Review of non-invasive biomarkers as a tool for exposure characterization in human health risk assessments.

Blood and urine are historically the most frequent matrices used for measuring chemical levels in human biomonitoring studies. As biomonitoring programs are refreshed, consideration of specific priority substances and specific population targets provide opportunities for inclusion of alternative non- or minimally invasive matrices. This review describes methods used in health risk assessment to characterize exposure and risk based upon biomarkers from noninvasive matrices other than urine or blood, including human milk, hair, fingernails, toenails, exhaled breath, deciduous teeth, sweat, semen, meconium, and feces.

Review of epidemiological and toxicological studies on health effects from ingestion of asbestos in drinking water.

Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring fibrous minerals that were commonly used in the construction of cement pipes for drinking water distribution systems. These pipes deteriorate and can release asbestos fibers into drinking water, raising concerns about potential risk to human health. The objective of this work was to synthesize human, animal, and evidence on potential health risks due to ingested asbestos in drinking water and evaluate the weight of evidence (WoE) of human health risk.

Validation of mobile phone use recall in the multinational MOBI-kids study.

Potential differential and non-differential recall error in mobile phone use (MPU) in the multinational MOBI-Kids case-control study were evaluated. We compared self-reported MPU with network operator billing record data up to 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years before the interview date from 702 subjects aged between 10 and 24 years in eight countries. Spearman rank correlations, Kappa coefficients and geometric mean ratios (GMRs) were used.

Diagnosis of manganism and manganese neurotoxicity: A workshop report.

With declining exposures to manganese (Mn) in occupational settings, there is a need for more sensitive exposure assessments and clinical diagnostic criteria for manganism and Mn neurotoxicity. To address this issue, a workshop was held on November 12-13, 2020, with international experts on Mn toxicity. The workshop discussions focused on the history of the diagnostic criteria for manganism, including those developed by the Institut de Recherche Robert-Sauvé en Santé et en Sécurité du Travail (IRSST) in Quebec in 2005 and criteria developed by the Chinese government in 2002 and updated in 2006; the utility of biomarkers of exposure; recent developments in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for assessing Mn accumulation in the brain and diagnosing manganism; and potential future applications of metabolomics.