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Biomedical subjects

M A Kamrin

Publications and source records attributed to M A Kamrin.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Workshop on the health effects of HCl in ambient air.

This article presents a summary of the proceedings of the Workshop on the Health Effects of HCl in Ambient Air, held in Detroit, Michigan, on October 15, 1990. Participants addressed three topic areas: sources, levels, and chemistry of HCl in ambient air; toxicity of atmospheric HCI to humans and animals; and the need for future research on toxicity and exposure. Consensus conclusions related to each of these topic areas, arising form the deliberations of the workshop participants, are presented. These include: (1) atmospheric HCl will most commonly exist in the gaseous form; (2) long-range transport of HCl is probably of limited importance; (3) ambient HCI levels are in the low parts per billion range; (4) irritation of the upper airways appears to be the most sensitive indicator of exposure; (5) such effects are likely to occur only at exposure levels much greater than those measured in ambient air; and (6) future health research should focus on occupationally exposed populations and potentially sensitive subgroups, e.g., asthmatics.

Air↗
PubMed1991

Workshop on human health impacts of halogenated biphenyls and related compounds.

A workshop on the Human Health Impacts of Halogenated Biphenyls and Related Compounds was held to assess the state of current research on these chemicals and to make recommendations for future studies. Participants discussed results from laboratory animal experiments on PCBs, PBBs, dioxins, and dibenzofurans which demonstrate a common mode of toxicological action while also revealing large variations in toxicological potency both within and between these chemical families. These variations demonstrate the importance of congener-specific analyses in future studies of effects of exposure to these compounds. Results from epidemiological studies of environmentally exposed adult and pediatric populations from the U.S., Japan, and Taiwan and occupationally exposed cohorts from around the world were considered. It was concluded that available evidence did not demonstrate serious adverse effects such as cancer, in exposed adult cohorts but did provide indications of possible neurobehavioral effects in children exposed in utero. In addition, workshop participants described newly developed markers of exposure and techniques for assessing endocrinological, immunological, and neurological effects and suggested these be applied to epidemiological studies of the effects of polyhalogenated compounds. Other recommendations included identification of other cohorts and development of a large registry of exposed individuals; performance of detailed studies of reproductive function and outcomes in exposed populations; and follow up of neurobehavioral effects in offspring of exposed women.

Biphenyl Compounds↗
PubMed1990

Data base selection in toxicological risk assessment and management.

In recent years, there has been increasing awareness of the differences in maximum allowable levels developed by the various federal regulatory agencies. It has generally been presumed that the variation in levels arises from differences in risk management decisions, i.e., how the data are used. This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that differences in choice of data to utilize also have a significant impact on interagency variation. To test this hypothesis, a comparison was made between the data bases used by the EPA Office of Drinking Water and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in setting maximum levels for pesticides in drinking water and workplace air, respectively. The results show that the same data are only infrequently used as bases for both types of regulatory levels. The study also indicates that the differences in data selection cannot be ascribed to factors related to the applicability of different data for the two types of exposures--drinking water and workplace air. There are essentially no differences in the data with respect to route of exposure, species (laboratory animals vs humans), or length of exposure. No obvious scientific basis for the differences was found. Other possible selection factors are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Reducing uncertainty in risk assessment.

This article presents a summary of the proceedings of the Symposium and Workshop on Reducing Uncertainty in Risk Assessment, held at Michigan State University, on May 18-19, 1987. Participants addressed four topic areas: safety factors in noncarcinogen risk assessment; relevance of biological data in risk assessment; upper and lower bounds in carcinogenic risk assessment; and exposure assessment. One additional issue, risk communication, was discussed as a result of participant interest. Consensus recommendations in these five areas, resulting from the deliberations of the workshop groups, are presented. In addition to the specific recommendations, some general conclusions could be drawn. One was that the increased understanding of underlying mechanisms of toxicity, gained in the last decade, should be incorporated as much as possible into the risk assessment process. A second conclusion was that more effort should be devoted to increasing this understanding and developing the best methods for applying this knowledge to risk assessment. Last, more effort should be made to improve the communication of these assessments to the public and to policy makers so that the best and most complete information is utilized in risk management decisions.

Animals↗