Andromachi Katsonouri - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Andromachi Katsonouri

Research paper thumbnail of In Vivo Investigation of the Effect of Dietary Acrylamide and Evaluation of Its Clinical Relevance in Colon Cancer

Toxics

Dietary exposure to acrylamide (AA) has been linked with carcinogenicity in the gastrointestinal ... more Dietary exposure to acrylamide (AA) has been linked with carcinogenicity in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. However, epidemiologic data on AA intake in relation to cancer risk are limited and contradictory, while the potential cancer-inducing molecular pathways following AA exposure remain elusive. In this study, we collected mechanistic information regarding the induction of carcinogenesis by dietary AA in the colon, using an established animal model. Male Balb/c mice received AA orally (0.1 mg/kg/day) daily for 4 weeks. RNA was extracted from colon tissue samples, followed by RNA sequencing. Comparative transcriptomic analysis between AA and mock-treated groups revealed a set of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that were further processed using different databases through the STRING-DB portal, to reveal deregulated protein–protein interaction networks. We found that genes implicated in RNA metabolism, processing and formation of the ribosomal subunits and protein translation...

Research paper thumbnail of Time Patterns in Internal Human Exposure Data to Bisphenols, Phthalates, DINCH, Organophosphate Flame Retardants, Cadmium and Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons in Europe

Toxics

Human biomonitoring (HBM) data in Europe are often fragmented and collected in different EU count... more Human biomonitoring (HBM) data in Europe are often fragmented and collected in different EU countries and sampling periods. Exposure levels for children and adult women in Europe were evaluated over time. For the period 2000–2010, literature and aggregated data were collected in a harmonized way across studies. Between 2011–2012, biobanked samples from the DEMOCOPHES project were used. For 2014–2021, HBM data were generated within the HBM4EU Aligned Studies. Time patterns on internal exposure were evaluated visually and statistically using the 50th and 90th percentiles (P50/P90) for phthalates/DINCH and organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) in children (5–12 years), and cadmium, bisphenols and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in women (24–52 years). Restricted phthalate metabolites show decreasing patterns for children. Phthalate substitute, DINCH, shows a non-significant increasing pattern. For OPFRs, no trends were statistically significant. For women, BPA shows a clear...

Research paper thumbnail of Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry of membrane proteins: Demonstration of a simple method to determine subunit molecular weights of hydrophobic subunits

Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta - Biomembranes, Dec 1, 1997

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry has been used to obtain acc... more Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry has been used to obtain accurate molecular weight information for each subunit of several hydrophobic integral membrane proteins: cytochrome bo 3 (4 subunits) and cytochrome bd (2 subunits) from E. coli, and the bc i complex (3 subunits) and the cytochrome c oxidase (3 subunits) from Rhodobacter sphaeroides. The results demonstrate that the MALDI method is a convenient, quick, sensitive and reliable means for obtaining the molecular masses of the subunits of purified multisubunit membrane proteins.

Research paper thumbnail of HBM4EU-MOM: Prenatal methylmercury-exposure control in five countries through suitable dietary advice for pregnancy – Study design and characteristics of participants

International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

Research paper thumbnail of FAIR environmental and health registry (FAIREHR)- supporting the science to policy interface and life science research, development and innovation

Frontiers in Toxicology

The environmental impact on health is an inevitable by-product of human activity. Environmental h... more The environmental impact on health is an inevitable by-product of human activity. Environmental health sciences is a multidisciplinary field addressing complex issues on how people are exposed to hazardous chemicals that can potentially affect adversely the health of present and future generations. Exposure sciences and environmental epidemiology are becoming increasingly data-driven and their efficiency and effectiveness can significantly improve by implementing the FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) principles for scientific data management and stewardship. This will enable data integration, interoperability and (re)use while also facilitating the use of new and powerful analytical tools such as artificial intelligence and machine learning in the benefit of public health policy, and research, development and innovation (RDI). Early research planning is critical to ensuring data is FAIR at the outset. This entails a well-informed and planned strategy concerning th...

Research paper thumbnail of Coordination of chemical analyses under the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU): Concepts, procedures and lessons learnt

International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

Research paper thumbnail of Control of prenatal exposures to mercury in Europe: harmonized communication of fish-consumption advice to pregnant women combined with human biomonitoring

ISEE Conference Abstracts

Research paper thumbnail of Exposure to heavy metals and red blood cell parameters in children: A systematic review of observational studies

Frontiers in Pediatrics

BackgroundMechanistic studies show that heavy metals interfere with the hematopoietic system by i... more BackgroundMechanistic studies show that heavy metals interfere with the hematopoietic system by inhibiting key enzymes, which could lead to anemia. However, the link between children's exposure and red blood cell (RBC) parameters has been inconsistent. We aimed to summarize evidence on human studies exploring the association between exposure to lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and chromium VI and RBC parameters in children.MethodsFollowing the PRISMA guidelines, we searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases for studies published between January 2010 and April 2022. Eligible papers included human observational studies that directly assessed exposure (internal dose) to the heavy metals under study and RBC parameters in participants aged ≤ 18 years. We excluded studies using hospital-based samples. Study quality was assessed using the National Institutes of Health's Quality Assessment Tools for Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. We synthesized the evidence using vot...

Research paper thumbnail of RESEARCH Open Access

Economic benefits of methylmercury exposure 600,000 IQ points per year, corresponding to a total ... more Economic benefits of methylmercury exposure 600,000 IQ points per year, corresponding to a total economic benefit between €8,000 million and €9,000 million Bellanger et al. Environmental Health 2013, 12:3

Research paper thumbnail of Indoor air pollution, physical and comfort parameters related to schoolchildren's health: Data from the European SINPHONIE study

Science of The Total Environment, 2020

Substantial knowledge is available on the association of the indoor school environment and its ef... more Substantial knowledge is available on the association of the indoor school environment and its effect among schoolchildren. In the same context, the SINPHONIE (School indoor pollution and health: Observatory network in Europe) conducted a study to collect data and determine the distribution of several indoor air pollutants (IAPs), physical and thermal parameters and their association with eye, skin, upper-, lower respiratory and systemic disorder symptoms during the previous three months. Finally, data from 115 schools in 54 European cities from 23 countries was collected and included 5175 schoolchildren using a harmonized and standardized protocol. The association between exposures and the health outcomes were examined using logistic regression models on individual indoor air pollutants (IAPs); a VOC (volatile organic compound) score defined as the sum of the number of pollutants to which the children were highly exposed (concentration > median of the distribution) in classroom was also introduced to evaluate the multiexposure - outcome association, while adjusting for several confounding factors. Schoolchildren exposed to above or equal median concentration of PM2.5, benzene, limonene, ozone and radon were at significantly higher odds of suffering from upper, lower airways, eye and systemic disorders. Increased odds were also observed for any symptom (sick school syndrome) among schoolchildren exposed to concentrations of limonene and ozone above median values. Furthermore, the risks for upper and lower airways and systemic disorders significantly increased with the VOCs score. Results also showed that increased ventilation rate was significantly associated with decreased odds of suffering from eye, skin disorders whereas similar association was observed between temperature and upper airways symptoms. The present study provides evidence that exposure to IAPs in schools is associated with allergic and respiratory symptoms in children. Further investigations are needed to confirm our findings.

Research paper thumbnail of Application of human biomonitoring data to support policy development, raise awareness and environmental public health protection among countries within the HBM4EU project

International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

Research paper thumbnail of ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES First Steps toward Harmonized Human Biomonitoring in Europe: Demonstration Project to Perform Human Biomonitoring on a European Scale

Research paper thumbnail of A step towards harmonising human biomonitoring study setup on European level: Materials provided and lessons learnt in HBM4EU

International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

Research paper thumbnail of Harmonized human biomonitoring in European children, teenagers and adults: EU-wide exposure data of 11 chemical substance groups from the HBM4EU Aligned Studies (2014–2021)

International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

Research paper thumbnail of The Use of Human Biomonitoring to Assess Occupational Exposure to PAHs in Europe: A Comprehensive Review

Toxics

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the chemicals with proven impact on workers’ he... more Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the chemicals with proven impact on workers’ health. The use of human biomonitoring (HBM) to assess occupational exposure to PAHs has become more common in recent years, but the data generated need an overall view to make them more usable by regulators and policymakers. This comprehensive review, developed under the Human Biomonitoring for Europe (HBM4EU) Initiative, was based on the literature available from 2008–2022, aiming to present and discuss the information on occupational exposure to PAHs, in order to identify the strengths and limitations of exposure and effect biomarkers and the knowledge needs for regulation in the workplace. The most frequently used exposure biomarker is urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OH-PYR), a metabolite of pyrene. As effect biomarkers, those based on the measurement of oxidative stress (urinary 8-oxo-dG adducts) and genotoxicity (blood DNA strand-breaks) are the most common. Overall, a need to advance new...

Research paper thumbnail of A pilot study on the feasibility of European harmonized human biomonitoring: Strategies towards a common approach, challenges and opportunities

Environmental Research, 2015

In 2004 the European Commission and Member States initiated activities towards a harmonized appro... more In 2004 the European Commission and Member States initiated activities towards a harmonized approach for Human Biomonitoring surveys throughout Europe. The main objective was to sustain environmental health policy by building a coherent and sustainable framework and by increasing the comparability of data across countries. A pilot study to test common guidelines for setting up surveys was considered a key step in this process. Through a bottom-up approach that included all stakeholders, a joint study protocol was elaborated. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Research paper thumbnail of A Tiered Approach for Assessing Individual and Combined Risk of Pyrethroids Using Human Biomonitoring Data

Toxics

Pyrethroids are a major insecticide class, suitable for biomonitoring in humans. Due to similarit... more Pyrethroids are a major insecticide class, suitable for biomonitoring in humans. Due to similarities in structure and metabolic pathways, urinary metabolites are common to various active substances. A tiered approach is proposed for risk assessment. Tier I was a conservative screening for overall pyrethroid exposure, based on phenoxybenzoic acid metabolites. Subsequently, probabilistic approaches and more specific metabolites were used for refining the risk estimates. Exposure was based on 95th percentiles from HBM4EU aligned studies (2014–2021) covering children in Belgium, Cyprus, France, Israel, Slovenia, and The Netherlands and adults in France, Germany, Israel, and Switzerland. In all children populations, the 95th percentiles for 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) exceeded the screening value. The probabilistic refinement quantified the risk level of the most exposed population (Belgium) at 2% or between 1–0.1% depending on the assumptions. In the substance specific assessments, th...

Research paper thumbnail of Methylmercury Risk Assessment Based on European Human Biomonitoring Data

Toxics

A risk assessment (RA) was conducted to estimate the risk associated with methylmercury (MeHg) ex... more A risk assessment (RA) was conducted to estimate the risk associated with methylmercury (MeHg) exposure of vulnerable European populations, using Human Biomonitoring (HBM) data. This RA was performed integrating published data from European HBM surveys and earlier EFSA approaches (EFSA 2012). Children/adolescents (3 to 17 years old) and women of childbearing age (18 to 50 years old) were selected as relevant study population groups for this RA. Two types of HBM datasets were selected: HBM studies (n = 18) with mercury (Hg) levels (blood and hair, total Hg and/or MeHg) in the general population in different EU countries and the DEMOCOPHES harmonized study in child–mother pairs (hair, total Hg) in 17 EU countries as a reference. Two approaches were included in the RA strategy: the first one was based on estimations of the fraction of children/adolescents and women of childbearing age, respectively, from the EU general population exceeding the HBM-I value established by the German Huma...

Research paper thumbnail of Glyphosate and AMPA in Human Urine of HBM4EU Aligned Studies: Part A Children

Toxics

Few data are available on the exposure of children to glyphosate (Gly) in Europe. Within HBM4EU, ... more Few data are available on the exposure of children to glyphosate (Gly) in Europe. Within HBM4EU, new HBM exposure data were collected from aligned studies at five sampling sites distributed over Europe (studies: SLO CRP (SI); ORGANIKO (CY); GerES V-sub (DE); 3XG (BE); ESTEBAN (FR)). Median Gly concentrations in urine were below or around the detection limit (0.1 µg/L). The 95th percentiles ranged between 0.18 and 1.03 µg Gly/L. The ratio of AMPA (aminomethylphosphonic acid; main metabolite of Gly) to Gly at molar basis was on average 2.2 and the ratio decreased with higher Gly concentrations, suggesting that other sources of AMPA, independent of metabolism of Gly to AMPA in the monitored participants, may concurrently operate. Using reverse dosimetry and HBM exposure data from five European countries (east, west and south Europe) combined with the proposed ADI (acceptable daily intake) of EFSA for Gly of 0.1 mg/kg bw/day (based on histopathological findings in the salivary gland of ...

Research paper thumbnail of Improving the Risk Assessment of Pesticides through the Integration of Human Biomonitoring and Food Monitoring Data: A Case Study for Chlorpyrifos

Toxics

The risk assessment of pesticide residues in food is a key priority in the area of food safety. M... more The risk assessment of pesticide residues in food is a key priority in the area of food safety. Most jurisdictions have implemented pre-marketing authorization processes, which are supported by prospective risk assessments. These prospective assessments estimate the expected residue levels in food combining results from residue trials, resembling the pesticide use patterns, with food consumption patterns, according to internationally agreed procedures. In addition, jurisdictions such as the European Union (EU) have implemented large monitoring programs, measuring actual pesticide residue levels in food, and are supporting large-scale human biomonitoring programs for confirming the actual exposure levels and potential risk for consumers. The organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos offers an interesting case study, as in the last decade, its acceptable daily intake (ADI) has been reduced several times following risk assessments by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). This proce...

Research paper thumbnail of In Vivo Investigation of the Effect of Dietary Acrylamide and Evaluation of Its Clinical Relevance in Colon Cancer

Toxics

Dietary exposure to acrylamide (AA) has been linked with carcinogenicity in the gastrointestinal ... more Dietary exposure to acrylamide (AA) has been linked with carcinogenicity in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. However, epidemiologic data on AA intake in relation to cancer risk are limited and contradictory, while the potential cancer-inducing molecular pathways following AA exposure remain elusive. In this study, we collected mechanistic information regarding the induction of carcinogenesis by dietary AA in the colon, using an established animal model. Male Balb/c mice received AA orally (0.1 mg/kg/day) daily for 4 weeks. RNA was extracted from colon tissue samples, followed by RNA sequencing. Comparative transcriptomic analysis between AA and mock-treated groups revealed a set of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) that were further processed using different databases through the STRING-DB portal, to reveal deregulated protein–protein interaction networks. We found that genes implicated in RNA metabolism, processing and formation of the ribosomal subunits and protein translation...

Research paper thumbnail of Time Patterns in Internal Human Exposure Data to Bisphenols, Phthalates, DINCH, Organophosphate Flame Retardants, Cadmium and Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons in Europe

Toxics

Human biomonitoring (HBM) data in Europe are often fragmented and collected in different EU count... more Human biomonitoring (HBM) data in Europe are often fragmented and collected in different EU countries and sampling periods. Exposure levels for children and adult women in Europe were evaluated over time. For the period 2000–2010, literature and aggregated data were collected in a harmonized way across studies. Between 2011–2012, biobanked samples from the DEMOCOPHES project were used. For 2014–2021, HBM data were generated within the HBM4EU Aligned Studies. Time patterns on internal exposure were evaluated visually and statistically using the 50th and 90th percentiles (P50/P90) for phthalates/DINCH and organophosphorus flame retardants (OPFRs) in children (5–12 years), and cadmium, bisphenols and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in women (24–52 years). Restricted phthalate metabolites show decreasing patterns for children. Phthalate substitute, DINCH, shows a non-significant increasing pattern. For OPFRs, no trends were statistically significant. For women, BPA shows a clear...

Research paper thumbnail of Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry of membrane proteins: Demonstration of a simple method to determine subunit molecular weights of hydrophobic subunits

Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta - Biomembranes, Dec 1, 1997

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry has been used to obtain acc... more Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry has been used to obtain accurate molecular weight information for each subunit of several hydrophobic integral membrane proteins: cytochrome bo 3 (4 subunits) and cytochrome bd (2 subunits) from E. coli, and the bc i complex (3 subunits) and the cytochrome c oxidase (3 subunits) from Rhodobacter sphaeroides. The results demonstrate that the MALDI method is a convenient, quick, sensitive and reliable means for obtaining the molecular masses of the subunits of purified multisubunit membrane proteins.

Research paper thumbnail of HBM4EU-MOM: Prenatal methylmercury-exposure control in five countries through suitable dietary advice for pregnancy – Study design and characteristics of participants

International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

Research paper thumbnail of FAIR environmental and health registry (FAIREHR)- supporting the science to policy interface and life science research, development and innovation

Frontiers in Toxicology

The environmental impact on health is an inevitable by-product of human activity. Environmental h... more The environmental impact on health is an inevitable by-product of human activity. Environmental health sciences is a multidisciplinary field addressing complex issues on how people are exposed to hazardous chemicals that can potentially affect adversely the health of present and future generations. Exposure sciences and environmental epidemiology are becoming increasingly data-driven and their efficiency and effectiveness can significantly improve by implementing the FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) principles for scientific data management and stewardship. This will enable data integration, interoperability and (re)use while also facilitating the use of new and powerful analytical tools such as artificial intelligence and machine learning in the benefit of public health policy, and research, development and innovation (RDI). Early research planning is critical to ensuring data is FAIR at the outset. This entails a well-informed and planned strategy concerning th...

Research paper thumbnail of Coordination of chemical analyses under the European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU): Concepts, procedures and lessons learnt

International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

Research paper thumbnail of Control of prenatal exposures to mercury in Europe: harmonized communication of fish-consumption advice to pregnant women combined with human biomonitoring

ISEE Conference Abstracts

Research paper thumbnail of Exposure to heavy metals and red blood cell parameters in children: A systematic review of observational studies

Frontiers in Pediatrics

BackgroundMechanistic studies show that heavy metals interfere with the hematopoietic system by i... more BackgroundMechanistic studies show that heavy metals interfere with the hematopoietic system by inhibiting key enzymes, which could lead to anemia. However, the link between children's exposure and red blood cell (RBC) parameters has been inconsistent. We aimed to summarize evidence on human studies exploring the association between exposure to lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and chromium VI and RBC parameters in children.MethodsFollowing the PRISMA guidelines, we searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases for studies published between January 2010 and April 2022. Eligible papers included human observational studies that directly assessed exposure (internal dose) to the heavy metals under study and RBC parameters in participants aged ≤ 18 years. We excluded studies using hospital-based samples. Study quality was assessed using the National Institutes of Health's Quality Assessment Tools for Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. We synthesized the evidence using vot...

Research paper thumbnail of RESEARCH Open Access

Economic benefits of methylmercury exposure 600,000 IQ points per year, corresponding to a total ... more Economic benefits of methylmercury exposure 600,000 IQ points per year, corresponding to a total economic benefit between €8,000 million and €9,000 million Bellanger et al. Environmental Health 2013, 12:3

Research paper thumbnail of Indoor air pollution, physical and comfort parameters related to schoolchildren's health: Data from the European SINPHONIE study

Science of The Total Environment, 2020

Substantial knowledge is available on the association of the indoor school environment and its ef... more Substantial knowledge is available on the association of the indoor school environment and its effect among schoolchildren. In the same context, the SINPHONIE (School indoor pollution and health: Observatory network in Europe) conducted a study to collect data and determine the distribution of several indoor air pollutants (IAPs), physical and thermal parameters and their association with eye, skin, upper-, lower respiratory and systemic disorder symptoms during the previous three months. Finally, data from 115 schools in 54 European cities from 23 countries was collected and included 5175 schoolchildren using a harmonized and standardized protocol. The association between exposures and the health outcomes were examined using logistic regression models on individual indoor air pollutants (IAPs); a VOC (volatile organic compound) score defined as the sum of the number of pollutants to which the children were highly exposed (concentration > median of the distribution) in classroom was also introduced to evaluate the multiexposure - outcome association, while adjusting for several confounding factors. Schoolchildren exposed to above or equal median concentration of PM2.5, benzene, limonene, ozone and radon were at significantly higher odds of suffering from upper, lower airways, eye and systemic disorders. Increased odds were also observed for any symptom (sick school syndrome) among schoolchildren exposed to concentrations of limonene and ozone above median values. Furthermore, the risks for upper and lower airways and systemic disorders significantly increased with the VOCs score. Results also showed that increased ventilation rate was significantly associated with decreased odds of suffering from eye, skin disorders whereas similar association was observed between temperature and upper airways symptoms. The present study provides evidence that exposure to IAPs in schools is associated with allergic and respiratory symptoms in children. Further investigations are needed to confirm our findings.

Research paper thumbnail of Application of human biomonitoring data to support policy development, raise awareness and environmental public health protection among countries within the HBM4EU project

International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

Research paper thumbnail of ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES First Steps toward Harmonized Human Biomonitoring in Europe: Demonstration Project to Perform Human Biomonitoring on a European Scale

Research paper thumbnail of A step towards harmonising human biomonitoring study setup on European level: Materials provided and lessons learnt in HBM4EU

International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

Research paper thumbnail of Harmonized human biomonitoring in European children, teenagers and adults: EU-wide exposure data of 11 chemical substance groups from the HBM4EU Aligned Studies (2014–2021)

International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health

Research paper thumbnail of The Use of Human Biomonitoring to Assess Occupational Exposure to PAHs in Europe: A Comprehensive Review

Toxics

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the chemicals with proven impact on workers’ he... more Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are among the chemicals with proven impact on workers’ health. The use of human biomonitoring (HBM) to assess occupational exposure to PAHs has become more common in recent years, but the data generated need an overall view to make them more usable by regulators and policymakers. This comprehensive review, developed under the Human Biomonitoring for Europe (HBM4EU) Initiative, was based on the literature available from 2008–2022, aiming to present and discuss the information on occupational exposure to PAHs, in order to identify the strengths and limitations of exposure and effect biomarkers and the knowledge needs for regulation in the workplace. The most frequently used exposure biomarker is urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OH-PYR), a metabolite of pyrene. As effect biomarkers, those based on the measurement of oxidative stress (urinary 8-oxo-dG adducts) and genotoxicity (blood DNA strand-breaks) are the most common. Overall, a need to advance new...

Research paper thumbnail of A pilot study on the feasibility of European harmonized human biomonitoring: Strategies towards a common approach, challenges and opportunities

Environmental Research, 2015

In 2004 the European Commission and Member States initiated activities towards a harmonized appro... more In 2004 the European Commission and Member States initiated activities towards a harmonized approach for Human Biomonitoring surveys throughout Europe. The main objective was to sustain environmental health policy by building a coherent and sustainable framework and by increasing the comparability of data across countries. A pilot study to test common guidelines for setting up surveys was considered a key step in this process. Through a bottom-up approach that included all stakeholders, a joint study protocol was elaborated. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Research paper thumbnail of A Tiered Approach for Assessing Individual and Combined Risk of Pyrethroids Using Human Biomonitoring Data

Toxics

Pyrethroids are a major insecticide class, suitable for biomonitoring in humans. Due to similarit... more Pyrethroids are a major insecticide class, suitable for biomonitoring in humans. Due to similarities in structure and metabolic pathways, urinary metabolites are common to various active substances. A tiered approach is proposed for risk assessment. Tier I was a conservative screening for overall pyrethroid exposure, based on phenoxybenzoic acid metabolites. Subsequently, probabilistic approaches and more specific metabolites were used for refining the risk estimates. Exposure was based on 95th percentiles from HBM4EU aligned studies (2014–2021) covering children in Belgium, Cyprus, France, Israel, Slovenia, and The Netherlands and adults in France, Germany, Israel, and Switzerland. In all children populations, the 95th percentiles for 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) exceeded the screening value. The probabilistic refinement quantified the risk level of the most exposed population (Belgium) at 2% or between 1–0.1% depending on the assumptions. In the substance specific assessments, th...

Research paper thumbnail of Methylmercury Risk Assessment Based on European Human Biomonitoring Data

Toxics

A risk assessment (RA) was conducted to estimate the risk associated with methylmercury (MeHg) ex... more A risk assessment (RA) was conducted to estimate the risk associated with methylmercury (MeHg) exposure of vulnerable European populations, using Human Biomonitoring (HBM) data. This RA was performed integrating published data from European HBM surveys and earlier EFSA approaches (EFSA 2012). Children/adolescents (3 to 17 years old) and women of childbearing age (18 to 50 years old) were selected as relevant study population groups for this RA. Two types of HBM datasets were selected: HBM studies (n = 18) with mercury (Hg) levels (blood and hair, total Hg and/or MeHg) in the general population in different EU countries and the DEMOCOPHES harmonized study in child–mother pairs (hair, total Hg) in 17 EU countries as a reference. Two approaches were included in the RA strategy: the first one was based on estimations of the fraction of children/adolescents and women of childbearing age, respectively, from the EU general population exceeding the HBM-I value established by the German Huma...

Research paper thumbnail of Glyphosate and AMPA in Human Urine of HBM4EU Aligned Studies: Part A Children

Toxics

Few data are available on the exposure of children to glyphosate (Gly) in Europe. Within HBM4EU, ... more Few data are available on the exposure of children to glyphosate (Gly) in Europe. Within HBM4EU, new HBM exposure data were collected from aligned studies at five sampling sites distributed over Europe (studies: SLO CRP (SI); ORGANIKO (CY); GerES V-sub (DE); 3XG (BE); ESTEBAN (FR)). Median Gly concentrations in urine were below or around the detection limit (0.1 µg/L). The 95th percentiles ranged between 0.18 and 1.03 µg Gly/L. The ratio of AMPA (aminomethylphosphonic acid; main metabolite of Gly) to Gly at molar basis was on average 2.2 and the ratio decreased with higher Gly concentrations, suggesting that other sources of AMPA, independent of metabolism of Gly to AMPA in the monitored participants, may concurrently operate. Using reverse dosimetry and HBM exposure data from five European countries (east, west and south Europe) combined with the proposed ADI (acceptable daily intake) of EFSA for Gly of 0.1 mg/kg bw/day (based on histopathological findings in the salivary gland of ...

Research paper thumbnail of Improving the Risk Assessment of Pesticides through the Integration of Human Biomonitoring and Food Monitoring Data: A Case Study for Chlorpyrifos

Toxics

The risk assessment of pesticide residues in food is a key priority in the area of food safety. M... more The risk assessment of pesticide residues in food is a key priority in the area of food safety. Most jurisdictions have implemented pre-marketing authorization processes, which are supported by prospective risk assessments. These prospective assessments estimate the expected residue levels in food combining results from residue trials, resembling the pesticide use patterns, with food consumption patterns, according to internationally agreed procedures. In addition, jurisdictions such as the European Union (EU) have implemented large monitoring programs, measuring actual pesticide residue levels in food, and are supporting large-scale human biomonitoring programs for confirming the actual exposure levels and potential risk for consumers. The organophosphate insecticide chlorpyrifos offers an interesting case study, as in the last decade, its acceptable daily intake (ADI) has been reduced several times following risk assessments by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). This proce...