PAHs and PM2.5 emissions and female breast cancer incidence in metro Atlanta and rural Georgia

Environmental chemical exposure could be an important etiologic factor for geographic differences in breast cancer incidence. In this study, we examined emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and PM_2.5 in relation to breast cancer incidence in metro Atlanta and rural Georgia by analyzing data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program and the Environmental Protection Agency. The results showed that metro Atlanta had a significantly higher age-adjusted annual incidence rate of female breast cancer than rural Georgia (132.6 vs. 113.7 per 100,000) for 1992–2011. Emissions of both PAHs [adjusted β = 0.568 (95 % CI: 0.209, 0.927); p = 0.004] and PM_2.5 [adjusted β = 2.964 (95 % CI: 0.468, 5.459); p = 0.023] were significantly associated with breast cancer incidence in metro Atlanta area. This study suggests that ambient air pollution, especially PAHs and PM_2.5, could have a significant impact on the increased incidence of female breast cancer in urban areas.     

Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in cosmetic products by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

A gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) method is developed to determine 18 representative polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in cosmetics, including Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and others. The method offers high sensitivity and selectivity under selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode to satisfy the requirements of both quantitation and qualitation. The extraction solvent system used in this study is acetone/hexane 1:1 (v/v) and other purification procedure is unnecessary. The linearities of 18 PAHs are validated in different concentration in the range of 0.25–20 ng/mL individually with coefficient correlation (r) higher than 0.996. The recoveries for spiking 3 different concentrations are from 87.40% to 120.44% for 18 PAHs and the coefficient of variation (CV) are below 12.32%. Limit of quantification (LOQ) of 18 PAHs is in the range of 0.05–0.2 mg/kg. A matrix enhancement effect is observed and can be compensated with deuterated internal standard. The method has been successfully applied to 73 samples, over 40 of them are lipsticks. The results show none of the samples detect Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and Dibenzo[a,h]anthracene (DBA), both are classified as the most carcinogenic. 8 PAHs are detected and the average value between 0.08 and 0.27 mg/kg. This study offers a sensitive and simple method to analyze 18 representative PAHs successfully and can be applied to cosmetic products and raw materials.     

灰星鲨肝油中甘油酯类与烃类的高效液相色谱分离

采用高效液相色谱法，有效地分离鲨鱼肝油中的两类主要成份甘油酯和烃类。     

煤焦沥青诱发大鼠肺癌的实验研究——Ⅱ.形态学观察

本文对煤焦沥青诱发大鼠肺癌过程中的病理形态学所见作了报道。整个过程可以分为三个阶段:1.异物反应阶段;2.异常增生和鳞状化生阶段;3.癌肿发生发展阶段。文中对每一个阶段的病理组织学改变做了详细描述。煤焦沥青诱发的大鼠肺癌的特征如下:1.癌肿全都发生在肺的周边部位;2.绝大多数癌肿的组织类型都是高分化鳞状细胞癌;3.多发性,数个至数十个大小不等的肿块布满全肺;4.癌变各个不同阶段的改变可在同一肺脏中出现;5.转移癌较少见。     

Structure-acute toxicity relationship of aromatic hydrocarbons in mice

The structure-acute toxicity relationship of aromatic hydrocarbons was examined in mice. In all test compounds, the acute toxicity was determined under 2 conditions: control LD₅₀ (LD₅₀-cont) and carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄)-pretreated LD₅₀ (LD₅₀-CCl₄). The CCl₄-pretreatment was done in order to evaluate the toxic potency of compound itself without the influence of metabolism. Both log (1/LD₅₀-cont) and log (1/LD₅₀-CCl₄) were functions of the log P, n-octanol/water partition coefficient, i.e., log (1/LD₅₀-cont) = 0.080 log P − 1.532 and log (1/LD₅₀-CCl₄) = −0.040(log P)² + 0.157 log P − 1.373. Both equations were statistically significant (P < 0.01). The ratio of LD₅₀-cont/LD₅₀-CCl₄ indicated that metabolic activation is more evident in hydrophobic compounds than in hydrophilic compounds. The results suggest that hydrophobicity of the aromatic hydrocarbons plays an important role in determining their acute toxicity.     

Cancer risk due to occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) demonstrate carcinogenic activity in animal models. Although some epidemiologic studies have implicated PAHs as risk factors for human cancer, the evidence reported to date has not been consistent. The purpose of this report is to describe the associations between occupational exposure to PAHs in the workplace and each of 14 types of cancer. A population-based, case-control study was carried out in Montreal to investigate associations between a large variety of environmental and occupational exposures on the one hand, and several types of cancer on the other. A detailed job history was obtained from each subject along with information on a number of potential confounders. Each job history was reviewed by a team of experts, who used this information to construct a corresponding history of occupational exposures. Among the PAH exposures considered were benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) and five categories of PAHs defined on the basis of the source material, namely, wood, petroleum, coal, other sources, and any source. Altogether, 3,730 cancer patients and 533 population controls were interviewed and their job exposure histories coded. For each of 14 types of cancer analyzed, three control groups were available: other cancer patients, population controls, and the pooled set of cancer and population controls. The associations between 14 cancer types and 6 PAH exposures were analyzed using logistic regression methods. For most types of cancer evaluated, there was no evidence of excess risk due to PAHs at the levels encountered in the occupations in which PAH exposure has been prevalent in the Montreal area. For a few cancer sites–the esophagus, the pancreas, and the prostate gland–there were suggestions of excess risk; these observations are noteworthy hypotheses for further investigation. For lung cancer, there appeared to be an increased risk due to PAHs among nonsmokers and light smokers, but not among heavy smokers.