Exposure of metals and PAH through local foods and risk of cancer in a historically contaminated glassworks area.

Background: Production of crystal glass and colored art glassware have been going on in the south-eastern part of Sweden since the 1700s, at over 100 glassworks and smaller glass blowing facilities, resulting in environmental contamination with mainly arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and polycyclic hydrocarbons (PAH). High levels of metals have been found in soil, and moderately elevated levels in vegetables, mushrooms and berries collected around the glassworks sites compared with reference areas. Food in general, is the major exposure source to metals, such as Cd and Pb, and PAHs.

Challenges in assessing the health risks of consuming vegetables in metal-contaminated environments.

A great deal of research has been devoted to the characterization of metal exposure due to the consumption of vegetables from urban or industrialized areas. It may seem comforting that concentrations in crops, as well as estimated exposure levels, are often found to be below permissible limits. However, we show that even a moderate increase in metal accumulation in crops may result in a significant increase in exposure.

Metal uptake by homegrown vegetables - the relative importance in human health risk assessments at contaminated sites.

Risk assessments of contaminated land often involve the use of generic bioconcentration factors (BCFs), which express contaminant concentrations in edible plant parts as a function of the concentration in soil, in order to assess the risks associated with consumption of homegrown vegetables. This study aimed to quantify variability in BCFs and evaluate the implications of this variability for human exposure assessments, focusing on cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in lettuce and potatoes sampled around 22 contaminated glassworks sites. In addition, risks associated with measured Cd and Pb concentrations in soil and vegetable samples were characterized and a probabilistic exposure assessment was conducted to estimate the likelihood of local residents exceeding tolerable daily intakes.

Climate change - An uncertainty factor in risk analysis of contaminated land.

Metals frequently occur at contaminated sites, where their potential toxicity and persistence require risk assessments that consider possible long-term changes. Changes in climate are likely to affect the speciation, mobility, and risks associated with metals. This paper provides an example of how the climate effect can be inserted in a commonly used exposure model, and how the exposure then changes compared to present conditions.

A Risk Assessment Perspective of Current Practice in Characterizing Uncertainties in QSAR Regression Predictions.

The European REACH legislation accepts the use of non-testing methods, such as QSARs, to inform chemical risk assessment. In this paper, we aim to initiate a discussion on the characterization of predictive uncertainty from QSAR regressions. For the purpose of decision making, we discuss applications from the perspective of applying QSARs to support probabilistic risk assessment.

Variability and uncertainty in Swedish exposure factors for use in quantitative exposure assessments.

Information of exposure factors used in quantitative risk assessments has previously been compiled and reported for U.S. and European populations.

Exposure to contaminated sediments during recreational activities at a public bathing place.

More and more time is spent on recreational activities, but few risk assessments focus specifically on these situations and exposure factor data are often scarce. To assess exposure to contaminants at a public bathing place in an urban environment, we have compiled literature data, conducted observation studies, and analyzed water and sediment samples. The levels of anthropogenic contaminants are high in urban environments and traffic frequently plays an important role.