Concentration levels of cadmium and lead in the raw and processed meat of Helix pomatia snails.

This work reports on cadmium and lead contaminations in the edible snail Helix pomatia harvested in Poland. One hundred and 24 samples of Helix pomatia meat collected from seven provinces (voivodeships) of Poland were analyzed for their trace metal levels by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). The research was conducted in 2 stages. The 1st stage analyzed snail meat prior to any further technological treatment (raw meat). In the 2nd stage, the trace element levels were measured in meat subjected to technological treatment (processed meat). The trace element contents in raw meat samples ranged from 0.06 mg kg-1 to 0.22 mg kg-1 for Cd and from 0.06 mg kg-1 to 0.18 mg kg-1 for Pb. The analyses revealed an increase in the cad- mium content from 0.12 mg kg-1 to 0.18 mg kg-1 in thermally treated snail meat and no changes in lead concentration during the two-stage heat treatment. Regulation (EC) 1881/2006 does not specify the Cd and Pb residue limits in meat of terrestrial edible snails. The limits are set for in- vertebrate aquatic organisms meat (i.e. shellfish, mollusc, cephalopod) and range from 0.5 mg/kg to 1.5 mg/kg of tissue fresh weight for Pb and from 0.5 mg kg -1 to 1 mg kg-1 for Cd (EU Commis- sion 2006). The results demonstrate that the land snail Helix pomatia has a tendency to bioaccu- mulate trace elements, and the cooking process is likely to affect (increase) the Cd content in the snail meat.

A thirty-eight year comparison of cancer incidence and mortality among employees at a Connecticut chemical plant.

An important aspect of occupational mortality is the fact that death registration is complete and has good specificity and sensitivity for those cancers with poor survival. However, if available and complete, cancer incidence data are preferable. A unique opportunity presented itself at The Dow Chemical Company's Allyn's Point plant (Gales Ferry, Connecticut) to conduct a cancer incidence and mortality study since the plant began operation in 1951, several years after the establishment of the Connecticut Tumor Registry. All male employees (N = 666) with one or more years of service from 1951-1989 were eligible for the study. Altogether there were 47 primary incident cancers which represented 40 individuals. The Standardized Incidence Ratio (SIR) for all cancer was 124 (95% confidence interval [CI] 91-165). There were 23 deaths reported for all cancers (Standardized Mortality Ratio [SMR] 87, 95% CI 55-131). Only laryngeal cancer incidence was statistically significant (Standardized Incidence Ratio [SIR] 417, 95% CI 135-972). After review of the work history records, this association was found to be inconsistent with a common exposure hazard at the plant.

Update of the mortality experience of employees with occupational exposure to 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP).

DBCP (1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane), a nematocide, was used in the United States from the mid-1950s until 1977. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) restricted and eventually banned its use after the 1977 discovery of DBCP-induced sterility in production workers. The present study is an update of the mortality (1957-1989) experience of a cohort of 548 male employees who had potential for exposure in the production and formulation of DBCP. While adjusting for age, calendar-year, and pay status of all other Midland-area Dow Chemical male employees, there were 68 total observed deaths in the cohort compared to 72.1 expected (Mantel Haenszel Relative Risk 0.9, 95% Confidence Interval 0.7-1.2) and 19 deaths from all malignancies compared to 19.0 expected (RR 1.0, 95% CI 0.6-1.6). Of the a priori anatomic cancer sites of interest, there were no deaths from stomach, liver, kidney, testes, or nasal cavity cancers. Altogether, there were 7 deaths from lung cancer compared to 6.6 expected (RR 1.1, 95% CI 0.5-2.3). Among the 81 employees with exposure categorized as direct for 1 or more years, there were 3 observed lung cancer deaths compared to 0.9 expected (RR 3.3, 95% CI 1.1-9.6). Smoking was a confounding factor in the interpretation of this observation. Although the present analysis nearly doubled the number of person-years from the original study, the conclusions remain limited by the cohort's size and duration of follow-up.

A 5-year evaluation of a smoking cessation incentive program for chemical employees.

BACKGROUND: This 5-year study of the Dow Chemical Texas Operations 1984-1985 Smoking Cessation Incentive Program (SCIP) evaluated the smoking habits of 1,097 participants and 1,174 nonparticipants. RESULTS: We observed, via questionnaire and saliva cotinine data, that participants were 2.3 times more likely to be long-term (greater than or equal to 5 years) nonusers of tobacco than nonparticipants (10.2% vs 4.4%, P less than or equal to 0.01). However, smoking cessation rates for 3-4 years, 1-2 years, and less than 1 year were similar for participants who remained smokers at the conclusion of SCIP and nonparticipants. Age and the interaction between the management job category and having quit smoking for at least 30 days sometime prior to the worksite program were important predictors of smoking cessation among participants. Thirty-six percent of the participants who were considered exsmokers of 6 months duration at the conclusion of the program in 1985 remained long-term quitters 5 years later. Stress and enjoyment of smoking were the two most important reasons provided by participants for recidivism. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this 5-year evaluation demonstrate the heterogeneity of employee participation and success with a worksite smoking cessation program.

Use of a population-based tumor registry to estimate cancer incidence among a cohort of chemical workers.

There have been many studies conducted of mortality in occupational cohorts, but few of cancer incidence. Two major facilities of the Western Division of Dow Chemical USA are located fortuitously within an area covered by the population-based California Tumor Registry, which allowed linkage of records to identify incident cancers among 1,403 male workers. Using adjusted county rates for comparison, 49 new cancers were observed in the cohort from 1969 through 1983, whereas 63.0 were expected (standardized incidence ratio = 78, 95% confidence limits = 53 to 103). Nonsignificant excesses were noted for several cancer groups among some categories of workers; however, there was no predominant tumor type within the groups. The successful completion of this collaborative project suggests that using population-based tumor registries for surveillance of occupational cohorts is feasible.

Partial characterization of a bone-derived chemotactic factor for tumor cells.

Medium that has been bathing organ cultures of resorbing bone contains a factor that is chemotactic for cultured Walker carcinosarcoma cells, as assayed by the Boyden chamber technique. There is a positive correlation between the chemotactic activity released by the resorbing bones and the extent of resorption as measured by release of previously incorporated 45Ca from the bones. Generation of the chemotactic factor occurs independent of the humoral mediator of bone resorption. The tumor cell chemotactic factor has a steep dose-response curve, with a fall from maximal to minimal activity extending over a four-fold dilution. The chemotactic activity is stable to heating and has an estimated molecular weight of 6000 daltons, as determined by gel filtration chromatography and retention of activity following dialysis. The chemotactic activity has been distinguished from the tumor cell chemotactic factor derived from the fifth component of complement because the former is not inactivated by antiserum to C5 and because it is chemotactic for EL-4 lymphoma cells, whereas the latter is not chemotactically active for these cells.

Medical evaluation of G-sensitive aircrewmen.

Etiologies for loss of consciousness in an aerospace environment are diverse and may present as a perplexing problem in specific cases. The high, sustained G that current aircraft are capable of producing represent another etiology for inflight loss of consciousness. Protective measures give only partial protection, however, and pilots continue to remain susceptible to the excessively high G forces. Certain protective methods, including M-1 and L-1 straining maneuvers, may actually become a source of loss of consciousness if not performed correctly. The current methods utilized to evaluate loss of consciousness in flight, as demonstrated in the specific case of a student pilot performing an improper straining maneuver, are reviewed. Specific measures that might be instituted to prevent certain of these loss-of-consciousness episodes are recommended. The human centrifuge can be an integral part of aeromedical evaluation when G-related problems are involved and is an extremely valuable training device in determining individual G tolerance and enabling controlled G-stress training. Use of the centrifuge in high-G training could well lead to both human life and aircraft cost savings in addition to assuring full utilization of today's high-performance aircraft.

Direct resorption of bone by human monocytes.

Cultured human peripheral blood monocytes stimulate the release of bone mineral and matrix from killed long bones of fetal rats. These effects were inhibited by cortisol but were not altered by hormones that normally stimulate osteoclastic bone resorption. There was no evidence of morphologic differentiation of the monocytes into osteoclasts during bone resorption.