Acrylamide and Glycidamide Hemoglobin Adduct Levels and Breast Cancer Risk in Japanese Women: A Nested Case-Control Study in the JPHC.

Background: Acrylamide (AA) is classified as "probably carcinogenic to humans (class 2A)" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. AA causes cancer owing to its mutagenic and genotoxic metabolite, glycidamide (GA), and its effects on sex hormones. Both AA and GA can interact with hemoglobin to hemoglobin adducts (HbAA and HbGA, respectively), which are considered appropriate biomarkers of internal exposure of AA.

Identifying the contribution of charge effects to airborne transmission of aerosols in confined spaces.

Aerosols in indoor air have various adverse effects on human health. Considering the use of forced ventilation and fan mixing (individually and in combination), the variation in charge number and their effects on aerosol transmission in confined spaces were explored in this study with the distinction of particle sources. In the case of sources originating from the external space, natural penetration acquires a greater number of negative charges.

Penetration factor and indoor deposition rate of elementary and particulate iodine in a Japanese house for assessing the effectiveness of sheltering for radiation exposures.

Sheltering is one of the countermeasures for protection against radiation exposures in nuclear accidents. The effectiveness of sheltering is often expressed by the reduction factor, that is the ratio of the indoor to the outdoor cumulative radioactivity concentrations or doses. The indoor concentration is mainly controlled by the air exchange rate, penetration factor, and indoor deposition rate.

Acrylamide-Hemoglobin Adduct Levels in a Japanese Population and Comparison with Acrylamide Exposure Assessed by the Duplicated Method or a Food Frequency Questionnaire.

The levels of hemoglobin adducts of acrylamide (AA-Hb), a biomarker of acrylamide exposure, have not been reported for Japanese subjects. Herein, we determined the AA-Hb levels in a Japanese population and compared them with the estimated dietary intake from the duplicate diet method (DM) and a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). One-day DM samples, FFQ, and blood samples were collected from 89 participants and analyzed for acrylamide.

Modeling and identifying the sources of radiocesium contamination in separate sewerage systems.

The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident released radiocesium in large amounts. The released radionuclides contaminated much of the surrounding environment, including sewers in urban areas of Fukushima prefecture. In this study we attempted to identify and quantify the sources of radiocesium contamination in separate sewerage systems and developed a compartment model based on the Radionuclide Migration in Urban Environments and Drainage Systems (MUD) model.

Exposure assessment of carbon nanotubes at pilot factory focusing on quantitative determination of catalytic metals.

Objectives: The application of multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) currently extends to various fields. However, it has been reported that exposure to CNT causes hazardous effects on animals and cells. The purpose of this study was to quantify the exposure to MWCNT in MWCNT/polymer composites for exposure assessment.

Aggregation is a critical cause of poor transfer into the brain tissue of intravenously administered cationic PAMAM dendrimer nanoparticles.

Dendrimers have been expected as excellent nanodevices for brain medication. An amine-terminated polyamidoamine dendrimer (PD), an unmodified plain type of PD, has the obvious disadvantage of cytotoxicity, but still serves as an attractive molecule because it easily adheres to the cell surface, facilitating easy cellular uptake. Single-photon emission computed tomographic imaging of a mouse following intravenous injection of a radiolabeled PD failed to reveal any signal in the intracranial region.

Characterization and source profiling of volatile organic compounds in indoor air of private residences in Selangor State, Malaysia.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in indoor air were investigated at 39 private residences in Selangor State, Malaysia to characterize the indoor air quality and to identify pollution sources. Twenty-two VOCs including isomers (14 aldehydes, 5 aromatic hydrocarbons, acetone, trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene) were collected by 2 passive samplers for 24h and quantitated using high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography mass spectrometry. Source profiling based on benzene/toluene ratio as well as statistical analysis (cluster analysis, bivariate correlation analysis and principal component analysis) was performed to identify pollution sources of the detected VOCs.

Occurrence, fate and environmental risk of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate in the Langat and Selangor River basins, Malaysia.

Five homologs (C-C) of linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) were quantitated in surface water collected in the Langat and Selangor River basins using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). A geographic information system (GIS) was used to spatially analyze the occurrence of LAS in both river basins, and the LAS contamination associated with the population was elucidated by spatial analysis at a sub-basin level. The LAS concentrations in the dissolved phase (<0.

Effect of surfactants on the aggregation and sedimentation of zinc oxide nanomaterial in natural water matrices.

The wide application of surfactants and engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in industrial and consumer products lead to the high possibility of their co-presence in natural water environment, making it important to study the effect of surfactants on the environmental behavior and fate of ENMs. In this work, we selected an anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and a nonionic nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPEO, Tergitol NP-9) to study their effects on the aggregation and sedimentation of a 20nm ZnO ENM in different water matrices. The adsorption of SDS and NP-9 by ZnO ENM were fitted with Langmuir model, and the maximum adsorption capacities were 43.

Bioaccessibility of Fukushima-Accident-Derived Cs in Soils and the Contribution of Soil Ingestion to Radiation Doses in Children.

Ingestion of contaminated soil is one potential internal exposure pathway in areas contaminated by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. Doses from this pathway can be overestimated if the availability of radioactive nuclides in soils for the gastrointestinal tract is not considered. The concept of bioaccessibility has been adopted to evaluate this availability based on in vitro tests.

Effect of surfactants on the aggregation and stability of TiO nanomaterial in environmental aqueous matrices.

The high likelihood of the coexistence of surfactants and engineered nano-materials (ENMs) in aqueous environments redoubles the need to study the effects of surfactants on the behavior and transport of nano-materials. In this study, we chose anionic sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and nonionic nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPEO, Tergitol NP-9) to study the effect of surfactants on the behaviors of a typical TiO ENM in water environment. An adsorption isotherm and zeta potential study showed that both surfactants could be adsorbed onto the surface of nano-TiO but that only SDS can significantly decrease the zeta potential of TiO.

Characterization of Pathogenic Escherichia coli in River Water by Simultaneous Detection and Sequencing of 14 Virulence Genes.

The occurrence of pathogenic Escherichia coli in environmental waters increases the risk of waterborne disease. In this study, 14 virulence genes in 669 E. coli isolates (549 isolates from the Yamato River in Japan, and 30 isolates from each of the following hosts: humans, cows, pigs, and chickens) were simultaneously quantified by multiplex PCR and dual index sequencing to determine the prevalence of potentially pathogenic E.

Biodistribution of gold nanoparticles in mice and investigation of their possible translocation by nerve uptake around the alveolus.

The effect of nanoparticles in the environment on our health is a cause of concern. The greatest concern with respect to the biological effect of nanoparticles is that they remain in the body and invade tissues, overcoming the protective mechanisms of the body. It is generally believed that nanoparticles invading a living body move into the blood and are carried by the bloodstream to all organs.

Future projection of radiocesium flux to the ocean from the largest river impacted by Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Following the initial fall out from Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), a significant amount of radiocesium has been discharged from Abukuma River into the Pacific Ocean. This study attempted to numerically simulate the flux of radiocesium into Abukuma River by developing the multiple compartment model which incorporate the transport process of the radionuclide from the ground surface of the catchment area into the river, a process called wash off. The results from the model show that the sub-basins with a high percentage of forest area release the radionuclides at lower rate compared to the other sub-basins.

[Biodistribution of ultrafine particles of titanium dioxide by intratracheal administration to mice].

TiO2 ultrafine particles are used as photo-catalysis. When ultrafine particles are exposed to hosts, they are invaded in alveolar, transferred to organs through blood vessels and may express biological effects. We administered TiO2 ultra-fine particles (5 nm, 100 nm) intratracheally to mice, and collected whole blood and removed organs (liver, lung, kidney, spleen and brain) after 1, 4 and 24 hours.