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Environmental Toxins and Chronic Illness
Published in Aruna Bakhru, Nutrition and Integrative Medicine, 2018
Flame retardants—Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are often used as flame retardants in many consumer products. They have been suggested to adversely affect reproductive health by interacting with steroid hormone receptors and suppress normal thyroid hormone function.
Indoor Air Pollution
Published in William J. Rea, Kalpana D. Patel, Reversibility of Chronic Disease and Hypersensitivity, Volume 4, 2017
William J. Rea, Kalpana D. Patel
These are used as plasticizers and found in several consumer items such as cosmetics, hair spray, plastic products, and wood finishes. Many IV bags and tubing in the healthcare setting are preformed from PVC plastic which relies on phthalates to be flexible. Vinyl wallpaper may also contain phthalates. We tested for metabolites (chemicals after the human body has digested them) of five phthalates: dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BzBP), and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), which has three metabolites. Low-level exposures affect the development of reproductive organs,206 potentially causing adverse health effects in embryos, fetuses, and preterm babies. Polybrominated diphenylethers (PBDEs) are used as flame retardants in products like furniture, computers, electronic medical equipment, and mattresses. There are three primary commercial formulations of PBDEs, based on the number of bromine atoms attached to the molecule (called congeners). Two of the common commercial formulations, penta- and octa-BDE (with five and eight bromines, respectively), have been voluntarily phased out of U.S. production. Deca-BDE continues to be produced. PBDEs are toxic at low levels and persistent in the environment. PBDEs are associated with learning, memory, behavior disorders,207 reproductive impairment, thyroid disruption, and cancer.208
Environmental Androgens and Antiandrogens: An Expanding Chemical Universe
Published in Rajesh K. Naz, Endocrine Disruptors, 2004
L. Earl Gray, Vickie Wilson, Tammy Stoker, Christy Lambright, Johnathan Furr, Nigel Noriega, Phillip Hartig, Mary Cardon, Mitch Rosen, Gerald Ankley, Andrew Hotchkiss, Edward F. Orlando, Louis J. Guillette, William R. Kelce
While there has been a decline in environmental and tissue levels of many contaminants like the organochlorine-based pesticides, the polychlorinated biphenyls, and dioxins in fish, wildlife, and human populations, tissue levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are increasing in all species,105–109 including humans.109–111 PBDEs are synthesized in large quantities as flame retardants for commercial products. The detection of PBDEs in tissues from wildlife species and in human milk and plasma has raised concerns about possible adverse effects. Recently, Stoker et al. showed that one PBDE mixture (DE-71) delayed the age at puberty in male rats when administered at 30, 60, and 120 mg/kg/day by 3, 4, and 5 days, respectively, and suppressed ventral prostate and seminal vesicle growth. Although these effects occurred concurrently with reduced serum thyroxin levels, serum testosterone was not reduced, suggesting DE-71 might be acting as an androgen receptor antagonist. To elucidate the potential antiandrogenic effects of this mixture, DE-71 and DE-100 (2,2′, 4,4′,6-pentaBDE), one of the congeners in this DE- 71 mixture, were examined in vivo and in vitro.104 Stoker et al.104 found that DE-100 acted as a competitive inhibitor in an AR binding assay (rat ventral prostate cytosol) with an IC50 of approximately 5 microM. In addition, both DE-71 and DE-100 inhibited DHT-induced transcriptional activation in MDA-KB2 cells. In vivo, DE-71 was antian-drogenic in castrate-immature testosterone propionate-treated rats (Hershberger assay), reducing sex accessory tissue growth without affecting body weight. In conclusion, DE-71 and DE-100 appear to be AR antagonists. Additional studies are in progress to determine if DE-71 can alter sexual differentiation of the male rat when administered during pregnancy.
A contemporary review of electronic waste through the lens of inhalation toxicology
Published in Inhalation Toxicology, 2021
Oyemwenosa N. Avenbuan, Gabriella Y. Meltzer, Christina Awada, Amna Raja, Andrij Holian, Judith T. Zelikoff
PBDEs, via inhalation exposure, can enter the bloodstream and bioaccumulate in various target organs, generating modified immune responses, including alterations in cytokines and immune cell function. In a recent study, primary murine peritoneal macrophages were exposed in vitro to PBDEs and the effects on macrophage function were evaluated (Lv et al. 2015). Results demonstrated that exposure to 5 and 10 μm PBDE-47 significantly increased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by 1.3- and 1.8-fold, respectively, compared to untreated control cells (Lv et al. 2015). In the same study, treatment with 10 μm of PBDE-47 significantly decreased glutathione (GSH) levels – an essential antioxidant necessary for preventing damage caused by ROS species – to 36% of control levels (Lv et al. 2015). While this study showed a correlation between PBDEs and adverse biological outcomes related to immune system competence, few toxicology studies have addressed inhalation of e-waste- and PBDE-induced toxicity.
Impact of dietary exposure to low-dose tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl)phosphate in allergic asthmatic mice
Published in Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology, 2021
Rie Yanagisawa, Eiko Koike, Tin-Tin Win-Shwe, Maiko Kawaguchi, Hirohisa Takano
Flame retardants (FRs) are used as building materials and consumer products to reduce the risk of fire. For several decades, brominated FRs (BFRs), such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), have been used worldwide. However, owing to their properties of persistence, long-range atmospheric transport, bioaccumulation, and potential toxicity, PBDEs were banned for production and use in the European Union and have voluntarily been phased out of the US market [1,2]. Therefore, organophosphorus FRs (OPFRs) have extensively been used to meet the increasing market demand for alternative FRs in numerous commercial products [3]. Currently, OPFRs are the second most widely used FR, accounting for 18% of the total worldwide market [4]. OPFRs are used in various industries and materials including plastics, foams, building materials, paints, electronics, furniture, and construction [5,6], and thus widely distributed in both indoor and outdoor environments [5,7,8].
The habit of finger-licking: getting a solution out of the pandemic
Published in Journal of Community Hospital Internal Medicine Perspectives, 2021
Michael Boulis, Christine Bulot
The aftereffects of finger-licking embroil persons having this habit along with individuals surrounding them (Figure 1). The habit of finger-licking can deter the surrounding people. The author of a correspondent titled ‘The Shopman’s Finger Lick’ described how he walked out of a shop leaving the goods on the counter because of the shopman’s finger-licking habit [7]. This habit can be a source of infection to the individual having the habit and the surrounding people. The saliva involved in the habit of finger-licking may contain pathogens that can be transmitted via fomites, which are inanimate objects. Paper is an example of a fomite that is commonly involved in the habit of finger-licking when turning pages or counting bills. Studies have shown that both bacterial and viral pathogens can survive on paper [8,9]. Such pathogens can be transmitted to others either directly through surface-to-mouth contact or indirectly through fingers’ contamination and subsequent hand-to-mouth, hand-to-eye, or hand-to-nose contact [10]. Furthermore, studies have shown a significant association between the finger-licking habit and serum levels of noxious compounds specifically polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), flame retardants used in an array of products [11,12]. The inimical effects of PBDEs are many and include thyroid along with other endocrine system disruptions, neurotoxicity, infertility, transfer through the placenta, and fetal exposure [12].