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Monoterpenes from pinewood may affect respiratory function
Information Section
20% dichlorobiphealyl, 5% pentachlorobiphenyl, and < 1% hexachlol:obiphenyl). The patients were employed for 4-20 years in the maintenance and disposal of transformers and capacitors. The effects persisted for up to ~:years after the exposure to PCBs had ended (A]itenkirch H. et aL, NeuroToxicology 1996, 17, 639).
Monoterpenes thrompinewood may affect respiraton/function The results of a study in four joinery shops in Sweden have suggested chronic respiratory effects in workers whose ~cposure to monoterpenes (a-pinene, ~pinene and &3-carene) may have exceeded the Swedish OEL (150 mg/m3). 38 workers involved in processing pine were equipped with personal air sampling devices and their lung function was measul:ed before and after a work shift. Total terpene exposures of up to 214 mg/m 3 were measured in one joinery, and the OEL was exceeded in three subjects. Although no changes in lung function were found over the work shift, pre-shift lung function values tended to be lower than those in the local population, which the investigators considered indicative of chronic effects on the airways (Eriksson K.A. et aL, Scandinavian Journal of Work En,,ironment and Health 1997, 23,
114).
737
or malformations, even though the higher exposure concentrations were associated with maternal toxicity (Darmer K.I. et a£, International Journal of Toxicology 1997, 16, 119).
Bromodlchloromethane mutagenlclty?. Investigators from the US EPA have.identified a *new and potentially important pathway ~ for metabolic activation of bromodichloromethane, a halogenated by-product of the water chlorination process. In a new strain of Salmonella ryphimurium bacteria, bromodichloromethane displayed mutagenicity (an 18-fold increase in revertants) at a concentration almost threefold lower than the mutagenic concentration for chloroform (which produced only a doubling in the number of revertants). An important mammalian enzyme--glutathione S-transferase--had been genetically engineered into the bacterium and the mutagenicity was measured in the presence of glutathione. The investigators conclude that the lower intestinal tract tumours induced by bromodichloromethane but not by chloroform may be attributable to glutathione-mediated mutations (Pegram R.A. et aL, Toxicologyand Applied Pharmacology 1997, 144, 183).
But... drinking water chlorination
contaminants nat genotoxic in viva Isopropanol vapour not convincingly carcinogenic in rodents An industry-sponsored US study found no evidence of carcinogenic activity in mice exposed to isopropanol vapour for 18 months (6 hours/day, 5 days/week), at target concentrations of 500, 2500 and 5000 ppm. In the equivalent 2-year rat investigation, there was a concentration-related increase in testes tumours (interstitial cell adenomas were present in 65%, 77%, 87% and 95% for the control, low-, mid- and high-dose groups, respectively), an effect which the investigators did not consider exposu:re related *due to an unusuaUy low incidence observed for the control group ~. The main target of isopropanol-induced toxicity was the kidney, but there were few signs of this in the animals exposed to 500 ppm (Burleigh-Flayer H. et aL, Fundamental and Applied Toxicology 1997, 36, 95).
Cumene not a clevelopmental toxin in
A genotoxic route for the carcinogenicity of the three chlorination contaminants of drinking water, chlorodibromomethane, bromodichloromethane and bromoform is not supported by the results of recent experiments in rodents. The three trihalomethanes each failed to show evidence of DNA damage (using the unscheduled DNA synthesis method) in the liver when they were given as single doses orally to rats at up to 2000 (chlorodibromomethane), 450 (bromodichloromethane) and 1080 (bromoform) mg/kg body weight. Bromoform also failed to show convincing evidence of DNA damage (micronuclei) in the bone marrow of mice when it was given at up to 1000 mg/kg body weight as a single oral dose. There has been evidence of genotoxicity in bacterial and mammalian cell cultures for all three compounds (Stocker K.J. et aL, Mutagenesis 1997,
12,169).
laboratory animals
Wool wax alcohols and lanolin sensitization
Daily exposure of pregnant rats and rabbits to cumene vapour at up to 1200 ppm and 2300 ppm, respectively, for 6 hr/day on days 6-15 or 6-18 of pregnancy, produced no evidence of foetotoxicity
Wool wax alcohols 00% in petrolatum) are included in the European standard patch-test series of cosmetic chemicals for the detection of contact allergy to lanolin. Amerchol I.-101 (AL-101), a
20% dichlorobiphealyl, 5% pentachlorobiphenyl, and < 1% hexachlol:obiphenyl). The patients were employed for 4-20 years in the maintenance and disposal of transformers and capacitors. The effects persisted for up to ~:years after the exposure to PCBs had ended (A]itenkirch H. et aL, NeuroToxicology 1996, 17, 639).
Monoterpenes thrompinewood may affect respiraton/function The results of a study in four joinery shops in Sweden have suggested chronic respiratory effects in workers whose ~cposure to monoterpenes (a-pinene, ~pinene and &3-carene) may have exceeded the Swedish OEL (150 mg/m3). 38 workers involved in processing pine were equipped with personal air sampling devices and their lung function was measul:ed before and after a work shift. Total terpene exposures of up to 214 mg/m 3 were measured in one joinery, and the OEL was exceeded in three subjects. Although no changes in lung function were found over the work shift, pre-shift lung function values tended to be lower than those in the local population, which the investigators considered indicative of chronic effects on the airways (Eriksson K.A. et aL, Scandinavian Journal of Work En,,ironment and Health 1997, 23,
114).
737
or malformations, even though the higher exposure concentrations were associated with maternal toxicity (Darmer K.I. et a£, International Journal of Toxicology 1997, 16, 119).
Bromodlchloromethane mutagenlclty?. Investigators from the US EPA have.identified a *new and potentially important pathway ~ for metabolic activation of bromodichloromethane, a halogenated by-product of the water chlorination process. In a new strain of Salmonella ryphimurium bacteria, bromodichloromethane displayed mutagenicity (an 18-fold increase in revertants) at a concentration almost threefold lower than the mutagenic concentration for chloroform (which produced only a doubling in the number of revertants). An important mammalian enzyme--glutathione S-transferase--had been genetically engineered into the bacterium and the mutagenicity was measured in the presence of glutathione. The investigators conclude that the lower intestinal tract tumours induced by bromodichloromethane but not by chloroform may be attributable to glutathione-mediated mutations (Pegram R.A. et aL, Toxicologyand Applied Pharmacology 1997, 144, 183).
But... drinking water chlorination
contaminants nat genotoxic in viva Isopropanol vapour not convincingly carcinogenic in rodents An industry-sponsored US study found no evidence of carcinogenic activity in mice exposed to isopropanol vapour for 18 months (6 hours/day, 5 days/week), at target concentrations of 500, 2500 and 5000 ppm. In the equivalent 2-year rat investigation, there was a concentration-related increase in testes tumours (interstitial cell adenomas were present in 65%, 77%, 87% and 95% for the control, low-, mid- and high-dose groups, respectively), an effect which the investigators did not consider exposu:re related *due to an unusuaUy low incidence observed for the control group ~. The main target of isopropanol-induced toxicity was the kidney, but there were few signs of this in the animals exposed to 500 ppm (Burleigh-Flayer H. et aL, Fundamental and Applied Toxicology 1997, 36, 95).
Cumene not a clevelopmental toxin in
A genotoxic route for the carcinogenicity of the three chlorination contaminants of drinking water, chlorodibromomethane, bromodichloromethane and bromoform is not supported by the results of recent experiments in rodents. The three trihalomethanes each failed to show evidence of DNA damage (using the unscheduled DNA synthesis method) in the liver when they were given as single doses orally to rats at up to 2000 (chlorodibromomethane), 450 (bromodichloromethane) and 1080 (bromoform) mg/kg body weight. Bromoform also failed to show convincing evidence of DNA damage (micronuclei) in the bone marrow of mice when it was given at up to 1000 mg/kg body weight as a single oral dose. There has been evidence of genotoxicity in bacterial and mammalian cell cultures for all three compounds (Stocker K.J. et aL, Mutagenesis 1997,
12,169).
laboratory animals
Wool wax alcohols and lanolin sensitization
Daily exposure of pregnant rats and rabbits to cumene vapour at up to 1200 ppm and 2300 ppm, respectively, for 6 hr/day on days 6-15 or 6-18 of pregnancy, produced no evidence of foetotoxicity
Wool wax alcohols 00% in petrolatum) are included in the European standard patch-test series of cosmetic chemicals for the detection of contact allergy to lanolin. Amerchol I.-101 (AL-101), a