Documents limitation of exposure 70 results

"The European Union (EU) has increased its efforts to counteract cancer due to occupational exposure. This is done by several means, including more active use and revision of the Carcinogen Directive (1), launch of the Roadmap on Carcinogens (2) and the Fight Against Occupational Cancer initiative (3). These are important steps, as more than 100 000 workers die each year from work-related cancer in Europe (4). The top seven exposures responsible for these cancers are asbestos, shift work, mineral oils, solar radiation, silica, diesel exhaust, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. One important measure is to introduce so-called "binding occupational exposure limit values" (BOELV), which are mainly set for non-threshold carcinogens. ..."

"This discussion paper recommends deriving occupational exposure limits for psychosocial hazards based on indicators of early symptom onset of adverse effects rather than mental disorders. It calls for standardization and harmonization of currently disjointed research efforts as well as policy actions to foster collaborative decision-making based on the full spectrum of scientific evidence."

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An expert assessment of both the beneficial and toxic effects to human health posed by the use of fluorine and fluorides. Conclusions and recommendations are based on a critical analysis of well over 400 clinical and laboratory investigations. The introductory sections consider methods for the measurement of fluorides in inorganic and organic materials, sources and magnitude of exposure, and effects on health as determined through a large number of laboratory investigations. The most extensive section is devoted to a critical review of data on beneficial and toxic effects in humans. Beneficial effects of fluoride in drinking water, salt, milk, tablets, and topical applications are considered in terms of the preventive effects on dental caries and their use in the treatment of osteoporosis. Toxic effects reviewed include various forms of fluorosis, effects on renal function, hypersensitivity and dermatological reactions, and carcinogenic and teratogenic risks. On the basis of this review, the report confirms the beneficial effects of fluoride in the prevention of caries, while noting that long-term exposure to high quantities may damage enamel and bone; very high doses cause acute toxic effects and may be lethal

"In an editorial in an earlier issue of this journal, Johanson & Tinnerberg (1) expressed serious and well-founded concern over the large number of future occupational cancer cases that will result if exposures for a number of substances are not reduced below the so-called "binding occupational exposure limit values" (BOELV) issued by the EU (2). The balance between what is perceived as possible to comply with and the foreseeable health gain when setting BOELV is further discussed in a letter to the Editor by Cherrie (3). This debate raises several important aspects of how to protect workers from cancer as well as other potentially lethal diseases. Herewith, we discuss some of these aspects. ..."

"The potential for harmful synergistic effects of workplace noise and chemical exposure is well-established. However, it is less conclusive whether such effects could still be seen if operators were complying with the relevant exposure standards for noise and/or chemicals. Bearing a regulatory perspective, this literature review explored whether any trends in the effects of combined exposure to noise and toxic chemicals could be established. A literature search was undertaken in seven databases, using key search terms on the combined effects of occupational noise and chemical exposures. A total of 1742 articles were identified, among which 82 were assessed in greater detail. Results in animals demonstrated a synergism of styrene, toluene and carbon disulfide when noise is delivered as a repeated ‘impulse'. Other evidence suggested that noise, although at high levels, was responsible for systemic toxicity in organs other than hearing or nerves. Another significant observation was the early signs of hearing loss associated with mixed solvent exposures and noise, each below the respective occupational exposure limits (OELs). Based on these findings, we wondered whether current workplace exposure standards for noise give adequate protection against damage to hearing for workers exposed to chemicals like styrene or toluene. Additionally, they questioned whether compliance with airborne exposure standards and noise levels gave adequate protection for chemicals with a ‘Skin' notation."

This work is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

"Civilization, industrialization, and urbanization create an environment where humans are continuously exposed to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Some of breast cancers and endometrial cancer, which are the most common female malignant neoplasms, are estrogen-dependent tumors. Prolonged exposure to estrogens or substances with estrogenic properties may be a risk factor for their development. This paper aimed to discuss the potential adverse effect of EDCs on human health, including the role of EDCs in hormone-dependent carcinogenesis. A review of literature regarding the sources of environmental exposure to EDCs and molecular mechanisms of their action was performed. We analyzed the possible mechanisms of how these substances alter the function of the endocrine system, resulting in adverse health effects. Hundreds of substances with endocrine disrupting potential have been identified in our environment. There is accumulating evidence linking exposure to EDCs with the development of mammary and endometrial cancer. By interacting with steroid receptors, EDCs can impact the cellular processes potentially leading to carcinogenesis. There are also data showing the effect of EDCs on immune dysfunction. During lifespan, people are usually exposed to a mixture of various EDCs, which complicates the assessment of individual substances or compounds implicated in cancer development. As the prevalence of hormone-dependent tumors among women continues to increase, their successful prevention is of human benefit. Institutions representing medicine, science, industry, and governments should develop joint strategies to decrease exposure to EDC, and thus to reduce the risk of hormonedependent tumors in women."

"Perfluorinated alkyl substances have been in use for over sixty years. These highly stable substances were at first thought to be virtually inert and of low toxicity. Toxicity information slowly emerged on perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate. More than thirty years ago, early studies reported immunotoxicity and carcinogenicity effects. The substances were discovered in blood samples from exposed workers, then in the general population and in community water supplies near U.S. manufacturing plants. Only recently has research publication on perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate intensified. While the toxicology database is still far from complete, carcinogenicity and immunotoxicity now appear to be relevant risks at prevalent exposure levels. Existing drinking water limits are based on less complete evidence that was available before 2008 and may be more than 100-fold too high. As risk evaluations assume that untested effects do not require regulatory attention, the greatly underestimated health risks from perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctane sulfonate illustrate the public health implications of assuming the safety of incompletely tested industrial chemicals."