[The health impact of woodsmoke].

Biomass is an important renewable resource of primary energy. Wood burning is expected to expand in future as a cheap means of residential heating, especially in wood-producing rural areas. The health consequences of wood smoke are taken in account far less actively in Europe than in North America, where stringent limitations have been introduced, such as those of the EPA Burnwise project.

[Are nanoparticles a new class of environmental toxin?].

In view of the toxic properties of nanoparticles, the authorities require them to be specifically identified and labeled This is in keeping with the spirit of the REACH legislation, which aims to protect consumers from products with inadequately documented risks for human health and the environment. However, the presence of natural nanoparticles in the environment must also be taken into account, together with the fact that, in any mixture of particles, the presence of a fraction of nanometer-sized particles cannot be ruled out, owing to the laws of statistical distribution. Moreover, while all toxic nanoparticles generate oxidative stress, their properties are not due solely to their size but also to their shape, surface texture and composition.

An estimate of cancers attributable to occupational exposures in France.

Objective: To perform a quantitative estimate of the proportion of cancers attributable to occupational exposures in France in 2000.

Methods: Exposure data for established carcinogens were obtained from a 1994 survey and other sources. Relative risks for 23 exposure-cancer combinations were derived from meta-analyses and pooled analyses.