the dust from plastic tracks. The mean estimated daily intakes of CPs from plastic tracks and basketball courts are generally higher than those estimated from dietary, breast milk, or other indoor dust sources. The margin of exposure for adults and children was greater than 1000 both at mean and high-exposure scenarios, indicating that no significant health risks were posed by CPs in the dust from plastic sports courts and synthetic turf.
Topics: Adult; Beijing; Child; China; Dust; Environmental Monitoring; Humans; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Paraffin; Plastics; Sports
PubMed: 30521330
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.8b04323 -
The Science of the Total Environment May 2023Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are ubiquitously distributed in various environmental matrics due to their wide production and consumption globally in the past... (Review)
Review
Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are ubiquitously distributed in various environmental matrics due to their wide production and consumption globally in the past and ongoing production and use in some developing countries. SCCPs have been detected in various human samples including serum, milk, placenta, nail, and hair, and internal SCCP levels were found to be positively correlated with biomarkers of some diseases. While the environmental occurrence has been reported in a lot of studies, the toxicity and underlying molecular mechanisms of SCCPs remain largely unknown. The current tolerable daily intakes (TDIs) recommended by the world health organization/international programme on chemical safety (WHO/IPCS, 100 μg/kg bw/d) and the UK Committee on Toxicity (COT, 30 μg/kg bw/d) were obtained based on a no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) of SCCP from the repeated-dose study (90 d exposure) in rodents performed nearly 40 years ago. Importantly, the health risks assessment of SCCPs in a variety of studies has shown that the estimated daily intakes (EDIs) may approach and even over the established TDI by UK COT. Furthermore, recent studies revealed that lower doses of SCCPs could also result in damage to multiple organs including the liver, kidney, and thyroid. Long-term effects of SCCPs at environmental-related doses are warranted.
Topics: Animals; Humans; China; Hair; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Milk; Paraffin
PubMed: 36781137
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162187 -
Environmental Science & Technology Sep 2017Accurate quantification of short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) poses an exceptional challenge to analytical chemists. SCCPs are complex mixtures of chlorinated...
Accurate quantification of short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) poses an exceptional challenge to analytical chemists. SCCPs are complex mixtures of chlorinated alkanes with variable chain length and chlorination level; congeners with a fixed chain length (n) and number of chlorines (m) are referred to as a "congener group" CCl. Recently, we resolved individual CCl by mathematically deconvolving soft ionization high-resolution mass spectra of SCCP mixtures. Here we extend the method to quantifying CCl by introducing CCl specific response factors (RFs) that are calculated from 17 SCCP chain-length standards with a single carbon chain length and variable chlorination level. The signal pattern of each standard is measured on APCI-QTOF-MS. RFs of each CCl are obtained by pairwise optimization of the normal distribution's fit to the signal patterns of the 17 chain-length standards. The method was verified by quantifying SCCP technical mixtures and spiked environmental samples with accuracies of 82-123% and 76-109%, respectively. The absolute differences between calculated and manufacturer-reported chlorination degrees were -0.9 to 1.0%Cl for SCCP mixtures of 49-71%Cl. The quantification method has been replicated with ECNI magnetic sector MS and ECNI-Q-Orbitrap-MS. CCl concentrations determined with the three instruments were highly correlated (R > 0.90) with each other.
Topics: Environment; Environmental Monitoring; Halogenation; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Paraffin
PubMed: 28813149
DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b02269