| 1. |
- Alcalá, Cecilia S., et al.
(författare)
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Association of pesticide exposure with respiratory health outcomes and rhinitis in avocado farmworkers from Michoacán, Mexico
- 2024
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - 0048-9697. ; 945
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: A growing literature suggests associations between occupational pesticide exposure and respiratory health. In this study, we aimed to examine the association of exposure to insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides, individually and as a mixture, with respiratory health outcomes and rhinitis in avocado farmworkers from Michoacán, Mexico. Material and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 105 avocado farmworkers between May and August 2021. We quantified 12 insecticide, fungicide, and herbicide metabolites in urine samples collected during two study visits (8–10 weeks apart). We collected survey data on self-reported pesticide use during the 12 months prior to the baseline survey and estimated annual exposure-intensity scores (EIS) using a semi-quantitative exposure algorithm. We also assessed respiratory symptoms, including wheezing, chest tightness, wheezing after exercise, and night cough. We used generalized linear regression models to examine associations of individual urinary metabolite concentrations and annual EIS with respiratory health outcomes and rhinitis. Mixture effects were assessed using Bayesian Weighted Quantile Sum (BWQS) regression. Results: After adjusting for multiple comparisons, we observed mostly null associations of individual pesticide metabolite concentrations and annual EIS with the outcomes of interest. However, in BWQS analyses, we found evidence of a mixture association of urinary pesticide metabolites with increased odds of night cough (OR: 5.34, 95 % CrI: 1.67, 20.62). Pyrethroid metabolites 3-phenoxybenzoic acid and cis- and trans-3-(2,2-dichlorovinyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropanecarboxylic acid were the main contributors to this association (43 %). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that exposure to a mixture of pesticides, particularly pyrethroid insecticides, may be associated with night cough in avocado farmworkers.
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| 2. |
- Alhamdow, Ayman, et al.
(författare)
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Fluorene exposure among PAH-exposed workers is associated with epigenetic markers related to lung cancer
- 2020
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Ingår i: Occupational and Environmental Medicine. - : BMJ. - 1351-0711 .- 1470-7926. ; 77:7, s. 488-495
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives Exposure to high-molecular-weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may cause cancer in chimney sweeps and creosote-exposed workers, however, knowledge about exposure to low-molecular-weight PAHs in relation to cancer risk is limited. In this study, we aimed to investigate occupational exposure to the low-molecular-weight PAHs phenanthrene and fluorene in relation to different cancer biomarkers. Methods We recruited 151 chimney sweeps, 19 creosote-exposed workers and 152 unexposed workers (controls), all men. We measured monohydroxylated metabolites of phenanthrene and fluorene in urine using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. We measured, in peripheral blood, the cancer biomarkers telomere length and mitochondrial DNA copy number using quantitative PCR; and DNA methylation ofF2RL3andAHRRusing pyrosequencing. Results Median PAH metabolite concentrations were higher among chimney sweeps (up to 3 times) and creosote-exposed workers (up to 353 times), compared with controls (p<0.001; adjusted for age and smoking). n-ary sumation OH-fluorene (sum of 2-hydroxyfluorene and 3-hydroxyfluorene) showed inverse associations with percentage DNA methylation ofF2RL3andAHRRin chimney sweeps (B (95% CI)=-2.7 (-3.9 to -1.5) forF2RL3_cg03636183, and -7.1 (-9.6 to -4.7) forAHRR_cg05575921: adjusted for age and smoking), but not in creosote-exposed workers. In addition, n-ary sumation OH-fluorene showed a 42% mediation effect on the inverse association between being a chimney sweep and DNA methylation ofAHRRCpG2. Conclusions Chimney sweeps and creosote-exposed workers were occupationally exposed to low-molecular-weight PAHs. Increasing fluorene exposure, among chimney sweeps, was associated with lower DNA methylation ofF2RL3andAHRR, markers for increased lung cancer risk. These findings warrant further investigation of fluorene exposure and toxicity.
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| 3. |
- Alhamdow, Ayman, et al.
(författare)
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Low-level exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is associated with reduced lung function among Swedish young adults
- 2021
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Ingår i: Environmental Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0013-9351 .- 1096-0953. ; 197
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been linked to adverse pulmonary effects. However, the impact of low-level environmental PAH exposure on lung function in early adulthood remains uncertain. Objectives: To evaluate the associations between urinary PAH metabolites and lung function parameters in young adults. Methods: Urinary metabolites of pyrene, phenanthrene, and fluorene were analysed in 1000 young adults from Sweden (age 22–25 years) using LC-MS/MS. Lung function and eosinophilic airway inflammation were measured by spirometry and exhaled nitric oxide fraction (FeNO), respectively. Linear regression analysis was used to evaluate associations between PAH metabolites and the outcomes. Results: Median urinary concentrations of 1-OH-pyrene, ∑OH-phenanthrene, and ∑OH-fluorene were 0.066, 0.36, 0.22 μg/L, respectively. We found inverse associations of ∑OH-phenanthrene and ∑OH-fluorene with FEV1 and FVC, as well as between 1-OH-pyrene and FEV1/FVC ratio (adjusted P < 0.05; all participants). An increase of 1% in ∑OH-fluorene was associated with a decrease of 73 mL in FEV1 and 59 mL in FVC. In addition, ∑OH-phenanthrene concentrations were, in a dose-response manner, inversely associated with FEV1 (B from −109 to −48 compared with the lowest quartile of ∑OH-phenanthrene; p trend 0.004) and FVC (B from −159 to −102 compared with lowest quartile; p-trend <0.001). Similar dose-response associations were also observed between ∑OH-fluorene and FEV1 and FVC, as well as between 1-OH-pyrene and FEV1/FVC (p-trend <0.05). There was no association between PAH exposure and FeNO, nor was there an interaction with smoking, sex, or asthma. Conclusion: Low-level PAH exposure was, in a dose-response manner, associated with reduced lung function in young adults. Our findings have public health implications due to i) the widespread occurrence of PAHs in the environment and ii) the clinical relevance of lung function in predicting all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality.
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| 4. |
- Alhanti, Brooke, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental exposures contribute to respiratory and allergic symptoms among women living in the banana growing regions of Costa Rica
- 2022
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Ingår i: Occupational and Environmental Medicine. - : BMJ. - 1470-7926 .- 1351-0711. ; 79:7, s. 469-476
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVES: This research evaluates whether environmental exposures (pesticides and smoke) influence respiratory and allergic outcomes in women living in a tropical, agricultural environment. METHODS: We used data from 266 mothers from the Infants' Environmental Health cohort study in Costa Rica. We evaluated environmental exposures in women by measuring seven pesticide and two polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons metabolites in urine samples. We defined 'high exposure' as having a metabolite value in the top 75th percentile. We collected survey data on respiratory and allergic outcomes in mothers as well as on pesticides and other environmental exposures. Using logistic regression models adjusted for obesity, we assessed the associations of pesticide exposure with multiple outcomes (wheeze, doctor-diagnosed asthma, high (≥2) asthma score based on symptoms, rhinitis, eczema and itchy rash). RESULTS: Current pesticide use in the home was positively associated with diagnosed asthma (OR=1.99 (95% CI=1.05 to 3.87)). High urinary levels of 5-hydroxythiabendazole (thiabendazole metabolite) and living in a neighbourhood with frequent smoke from waste burning were associated with a high asthma score (OR=1.84 (95%CI=1.05 to 3.25) and OR=2.31 (95%CI=1.11 to 5.16), respectively). Women who worked in agriculture had a significantly lower prevalence of rhinitis (0.19 (0.01 to 0.93)), but were more likely to report eczema (OR=2.54 (95%CI=1.33 to 4.89)) and an itchy rash (OR=3.17 (95%CI=1.24 to 7.73)). CONCLUSIONS: While limited by sample size, these findings suggest that environmental exposure to both pesticides and smoke may impact respiratory and skin-related allergic outcomes in women.
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| 5. |
- Andersson, Axel G, et al.
(författare)
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High Exposure to Perfluoroalkyl Substances and Antibody Responses to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine-an Observational Study in Adults from Ronneby, Sweden.
- 2023
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Ingår i: Environmental health perspectives. - 1552-9924. ; 131:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are widely used, environmentally ubiquitous, and stable chemicals that have been associated with lower vaccine-induced antibody responses in children; however, data on adults are limited. The drinking water from one of the two waterworks in Ronneby, Sweden, was heavily contaminated for decades with PFAS from firefighting foams, primarily perfluorohexane sulfonic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS). Vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 offered a unique opportunity to investigate antibody responses to primary vaccination in adults who had been exposed to PFAS.Our objective was to evaluate associations between PFAS, across a wide range of exposure levels, and antibody responses in adults 5 wk and 6 months after a two-dose vaccination regime against SARS-CoV-2.Adults age 20-60 y from Ronneby (n=309, median PFOS serum level 47ng/mL, fifth to 95th percentile 4-213ng/mL) and a group with background exposure (n=47, median PFOS serum level 4ng/mL) received two doses of the Spikevax (Moderna) mRNA vaccine. The levels of seven PFAS were measured in serum before vaccination. Serum immunoglobulin G antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike antigen (S-Abs) were measured before vaccination and at 5 wk (n=350) and 6 months (n=329) after the second vaccine dose. Linear regression analyses were fitted against current, historical, and prenatal exposure to PFAS, adjusting for sex, age, and smoking, excluding individuals with previous SARS-CoV-2-infection.PFAS exposure, regardless of how it was estimated, was not negatively associated with antibody levels 5 wk [current PFOS: -0.5% S-Abs/PFOS interquartile range (IQR); 95% confidence interval (CI): -8, 7] or 6 months (current PFOS: 3% S-Abs/PFOS IQR; 95% CI: -6, 12) after COVID-19 vaccination.Following a strict study protocol, rigorous study design, and few dropouts, we found no indication that PFAS exposure negatively affected antibody responses to COVID-19 mRNA vaccination for up to 6 months after vaccination. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11847.
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| 6. |
- Aro, Rudolf, et al.
(författare)
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Screening of Poly- and Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs) and Extractable Organic Fluorine (EOF) in the Blood of Highly Exposed People
- 2020
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Rapport (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- This report summarises the findings of an investigation into the occurrence of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in the whole blood of people living in the municipality of Ronneby. A total of 20 whole blood samples from individuals who have known to been expose to PFASs via consumption of PFAS contaminated drinking water were analysed in this study. Using both liquid and supercritical chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometers a total of 63 PFASs were analysed. These results were then compared with extractable organofluorine (EOF) levels measured with combustion ion chromatography. The data from both target PFAS analysis and EOF was used to perform fluorine mass balance analysis.In general, the PFAS profile was dominated by long-chain perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFSAs with more than 6 fluorinated carbons), on average accounting for 97% of the total PFAS budget. The second most prominent PFAS class were long-chain perfluoroalkyl carboxylates (PFCAs with more than 7 fluorinated carbons), accounting for an additional 2.6% of the PFAS exposure. The average sum PFAS concentrations was 346 ng/g (from 74.1 ng/g to 715 ng/g). The average EOF concentration was 186 ng F/g and 79% of the EOF was explained by the target analytes.
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| 7. |
- Axelsson, Jonatan, et al.
(författare)
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Exposure to polychlorinated compounds and cryptorchidism; A nested case-control study
- 2020
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Ingår i: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 15:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Maldescended testes or cryptorchidism is a genital birth defect that affects 2-9% of all male new-borns. Over the last 40 years there have been reports of increased prevalence in countries like the US, the UK and the Scandinavian countries. This possible increase has in some studies been linked to a foetal exposure to chemical pollutants. In this matched case-control study, we analysed maternal serum samples in early pregnancy for three different organochlorine compounds, to investigate whether the levels were associated with the risk of cryptorchidism. METHOD: Maternal serum samples taken during the first trimester of pregnancy from 165 cases (boys born with cryptorchidism) and 165 controls, matched for birth year and maternal age, parity and smoking habits during the pregnancy, were retrieved from the Southern Sweden Maternity Biobank. The samples were analysed for 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB-153), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (p,p'-DDE) and hexachlorobenzene (HCB), using gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Associations between exposure and cryptorchidism were evaluated by conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: We found no statistically significantly associations between exposure to these compounds and cryptorchidism, either when the exposure variables were used as a continuous variable, or when the exposure levels were divided in quartiles. CONCLUSION: We found no evidence of an association between maternal levels of PCB-153, p,p'-DDE or HCB during the pregnancy and the risk of having cryptorchidism in the sons.
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| 8. |
- Axelsson, Jonatan, et al.
(författare)
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Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nicotine, and associations with sperm DNA fragmentation
- 2022
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Ingår i: Andrology. - : Wiley. - 2047-2919 .- 2047-2927. ; 10:4, s. 740-748
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Tobacco smoking has been reported to cause DNA fragmentation and has been suggested to cause mutations in spermatozoa. These effects have been ascribed to the action of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) present in the smoke. Simultaneously, DNA fragmentation has been associated with mutagenesis. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether levels of urinary biomarkers of PAH and nicotine exposure were associated with sperm DNA fragmentation. Methods: In the urine of 381 men recruited from two cohorts of young men (17–21 years old) from the general Swedish population, the PAH metabolites 1-hydroxypyrene and 2-hydroxyphenanthrene, as well as the nicotine metabolite cotinine, were measured. The sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) was analysed using the sperm chromatin structure assay. Associations between the DFI, and PAH metabolite levels as continuous variables as well as in quartiles, were studied by general linear models adjusted for abstinence time. A similar analysis was carried out for cotinine levels, according to which the men were categorised as “non-smoking” (n = 216) and “smoking” (n = 165). Results: No association was found between levels of any of the three biomarkers and DFI, either as a continuous variable (p = 0.87–0.99), or when comparing the lowest and the highest quartiles (p = 0.11–0.61). The same was true for comparison of men categorised as non-smoking or smoking (DFI 11.1% vs. 11.8%, p = 0.31). Discussion: We found no evidence of PAH or nicotine exposure to be associated with DFI, which does not exclude that these exposures may have other effects on sperm DNA. Conclusion: In these young men, levels of biomarkers of nicotine and PAH exposure were not associated with DFI.
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| 9. |
- Beck, Astrid L, et al.
(författare)
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Cotinine concentrations in maternal serum and amniotic fluid during pregnancy and risk of testicular germ cell cancer in the offspring : A prospective nested case-control study
- 2024
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Ingår i: International Journal of Cancer. - 0020-7136. ; 154:1, s. 71-80
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Maternal smoking in pregnancy may increase the risk of testicular germ cell cancer (TGCC) in offspring, but current evidence remains inconclusive. We performed a nested case-control study using cotinine measurements in maternal serum and amniotic fluid as a biomarker for tobacco exposure during pregnancy. A total of 654 males with maternal serum (n = 359, ncases/controls = 71/288) and/or amniotic fluid (n = 295, ncases/controls = 66/229) samples were included. Data on TGCC diagnoses and relevant covariates were derived from nationwide Danish health registries. Cotinine was quantified by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. An adapted cox regression model estimated the risk of TGCC considering active and inactive tobacco use defined according to cotinine concentrations of <, ≥15 ng/ml. Overall, the concentrations of cotinine were comparable in maternal serum and amniotic fluid (medianserum/amniotic fluid : 2.1/2.6 ng/ml). A strong statistically significant correlation was detected in 14 paired samples (Spearman rho: 0.85). Based on maternal serum cotinine concentrations, exposure to active tobacco use was not associated with risk of TGCC in offspring (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.51; 1.52). Similarly, based on amniotic fluid cotinine concentrations, exposure to active tobacco use was not associated with risk of TGCC (HR 1.11, 95% CI 0.64; 1.95). However, different risks were observed for seminomas and nonseminomas in both matrices, but none were statistically significant. Our findings did not provide convincing evidence supporting that exposure to tobacco during pregnancy is associated with TGCC.
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| 10. |
- Benson, Thea Emily, et al.
(författare)
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Urinary bisphenol a, f and s levels and semen quality in young adult danish men
- 2021
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI AG. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 18:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Bisphenol A (BPA) is considered an endocrine disruptor and has been associated with deleterious effects on spermatogenesis and male fertility. Bisphenol F (BPF) and S (BPS) are struc-turally similar to BPA, but knowledge of their effects on male fertility remains limited. In this cross– sectional study, we investigated the associations between exposure to BPA, BPF, and BPS and semen quality in 556 men 18–20 years of age from the Fetal Programming of Semen Quality (FEPOS) cohort. A urine sample was collected from each participant for determination of BPA, BPF, and BPS concentrations while a semen sample was collected to determine ejaculate volume, sperm concen-tration, total sperm count, sperm motility, and sperm morphology. Associations between urinary bisphenol levels (continuous and quartile–divided) and semen characteristics were estimated using a negative binomial regression model adjusting for urine creatinine concentration, alcohol intake, smoking status, body mass index (BMI), fever, sexual abstinence time, maternal pre–pregnancy BMI, and first trimester smoking, and highest parental education during first trimester. We found no associations between urinary bisphenol of semen quality in a sample of young men from the general Danish population.
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