Other aspects of BSE issues in East Asian countries.

Scientific risk estimates of BSE can be the same internationally; however, socioeconomic backgrounds, such as food supply (e.g., beef import status) and dietary life, are different between East Asian countries (i.

Persistence and partitioning of eight selected pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment: laboratory photolysis, biodegradation, and sorption experiments.

We selected eight pharmaceuticals with relatively high potential ecological risk and high consumption-namely, acetaminophen, atenolol, carbamazepine, ibuprofen, ifenprodil, indomethacin, mefenamic acid, and propranolol-and conducted laboratory experiments to examine the persistence and partitioning of these compounds in the aquatic environment. In the results of batch sunlight photolysis experiments, three out of eight pharmaceuticals-propranolol, indomethacin, and ifenprodil-were relatively easily photodegraded (i.e.

Low-dose effects of bisphenol A: a serious threat to human health?

The author tried to review and summarize low-dose effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) through an extensive literature survey of toxicological studies with bisphenol A (BPA), taking BPA as an example for which many studies were published. Data on low-dose effects with BPA, especially on neurobehavioral effects after fetal or early postnatal exposures, suggested that there would be new aspects to be considered. Specific mention for future tasks was made.

Preliminary ecological risk assessment of butylparaben and benzylparaben -2. Fate and partitioning in aquatic environments.

Butylparaben and benzylparaben, used as preservatives mainly in cosmetic products, have recently been shown to be weakly estrogenic. Batch sunlight photolysis and river water biodegradation experiments were conducted to determine the persistence of these compounds in aquatic environments. As a result, benzylparaben was found to be moderately photodegradable whereas both n-butylparaben and i-butylparaben were highly stable against sunlight.

Preliminary ecological risk assessment of butylparaben and benzylparaben -1. Removal efficiency in wastewater treatment, acute/chronic toxicity for aquatic organisms, and effects on medaka gene expression.

Butylparaben and benzylparaben, used as preservatives mainly in cosmetic products, have recently been found to be weakly estrogenic. Batch activated-sludge treatment and batch chlorination were carried out to roughly determine the removal efficiency of a wastewater treatment plant. Combining the removal efficiency with the estimated annual consumption and the unaltered excretion ratio, the maximum predicted environmental concentration (PEC) was estimated.

The effects of pH on fluoxetine in Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes): acute toxicity in fish larvae and bioaccumulation in juvenile fish.

Recent detection of fluoxetine in the aquatic environment and fish suggests a possibly high accumulation of fluoxetine; however, no report is available on the bioaccumulation of fluoxetine in aquatic organisms. Since bioaccumulation of fluoxetine was probably dependent on pH near the pK(a) value of 10.1, experiments were conducted approximately at pH 7, 8, and 9.

Initial ecological risk assessment of eight selected human pharmaceuticals in Japan.

Eight pharmaceuticals were selected on the basis of their domestic consumption in Japan, the excretion ratio of the parent compound and the frequency of detection in the aquatic environment or wastewater treatment plant effluent. Toxicity tests on these pharmaceuticals were conducted using Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes), daphnia (Daphnia magna), and green algae (Psuedokirchneriella subcapitata). Predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) was calculated using lethal or effect concentration 50 (LC50 or EC50) values and no effect concentration (NOEC) obtained in the toxicity tests for these compounds.

Fate and partitioning of selected pharmaceuticals in aquatic environment.

Two nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), ibuprofen and acetaminophen, a beta-blocker atenolol, and an antidepressant fluoxetine were selected, and their sorption coefficients (Koc values) on the basis of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and model sediments were determined. The highest values were found for fluoxetine for both DOM and sediments, followed by atenolol or ibuprofen. These Koc values were comparable to those of pyrene and 17beta-estradiol, a nonpolar four-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon and a polar natural estrogen, respectively.

A comparison between integrated risk assessment and classical health/environmental assessment: emerging beneficial properties.

Both humans and wildlife are exposed to various types of halogenated organic compounds such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), typically old chemicals, and tris(4-chlorophenyl) methane (TCPM) and brominated flame retardants, some new chemicals, simultaneously. Classical risk assessment has evaluated health and ecological risks independently by experts from different disciplines. Taking into considerations the recent concerns about endocrine disrupting chemicals and the progress of research in related areas, we integrated and assessed data on exposure and potential effects in humans and wildlife.

An integrated framework for health and ecological risk assessment.

The World Health Organization's (WHO's) International Program for Chemical Safety has developed a framework for performing risk assessments that integrate the assessment of risks to human health and risks to nonhuman organisms and ecosystems. The WHO's framework recognizes that stakeholders and risk managers have their own processes that are parallel to the scientific process of risk assessment and may interact with the risk assessment at various points, depending on the context. Integration of health and ecology provides consistent expressions of assessment results, incorporates the interdependence of humans and the environment, uses sentinel organisms, and improves the efficiency and quality of assessments relative to independent human health and ecological risk assessments.