Review of hazards to female reproductive health in veterinary practice.

OBJECTIVE To review publications that address female reproductive health hazards in veterinary practice, summarize best practices to mitigate reproductive risks, and identify current knowledge gaps. DESIGN Systematized review. SAMPLE English-language articles describing chemical, biological, and physical hazards present in the veterinary workplace and associations with adverse reproductive outcomes or recommendations for minimizing risks to female reproductive health.

Operationalizing One Health: Stone Mountain and beyond.

Although the interconnection of humans, animals, and ecosystems has been recognized historically, increasing specialization of professionals in the twentieth century led to decreased communication and collaboration among sectors. In early 2000, a One Health vision of global interconnectedness began gaining in popularity and a series of meetings were held extolling the One Health vision. However, by 2009, detractors were claiming that the One Health approach was indeed all vision and no action.

Medication-associated diethylene glycol mass poisoning: a review and discussion on the origin of contamination.

Diethylene glycol (DEG), an extremely toxic chemical, has been implicated as the etiologic agent in at least 12 medication-associated mass poisonings over the last 70 years. Why DEG mass poisonings occur remains unclear. Most reports do not contain detailed reports of trace-back investigations into the etiology.

Perchlorate exposure from infant formula and comparisons with the perchlorate reference dose.

Perchlorate exposure may be higher in infants compared with older persons, due to diet (infant formula) and body weight versus intake considerations. Our primary objective was to quantitatively assess perchlorate concentrations in commercially available powdered infant formulas (PIFs). Secondary objectives were: (1) to estimate exposure in infants under different dosing scenarios and compare them with the perchlorate reference dose (RfD); (2) estimate the perchlorate concentration in water used for preparing PIFs that would result in a dose exceeding the RfD; and (3) estimate iodine intakes from PIFs.

Pesticide exposure resulting from treatment of lice infestation in school-aged children in Georgia.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess pesticide exposures in children being treated for head lice with either lindane or permethrin (exposed group) and children who did not have a lice infestation and thus were not being treated with chemicals for head lice or scabies (unexposed group).

Methods: In 2001, we enrolled 78 children aged 6-10 years old and collected baseline urine samples and demographic information from all the children. We subsequently collected post-exposure urine samples and questionnaire information about lice treatment from the 29 (37%) children (exposed children) who had been diagnosed and were being treated for head lice.

Use of lead isotope ratios to identify sources of lead exposure in Alaska Natives.

Objectives: Although banned nationwide for waterfowl hunting, lead shot is still used for hunting in regions of Alaska. Consumption of birds hunted with lead shot may be a route of human lead exposure in susceptible populations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Alaskan health officials conducted a cross-sectional exposure assessment and used isotope ratios (IR) to test that assumption.

Genetic studies of a cluster of acute lymphoblastic leukemia cases in Churchill County, Nevada.

Objective: In a study to identify exposures associated with 15 cases of childhood leukemia, we found levels of tungsten, arsenic, and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene in participants to be higher than mean values reported in the National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. Because case and comparison families had similar levels of these contaminants, we conducted genetic studies to identify gene polymorphisms that might have made case children more susceptible than comparison children to effects of the exposures.

Design: We compared case with comparison children to determine whether differences existed in the frequency of polymorphic genes, including genes that code for enzymes in the folate and purine pathways.

Investigating childhood leukemia in Churchill County, Nevada.

Background: Sixteen children diagnosed with acute leukemia between 1997 and 2002 lived in Churchill County, Nevada, at the time of or before their illness. Considering the county population and statewide cancer rate, fewer than two cases would be expected.

Objectives: In March 2001, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention led federal, state, and local agencies in a cross-sectional, case-comparison study to determine if ongoing environmental exposures posed a health risk to residents and to compare levels of contaminants in environmental and biologic samples collected from participating families.

Use of isotope ratios to identify sources contributing to pediatric lead poisoning in Peru.

In 1998, a school-based blood lead level (BLL) survey of 2,510 children, conducted in Lima and Callao, Peru, revealed elevated BLLs in children from 2 Callao schools (mean BLL = 25.6 microg/dl; n = 314) and in children from Callao overall (mean BLL = 15.2 microg/dl; n = 898), compared with children from Lima (mean BLL = 7.

Antimicrobial residues in animal waste and water resources proximal to large-scale swine and poultry feeding operations.

Expansion and intensification of large-scale animal feeding operations (AFOs) in the United States has resulted in concern about environmental contamination and its potential public health impacts. The objective of this investigation was to obtain background data on a broad profile of antimicrobial residues in animal wastes and surface water and groundwater proximal to large-scale swine and poultry operations. The samples were measured for antimicrobial compounds using both radioimmunoassay and liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS) techniques.

Investigation of the relation between self-reported food consumption and household chemical exposures with urinary levels of selected nonpersistent pesticides.

Concerns about pesticide exposure through food consumption have increased during the past several years. The main objective of our study was to determine whether we could use data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) to detect a relation between self-reported food consumption--particularly consumption of fruits, vegetables, and bread products--and urinary levels of pesticides or their metabolites in a population of 978 adults living in the US. A secondary objective was to investigate whether these urine levels differed for people who reported exposure to selected common household chemicals including bug or insect spray, weed killer, and mothballs or crystals.