Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) response to "Assessing risk of bias in human environmental epidemiology studies using three tools: different conclusions from different tools".

"Assessing risk of bias in human environmental epidemiology studies using three tools: different conclusions from different tools," a recent publication in this journal, applied the study evaluation approach developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), as well as other approaches, to a set of studies examining polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and neurodevelopment.

Phthalate exposure and female reproductive and developmental outcomes: a systematic review of the human epidemiological evidence.

Objective: We performed a systematic review of the epidemiology literature to identify the female reproductive and developmental effects associated with phthalate exposure.

Data Sources And Study Eligibility Criteria: Six phthalates were included in the review: di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), and diethyl phthalate (DEP). The initial literature search (of PubMed, Web of Science, and Toxline) included all studies of female reproductive and developmental effects in humans, and outcomes were selected for full systematic review based on data availability.

Epidemiology: a foundation of environmental decision making.

Many epidemiologic studies are designed so they can be drawn upon to provide scientific evidence for evaluating hazards of environmental exposures, conducting quantitative assessments of risk, and informing decisions designed to reduce or eliminate harmful exposures. However, experimental animal studies are often relied upon for environmental and public health policy making despite the expanding body of observational epidemiologic studies that could inform the relationship between actual, as opposed to controlled, exposures and health effects. This paper provides historical examples of how epidemiology has informed decisions at the U.

Study sensitivity: Evaluating the ability to detect effects in systematic reviews of chemical exposures.

A critical step in systematic reviews of potential health hazards is the structured evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the included studies; risk of bias is a term often used to represent this process, specifically with respect to the evaluation of systematic errors that can lead to inaccurate (biased) results (i.e. focusing on internal validity).

Use of health information in air pollution health research: past successes and emerging needs.

In September 2006, the US Environmental Protection Agency and the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) co-organized a symposium on "Air Pollution Exposure and Health." The main objective of this symposium was to identify opportunities for improving the use of exposure and health information in future studies of air pollution health effects. This paper deals with the health information needs of such studies.

Changes in systolic blood pressure associated with lead in blood and bone.

Background: Several studies have examined longitudinal associations of blood pressure change or hypertension incidence with lead concentration in blood or bone. It is not clear whether the observed associations reflect an immediate response to lead as a consequence of recent dose or rather are a persistent effect of cumulative dose over a lifetime.

Methods: We followed 575 subjects in a lead-exposed occupational cohort in South Korea between October 1997 and June 2001.

The longitudinal association of lead with blood pressure.

Background: Several investigators have reported an association of blood lead or bone lead with increased blood pressure and hypertension, but questions remain concerning whether these effects are acute or chronic in nature.

Methods: In this longitudinal study, we evaluated the relation of lead, measured in blood and tibia, to changes in blood pressure between 1994 and 1998. We studied 496 current and former employees of a chemical-manufacturing facility in the eastern United States who had previous occupational exposure to inorganic and organic lead.