Environmental Exposure, Biomonitoring and Exposure Assessment

Cypermethrin, a pyrethroid insecticide, is frequently spread on agricultural farmlands and is also used in households in Thailand. Conventional pesticide-using farmers (n = 209) were recruited from the Phitsanulok and Nakornsawan provinces. Certified organic farmers (n = 224) were also recruited in the Yasothorn province. The farmers were interviewed via a questionnaire and the urine from their first morning void was collected. The urine samples were analyzed for 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA), cis-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid (cis-DCCA), and trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylic acid (trans-DCCA). The results showed no significant difference in the urinary cypermethrin metabolites between the conventional farmers and the organic farmers, for whom the usage of cypermethrin was not accounted for. However, when conventional farmers who used cypermethrin on the farm and in the home were compared with conventional farmers who did not use any cypermethrin or with organic farmers, a significant difference was noted for all metabolites except for trans-DCCA. These findings show that the most significant exposures to cypermethrin are among conventional farmers who use the insecticide on their farms or in their homes. However, measurable levels of all metabolites were found among both conventional and organic farmers who only used cypermethrin in the home or not at all, suggesting that the at-home use of pyrethroids and other possible exposures from pyrethroid residues on market-bought food may contribute to urinary levels of pyrethroids that exceed those of the general population in the US and Canada. Full article

Tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) is an organophosphorus flame retardant that has been utilized in recent years as a primary replacement for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in a wide variety of fire-sensitive applications. However, the impact of TDCPP on the immune system has not been fully determined. As the largest secondary immune organ in the body, the spleen is considered to be an important study endpoint for determining immune defects in the body. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of TDCPP toxicity on the spleen and its possible molecular mechanisms. In this study, for 28 consecutive days, TDCPP was administered intragastrically (i.g), and we assessed the general condition of mice by evaluating their 24 h water and food intake. Pathological changes in spleen tissues were also evaluated at the end of the 28-day exposure. To measure the TDCPP-induced inflammatory response in the spleen and its consequences, the expression of the critical players in the NF-κB pathway and mitochondrial apoptosis were detected. Lastly, RNA-seq was performed to identify the crucial signaling pathways of TDCPP-induced splenic injury. The results showed that TDCPP intragastric exposure triggered an inflammatory response in the spleen, likely through activating the NF-κB/IFN-γ/TNF-α/IL-1β pathway. TDCPP also led to mitochondrial-related apoptosis in the spleen. Further RNA-seq analysis suggested that the TDCPP-mediated immunosuppressive effect is associated with the inhibition of chemokines and the expression of their receptor genes in the cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction pathway, including four genes of the CC subfamily, four genes of the CXC subfamily, and one gene of the C subfamily. Taken together, the present study identifies the sub-chronic splenic toxicity of TDCPP and provides insights on the potential mechanisms of TDCPP-induced splenic injury and immune suppression. Full article

The Mongolian economy is supported by rich deposits of natural resources, such as copper, coal, and gold. However, the risk of heavy metal pollution to livestock and human have been recently discussed. This research collected various samples from soil and animal (sheep, goat, horse, cow, and camel), blood and organs (kidney and liver) in the Mongolian countryside. These samples were processed, and the concentration of metals was quantified using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP/MS). As previously reported, arsenic was found at high levels of accumulation in soil. Selenium is another concern, as median concentration in one area exceeded the maximum allowable level. Cadmium and selenium were found to be highly accumulated in animal kidney. This research revealed the current pollution level in Mongolia based on evaluation of soil and animals. The concentration in animals could not indicate that animals had severe effects because of heavy metal exposure. However, kidney is eaten in Mongolia, and so there is a direct connection to human health, and this research suggested the possible risks posed by each edible animal. In particular, evaluation of metals in livestock is rare in Mongolia. This result can contribute to animal and human health in Mongolian communities. Full article

Heavy metals, such as copper, lead, and cadmium, carried by acid mine drainage are pollutants of the aquatic ecosystem, posing a significant health risk to the water resource for humans. Environmental technologies to reduce metal contamination are applied for post-mining prevention and improvement. Despite detailed pollution management, water contaminated by heavy metals still flows into the natural water system. This study investigated the impact of drainage discharged from abandoned mines near the major river in South Korea on aquatic organisms. The toxicity of the field water showed a more significant effect than observed through the experiment for each heavy-metal concentration. Various toxic substances coexisted in the field water around the mine, such that the overall toxic intensity was high even when the concentration of each heavy metal was low. As a result, the inhibition of activity of aquatic organisms was observed at low individual concentrations, and further investigation on the effect of long-term exposure to trace amounts of heavy metals is required. Full article

Brorphine (1-[1-[1-(4-bromophenyl) ethyl]-piperidin-4-yl]-1,3-dihydro-2H-benzo [d]imidazol-2-one) is one of the most recent novel synthetic opioids (NSOs) on the novel psychoactive substances (NPSs) market, involved in over 100 deaths in 2020. Brorphine is a substituted piperidine-benzimidazolone analogue that retains structural similarities to fentanyl, acting as a full agonist at the μ-opioid receptor. Oral Fluid (OF) is an alternative matrix, frequently analyzed for the detection of NPS. Fabric phase sorptive extraction (FPSE) is a superior, green-sample -preparation technology recently applied for drug analysis. This contribution presents the development and validation of a method, based on the application of FPSE and liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), to determine/quantitate brorphine in OF. The method’s linearity ranged between 0.05 and 50 ng/mL (R² = 0.9993), the bias ranged between 12.0 and 16.8%, and inter- and intra-day precisions ranged between 6.4 and 9.9%. Accuracy and extraction efficiency lied between 65 and 75%. LOD/LOQ were 0.015 ng/mL/0.05 ng/mL. Analyte’s post-preparative stability was higher than 95%, while no matrix interferences and carryover between runs were observed. This is the first report introducing the application of FPSE for NPS determination, specifically, the quantification of brorphine in OF, thereby presenting a simple, rapid, sensitive, specific, effective, and reliable procedure engaged to LC-MS/MS that is suitable for routine application and the analysis of more NPSs. Full article

In recent decades, “environmental xenobiotic-mediated endocrine disruption”, especially by xeno-estrogens, has gained a lot of interest from toxicologists and environmental researchers. These estrogen-mimicking chemicals are known to cause various human disorders. Pesticides are the most heavily used harmful xenobiotic chemicals around the world. The estrogen-mimicking potential of the most widely used organochlorine pesticides is well established. However, their effect is not as clearly understood among the plethora of effects these persistent xenobiotics are known to pose on our physiological system. Estrogens are one of the principal risk modifiers of various disorders, including cancer, not only in women but in men as well. Despite the ban on these xenobiotics in some parts of the world, humans are still at apparent risk of exposure to these harmful chemicals as they are still widely persistent and likely to stay in our environment for a long time owing to their high chemical stability. The present work intends to understand how these harmful chemicals may affect the risk of the development of estrogen-mediated human cancer. Full article

The urban overheating phenomenon in Mediterranean cities is a societal challenge with vast implications for the protection of public health. An additional analysis of the pilot TEMP randomized 2 × 2 cross-over trial was set up, using wearable sensor-based skin temperature measurements (n = 14). The study objectives were to: (i) assess the recurrence patterns of skin temperature measurements in individuals spending time in two climatologically contrasting settings (urban versus mountainous), and (ii) evaluate the association between the diurnal nonlinear recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) metrics and metabolic hormone levels. The intervention was a short-term stay (5–7 days) in a mountainous, climate-cooler setting (range 600–900 m altitude), which is about a 1 h drive from the main urban centres of Cyprus. The RQA analysis showed a blunting phenomenon on the nonlinear temporal dynamics of skin temperature time series observed in the urban setting. Compared with the mountainous setting, a more stable (and thus less adaptive) profile of skin temperature dynamics in the urban setting appeared, being less deterministic and with a smaller degree of complexity. No significant (p > 0.05) associations were observed between the leptin or cortisol and any of the skin temperature dynamical descriptors. However, there were marginal associations between the adiponectin and laminarity (beta = 0.24, 95%CI: −0.02, 0.50, p = 0.07) and with determinism (beta = 0.23, 95%CI: −0.037, 0.50, p = 0.09). We found dysregulations in skin temperature temporal dynamics of the study population while residing in the urban setting when compared with the cooler mountainous setting; these dysregulations took the form of reduced cycle duration and complexity, while skin temperature dynamics became less responsive to perturbations and less regular in magnitude. More research is needed to better understand heat stress temporal dynamics and their influence on human health. Trial registration: This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov; number: NCT03625817. Full article

This paper describes a methodology for simultaneous determination of 19 steroid hormones, viz. estrone, estradiol, estriol, testosterone, 5α-dihydrotestosterone, androstenedione, androstenediol, dehydroepiandrosterone, progesterone, pregnenolone, 17α-OH-progesterone, 17α-OH-pregnenolone, cortisone, cortisol, 11-deoxycortisol, 11-deoxycorticosterone, 11-dehydrocorticosterone, aldosterone, and corticosterone, in 500-µL of urine or serum/plasma. The method was optimized using isotopically labeled internal standards and liquid-liquid extraction followed by detection using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Dansylation of estrogens significantly improved their sensitivities (~11- to 23-fold) and chromatographic separation. The respective limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of all analytes were 0.04–0.28 and 0.14–0.92 ng/mL in human urine, and 0.11–0.35 and 0.38–1.18 ng/mL in human serum/plasma. Recoveries of all analytes (except for progesterone) fortified at 10, 20, and 200 ng/mL in urine and serum were 80–120%, with standard deviations ranging from 0 to 17.3%. Repeated analysis of similarly fortified urine and serum samples yielded intra-day and inter-day variations of 0–21.7% and 0.16–11.5%, respectively. All analytes except cortisone exhibited weak matrix effects in urine and serum (−13.9–18.2%). The method was further validated through the analysis of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) plasma Standard Reference Material (SRM1950) with certified concentrations for cortisol, progesterone, and testosterone (coefficient of variation: 3–11%). The developed method was applied in the analysis of urine samples from 20 volunteers, which revealed the occurrence of 16 analytes with detection frequencies (DFs) > 80%. Furthermore, 15 analytes were found in plasma SRM1950, indicating the feasibility of our method in the analysis of steroid hormones in urine and serum/plasma. This method will facilitate analysis of steroid hormones in population-based biomonitoring studies. Full article

A genotoxic study was conducted with 101 elementary school children (56 girls and 45 boys) in the 6–7, 8–9, and 10–12 age ranges from El Fraile rural community, which is located beside the El Fraile mine tailings in Taxco of Alarcon City, in northern Guerrero State, Mexico. For this, we used the alkaline comet assay in exfoliated buccal mucosa cells, scoring three genotoxic parameters: tail intensity, tail moment, and tail length. Additionally, we detected oxidative DNA damage through urinary 8-OHdG levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. We also evaluated a control group consisting of 101 children in the same age ranges from Chilpancingo City, Guerrero, who had never lived near mining zones. Genotoxic results showed that there was a significant increase in three genotoxic parameters and urinary 8-OHdG levels in the exposed children group compared with the control group. Analysis of MANOVA revealed that boys aged 8 and 9 years had higher DNA damage than girls from the same exposure group, and Spearman’s analysis identified a positive correlation between DNA damage and sex and age. This study provides the first valuable genotoxic data in children living in areas with environmental pollution. Full article

Oil-mist particulate matter (OMPM) refers to oily particles with a small aerodynamic equivalent diameter in ambient air. Since the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) has not been fully elucidated, this study aims to explore the potential molecular mechanisms of the adverse effects of exposure to OMPM at different concentrations in vivo and in vitro on PF. In this study, rats and cell lines were treated with different concentrations of OMPM in vivo and in vitro. Sirius Red staining analysis shows that OMPM exposure could cause pulmonary lesions and fibrosis symptoms. The expression of TGF-β1, α-SMA, and collagen I was increased in the lung tissue of rats. The activities of MMP2 and TIMP1 were unbalanced, and increased N-Cadherin and decreased E-Cadherin upon OMPM exposure in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, OMPM exposure could activate the TGF-β1/Smad3 and TGF-β1/MAPK p38 signaling pathways, and the differentiation of human lung fibroblast HFL-1 cells. Therefore, OMPM exposure could induce PF by targeting the lung epithelium and fibroblasts, and activating the TGF-β1/Smad3 and TGF-β1/MAPK p38 signaling pathways. Full article

Background: Occupational studies on N-N-dimethylformamide (DMF) exposure among migrant workers in Korea are scarce. We determined the urine concentration of N-methylformamide (NMF) among migrant workers with DMF exposure and compared the data with those of native workers. Methods: Data were collected from Workers’ Special Health Examination and Work Environment Monitoring databases during 2014–2019. Workers aged ≥20 years were eligible to participate in the special health examination for DMF exposure. Urine concentrations of NMF were determined and compared between migrant and native workers. We also evaluated the factors affecting the difference in the urine concentration of NMF between the migrant and native workers. Multiple logistic regression was performed by adding confounders step by step. Results: Among 9259 subjects, 504 (5.2%) were migrant workers. The mean urinary concentration of NMF was 6.73 mg/L in migrant workers, which was significantly higher than that in native workers (2.06 mg/L, p < 0.001). The odds of a urine concentration of NMF > 30 mg/L were significantly higher in migrant workers than in native workers after adjusting for sex and age (odds ratio [OR] = 7.31, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.66–11.45). However, the odds between the native and migrant workers were not significantly different when fully adjusted for confounders (OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 0.65–1.94). Conclusions: The excessive exposure to DMF among migrant workers was attributed not to differences in biological characteristics but to their work environment. Workers must have awareness of the use of protective equipment and knowledge of hazardous chemicals that they may be exposed to, especially at the workplace. Full article

In experimental settings, replacing old wood stoves with new wood stoves results in reduced personal exposure to household air pollution. We tested this assumption by measuring PM_2.5 and levoglucosan concentrations inside homes and correlated them with wood stove age. Methods: Thirty homes in the Albuquerque, NM area were monitored over a seven-day period using in-home particulate monitors placed in a common living area during the winter months. Real-time aerosol monitoring was performed, and filter samples were analyzed gravimetrically to calculate PM_2.5 concentrations and chemically to determine concentrations of levoglucosan. A linear regression model with backward stepwise elimination was performed to determine the factors that would predict household air pollution measures. Results: In this sample, 73.3% of the households used wood as their primary source of heating, and 60% burned daily or almost daily. The mean burn time over the test week was 50 ± 38 h, and only one household burned wood 24/day (168 h). The average PM_2.5 concentration (standard deviation) for the 30 homes during the seven-day period was 34.6 µg/m³ (41.3 µg/m³), and median (min, max) values were 15.5 µg/m³ (7.3 µg/m³, 193 µg/m³). Average PM_2.5 concentrations in 30 homes ranged from 0–15 μg/m³ to >100 μg/m³. Maximum PM_2.5 concentrations ranged from 100–200 μg/m³ to >3000 μg/m³. The levoglucosan levels showed a linear correlation with the total PM_2.5 collected by the filters (R² = 0.92). However, neither mean nor peak PM_2.5 nor levoglucosan levels were correlated with the age (10.85 ± 8.54 years) of the wood stove (R² ≤ 0.07, p > 0.23). The final adjusted linear regression model showed that average PM_2.5 was associated with reports of cleaning the flue with a beta estimate of 35.56 (3.47–67.65) and R² = 0.16 (p = 0.04). Discussion: Cleaning the flue and not the wood stove age was associated with household air pollution indices. Education on wood stove maintenance and safe burning practices may be more important in reducing household air pollution than the purchase of new stoves. Full article

The increasing rate of thyroid cancer may be attributable to endocrine disruptive chemicals. Lindane is a persistent organochlorine pesticide with endocrine disruptive properties that has been classified as carcinogenic to humans. The aim of this ecological study was to evaluate potential correlation between lindane exposure and thyroid cancer incidence in the United States (US). Data on statewide age-adjusted thyroid cancer incidence rate (per 100,000 people) was obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for all US states for 2019. Lindane use estimates per cropland (kg/acres cropland) were then overlaid on the map of age-adjusted thyroid cancer incidence rate using ArcGIS. The trend of lindane use in the US between 1992 and 2007 was calculated using the Mann Kendall correlation test. The correlation between statewide lindane use and age-adjusted thyroid cancer incidence rates was calculated using Spearman correlation. Lindane use in the US decreased significantly between 1992 and 2007 (T = −0.617; p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant correlation between lindane use in 1992 and thyroid cancer incidence rate for any of the years between 1999 and 2019. Our results suggest that restrictions clearly seem to be effective in reducing lindane use, however, more research is needed for individual pesticides and thyroid cancer. Full article

Surface sampling is a frequent task in laboratory work and field studies. Simple methods usually have low efficiency in collecting target substances from surfaces. This study developed an advanced tape-stripping approach for efficient sampling on non-absorbent surfaces. A film-forming solution, prepared using polyvinyl alcohol, is applied to the target surface, where it covers and engulfs the surface deposits and then solidifies into an elastic membrane as it is exposed to air. The deposits are collected by stripping off the membrane and re-dissolving it in water. This new approach exhibited an efficiency of 100% in collecting uniform-size microspheres from glass surfaces and extremely high efficiencies (>96.6%) in detecting selected target DNA materials from glass and stainless steel surfaces. In comparison, the common swab-rinse method exhibited an efficiency of 72.6% under similar measuring conditions. The viability of S. aureus during sampling using the new approach decreased as the ethanol concentration in the applied solution increased. Using a solution with a mass ratio of ethanol of 17.6% balanced the effects of multiplication and degradation of the S. aureus on glass surfaces during sampling. Overall, the proposed approach exhibits high efficiency in collecting living and abiotic matter from non-absorbent surfaces, complementing existing sampling methods. Full article

There were two analytical methods for the determination of 12 carbonyl compounds (CCs) by using liquid chromatography (LC) coupled with mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and diode array detector (UV/DAD) that were developed and applied to 52 samples that were collected in 10 workplaces. Linearity (0.996 < R² < 0.999), intra-day repeatability (0.7 < RSD% < 10), and inter-day repeatability (5 < RSD% < 16) were acceptable for both techniques, but the highest sensibility of the MS/MS method allowed us to correctly quantify 98% of the samples (versus 32% by UV/DAD). The comparison of the concentrations that were obtained by quantifying the same sample with both techniques showed good agreement for acetaldehyde and formaldehyde (0.1 < % deviation < 30) but much higher for the less abundant congeners. In real samples, formaldehyde was the most abundant congener (concentrations between 2.7 and 77 µg m⁻³), followed by acetaldehyde (concentrations between 1.5 and 79 µg m⁻³) and butyraldehyde (concentrations between 0.4 and 13 µg m⁻³). In all the beauty salon samples, instead, the most abundant congener was acetaldehyde (concentrations between 19 and 79 µg m⁻³), probably associated with the use of beauty products. Principal components analysis (PCA) confirms the ubiquitous character of formaldehyde and highlights the influence of minority CCs on different workplaces. Full article

Chironomid larvae are among the dominant benthic macroinvertebrates in all types of water systems in South Korea. They may pass through pipes in rivers (raw water) and occur in drinking water, thus creating public health issues. However, little is known about the larval stages of chironomids in large South Korean rivers. Therefore, we examined larval–adult associations in chironomids inhabiting major rivers used as water sources. The larvae were collected in 2015 and 2016 from nine locations along the four largest rivers in South Korea using a Ponar grab. Cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences were generated from the larval specimens, and the species were identified by comparing these sequences to those in a newly constructed DNA barcode library of Chironomidae in South Korea. The samples from the four rivers yielded 61 mitochondrial COI sequences belonging to 18 species, including Hydrobaenus kondoi Saether, 1989, which was reported for the first time in the Korean Peninsula. Further, morphological identification of the larvae was conducted, and a pictorial taxonomic key to Chironomidae species in large rivers in South Korea was developed to facilitate freshwater biomonitoring research. Finally, an action flow chart was created for the rapid identification of chironomid larvae in infested drinking water or water purification facilities. Full article

This article presents a comprehensive survey of the studies on the biomonitoring of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and metals in biota and human tissues on the territory of the Russian Arctic. It is concluded that a relatively small number of studies were carried out during the last 40 years; for several Russian Arctic regions there is no data up to date, and for some regions the data are scarce, with most of the studies carried out in 1990s, followed by the large-scale GEF/AMAP/RAIPON project of 2001–2004 covering four regions. After that, single projects have been implemented in a few regions. Only the Nenets okrug and the Chukotka okrug (and hardly the Murmansk oblast) can be attributed as the regions where the biomonitoring of contaminants was carried out during last decades on several occasions, and for which the content of POPs and metals in biota and the human organism was assessed in 12–15-year dynamic trends (at least “at three points”). For the rest of the Russian Arctic territories, only fragmentary “cross-sections” of biomonitoring data is available, mainly obtained in the 1990s or early 2000s, which do not allow judging either the dynamics of the processes or the current state of affairs. The overwhelming majority of the studies in the Russian Arctic (more than 90%) were carried out within the framework of international projects, i.e., with cofinancing, assistance and contribution (including laboratory analyses) from the foreign colleagues and partners. The shortcomings of the Russian system of biomonitoring, including the weakness of the laboratory and research base, are considered. Perspectives of the Russian Arctic biomonitoring are discussed in detail, with the proposal of the elaboration of the national Russian Arctic Contaminants Program (RACP). Full article