Application of the Adverse Outcome Pathway Framework to Risk Assessment for Predicting Carcinogenicity of Chemicals

As industry develops in modern society, many chemicals are being used. The safety of chemicals is an important issue because humans are constantly exposed to chemicals throughout their daily life. Through a risk assessment, the hazardous human effects of chemicals can be identified. Recently, the adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework has been used to predict the adverse effects of chemicals. As a conceptual framework for organizing existing biological knowledge, the AOP consists of a molecular initiating event, key events, and an adverse outcome. These independent elements represent biological responses and are connected by key event relationships. This AOP framework provides intuitive hazard identification that can be helpful for carcinogenic risk assessment of chemicals. In this review, we introduce the application of the AOP framework to risk assessment for predicting carcinogenicity of chemicals and illustrate the utility of this approach for cancer prevention.

What must be done to prevent another humidifier disinfectant disaster?

The humidifier disinfectant disaster (HDD) was not a simple poisoning accident by biocides, but a singular disaster in history created by chemicals in household products. This disaster was a result of the failure of a system for the management of chemical and product safety. Since the management authority for chemical usage safety is different from those for chemical safety in products, many blind areas for chemical safety management in products still remain. The ‘Act on the Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances (ARECS)’ or the new ‘Biocidal Product Act’ must not only address the blind areas in the management system for chemical and product safety, but also prevent a second HDD. To prevent another HDD, an integrated registration, evaluation, and management system for chemicals and consumer products must be incorporated into the ‘ARECS’ as an essential part for chemical safety in consumer products.

Investigação do acidente da Boate Kiss em Santa Maria: Rio Grande do Sul: Brasil / Nightclub Kiss Accident Analysis in Santa Maria: RS a case study focusing on the investigation of the accident as an opportunity to return the learned experience

Introdução: O acidente ocorrido em Santa Maria-RS encontra-se dentre os mais propalados pela mídia inclusive com repercussão internacional. A investigação criminal, levada a cabo pela delegacia de polícia e também a feita pelos técnicos do conselho regional de engenharia, resultou em um conhecimento dos fatos imediatos, ou seja, um olhar da relação causa e efeito, nitidamente estabelecida sem buscar as razões de origem das causas. Em outros termos, aqui buscamos contextualiza o evento acidentário dentro dos fatores culturais, políticos, regulatórios e econômicos. Ao não colocar luzes sob tais aspectos correlacionados, o retorno da experiência, o aprendizado e a própria gestão de riscos, ficaram circunscritos à esfera proximal do acidente. Questões sobre o uso e comercialização de materiais pirotécnicos, o emprego de materiais de revestimentos em boates e clubes noturnos, a promoção de eventos com grande afluxo de pessoas para locais fechados, não são aprofundados nos referidos relatórios. Também não se discutiu, de forma ampla, questões sobre a atuação de órgãos públicos na concessão de funcionamento de boates, sobre o papel dos especialistas em prevenção de risco, sobre o papel dos agentes públicos em grandes desastres e acidentes ampliados, especialmente os relacionados ao acidente químico que neste caso matou, em minutos, duzentos e quarenta e dois jovens, todos levados a óbitos pela ação do gás cianídrico.

Introduction: The accident in Santa Maria - RS is one of the most publicized by the media having international repercussions. The criminal investigation conducted by the police and also by the technicians of the Regional Engineering Board, resulted in an understanding of immediate facts, i.e., the causes and effects which clearly established without seeking for the roots of the problem. In other words, here we seek to contextualize the accident within the cultural, political, regulatory and economic aspects. If we did not analyze the correlated aspects, the feedback, learning and risk management itself would be restricted to the accident proximal sphere. Questions about the use and sale of fireworks, the use of lining materials in clubs and nightclubs, the organization of events with large amounts of people indoors, are not detailed in the reports. It was also not broadly discussed questions about the role of governmental agencies in providing operating licenses for nightclubs, the role of risk prevention experts and the role of public officials in major disasters and major accidents, especially those related to chemical substances, that, in this case, killed two hundred forty two young people in a few minutes, all of whom died due to the action of the cyanide gas. Objectives: In face of these and other shortcomings, this paper proposes a method of coping with these issues

Analysis of the utilization of existing test data for phase-in substance registration under the Act on the Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances

OBJECTIVES: Approximately 2000 phase-in substances are subject to registration according to the Act on the Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances (KREACH), and the expected testing cost is 2.06 trillion Korean won assuming all the test data required for registration are acquired. The extent to which these enormous test costs can be reduced depends on the availability of existing data that can be used to meet the requirements of the K-REACH we examined the current availability of test data that can be used for chemical substance registration. METHODS: We analyzed the possibility of utilizing the existing test data obtained from 16 reference databases for 369 of 518 kinds of phase-in substances subject to registration that were reported in last October 2014. RESULTS: The physical and chemical properties were available for 57.1% of substances, whereas data regarding human hazards and environmental hazards were available at considerably lower rates, 8.5% and 11.8%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Physical and chemical properties were available for a fairly high proportion, whereas human hazards and environmental hazards were reported for considerably fewer substances.