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The Indian Journal of Medical Research Dec 2019All individuals are exposed to certain chemical, physical, biological, environmental as well as occupational factors. The data pertaining to role of these factors on... (Review)
Review
All individuals are exposed to certain chemical, physical, biological, environmental as well as occupational factors. The data pertaining to role of these factors on female reproduction are scanty as compared to male. The available data suggest the adverse effects of certain toxicants, viz., metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury, pesticides such as bis(4-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane and organic solvent such as benzene, toluene and ionizing radiation on the female reproductive system affecting directly the organ system or impacting in directly through hormonal impairments, molecular alterations, oxidative stress and DNA methylation impairing fertility as well as pregnancy and its outcomes. Thus, there is a need for awareness and prevention programme about the adverse effects of these factors and deterioration of female reproductive health, pregnancy outcome and offspring development as some of these chemicals might affect the developing foetus at very low doses by endocrine disruptive mechanism.
Topics: Benzene; DNA Methylation; Environmental Exposure; Female; Humans; Infertility, Male; Male; Metals; Occupational Exposure; Oxidative Stress; Pesticides; Pregnancy; Reproduction
PubMed: 32048617
DOI: 10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_1652_17 -
American Journal of Respiratory and... Oct 2022Although the contribution of air pollution to lung cancer risk is well characterized, few studies have been conducted in racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically...
Although the contribution of air pollution to lung cancer risk is well characterized, few studies have been conducted in racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse populations. To examine the association between traffic-related air pollution and risk of lung cancer in a racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse cohort. Among 97,288 California participants of the Multiethnic Cohort Study, we used Cox proportional hazards regression to examine associations between time-varying traffic-related air pollutants (gaseous and particulate matter pollutants and regional benzene) and lung cancer risk ( = 2,796 cases; average follow-up = 17 yr), adjusting for demographics, lifetime smoking, occupation, neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES), and lifestyle factors. Subgroup analyses were conducted for race, ethnicity, nSES, and other factors. Among all participants, lung cancer risk was positively associated with nitrogen oxide (hazard ratio [HR], 1.15 per 50 ppb; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.99-1.33), nitrogen dioxide (HR, 1.12 per 20 ppb; 95% CI, 0.95-1.32), fine particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter <2.5 μm (HR, 1.20 per 10 μg/m; 95% CI, 1.01-1.43), carbon monoxide (HR, 1.29 per 1,000 ppb; 95% CI, 0.99-1.67), and regional benzene (HR, 1.17 per 1 ppb; 95% CI, 1.02-1.34) exposures. These patterns of associations were driven by associations among African American and Latino American groups. There was no formal evidence for heterogeneity of effects by nSES ( heterogeneity > 0.21), although participants residing in low-SES neighborhoods had increased lung cancer risk associated with nitrogen oxides, and no association was observed among those in high-SES neighborhoods. These findings in a large multiethnic population reflect an association between lung cancer and the mixture of traffic-related air pollution and not a particular individual pollutant. They are consistent with the adverse effects of air pollution that have been described in less racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse populations. Our results also suggest an increased risk of lung cancer among those residing in low-SES neighborhoods.
Topics: Air Pollutants; Air Pollution; Benzene; California; Carbon Monoxide; Cohort Studies; Environmental Exposure; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Nitrogen Dioxide; Particulate Matter; Vehicle Emissions
PubMed: 35649154
DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202107-1770OC -
IUCrData Jan 2020The structure of the title salt, CHN ·2CHOS, consists of a unique benzene-1,2-diaminium dication charge balanced by a pair of crystallographically independent...
The structure of the title salt, CHN ·2CHOS, consists of a unique benzene-1,2-diaminium dication charge balanced by a pair of crystallographically independent 4-methyl-benzene-1-sulfonate anions. The cations and anions are inter-linked by several N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds.
PubMed: 36337720
DOI: 10.1107/S2414314620001005 -
International Journal of Environmental... Feb 2022Sex-related biological differences might lead to different effects in women and men when they are exposed to risk factors. A scoping review was carried out to understand... (Review)
Review
Sex-related biological differences might lead to different effects in women and men when they are exposed to risk factors. A scoping review was carried out to understand if sex could be a discriminant in health outcomes due to benzene. Studies on both animals and humans were collected. In vivo surveys, focusing on genotoxicity, hematotoxicity and effects on metabolism suggested a higher involvement of male animals (mice or rats) in adverse health effects. Conversely, the studies on humans, focused on the alteration of blood parameters, myeloid leukemia incidence and biomarker rates, highlighted that, overall, women had significantly higher risk for blood system effects and a metabolization of benzene 23-26% higher than men, considering a similar exposure situation. This opposite trend highlights that the extrapolation of in vivo findings to human risk assessment should be taken with caution. However, it is clear that sex is a physiological parameter to consider in benzene exposure and its health effects. The topic of sex difference linked to benzene in human exposure needs further research, with more numerous samples, to obtain a higher strength of data and more indicative findings. Sex factor, and gender, could have significant impacts on occupational exposures and their health effects, even if there are still uncertainties and gaps that need to be filled.
Topics: Benzene; Female; Humans; Incidence; Male; Occupational Exposure; Risk Assessment; Sex Characteristics; Sex Factors
PubMed: 35206525
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph19042339 -
International Journal of Environmental... Feb 2021The cancer risk associated with exposure to environmental and occupational carcinogens such as asbestos, benzene, radiation, or lifestyle carcinogens such as cigarette...
The cancer risk associated with exposure to environmental and occupational carcinogens such as asbestos, benzene, radiation, or lifestyle carcinogens such as cigarette smoking depends on the entire history of exposure to the carcinogen, including the age of exposure and the time-varying intensity of exposure [...].
Topics: Asbestos; Benzene; Carcinogens; Carcinogens, Environmental; Epidemiologic Studies; Humans; Lung Neoplasms; Occupational Diseases; Occupational Exposure
PubMed: 33668145
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18052215 -
Benzene and NO Exposure during Pregnancy and Preterm Birth in Two Philadelphia Hospitals, 2013-2017.International Journal of Environmental... Aug 2022Infants born preterm are at risk of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Preterm birth (PTB) can be categorized as either spontaneous (sPTB) or medically indicated (mPTB),...
Infants born preterm are at risk of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Preterm birth (PTB) can be categorized as either spontaneous (sPTB) or medically indicated (mPTB), resulting from distinct pathophysiologic processes such as preterm labor or preeclampsia, respectively. A growing body of literature has demonstrated the impacts of nitrogen dioxide (NO) and benzene exposure on PTB, though few studies have investigated how these associations may differ by PTB subtype. We investigated the associations of NO and benzene exposure with sPTB and mPTB among 18,616 singleton live births at two Philadelphia hospitals between 2013 and 2017. Residential NO exposure was estimated using a land use regression model and averaged over the patient's full pregnancy. Benzene exposure was estimated at the census tract level using National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) exposure data from 2014. We used logistic mixed-effects models to calculate odds ratios for overall PTB, sPTB, and mPTB separately, adjusting for patient- and tract-level confounders. Given the known racial segregation and PTB disparities in Philadelphia, we also examined race-stratified models. Counter to the hypothesis, neither NO nor benzene exposure differed by race, and neither were significantly associated with PTB or PTB subtypes. As such, these pollutants do not appear to explain the racial disparities in PTB in this setting.
Topics: Benzene; Female; Hospitals; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Nitrogen Dioxide; Philadelphia; Pregnancy; Premature Birth
PubMed: 36012001
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191610365 -
Environment International Jan 2022Epigenetic aging biomarkers are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. We evaluated if occupational exposure to three established chemical carcinogens is...
Epigenetic aging biomarkers are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. We evaluated if occupational exposure to three established chemical carcinogens is associated with acceleration of epigenetic aging. We studied workers in China occupationally exposed to benzene, trichloroethylene (TCE) or formaldehyde by measuring personal air exposures prior to blood collection. Unexposed controls matched by age and sex were selected from nearby factories. We measured leukocyte DNA methylation (DNAm) in peripheral white blood cells using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip to calculate five epigenetic aging clocks and DNAmTL, a biomarker associated with leukocyte telomere length and cell replication. We tested associations between exposure intensity and epigenetic age acceleration (EAA), defined as the residuals of regressing the DNAm aging biomarker on chronological age, matching factors and potential confounders. Median differences in EAA between exposure groups were tested using a permutation test with exact p-values. Epigenetic clocks were strongly correlated with age (Spearman r > 0.8) in all three occupational studies. There was a positive exposure-response relationship between benzene and the Skin-Blood Clock EAA biomarker: median EAA was -0.91 years in controls (n = 44), 0.78 years in workers exposed to <10 ppm (n = 41; mean benzene = 1.35 ppm; p = 0.034 vs. controls), and 2.10 years in workers exposed to ≥10 ppm (n = 9; mean benzene = 27.3 ppm; p = 0.019 vs. controls; p = 0.0021). In the TCE study, control workers had a median Skin-Blood Clock EAA of -0.54 years (n = 71) compared to 1.63 years among workers exposed to <10 ppm of TCE (n = 27; mean TCE = 4.22 ppm; p = 0.035). We observed no evidence of EAA associations with formaldehyde exposure (39 controls, 31 exposed). Occupational benzene and TCE exposure were associated with increased epigenetic age acceleration measured by the Skin-Blood Clock. For TCE, there was some evidence of epigenetic age acceleration for lower exposures compared to controls. Our results suggest that some chemical carcinogens may accelerate epigenetic aging.
Topics: Aging; Benzene; Biomarkers; Epigenesis, Genetic; Formaldehyde; Humans; Occupational Exposure; Trichloroethylene
PubMed: 34560324
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106871 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jan 2023MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression and define part of the epigenetic signature. Their influence on human health is established and interest... (Review)
Review
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression and define part of the epigenetic signature. Their influence on human health is established and interest in them is progressively increasing. Environmental and occupational risk factors affecting human health include chemical agents. Benzene represents a pollutant of concern due to its ubiquity and because it may alter gene expression by epigenetic mechanisms, including miRNA expression changes. This review summarizes recent findings on miRNAs associated with benzene exposure considering in vivo, in vitro and human findings in order to better understand the molecular mechanisms through which benzene induces toxic effects and to evaluate whether selected miRNAs may be used as biomarkers associated with benzene exposure. Original research has been included and the study selection, data extraction and assessments agreed with PRISMA criteria. Both in vitro studies and human results showed a variation in miRNAs' expression after exposure to benzene. In vivo surveys also exhibited this trend, but they cannot be regarded as conclusive because of their small number. However, this review confirms the potential role of miRNAs as "early warning" signals in the biological response induced by exposure to benzene. The importance of identifying miRNAs' expression, which, once validated, might work as sentinel molecules to better understand the extent of the exposure to xenobiotics, is clear. The identification of miRNAs as a molecular signature associated with specific exposure would be advantageous for disease prevention and health promotion in the workplace.
Topics: Humans; Benzene; MicroRNAs; Epigenesis, Genetic; Environmental Pollutants; Biomarkers
PubMed: 36767288
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20031920 -
International Journal of Environmental... Sep 2022The concentrations of benzene and 1,3-butadiene in urban, suburban, and rural sites of the U.K. were investigated across 20 years (2000-2020) to assess the impacts of...
The concentrations of benzene and 1,3-butadiene in urban, suburban, and rural sites of the U.K. were investigated across 20 years (2000-2020) to assess the impacts of pollution control strategies. Given the known toxicity of these pollutants, it is necessary to investigate national long-term trends across a range of site types. We conclude that whilst legislative intervention has been successful in reducing benzene and 1,3-butadiene pollution from vehicular sources, previously overlooked sources must now be considered as they begin to dominate in contribution to ambient pollution. Benzene concentrations in urban areas were found to be ~5-fold greater than those in rural areas, whilst 1,3-butadiene concentrations were up to ~10-fold greater. The seasonal variation of pollutant concentration exhibited a maximum in the winter and a minimum in the summer with summer: winter ratios of 1:2.5 and 1:1.6 for benzene and 1,3-butadiene, respectively. Across the period investigated (2000-2020), the concentrations of benzene decreased by 85% and 1,3-butadiene concentrations by 91%. A notable difference could be seen between the two decades studied (2000-2010, 2010-2020) with a significantly greater drop evident in the first decade than in the second, proving, whilst previously successful, legislative interventions are no longer sufficiently limiting ambient concentrations of these pollutants. The health impacts of these pollutants are discussed, and cancer impact indices were utilized allowing estimation of cancer impacts across the past 20 years for different site types. Those particularly vulnerable to the adverse health effects of benzene and 1,3-butadiene pollution are discussed.
Topics: Air Pollutants; Benzene; Butadienes; Environmental Monitoring; Humans; Neoplasms; United Kingdom
PubMed: 36231204
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191911904 -
The Lancet. Planetary Health Sep 2021Non-Hodgkin lymphoma comprises a heterogeneous group of cancers with unresolved aetiology, although risk factors include environmental exposures to toxic chemicals.... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
BACKGROUND
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma comprises a heterogeneous group of cancers with unresolved aetiology, although risk factors include environmental exposures to toxic chemicals. Although the ubiquitous pollutant benzene is an established leukemogen, its potential to cause non-Hodgkin lymphoma has been widely debated. We aimed to examine the potential link between benzene exposure and risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in humans by evaluating a wide array of cohort and case-control studies using electronic systematic review.
METHODS
We did a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis of all qualified human epidemiological studies that assessed the relationship between benzene exposure and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. We queried the PubMed and Embase databases for relevant articles published before June 5, 2019, and applied the SysRev platform for study selection. All peer-reviewed human cohort and case-control studies that reported non-Hodgkin lymphoma risk estimates specifically for benzene exposure were eligible for inclusion. Studies that calculated relative risks (RRs) for industries or job types without identifying those specifically exposed to benzene, that combined non-Hodgkin lymphoma with other cancer types, or that reported many different solvent exposures together were excluded. From each study, two investigators independently extracted information on the study design, location, years, sample size, participation rates, age, sex, sources of cases and controls, diagnosis, histological verification, exposure assessment, results, adjustment, and statistical analysis, and subsequently assessed study quality. We calculated the meta-analysis relative risk (meta-RR) and CIs using the fixed effect and random effect models, as well as assessing publication bias.
FINDINGS
Our search yielded 2481 articles. After screening and removal of duplicates, 20 case-control studies and eight cohort studies were included in our meta-analysis, which included a total of 9587 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. We reported an increased meta-relative risk (meta-RR) of 33% in highly exposed groups, when data were available (meta-RR 1·33 [95% CI 1·13-1·57], n=28). The meta-RR rose to 1·51 (1·22-1·87, n=18) in the studies that provided results specifically for highly exposed individuals. In particular, we reported a doubling of this risk for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a major non-Hodgkin lymphoma subtype (1·67 [1·01-2·77]). We also detected increased risks for follicular lymphoma (1·47 [0·95-2·27]) and hairy cell leukaemia (1·77 [0·99-3·16]), though they were not statistically significant. Funnel plot, Egger's test (p=0·77) and Begg's test (p=0·98) did not show evidence of publication bias. We evaluated the major aspects of causal inference and found evidence to support all the Hill considerations for assigning causation.
INTERPRETATION
Our findings suggest a causal link between benzene exposure and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, especially for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
FUNDING
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
Topics: Benzene; Case-Control Studies; Cohort Studies; Humans; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin; Risk Factors
PubMed: 34450064
DOI: 10.1016/S2542-5196(21)00149-2