ABSTRACT
A China-Japan joint project was carried out to study the incidence of fluorosis caused by coal burning in China from 1995 to 1997.<BR>The health survey covered a control area and two flourosis areas. In those research areas, drinking water was not polluted with fluorides. The survey was designed to analyze the health status of people exposed to fluorides and evaluate the relationships between the dose and incidence of fluorosis. The concentration of airborne pollutants in both indoor and outdoor air was measured. The concentration of fluoride in the urine was analyzed and definite diagnoses for dental fluorosis and skeletal fluorosis were determined.<BR>As a result, the incidence of coal burning fluorosis was confirmed in studied areas. Moreover, the fluorosis was caused not only by the direct inhalation of the airbone fluorides in indoor air but also by the intake of cereals polluted with fluorides. Fluoride was contained in both coal and soil. Therefore the mixture of coal and soil used for the adjustment of fire energy contributed to the air pollution to a great extent. The typical polluted crops were red pepper, corn and potato. An extremely high concentration of fluoride in the urine of residents in the polluted areas was detected.
ABSTRACT
Global warming may lead to changes in morbidity and mortality. It directly affects the ecosystem and alters the human hazards such as parasites, pathogens, pesticides and chemical pollutants. The climatic change also affects human health as it brings about changes in air quality and water quality.<BR>The major causes of mortality, such as cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease and respiratory disease are influenced by the environmental factors such as climate and urbanization. In the economically developed countries, these diseases constitute the major cause of death. In temperate regions, the seasonal trends of the mortality of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and respiratory diseases indicate a winter maximum and summer minimum. Global warming changes the environmental factors and affect the seasonal trends of these diseases in many countries.<BR>The risk evaluation of heat wave stress, pesticides pollution, air pollution, water pollution, and vectorborne diseases by global warming is necessary.
ABSTRACT
Paraquat is one the most popular herbicides in agriculture in Japan. To study the chronic toxicological effects of paraquat on animals, rats were fed a paraquat-containing diet for 1 year and 2 months (1, 5, 25mg/kg of body weight/day). Paraquat administration induced serious histochemical changes in various organs, such as the lung, heart, kidney and liver in rast. Pulmonary fibrosis occurred in the group of rats given 1mg paraquat/kg of body weight/day in diet.<BR>The alkaline phosphatase activity and creatinine content in the blood serum significantly increased. The concentrations of cholesterol, triglyceride and phospholipid in the serum decreased significantly.<BR>A significant increase of lipid peroxidation was observed in the brain, kidney and liver.
ABSTRACT
Recently, it has been recognized that the extent of the Antarctic ozone hole becomes clear. The depletion of stratospheric ozone may lead to increase ultraviolet B (UV-B) radiation.<BR>UV-B radiation has many damaging effects on human health, such as snow blindness, catalact and skin cancer. UV-B radiation also suppresses the immune defenses against certain infections. Non-melanoma skin cancer, such as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, has convincing and clear-cut relationship to UV-B radiation. Cutaneous malignant melanoma is laso at least partially caused by exposure to UV-B radiation.<BR>In U. S. A., it has been recognized that the incidence of skin cancer including melanoma increases from high to low latitudes possibly due to the increase of UV-B rediation. while it is difficult to estimate numerical effect on the basis of epidemiologic data in the U. S. A., UNEP and WHO estimates that for every 1% decrease in stratospheric ozone. there will be between a 0.3 to 0.6% increase in catalact. Based on the same epidemiologic data, it is also estimated that for every 1% depletion of ozone, the incidence of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma will increase 2.7, 4.6 and 0.6% respectively.<BR>Therefore, it is necessary to confirm the incidence rate of skin cancer in various countries in relation to UV-B dose. There is concern that increased UV-B radiation, by suppression of the immune system, might lead to an increase of the incidence of infectious diseases.
ABSTRACT
High concentration of airborne particles was detected in greenhouse air after suspended particulate pesticide spraying. The reduction of aerial concentration of resprirable particulate pesticide was relatively slow.<BR>To study the potential health effects of inhaled pesticide, the animals were exposed to the pesticide, methidathion particles in the inhalation exposure chamber. The exposed pesticide particles were approximately 2.16 μm mass median diameter.<BR>The animals exposed to suspended particulate pesticide had a considerable amount of particles within alveolar macropharges and alveolar epithelia. The serious lesion of alveolar epithelia and capillary endothelia of the animals occured after inhalation of methidathion particles.<BR>The vacuolar degeneration of hepatic cell was also cytosol decreased significantly after inhalation of methidathione particles.<BR>The exposure to suspended particulate methidathion induced production of thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (TBARS) in hepatic cells of the exposed animals. The induction of TBARS formation in hepatic cells was remarkable at early period of exposure.<BR>The change of serum transaminase (GOT) activities after exposure to methidathion particle was remarkable. GOT activities also markedly increased at early period of exposure.
ABSTRACT
Effects on morbidity and mortality following both global warming and ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation increase are summarized.<BR>(1) The abnormally high atmospheric temperature (“heat wave”) may be associated with increase in morbidity and mortality of high risk groups, such as the elderly.<BR>(2) Increased photochemical oxidants in urban areas with warming trend will have effects on human health and could cause inflammatory disease of eyes and many types of respiratory diseases.<BR>(3) The concentration of agrochemicals and pesticides in the environment would increase thereby resulting in human exposure.<BR>(4) Since the climate change would affect the seasonal and geographical abundance of major vector species like mosquito, the incidence of vector-borne diseases could be affected.<BR>(5) Since depletion of stratospheric ozone layer effect would increase UV-B radiation, a number of diseases of the skin and eyes may increase.
ABSTRACT
To study the potential health effects of suspended particulate pesticide-Supracide FD, the animals were exposed to the pesticide particle in the inhalation exposure chamber. The suspended particulate pesticide was approximately 2.16μm mass median diameter.<BR>The animals exposed to suspended particulate pesticide had a considerable amount of particles throughout the alveolar region.The particles deposited mainly within alveolar macropharge and alveolar epithelium. The epithelial lesion of the pulmonary tissue and the vacuolar degeneration of hepatic cell of the animals occured after inhalation of pesticide particle.<BR>The exposure to Supracide FD induced production of more thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (TBARS) in comparison to the controls. The change of serum GOT and LDH activities after exposure to pesticide particle was also remarkable. The exposure to the pesticide particle caused no significant effect on the serum cholinesterase activity.
ABSTRACT
The regression analysis between the activity of serum cholinesterase and some biochemical factors of female agricultural workers was examined.<BR>To normalize the value of the factors, logarithmic value was calculated. Multiple regression analysis between the activity of cholinesterase and the factors related to liver function, such as the activity of GOT, GPT and total cholesterol content were calculated. The most significant factor related to cholinesterase was total cholesterol content, and the activity of GPT was the second. The Multiple regression coefficients of the equation between the cholinesterase and total cholesterol and GPT were from 9.7 to 18.3.<BR>Using all biochemical factors as independent variables, the most suitable equation was determined from calculating the predictive sum of square (PSS). The activity of cholinesterase (ln (ChE)) depends upon the following factors, age, ln (GPT), ln (TCh) and Broca index. Hemoglobin content could also be added as a variable. The equation is;<BR>ln (ChE) =0.002126 (age) +0.04028 ln (GPT) +0.2112 ln (TCh) +0.002188 (Broca index)-1.5687+α Where α is the parameter of each population.<BR>From this equation, the standard value of the activity of cholinesterase of each woman was calculated. The estimate of cholinesterase activity may be useful to examine the inhibitory effect of pesticides on cholinesterase.
ABSTRACT
828 female agricultural workers were studied. Their age, blood pressure, Broca index, hemoglobin content, serum total cholesterol, activity of serum cholinesterase and transaminase (GOT and GPT) was measured. The distribution of each factor was examined in the sample of agricultural workers. The data for mean blood pressure, total cholesterol, activity of cholinesterase, GOT and GPT showed a log normal distribution.<BR>For the screening of the data, Mahalanobis's distance was calculated and the abnormal data (P<0.01) was compared with the worker's medical record. The data of non healthy women was excluded from the following calculation.<BR>The correlation coefficients between the activity of cholinesterase and other factors (age, Broca index, mean blood pressure, hemoglobin content, GOT and GPT) were statistically significant. This result indicates that the activity of cholinesterase somewhat depends on these factors.<BR>It is important to investigate the relationships between the activity of cholinesterase and some biochemical factors, and to establish the standard value of its activity in order to estimate the effect of pesticides.
ABSTRACT
Respiratory and dermal exposures of the sprayman to pesticide sprayed by a dilute spray machine (speed sprayer) were studied in fruits orchards. Aerial concentration change of pesticide in the air were also investigated. The degrees of respiratory and dermal exposures were nearly independent on the size of machine, while they were higher in spring than in summer. The degree of respiratory exposure of pesticide was proportional to that of dermal exposure. The dermal exposure of sprayman was greatly reduced by the use of the machine equipped with a hood, which was not so effective against his respiratory exposure.<BR>Serum choline esterase activity of the sprayman was almost unchanged after pesticide spraying. The pesticide in orchard air was detected more than 3 hours after spraying. When pesticide was sprayed by the speed sprayer, the pesticide mist drifted into the house near the orchard.