Exposure estimates to disinfection by-products of chlorinated drinking water

Exposure to disinfection by-products (DBPs) of drinking water is multiroute and occurs in households serviced by municipal water treatment facilities that disinfect the water as a necessary step to halt the spread of waterborne infectious diseases. Biomarkers of the two most abundant groups of DBPs of chlorination, exhaled breath levels of trihalomethanes (THMs) and urinary levels of two haloacetic acids, were compared to exposure estimates calculated from in-home tap water concentrations and responses to a questionnaire related to water usage. Background THM breath concentrations were uniformly low. Strong relationships were identified between the THM breath concentrations collected after a shower and both the THM water concentration and the THM exposure from a shower, after adjusting for the postshower delay time in collecting the breath sample. Urinary haloacetic acid excretion rates were not correlated to water concentrations. Urinary trichloroacetic acid excretion rates were correlated with ingestion exposure, and that correlation was stronger in a subset of individuals who consumed beverages primarily within their home where the concentration measurements were made. No correlation was observed between an average 48-hr exposure estimate and the urinary dichloroacetic acid excretion rate, presumably because of its short biological half-life. Valid biomarkers were identified for DBP exposures, but the time between the exposure and sample collection should be considered to account for different metabolic rates among the DBPs. Further, using water concentration as an exposure estimate can introduce misclassification of exposure for DBPs whose primary route is ingestion due to the great variability in the amount of water ingested across a population.     

Disinfection by-products in the chlorination of organic nitrogen compounds: by-products from kynurenine

Volatile by-products in the chlorination of 3 humic acids as naturally-occurring substances and 37 nitrogen compounds normally found in excrement were analyzed, and as result kynurenine, a urinary metabolite of tryptophan was found a suitable model compound for dichloroacetonitrile-forming precursors. Possible pathways for the formation of chlorination by-products from kynurenine were also proposed by identification and kinetic properties of by-products decomposed further from each product.     

Lead in drinking water: a risk to bottle-fed infants; a Health Council report

On April 28th, 1997, the Health Council of the Netherlands Committee on Lead in Drinking Water presented their advisory report to the Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment and the Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport. In the report the Committee concluded that, through intake of drinking water, small infants are at risk of being exposed to concentrations of lead that can be detrimental to health, viz., infants in the first six months of life who are bottle-fed on formula milk made up using water that has passed through lead piping. In order to protect this specific group, the Committee advised to lower the currently effective standard for lead in drinking water from 50 to 10 micrograms/l and to replace all lead piping as soon as possible.     

Final report of APA working group on investigation of memories of childhood abuse: A critical commentary.

This commentary evaluates the evidence presented by Alpert, Brown, and Courtois in the Final Report of the APA Working Group on Investigation of Memories of Childhood Abuse (1996). The weaknesses in their assessment of evidence and their theoretical arguments go beyond those identified by Ornstein, Ceci, and Loftus. Historical and clinical data are uncritically overvalued, and empirical concepts (like state-dependent memory) are borrowed for explanatory purposes without appreciating the limits and inconsistencies in the underlying empirical research. An argument is advanced that clinical evidence can never be free of the influence of cherished beliefs and that some therapeutically recovered memories may reflect the cherished beliefs of clinicians who recover them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Imagery as an aid in working through unconscious conflicts: A preliminary report.

Considers a technique designed to aid the working-through process in psychoanalytic treatment. It consists of an analysand, either during or after treatment, imploding psychodynamic themes that have come to be understood as crucially involved in his/her psychology and psychopathology. This process refers to the person conjuring up affect-laden images in which warded-off libidinal and aggressive impulses are expressed and then met with punishment (e.g., abandonment, castration). Clinical material is cited that suggests that the use of implosive imagery as a psychoanalytic treatment adjunct can lead to the mastery of unconscious conflict, the emergence of new insights, and the retrieval of repressed memories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Binge drinking among female veterans affairs patients: Prevalence and associated risks.

This study evaluated the prevalence and associated risks of binge drinking, defined as having ≥4 drinks on an occasion in the past year, in a female patient population. Of 1,259 female Veterans Affairs patients surveyed, 780 reported drinking alcohol in the past year, and 305 (24% of respondents, 39% of drinkers) reported binge drinking in the past year; 84 (11% of drinkers) had done so monthly or more often. Age-adjusted logistic regression analyses indicated that women who reported past-year binge drinking monthly or more often reported significantly increased odds of morning drinking (odds ratio [OR]?=?40.3), others worrying about their drinking (OR?=?38.6), arguments after drinking (OR?=?13.5), hepatitis or cirrhosis (OR?=?3. 1), frequent injuries (OR?=?2.6), smoking (OR?=?3.7), drug use (OR?=?22.2), and multiple sexual partners (OR?=?4.6). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interaction of diet and genes in atherogenesis. Report of an NHLBI working group

Recent advances in genetics and information emerging from the Human Genome Project make it feasible to examine the importance of dietary-genetic interactions in the development of atherosclerosis. In the opinion of the Working Group, three approaches are necessary to examine this concern. The first approach utilizes animal models to map and identify candidate genes involved in dietary responsiveness and atherogenesis. The second approach involves the evaluation of these genes in specific physiological processes involved in dietary responsiveness and atherogenesis. Finally, the third approach is to extend the studies performed in animal models to human populations using linkage or association studies.     

Postdoctoral training in clinical psychology: A preliminary report by an interest group.

3 purposes of this paper are: "to bring to those concerned with the education of psychologists some information about postdoctoral training in clinical psychology and some thinking of an interest group actively concerned with this problem, to call to the attention of potential candidates postdoctoral training opportunities which now exist, and to invite correspondence and future participation from interested institutions and individuals." 19 centers offering postdoctoral fellowships and their training directors are listed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral effects of chemicals in drinking water.

In Exp I, 42 Ss (mean age 30.4 yrs) tracked a moving target and monitored lights after receiving sublingual drops that contained either water, sodium nitrate (4.5, 45, 450, or 4,500 ppm), or sodium fluoride (.1, 1, 10, or 100 ppm). Dosage levels equaled, exceeded, or fell below those of municipal waters. In Exp II, 20 females performed this task after receiving sublingual drops of the same test substances in a repeated measures design; dosage levels equaled or exceeded levels found in municipal waters by 100 or 500 times. Neither type nor amount of chemical affected primary task performance; however, after receiving sublingual drops in Exp I, Ss paid less attention to lights on their right. In Exp II, Ss made more errors and had longer response latencies after they received moderate and very high concentrations of test substances. It is concluded that challenge testing is a safe but effective technique for provoking and studying reactions to chemicals when combined with a sensitive measure of sensorimotor performance. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Randomised trials of STD treatment for HIV prevention: report of an international workshop. HIV/STD Trials Workshop Group

Three community trials of the impact of STD treatment interventions on HIV incidence in rural populations have been completed or are in progress in Uganda and Tanzania. Investigators from these trials met for a joint technical workshop in Baltimore in May 1996. This report summarises the consensus of the workshop, with the aim of providing useful input to research on HIV intervention strategies. Issues discussed include: (i) the role of community randomised trials; (ii) strategies for STD management; (iii) epidemiological and statistical issues in the design and analysis of community randomised trials; (iv) diagnostic methods for STDs in population surveys; (v) treatment regimens for STDs in rural Africa; and (vi) ethical issues in community trials.     

Report of the Surgeon General's Workshop on Pornography and Public Health.

A panel of clinicians and researchers concluded that pornography does stimulate attitudes and behavior that lead to gravely negative consequences for individuals and for society, and that these outcomes impair the mental, emotional, and physical health of children and adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Monitoring high school drinking patterns and influences: A preliminary focus group interview approach.

Conducted 4 focus group interviews, each with 5–6 11th- and 12th-grade high school students, to explore in-depth perceptions of alcohol consumption patterns, influences on consumption, and appropriate interventions. Findings corroborate and extend previous results (e.g., of the 1st 2 authors [1986; see also PA, Vol 75:20370]) from a large scale empirical survey of high school drinking patterns and suggest that alcohol education programs should include material that teaches students how to (a) identify intoxication in themselves and others, (b) intervene when peers they don't know are going to drive drunk, (c) explore values regarding alcohol that go beyond simply saying "no" in order to identify patterns of responsible consumption, and (d) address the role that parents may play in preventing alcohol abuse and impaired driving among their children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Occurrence of uranium in drinking water in the U.S

Uranium is found in ground and surface waters due to its natural occurrence. In some cases, its presence is due to human activities such as mining and milling uranium. Thus, it is also found in drinking water. The range of concentrations existing in drinking water supplies in the U.S. is tabulated and examined. The range of isotopic abundances are also listed. Projections from the available data lead to estimates that of the 59,812 community drinking water supplies in the U.S., 25-650 would exceed a uranium concentration of 20 pCi/l., 100-2000 would exceed 10 pCi/l. and 2500-5000 would exceed 5 pCi/l.     

The quality of drinking water: some lessons from history

Atherosclerotic lesion of the aorta and lipid peroxidation (LPO) in blood and in lipoproteins produced in hepatocytes were studied in rabbits with experimental atherosclerosis maintained on a diet enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids containing in corn oil (2 ml/kg daily during 30 days) and antioxidants alpha-tocopherol and carnosine (2.5 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg, respectively, daily during 30 days). This diet exhibited a hypocholesterolemic effect accompanied by approximately a 10-fold decrease of the impaired aortic area, as well as lowered content of 2-thiobarbituric acid-positive LPO products occurring in blood and, especially, in apoB lipoproteins. The antioxidant-containing diet decreased distinctly the content of LPO products both in the liver tissue homogenate and lipoprotein fraction (d < 1.065 g/cm3) produced by hepatocytes during 30-min perfusion of liver tissue. The findings suggest that the diet enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants contributed to a decrease of LPO products content in the blood serum and apoB lipoproteins as well as to the inhibition of lipoprotein oxidation during their synthesis in liver cells; the diet may be recommended for the prophylaxis and treatment of atherosclerosis.     

A self-help approach for high-risk drinking: Effect of an initial assessment.

Aself-help book was offered to persons wanting to quit or cut down on their alcohol use. Study participants (99 men, 56 women) were recruited through advertisements, screened by telephone, and randomly assigned to 1 of 2 conditions: Book by mail or Assessment?+?Book (30-min telephone motivational interview plus book by mail). At 3-month follow-up, significantly more participants qualified as moderate drinkers in the Assessment?+?Book condition (65% vs. 43%), by this criterion: ≤ 12 drinks/week and ≤ 10% heavy drinking days (5+ drinks if male and 4+ drinks if female; 13.6 g of ethanol per drink). At 12 months there was no effect of condition, but significantly more women than men were rated as moderate drinkers (71% vs. 52%). Collateral informants corroborated the participants' reports of drinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Report of the WHO working group on the assessment of health risks for human infants from exposure to PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs

On Nov. 20-22, 1995, a World Health Organization working group consisting of 12 scientific representatives from 6 different countries met to reassess the health risks to infants associated with perinatal exposure to polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbons (PHAHs). Following a review of previous WHO/EURO consultations, as part of their comprehensive programme on PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs, current exposure information and recent experimental and epidemiologic data were discussed. Exposure assessments within the past decade have revealed that in the case of breast milk samples concentrations of PCDDs/DFs and PCBs have shown a continual decline, in certain countries by up to 50%. New experimental data has revealed that a variety of structural, functional and behaviourial alterations can be induced in rodent species following exposure to PHAHs while a Dutch collaborative PCB/dioxin study has illustrated subtle clinical, endocrine and mental/psychomotor development effects can occur in breast fed infants. The provisional conclusions of the working group were: 1) current evidence does not warrant altering the previous WHO recommendation for promotion/support of breast feeding and 2) based on new clinical data which supports the biological plausibility of certain observed experimental observations, continued and enhanced effort should be directed towards identifying and controlling sources of environmental input for these contaminants.