ABSTRACT
Urban renewal efforts are a priority for many American cities. As efforts to reconstitute urban centers increase, the demolition of old, deteriorated structures has accelerated. Recent studies have identified demolitions as a potential source of environmental lead exposure. We conducted a study examining the relationship between demolition activity and blood lead levels of children residing in neighborhoods where demolition activity occurred. A retrospective cohort study was conducted in St. Louis City, Missouri. The study period was January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2002. Data were obtained from the Missouri Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program's (CLPPP) lead surveillance system and St. Louis Demolition Permit Database. Children were considered exposed to a demolition if they had a blood lead test within 45 days of any demolition on a census block. Exposure was classified as both a dichotomous (yes/no) and a categorical (none/one/multiple) variable and was analyzed separately. Linear regression models were developed to determine effects of demolitions on blood lead levels. A total of 1196 children 6-72 months of age living in 395 census blocks were included. 314 (26.3%) were exposed and 882 (73.7%) were unexposed to a demolition. In an adjusted model, exposure to multiple demolitions was found to have significant effects on children blood lead levels (coefficient=0.281; 95% CI=0.069, 0.493; P-value=0.010). Age of the child, race, and age of housing where children's resided were also significant predictors. This study suggests that multiple demolitions within a census block may significantly increase children's blood lead levels. The findings may be useful to municipal planners in older cities where demolitions are being used as an urban renewal tool.
Subject(s)
Construction Materials , Environmental Exposure/statistics & numerical data , Lead/blood , Urban Health , Urban Population/statistics & numerical data , Urban Renewal , Child, Preschool , Cohort Studies , Female , Humans , Infant , Linear Models , Male , Missouri , Retrospective StudiesSubject(s)
Antigens, Dermatophagoides , Bedding and Linens , Laundering , Mites , Pest Control , Animals , Arthropod Proteins , Cysteine Endopeptidases , Dust , Pest Control/methods , TemperatureABSTRACT
We measured current serum hormone and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) concentrations in 37 men who sprayed 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) in the State of Victoria, Australia. TCDD levels were consistently significantly inversely related to prolactin levels in all analyses. In correlation analyses, TCDD levels were also inversely related to triiodothyronine (T3), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and testosterone levels, and positively associated with glucagon levels. The mean serum TCDD concentration in these sprayers was between 2.6 and 8.1 parts per trillion (ppt). Since such TCDD levels are commonly found in the general population in countries such as the US, the results could suggest that background levels of TCDD in the general population could have an effect on hormone levels. The findings are preliminary and need to be replicated in order to evaluate their full public health significance.
Subject(s)
Environmental Pollutants/blood , Gonadal Steroid Hormones/blood , Occupational Exposure , Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins/blood , Thyroid Hormones/blood , Adult , Agriculture , Endocrine System/drug effects , Environmental Pollutants/adverse effects , Glucagon/blood , Humans , Male , Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins/adverse effects , Public HealthABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Healthy chickens or turkeys and their eggs destined for human consumption are commonly infected with viruses which cause cancer in these animals. Some of the viruses can infect and transform human cells in vitro, and human sera show serological evidence of infection with these viruses. It is not known whether the viruses cause cancer in humans. METHODS: We conducted a mortality study of a subcohort of 2639 workers in poultry slaughtering plants who have one of the highest human exposures to these viruses, and 6081 unexposed workers from non-meat companies (controls). All were members of a local meatcutters' union in Baltimore. RESULTS: Statistically significant increased risks were observed for cancer of the oesophagus, liver cancer, tumours of the haemopoietic lymphatic system, and motor vehicle accidents, in the group of poultry workers as a whole or in particular race/sex subgroups. The results for other causes of death showed consistently elevated risks in most race/sex subgroups, but these were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The cohort is young, and because the number of deaths is small, the results though suggestive of increased risks for some causes, are inconclusive. However they indicate that this cohort is of interest, and that further follow-up might reveal a much clearer and consistent picture.
