-
International Journal of Environmental... Jun 2020Human exposure to lead can occur in a variety of ways, all of which involve exposure to potentially toxic elements as environmental pollutants. Lead enters the body via... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Human exposure to lead can occur in a variety of ways, all of which involve exposure to potentially toxic elements as environmental pollutants. Lead enters the body via ingestion and inhalation from sources such as soil, food, lead dust and lead in products of everyday use and in the workplace. The aim of this review is to describe the toxic effects of lead on the human body from conception to adulthood, and to review the situation regarding lead toxicity in Poland.
RESULTS
Pb is very dangerous when it is absorbed and accumulates in the main organs of the body, where it can cause a range of symptoms that vary from person to person, the time of exposure and dose. Lead in adults can cause an increase in blood pressure, slow nerve conduction, fatigue, mood swings, drowsiness, impaired concentration, fertility disorders, decreased sex drive, headaches, constipation and, in severe cases, encephalopathy or death.
CONCLUSIONS
Exposure to lead in Poland remains an important public health problem. This review will cover the range of lead exposures, from mild to heavy. Public health interventions and policies also are needed to reduce occupational and environmental exposure to this element.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Dust; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Pollution; Humans; Lead; Lead Poisoning; Poland
PubMed: 32570851
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17124385 -
International Journal of Environmental... May 2023Human health and environmental exposure form an inseparable binomial [...].
Human health and environmental exposure form an inseparable binomial [...].
Topics: Humans; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Health
PubMed: 37239493
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20105764 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2023
Topics: Pesticides; Public Health; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Monitoring
PubMed: 37469699
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1211115 -
Environmental Health : a Global Access... Jan 2016Reporting data back to study participants is increasingly being integrated into exposure and biomonitoring studies. Informal science learning opportunities are valuable...
Reporting data back to study participants is increasingly being integrated into exposure and biomonitoring studies. Informal science learning opportunities are valuable in environmental health literacy efforts and report back efforts are filling an important gap in these efforts. Using the University of Arizona's Metals Exposure Study in Homes, this commentary reflects on how community-engaged exposure assessment studies, partnered with data report back efforts are providing a new informal education setting and stimulating free-choice learning. Participants are capitalizing on participating in research and leveraging their research experience to meet personal and community environmental health literacy goals. Observations from report back activities conducted in a mining community support the idea that reporting back biomonitoring data reinforces free-choice learning and this activity can lead to improvements in environmental health literacy. By linking the field of informal science education to the environmental health literacy concepts, this commentary demonstrates how reporting data back to participants is tapping into what an individual is intrinsically motivated to learn and how these efforts are successfully responding to community-identified education and research needs.
Topics: Community Participation; Community-Based Participatory Research; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Monitoring; Humans; Information Seeking Behavior; Primary Prevention; Residence Characteristics; United States
PubMed: 26748908
DOI: 10.1186/s12940-015-0080-1 -
Chemical Research in Toxicology Aug 2022The rapidly growing field of toxicoepigenetics seeks to understand how toxicant exposures interact with the epigenome to influence disease risk. Toxicoepigenetics is a... (Review)
Review
The rapidly growing field of toxicoepigenetics seeks to understand how toxicant exposures interact with the epigenome to influence disease risk. Toxicoepigenetics is a promising field of environmental health research, as integrating epigenetics into the field of toxicology will enable a more thorough evaluation of toxicant-induced disease mechanisms as well as the elucidation of the role of the epigenome as a biomarker of exposure and disease and possible mediator of exposure effects. Likewise, toxicoepigenetics will enhance our knowledge of how environmental exposures, lifestyle factors, and diet interact to influence health. Ultimately, an understanding of how the environment impacts the epigenome to cause disease may inform risk assessment, permit noninvasive biomonitoring, and provide potential opportunities for therapeutic intervention. However, the translation of research from this exciting field into benefits for human and animal health presents several challenges and opportunities. Here, we describe four significant areas in which we see opportunity to transform the field and improve human health by reducing the disease burden caused by environmental exposures. These include (1) research into the mechanistic role for epigenetic change in environment-induced disease, (2) understanding key factors influencing vulnerability to the adverse effects of environmental exposures, (3) identifying appropriate biomarkers of environmental exposures and their associated diseases, and (4) determining whether the adverse effects of environment on the epigenome and human health are reversible through pharmacologic, dietary, or behavioral interventions. We then highlight several initiatives currently underway to address these challenges.
Topics: Animals; Biomarkers; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Health; Epigenesis, Genetic; Epigenomics; Humans; Risk Assessment
PubMed: 35876266
DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.1c00445 -
International Journal of Environmental... Nov 2016Environmental justice (EJ) research seeks to document and redress the disproportionate environmental burdens and benefits associated with social inequalities. Although...
Environmental justice (EJ) research seeks to document and redress the disproportionate environmental burdens and benefits associated with social inequalities. Although its initial focus was on disparities in exposure to anthropogenic pollution, the scope of EJ research has expanded. In the context of intensifying social inequalities and environmental problems, there is a need to further strengthen the EJ research framework and diversify its application. This Special Issue of the incorporates 19 articles that broaden EJ research by considering emerging topics such as energy, food, drinking water, flooding, sustainability, and gender dynamics, including issues in Canada, the UK, and Eastern Europe. Additionally, the articles contribute to three research themes: (1) documenting connections between unjust environmental exposures and health impacts by examining unsafe infrastructure, substance use, and children's obesity and academic performance; (2) promoting and achieving EJ by implementing interventions to improve environmental knowledge and health, identifying avenues for sustainable community change, and incorporating EJ metrics in government programs; and (3) clarifying stakeholder perceptions of EJ issues to extend research beyond the documentation of unjust conditions and processes. Collectively, the articles highlight potentially compounding injustices and an array of approaches being employed to achieve EJ.
Topics: Canada; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Health; Europe, Eastern; Health Status Disparities; Humans; Research; Social Justice; Socioeconomic Factors; United Kingdom
PubMed: 27809294
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph13111072 -
Current Opinion in Endocrinology,... Dec 2020This review seeks to evaluate the impact of environmental exposures on the menstrual cycle length detailing timing of exposure on pathophysiology. (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
This review seeks to evaluate the impact of environmental exposures on the menstrual cycle length detailing timing of exposure on pathophysiology.
RECENT FINDINGS
Recent literature has examined the relationship between menstrual cycle length and environmental exposures including air pollutants, parabens, and polybrominated biphenyls.
SUMMARY
Research is limited but suggest importance of further research in evaluating environmental exposures and menstrual cycle length.
Topics: Environmental Exposure; Environmental Pollutants; Female; Humans; Menstrual Cycle; Menstruation Disturbances; Time Factors
PubMed: 33027071
DOI: 10.1097/MED.0000000000000579 -
Annals of the American Thoracic Society Dec 2016Many acute and chronic lung diseases could benefit from improved regeneration therapy. In development and throughout life, genetically encoded exposure memory systems... (Review)
Review
Many acute and chronic lung diseases could benefit from improved regeneration therapy. In development and throughout life, genetically encoded exposure memory systems allow environmental exposures, diet, and infectious agents to direct subsequent phenotypic adaptation and responses. The impact of such memory systems on lung regeneration is currently unknown. This article provides a brief overview of advances in redox biology and medicine as a framework for elucidating exposure memory and delineating spatiotemporal responses in lung regeneration. New imaging and omics methods enable precise definition to advance knowledge of development and the cumulative changes in lung biochemistry, structure, and cell populations occurring from prior and ongoing exposures. Importantly, conditioning steps may be needed to reverse exposure memory and enable effective regeneration. Thus, to complement developmental biology and regenerative medicine, research programs are needed to gain systematic knowledge of how lifelong exposures impact lung biology and support transition of lung regeneration from hypothetical to practical medicine.
Topics: Aging; Dietary Exposure; Environmental Exposure; Humans; Lung; Occupational Exposure; Oxidative Stress; Regeneration
PubMed: 28005420
DOI: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201602-114AW -
Molecular Ecology Jul 2021
Topics: Biological Monitoring; DNA, Environmental; Environmental Exposure; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental Pollutants
PubMed: 34176165
DOI: 10.1111/mec.16023 -
JAMA Aug 2008
Topics: Arsenic; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Environmental Exposure; Humans
PubMed: 18714068
DOI: 10.1001/jama.300.7.845