Documents polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons 57 results

"utdoor air pollution, largely from fossil fuel burning, is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, costing billions of dollars every year in health care and loss of productivity. The developing fetus and young child are especially vulnerable to neurotoxicants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) released to ambient air by combustion of fossil fuel and other organic material. Low-income populations are disproportionately exposed to air pollution. On the basis of the results of a prospective cohort study in a low-income population in New York City (NYC) that found a significant inverse association between child IQ and prenatal exposure to airborne PAH, we estimated the increase in IQ and related lifetime earnings in a low-income urban population as a result of a hypothesized modest reduction of ambient PAH concentrations in NYC of 0.25?ng/m3. For reference, the current estimated annual mean PAH concentration is ~1?ng/m3. Restricting to NYC Medicaid births and using a 5 per cent discount rate, we estimated the gain in lifetime earnings due to IQ increase for a single year cohort to be US$215 million (best estimate). Using much more conservative assumptions, the estimate was $43 million. This analysis suggests that a modest reduction in ambient concentrations of PAH is associated with substantial economic benefits to children."

"Objectives This study investigated the associations between exposure to fluorides and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and mortality from nonmalignant diseases among workers in the Norwegian primary aluminum industry.Methods Mortality among 10 857 men, employed for more than 3 years in 1 of 6 aluminum plants, was investigated from 1962 to 1996, giving 239 246 person-years during follow-up. A job-exposure matrix covering all 6 plants was used to estimate the individual exposure to total fluorides and particulate PAH. The observed cause-specific deaths were compared with expected figures calculated from national rates. Dose-response relations were investigated by internal comparisons using Poisson regression and by stratified analyses for standardized mortality ratio. Potential confounding by smoking was investigated in subanalyses restricted to 3 of the plants for which information on smoking habits was accessible. Results Mortality from circulatory disease was slightly lower than expected [SMR 0.95, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) 0.9-1.0], while there was an increased mortality from asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis combined, SMR 1.2 (95% CI 1.0-1.5). Mortality from these diseases was associated with cumulative exposure to fluorides. The rate ratio in the internal analysis rose steadily to 2.5 (95% CI 1.5-4.3) for the upper exposure category. No association was observed between cumulative fluoride exposure or PAH exposure and circulatory mortality. Conclusions The study showed an association between exposure to potroom emissions measured by fluorides and mortality from asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis combined."

The risk of gastric cardia cancer was evaluated by occupation and industry using death certificate data for 24 US states. Among white men, occupations with elevated risk included financial managers, janitors and cleaners, production inspectors and truck drivers. Industries with elevated risk included pulp and paper mills, newspaper publishing and printing, industrial and miscellaneous chemicals, water supply and irrigation. A consistent pattern of risk increase by level and probability of exposure was observed only for sulfuric acid mists. A significant increase in risk was observed for subjects exposed to lead, although crosstabulation of gastric cardia cancer risk by probability and level of exposure did not show consistent trends. Asbestos exposure showed an overall 50% increase but no consistent trends among white men. None of the 12 occupational hazards showed an association with risk for black men.