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Biomedical subjects

M Gochfeld

Publications and source records attributed to M Gochfeld.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Evaluation of the relative contribution of exposure routes in a health risk assessment of dioxin emissions from a municipal waste incinerator.

Polychlorinated dioxins (PCDDs) and furans (PCDFs) are perceived by the public as the most hazardous materials emitted from municipal waste incinerators. These compounds disperse in the atmosphere and deposit on environmental media, where they may bioconcentrate in the food chain, resulting in a number of potential sources for human exposure. We performed a cancer risk assessment of PCDD/PCDF emissions from a municipal waste incinerator to evaluate the relative contribution of various exposure routes. Three scenarios were examined, all of which predicted ingestion of fish to be a significant source of exposure. In the common case, representative of the general population consuming mainly foods from commercial sources, inhalation was predicted to be the source of greatest exposure, followed by ingestion of fish, beef, milk, vegetation, and soil. In addition to fish, milk and beef ingestion contributed significantly to total exposure under the highly-exposed and worst case scenarios. Life-time cancer risk from the emitted PCDD/PCDFs was assessed for each scenario and was estimated as 1.8 x 10(-7) (common case), 2.5 x 10(-6) (highly-exposed case), and 6.7 x 10(-6) (worst case). In view of the conservative assumptions used in the assessment, the relatively low magnitude of these risks suggests that the PCDD/PCDF emissions from this incinerator should not be considered a significant public health concern.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1990

Natural observations of smoking behavior: are there sex, age, context- or activity-related differences?

We unobtrusively observed 1979 people smoking one to three cigarettes in a variety of everyday activities. There were gender differences only with respect to group size and composition, and the time the cigarette was in the mouth. For most measures the correlations between behaviors were higher for men than women. There were few significant age differences in smoking behavior. We classified the activities of smokers into six broad categories: study, passive watching, active-involvement, eating and drinking (non-alcohol), waiting rooms and alcohol-related. There were significant differences in all measures (except time in mouth) as a function of the activity categories. Generally, smokers that were actively involved or passively watching had cigarettes lit for longer than smokers actively involved. Generally smokers that were actively involved took fewer puffs per cigarette than other smokers. Number of puffs per cigarette for all activity categories was lower than that reported from laboratory studies.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Role of the physician in environmental medicine.

This article describes the role of the medical history and of laboratory findings in diagnosing diseases caused by environmental chemicals. An understanding of routes of exposure is crucial in appropriate diagnosis and in preventing further harm. A listing of potential sources of information is also included.

Environmental Health↗
PubMed1990

Tissue levels of lead in experimentally exposed herring gull (Larus argentatus) chicks.

Two-day-old herring gull (Larus argentatus) chicks were injected with either 0.1 or 0.2 mg lead/g body mass and were sacrificed at 45 d of age. Control birds were injected with sterile water. We examined lead and cadmium levels in blood, kidney, liver, muscle, salt glands, breast feathers, and bone. In control birds lead levels were highest in bone, feathers, salt gland, and kidney, and lowest in blood, muscle, and brain. In experimental birds lead levels were highest in bone, liver, kidney, and feathers, and lowest in blood, muscle, and salt gland. In control birds cadmium levels were highest in the kidney, followed by liver, with blood and brain being the lowest. Lead-exposed birds had increased cadmium deposition in brain. For experimental birds lead levels were correlated for all tissues except the salt gland. Correlations were particularly high for feathers with brain, kidney, liver and bone, suggesting feathers can be used in biomonitoring of natural avian populations. For cadmium there were no significant correlations among tissue levels except for brain and liver. Bioamplification of lead was greatest for liver and blood, and lowest for muscle and salt gland when comparing a lead dose of 0.1 mg/g with controls.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Microelectronics, radiation, and superconductivity.

Among the costs of technology are health hazards that face employees and consumers. New advances in the highly competitive field of microelectronics involve exposure to a variety of hazards such as gallium arsenide. Small high-technology industries appear unprepared to invest in health and safety. Although stray electromagnetic fields are not a new development, researchers are beginning to assemble data indicating that such fields pose a significant cancer risk under certain circumstances. Data have been obtained on fields associated with power lines on the one hand and consumer products on the other. Although not conclusive, the data are sufficient to warrant carefully designed research into the risks posed by electromagnetic fields. Because the scientific issues require research, there is a need to make basic social value decisions that will determine which technologies will be developed and which ones may be set aside because of their danger at the present time.

Electromagnetic Fields↗
PubMed1989

Medical surveillance of hazardous waste workers: ability of laboratory tests to discriminate exposure.

The assessment and cleanup of hazardous waste sites has become a growth industry. Unlike traditional factory employment, chemical exposures on wastes sites are likely to involve uncharacterized mixtures. Medical surveillance of hazardous waste workers has become a major preventive strategy. To evaluate the effectiveness of the traditional laboratory tests employed in most surveillance programs, we compared test results in two groups of hazardous waste workers (409 males, 68 females) with responsibilities for the assessment and management of waste sites. We stratified employees into a group with a high potential for exposure ("exposed") and a group with a low potential for exposure ("unexposed"). Fifty-five clinical chemistry, hematologic, and urinalysis variables were contrasted using an analysis of variance. The only consistently significant difference was a low mean corpuscular volume in the "exposed" group. The lack of other significant findings suggests that either the true exposure status of individuals was not reflected in our classification or that the traditional tests were inappropriate or insensitive. We conclude that it is essential to evaluate surveillance results carefully and to develop protocols that are appropriate to the actual exposures encountered in hazardous waste work.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Tissue distribution of lead in young common terns: influence of time since exposure.

Newly hatched common tern (Sterna hirundo) chicks were injected at 2 days of age with 0.2 mg/g of lead, and subsets were examined at 1, 2, 3, and 20 days postexposure. Control birds (water injection) had low levels (less than 2 ppb) of lead in liver, kidney, muscle, and brain. Lead-dosed chicks 2 days postexposure had liver and kidney residues greater than 1000 ppb (dry weight), and 3-day postexposure chicks showed substantially higher levels. By Day 20 the lead levels had declined by about half. In all samples the liver residue exceeded the kidney level by a factor of 1.5 to 2 in controls and 4.6 to 10.7 in exposed birds. In control birds, only brain and kidney levels were correlated, whereas in exposed birds kidney and liver, and kidney and muscle were correlated as well.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Evaluation of a work site relaxation training program using ambulatory blood pressure monitoring.

The rising physical, emotional, and economic costs of excess stress in occupational settings have resulted in a proliferation of many work site stress management programs. These programs have attempted to effect reductions in workers' stress by applying standard psychological interventions (ie, muscle relaxation and meditation) to the general work force. The benefits of these interventions for asymptomatic employee populations remain to be established. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the physical and psychologic effects of an occupational stress management program for asymptomatic hazardous waste workers (N = 66). Both laboratory and ambulatory blood pressure (at home and at work) were monitored, and self-reported psychologic symptoms were measured. The results indicate that the stress management techniques decreased the diastolic blood pressure variability of asymptomatic workers (P less than .001); however, unlike previous studies, no reductions in laboratory blood pressures nor in psychologic symptoms were found. The efficacy of the procedures for asymptomatic employees is questioned and suggestions are made for future research.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Dioxins and dibenzofurans in blood and adipose tissue of Agent Orange-exposed Vietnam veterans and matched controls.

Vietnam veterans who were heavily exposed to Agent Orange exceeded matched control subjects in both blood and adipose tissue levels of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) but not in the levels of the 12 other 2,3,7,8-substituted dioxins and dibenzofurans that were detected. Since only TCDD among these compounds was present in Agent Orange but all are present in the population of the industrialized world, it is likely that the elevated TCDD levels arose from wartime exposure. The high correlation (r = +.89) of blood with adipose tissue level suggests that there may be a mobile equilibrium between them and that blood measurement could replace adipose tissue measurement of TCDD levels, making the collection of human data less invasive.

2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid↗
PubMed1988

Lead and behavioral development: effects of varying dosage and schedule on survival and performance of young common terns (Sterna hirundo).

Exposure to lead early in life is known to affect behavioral development. Young common terns (Sterna hirundo) were injected with lead nitrate solution (0.2-1.2 mg/g) or sterile saline to examine the dose-response curve for behavioral effects. Exposed chicks received a dose of lead on d 3 or on d 3 and 7. Behavioral tests 2 d after each injection included visual cliff performance, locomotion, and righting response. Survival depended not only on dose but also on whether chicks received one or two injections. Despite the narrow range of doses, behavioral differences were noted for all measures as a function of dose. The initial lead dose affected behavior more than the second dose, despite the fact that birds receiving a divided dose were more likely to die.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Effects of lead on growth in young herring gulls (Larus argentatus).

One-day-old herring gulls (Larus argentatus) were injected intraperitoneally with lead nitrate solution (0.1 or 0.2 mg Pb/g) or sterile saline to examine differences in growth rates. Despite the low levels of lead exposure, by d 8 there were significant differences in growth rates as a function of treatment. There were also, by d 8, significant differences in bill length, tarsus length, and wing bone length. Except for bill length, these differences persisted for the duration of the study. Developmental curves varied, with lead-treated birds reaching the same asymptote as control birds for bill length, but having a lower asymptote for tarsus length. For curves where asymptotes were reached, lead-treated birds required more days to reach it than control birds. The initial amount of food eaten each day was positively correlated with weight gain for control birds, but negatively correlated for lead-treated birds.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Utility of occupational blood pressure screening for the detection of potential hypertension.

A potential limiting factor in the detection and control of hypertension has been the assumption that a routine periodic sphygmomanometric blood pressure recording is characteristic of usual blood pressure throughout the activities of daily living. The relationship between routine periodic clinic blood pressure and ambulatory blood pressure was investigated in employed workers. Ambulatory readings were obtained at regular intervals using an automatic self-inflating and recording sphygmomanometer at home and at work. Mean ambulatory systolic and diastolic pressures were significantly higher than clinic pressures, both at home and at work, and in every position except reclining. Eleven of the 113 employees considered normotensive from clinic screening had an average of 46% of their diastolic ambulatory readings greater than or equal to 90. These persons may be considered functionally hypertensive. The authors suggest the need to focus attention on those persons with high-normal clinic blood pressures discovered in workplace screening.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

A hypothesis on the role of pheromones on age of menarche.

Over the last century and a half there has been a secular decline in the age of menarche in Western, industrialized cultures. This trend has been largely ascribed to improved nutrition and health, and we offer an alternative hypothesis that changes in socio-economic conditions have resulted in changes in the pheromonal climate to which prepubertal females are exposed, thereby affecting onset of menarche. Extensive data from non-human mammalian studies indicate that puberty in females is delayed by exposure to adult females, and accelerated by exposure to adult males. The mechanism is pheromonal. The pheromonal climate of the home may have changed since mothers are in the home less (more women now work) and fathers are in the home more (work day of 8 rather than 14 hr). Assuming humans respond similarly to pheromones, this change would contribute to a decline in age of menarche.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Comparisons of nine heavy metals in salt gland and liver of greater scaup (Aythya marila), black duck (Anas rubripes) and mallard (A. platyrhynchos).

Levels of nine heavy metals were measured in the livers and salt glands of greater scaup (Aythya marila), black duck (Anas rubripes) and mallard (A. platyrhynchos) from Raritan Bay, New Jersey to determine if the functioning avian salt gland concentrates heavy metals. Heavy metals examined were cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, manganese, nickel and zinc. Heavy metal levels varied significantly by species and tissue for chromium, copper, lead, and manganese, and by tissue for cobalt, mercury, nickel and zinc. In comparing tissues cobalt was higher in the salt glands than in livers of all three species; chromium and nickel were higher in the salt gland than liver for mallard and black duck; and lead, manganese and zinc were higher in the liver than the salt gland in greater scaup. Generally metal levels were higher in the salt gland for mallard and black duck, and in the liver for greater scaup.

Animals↗