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Biomedical subjects

W H Gutenmann

Publications and source records attributed to W H Gutenmann.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Residues of p,p'-DDE and mercury in lake trout as a function of age.

Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) of known age from 1 to 12 years were taken from Cayuga Lake in central New York State in 1991 and p,p'-DDE and mercury were determined in their flesh. The concentrations of p,p'-DDE and mercury increased significantly (p less than 0.001) with increasing age of the fish. The concentration of p,p'-DDE also increased significantly (p less than 0.001) with increasing fat content. The concentrations of p,p'-DDE were much lower than those found in Cayuga Lake trout of similar age captured in 1978.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1992

Mutagens in urine sampled repetitively from municipal refuse incinerator workers and water treatment workers.

Municipal refuse incinerator workers may be exposed to mutagenic compounds from combustion gases and particulates during plant operation, maintenance, and ash removal procedures. The frequency of mutagens was measured by the Ames assay in 3 urine samples collected from each of 37 workers in 4 refuse incinerators and 35 (control) workers from 8 water treatment plants during June-August 1990. When comparing the first urine samples contributed by workers in each cohort, incinerator workers had a significantly (p < .05) increased risk of both direct-acting mutagens and promutagens (8/37 or 22% for each mutagen type) compared with water treatment workers (2/35 or 6% for each mutagen type). Smoking within 24 h before urine sampling was not a confounder of these results. Interestingly, there was no significant (p > .05) difference for risk of urinary mutagens or promutagens between the two cohorts when comparing, respectively, the second and third urine samples from each cohort. The repeatability of demonstrating urinary mutagens in individual incinerator workers was poor, suggesting that their exposure was highly variable and/or that these workers modified their exposure (e.g., wore masks) as a consequence of being studied. Factors that influence production of mutagenic compounds during refuse incineration and subsequent worker exposure are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Urinary mutagens in cosmetologists and dental personnel.

Cosmetologists are occupationally exposed to a wide range of toxic chemicals both dermally and by inhalation. Since many of these chemicals are mutagens and may be excreted in urine, the Ames Salmonella typhimurium assay was used to determine the presence of direct-acting and promutagens in the urine of practicing cosmetologists in central New York State. A comparable group (age, gender, smokers) of dental hygienists and assistants in the same geographic area was used as the control cohort. The cosmetologists had a significantly higher (39 vs. 24%, p less than .03) frequency of direct-acting urinary mutagens but there was no difference between the groups in the frequency of promutagens. In the multivariate model, cosmetologists were at two times the risk of direct-acting mutagens compared to dental workers. Smoking regularly, within 24 h of taking the urine sample, and the number of cigarettes smoked daily were not associated significantly with direct-acting mutagens in urine. Similarly, having had a hair permanent or hair dyed within 7 d of urine sampling, years of employment, age, gender and use of protective gear were not predictive of direct-acting urinary mutagens. In contrast, employment was not associated with urinary promutagens but the risk was significantly increased with increasing age and cigarette smoking. Among possible adverse health symptoms queried, only the prevalence of skin rashes differed between the cosmetologists (29%) and dental personnel (15%) (p less than .05).

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Tissue deposition of polychlorinated biphenyls in cats fed Atlantic Ocean bluefish.

Bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), a very popular marine sport fish caught in Atlantic coastal waters, contain significant levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Since fish can be an appreciable portion of human and feline diets, a feeding study was conducted with cats fed exclusively bluefish for 86 days with determination of tissue concentrations of PCBs. The concentrations of PCBs in brain, liver, and fat were significantly higher (p = 0.01) in the fish-fed cats than in the control group using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. The highest PCB levels were in fat, the median concentrations being 48 and 0.61 ppm (dry weight) in the fish-fed and control cats, respectively. The significance of the results is discussed.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1990

Toxicity and tissue residue depletion of levamisole hydrochloride in young goats.

Toxicity and tissue residue depletion studies were conducted in young goats, using an oral drench formulation of levamisole hydrochloride. In the target animal toxicity study, 3 groups of 5 goats each were given levamisole orally to provide approximately 11.88, 23.76, or 35.64 mg of levamisole HCl/kg/d for 3 consecutive days; a fourth group of 5 goats served as untreated controls. Blood samples were taken for analysis of levamisole 1 day prior to dosing and 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 days following the third dose. At the 35.64-mg/kg dose, 2 of 5 goats responded with typical cholinergic signs of toxicosis on each of the 3 days of dosing. The times for the onset of clinical signs of toxicosis ranged from 18 to 63 minutes, with an average duration of 32 minutes. Administration of 23.76 mg of levamisole HCl/kg resulted in hyperactive behavior in 1 of 5 goats only on the first day of dosing; no abnormal behavior was observed in any of the 5 goats following the second or third dose of levamisole HCl at 23.76 mg/kg. Untoward effects were not seen in the 5 goats dosed at 11.88 mg of levamisole HCl/kg or in the controls during the 3-day dosing period or in the following 7-day observation period. Overall, the observed signs of toxicosis did not become more severe, affect more goats, or persist for a longer period on subsequent dosing days.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1988

A tuna fish diet influences cat behavior.

When observed in their home cages, cats fed commercial tuna fish cat food were less active, vocalized less, and spent more time on the floor and more time eating than cats fed commercial beef cat food. There were no differences in response to human handling between the two groups. There were no differences in learning ability on a two-choice point maze or in reversal learning in the same maze between beef- and tuna-fed cats. The behavior of the groups differed in a 15-min open field test only in the number of toys contacted. Cats fed the tuna had elevated tissue levels of mercury and selenium.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1988

A study of mercury in the hair of dentists and dental-related professionals in 1985 and subcohort comparison of 1972 and 1985 mercury hair levels.

Dentists may be exposed to mercury used in dental restorations. An epidemiologic study was conducted in central New York in 1985 comparing the concentration of mercury in the hair of 85 dentists to that of 23 dental-related health professionals (mainly orthodontists and oral surgeons) who do not use mercury. Mercury in the hair of dentists was nominally higher (2.98 +/- 0.57 ppm, mean +/- SE) than that of the control group (1.84 +/- 0.20 ppm) but not significantly so. There was a significant positive linear trend in the concentration of mercury in the dentists' hair with the number of years they had been in practice. Those dentists who wore masks when removing old mercury containing fillings showed significantly (p = 0.03) lower mercury concentrations in hair (1.7 +/- 0.26 ppm, mean +/- SE) than those who did not (3.65 +/- 0.85 ppm). Mercury concentration in the hair of 23 of the above dentists analyzed in 1972 was 16.77 +/- 4.00 ppm (mean +/- SE), significantly higher (p = 0.008) than that of the same dentists in 1985 (5.27 +/- 1.85 ppm). The reduction is believed due to the currently used pre-prepared disposable or reusable capsules containing the amalgam versus formerly mixing the ingredients manually. This may also account for the lack of a significant difference in mercury in the hair of the dentists versus that of the control group in 1985. The statistical relationships between mercury concentrations in hair of the two groups and reported health effects, as well as other factors including fish consumption, number of restorations per day, office floor covering, and urban or rural domicile, are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Selenium in mainstream and sidestream smoke of cigarettes containing fly ash-grown tobacco.

The quantities of selenium, tar and nicotine present in mainstream (MS) and sidestream (SS) smoke of machine-smoked cigarettes was studied. The cigarettes were prepared from tobacco purposely cultured on fly ash-amended soil so as to increase its selenium concentration. Selenium concentration was found to be the same in the gaseous phase of both MS and SS smoke, but its concentration was significantly higher (p less than 0.05) in the particulate matter of the MS smoke. Tar was higher in MS smoke and nicotine in SS smoke. Factors affecting selenium concentrations in tobacco and its possible environmental significance are discussed.

Carbon↗
PubMed1986

Response of Japanese quail fed seed meal from sunflowers grown on a municipal sludge-amended soil: elevation of cadmium in tissues.

Sunflowers were grown on soil amended with 224 metric tons/ha of municipal sewage sludge from Syracuse, N.Y. The yield of sunflower seeds was reduced by 47.2% by the sludge addition. The harvested seeds contained 1.71 ppm dry weight of cadmium. Deoiled seed meal was incorporated as 25 and 50% of semipurified diet and fed to male and female Japanese quail. The concentrations of cadmium were higher in kidney, liver, muscle, and eggs of birds fed the sludge-grown seed meal as compared to control quail. Tissue concentrations of cadmium increased with increasing dietary levels of sludge-grown seed meal. No significant differences (p greater than 0.05) were observed between dietary treatments in the activity of hepatic microsomal p-nitroanisole O-demethylase or aminopyrine N-demethylase in the male birds. Additionally, no mutagenic activity, either direct or with metabolic activation, was found in quail eggs. No observable changes in tissue ultrastructure were observed under electron microscopy in any of the treatment groups. There were no significant (p greater than 0.05) differences among the dietary treatment groups in feed intake, growth rate, egg production, or egg hatchability.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Concentration of cadmium in Coturnix quail fed earthworms.

Earthworms (Lumbriscus terrestris), collected from soils in southern Ontario, Canada, that had no previous history of cadmium application, contained 3 ppm cadmium. They were fed to Coturnix quail as 60% dry weight of their diet for 63 d to examine the extent of deposition of native cadmium. Cadmium in kidney, liver, and excreta was greatly elevated above that of birds fed a control diet without worms. No increase in the level of cadmium in eggs was found. The factors affecting the association of cadmium in soils and worms and their assimilation and possible toxic effects in foraging birds are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Toxic and protective constituents in pet foods.

An analytical survey of mutagens, nitrosamines, polychlorinated biphenyls, toxic elements, and gamma-emission, as well as the toxicologically protective constituents zinc, selenium, and vitamin C, in 48 pet foods was conducted. Aside from high concentrations of fluoride and iodide in some samples and the expectedly higher concentrations of mercury and selenium in certain cat foods containing fish, the samples were notably free of the other toxic constituents. Direct-acting and promutagens and nitrosamines were not detectable in any of the samples. gamma-Emission was very low in all of the foods. Polychlorinated biphenyls were only detected in one cat food.

Animal Feed↗