摘要:

Behavioral approaches to reducing the adverse health effects of consuming fish with high contaminant levels benefit from understanding attitudes and perceptions about the relative safety of fish. Gender differences in attitudes about fish safety were investigated by interviewing 197 m en and 94 wom en who attended a Duck Decoy show at Tuckerton, NJ. There were significant gender differences in perceptions of the safety of fish, ducks, and deer, with women generally believing that it was less safe to eat these foods than did men. Although people correctly perceived that ocean fish were safer than bay-caught fish from a chemical contaminant perspective, perceptions were less clear with respect to consuming predatory or herbivorous, or large versus small fish. Although men significantly perceived small fish as safer than large fish, women did not. However, people correctly believed that bluefish (a predaceous fish) were less safe than flounder (an herbivore) . People uniformly believed it was safer to eat fish they caught themselves or bought in a fish store than those from a supermarket. These results suggest that any program to inform the public about the potential dangers from contaminated fish should take into account gender differences in perceptions.

ISSN:1528-7394    

DOI:10.1080/009841098159321

出版商:Informa UK Ltd    

年代:1998

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is a significant component of indoor air pollution yet the acute upper respiratory response has not been well studied. The goal of this study was to determine the response of healthy subjects to moderate levels of sidestream tobacco smoke (SS). Twenty-three subjects were challenged on 2 separate days to clean air or SS (2 h, 15 ppm carbon monoxide, at rest) . Subjects completed symptom questionnaires, posterior rhinomanometry, and body plethysmography. Average total and differential cell counts and albumin concentration were determined on nasal lavage samples. The urinary cotinine : creatinine ratio was used as a biomarker of exposure. Following SS exposure, irritant and rhinitis symptoms increased, nasal resistance rose from 4.9 +/- 0.4 to 6.3 +/- 0.6 cm H2 O/L/s and specific airway conductance decreased from 0.14 +/- 0.01 to 0.13 +/- 0.01 cm H2 O-1 s-1. Total cell counts, neutrophils, and albumin were unchanged. An increased nasal congestive response did not correlate with an increased cotinine : creatinine ratio. A history of ETS rhinitis did not predict an increased group response to smoke, but individuals with the largest physiologic and inflammatory response were historically ETS sensitive. In summary, healthy normal subjects demonstrate nasal congestion with exposure to moderate levels of SS without evidence of increased nasal vascular permeability.

ISSN:1528-7394    

DOI:10.1080/009841098159330

出版商:Informa UK Ltd    

年代:1998

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

The developmental toxicity potential of a scrubbing solution used extensively in petroleum refineries to remove CO2 from hydrogen gas streams was evaluated via inhalation. Pregnant female CD (Sprague-Dawley) rats were exposed to aerosols of a "used" scrubbing solution at 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, or 0.3 mg/l for 6 h/d on d 6-19 of pregnancy. Control animals were exposed to filtered air under the same exposure conditions. Dams were sacrificed on d 20 of pregnancy and a laparohysterectomy was performed. The mass median aerodynamic diameter of the aerosol revealed that all particles ranged from 1.6 to 2.8 mum, with geometric standard deviations between 2.0 and 2.3 mum. The overall pregnancy rate was high (>95% ) and equivalent across all groups. All pregnant dams had live litters, and 22-24 litters were examined in each group. Treatment-related clinical signs consisted of rales, observed at all exposure levels, and gasping noted only at the 0.3 mg/l exposure level. The occurrence of rales was presumably a localized effect on the respiratory tract and likely due to the irritating properties of the scrubbing solution. Maternal toxicity was exhibited in the 0.3 mg/l group, including reduced body weight, weight gain, and food consumption and one possible treatment-related death on gestation d 17. At scheduled necropsy, there were no treatment-related gross pathological observations and no statistically significant reproductive and developmental effects. The incidences of fetuses with skeletal variations involving the sternum were clustered in two litters at the highest exposure level with atypically low term fetal body weights. Under the conditions of this investigation, potassium carbonate scrubbing solution is not a selective developmental toxicant.

ISSN:1528-7394    

DOI:10.1080/009841098159349

出版商:Informa UK Ltd    

年代:1998

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

It has been reported that fish oil protects the rat liver against acetaminophen (APAP) induced toxicity; however, this finding is controversial. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of fish oil-enriched diet on APAP-induced liver injury in Wistar rats. Rats were fed a diet supplemented with either 8% fish oil or 8% corn oil, or standard rat feed for 6 wk. After an overnight fast, rats in each group were given either 2 g/kg APAP or saline orally. Our findings showed that APAP increased serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and that this rise was potentiated in the presence of dietary fat. Further fish oil ingestion increased the glutathione (GSH) content in rat liver; however, this was not effective in protecting liver from APAP-induced toxicity. Data suggest that GSH may be necessary to detoxify APAP metabolites, which are known to induce hepatotoxicity but are increased by dietary fat.

ISSN:1528-7394    

DOI:10.1080/009841098159358

出版商:Informa UK Ltd    

年代:1998

数据来源: Taylor

摘要:

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin that may contaminate animal feed (oat, barley, and rye) and food (wheat, rice, coffee, beer, pig meat), leading to major health problems (e.g., nephropathy) in several animal species including humans. Several methods have been tested to reduce the toxicity of OTA in animals but with limited success. In rats, the effect of cholestyramine (CHA), a bile acid-binding resin, was investigated on OTA induced nephrotoxicity and bioavailability. Animals were fed semisynthetic diets containing two levels of OTA: 1 or 3 ppm. At each level of OTA, the diets were enriched with 0.1, 1, and 5% of CHA. The results showed that CHA decreased the concentration of OTA in plasma. At 1 and 3 ppm of OTA in the diet, CHA is effective at a level of 0.1% and 5% , respectively. The excretion of OTA and its metabolites (ochratoxin alpha and hydroxylated ochratoxin A) in bile and urine was also decreased by addition of 5% CHA in the diet. This was associated with an increase of OTA excretion in feces. Enzymuria and renal morphology revealed that dietary CHA can decrease OTA-induced nephrotoxicity, probably by reducing renal exposure to the toxin. In conclusion, CHA can reduce OTA concentrations in plasma as well as reducing nephrotoxicity, which may be attributed to a decrease of bioavailability and/or enterohepatic circulation of the toxin.

ISSN:1528-7394    

DOI:10.1080/009841098159367

出版商:Informa UK Ltd    

年代:1998

数据来源: Taylor