Potential health risks to disinfection workers from exposure to active substances in COVID-19 biocidal products.

The importance of disinfection has recently been emphasized due to the increasing risk of the spread of infections such as coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). In addition, disinfection for preventing the spread of COVID-19 is highly recommended. The increased use of biocidal products raises concerns regarding the potential health risks from exposure among disinfection workers.

Developing a Novel Read-Across Concept for Ecotoxicological Risk Assessment of Phosphate Chemicals: A Case Study.

This study introduces a novel concept approach for a read-across assessment, considering species sensitivity differences among phosphate chemicals within structurally similar compound groups. Twenty-five organic chemicals, with a log Kow of 5 or less, were categorized into three functional groups based on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition as a specific mode of action (MOA). The short-term aquatic toxicity data (LC) for fish, crustaceans, and insects were collected from the U.

Transcriptome analysis reveals differences in developmental neurotoxicity mechanism of methyl-, ethyl-, and propyl- parabens in zebrafish embryos.

Studies on the comparison of developmental (neuro) toxicity of parabens are currently limited, and unharmonized concentrations between phenotypic observations and transcriptome analysis hamper the understanding of their differential molecular mechanisms. Thus, developmental toxicity testing was conducted herein using the commonly used methyl- (MtP), ethyl- (EtP), and propyl-parabens (PrP) in zebrafish embryos. With a benchmark dose of 5%, embryonic-mortality-based point-of-departure (M-POD) values of the three parabens were determined, and changes in locomotor behavior were evaluated at concentrations of 0, M-POD/50, M-POD/10, and M-POD, where transcriptome analysis was conducted to explore the underlying neurotoxicity mechanism.

Predicting PBT and CMR properties of substances of very high concern (SVHCs) using QSAR models, and application for K-REACH.

Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models have been applied to predict a variety of toxicity endpoints. Their performance needs to be validated, in a variety of cases, to increase their applicability to chemical regulation. Using the data set of substances of very high concern (SVHCs), the performance of QSAR models were evaluated to predict the persistence and bioaccumulation of PBT, and the carcinogenicity and mutagenicity of CMR.

Effects of the chorion on the developmental toxicity of organophosphate esters in zebrafish embryos.

Many toxicological studies have utilized zebrafish embryos to investigate the developmental toxicity of organophosphate esters (OPEs). However, in respect of the presence or absence of the chorion, a consistent experimental methodology has yet to be developed. In this study, we used a fixed exposure scheme to compare the developmental toxicities of six major OPEs in chorionated and dechorionated zebrafish embryos.

Validation of a biotic ligand model on site-specific copper toxicity to Daphnia magna in the Yeongsan River, Korea.

The objective of this study was to determine whether the water effect ratio (WER) or biotic ligand model (BLM) could be applied to efficiently develop water quality criteria (WQC) in Korea. Samples were collected from 12 specific sites along the Yeongsan River (YSR), Korea, including two sewage treatment plants and one estuary lake. A copper toxicity test using Daphnia magna was performed to determine the WER and to compare to the BLM prediction.

Application of toxicity identification evaluation procedure to toxic industrial effluent in South Korea.

Toxicity identification evaluation (TIE) was applied to the effluent from a pharmaceutical industrial complex, following the US EPA TIE guidelines. The whole effluent toxicity (WET) test found toxicity greater than 16toxic units (TU) in the effluent. Dissolved non-polar organic compounds were identified as the major contributor to the observed toxicity in the TIE manipulations in phases I and II.

Human health risks associated with dietary exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in river water in Korea.

Because of their persistence, bioaccumulation tendency, and toxicity, organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were banned several decades ago. However, they are still detected in natural water and pose a serious risk to human health and the environment. In the present study, seven OCPs were measured in river water collected from 28 sampling sites between 2010 and 2011 in the Yeongsan (YS) and Seomjin (SJ) Rivers, Korea.

Occurrence of estrogenic chemicals in South Korean surface waters and municipal wastewaters.

Broad scale monitoring of estrogenic compounds was performed at 19 sampling points throughout the Yeongsan and Seomjin river basins and 5 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) adjacent to the Gwangju area, Korea, from December 2005 to August 2007. The concentrations of estrogenic compounds, including estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2), bisphenol-A, nonylphenol (NP) and 4-octylphenol (OP), in the samples was measured with gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In addition, the estrogenic activities throughout the river were investigated using the E-screen assay.

Bioaccumulation of perfluorochemicals in Pacific oyster under different salinity gradients.

Despite the reports of widespread occurrence of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in estuarine and coastal waters and open seas, little is known on the effect of salinity on bioaccumulation. In this study, effects of salinity on bioaccumulation of PFCs in Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) were investigated. Furthermore, partitioning of PFCs between water and particles (oysters' food) was examined at different salinities.

Sorption of estrogens onto different fractions of sediment and its effect on vitellogenin expression in male Japanese medaka.

This study investigated the sorption capacity of estrogenic compounds-such as estrone (E1), 17beta-estradiol (E2), and 17alpha-ethynylestradiol (EE2)-of different sediment particle fractions. Two-sized fractions of sediment were used in the experiments, with a particle size <1 microm (mostly from 450 to 800 nm) and >1 microm up to 50 microm. Sorption kinetics were followed using a two-step reaction in which the major amount of chemicals was sorbed rapidly within minutes and then gradually increased until equilibrium was reached after 48 h.

Role of food and clay particles in toxicity of copper and diazinon using Daphnia magna.

Toxicity changes in copper and diazinon were investigated in the presence of food, clay, and their mixture by using Daphnia magna. In sorption equilibrium experiments, copper was significantly attracted (>34% sorbed) to food, clay, and food-clay mixture due to their negative zeta potential, while diazinon was less sorbed (<11%). In the exposure test with food and clay particles, it was revealed that copper was remarkably reduced in the presence of clay particles indicating the change in bioavailability of copper by sorption to clay.

Estrogenic chemicals and estrogenicity in river waters of South Korea and seven Asian countries.

The effects of treatment processes on estrogenicity were evaluated by examining estradiol equivalent (EEQ) concentrations in influents and effluents of sewage treatment plants (STPs) located along Yeongsan and Seomjin rivers in Korea. The occurrence and distribution of estrogenic chemicals were also estimated for surface water in Korea and compared with seven other Asian countries including Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Target compounds were nonylphenol (NP), octylphenol (OP), bisphenol A (BPA), estrone (E1), 17beta-estradiol (E2), 17alpha-ethynylestradiol (EE2) and genistein (Gen).

Comparative whole effluent toxicity assessment of wastewater treatment plant effluents using Daphnia magna.

An approach to compare the toxicities employing the whole effluent toxicity (WET) test, using Daphnia magna and chemical analysis with GC/MS and ICP/MS, was conducted to the nine South Korean wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). From the chemical analysis and bioassay experiments, heavy metals (i.e.

Effect of copper complexation on the estrogenic activities of endocrine-disrupting compounds using E-screen bioassay.

The complexation reaction between Cu and four targeted endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs)-17beta-estradiol (E2), 17alpha-ethynylestradiol (EE2), 4-octylphenol (OP), and bisphenol A (BPA)-was studied using the fluorescence quenching method, with the changed EDC forms evaluated for their estrogenic activities using an E-screen assay. The results of the E-screen showed no estrogenic activity of Cu, whereas results with the EDCs indicated high cell proliferation (decreasing order of induction: E2, EE2, OP, and BPA). The results of the fluorescence quenching response and FTIR (Fourier transformation infrared) strongly support the formation of Cu complexes on the -OH functional group of the targeted EDCs when Cu was spiked at concentrations between 10(-7) and 10(-4) M.

The effect of suspended particles coated by humic acid on the toxicity of pharmaceuticals, estrogens, and phenolic compounds.

The sorption characteristics of 10 organic chemicals, categorized as pharmaceuticals, estrogens and phenols, onto synthetic suspended particle (i.e., alumina) coated with humic acid were investigated according to their octanol-water partition coefficient (K(ow)).

Ecological health assessments based on whole effluent toxicity tests and the index of biological integrity in temperate streams influenced by wastewater treatment plant effluents.

Whole effluent toxicity (WET) tests and ecosystem health assessments, based on test guidelines of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.

Whole effluent toxicity (WET) tests on wastewater treatment plants with Daphnia magna and Selenastrum capricornutum.

Whole effluent toxicity (WET) tests, with Daphnia magna and Selenastrum capricornutum, were introduced to evaluate the biological toxicities of effluents from the wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Korea. In WET tests of WWTPs effluents, 33.3% (33/99) for D.

Estimating the combined toxicity by two-step prediction model on the complicated chemical mixtures from wastewater treatment plant effluents.

The toxicities of chemical mixtures containing 10 compounds, detected in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents, were investigated using Daphnia magna in a two-step prediction (TSP) model. The 10 chemicals determined by gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry in WWTP effluents included three groups: Three acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, six narcosis inhibitors, and one seedling root inhibitor. In the first step, a concentration addition (CA) model was used to predict the mixture toxicities for the three component groups with similar modes of action; in the second step, an independent action (IA) model was used for the newly developed concentration-response curves from the three CA predictions.