Information was obtained on the health status or cause of death in the mothers of a populationbas... more Information was obtained on the health status or cause of death in the mothers of a populationbased series of 143 children with soft tissue sarcomas. Among these mothers there were 6 cases of breast cancer. All 6 women were pre-menopausal and 2 had bilateral disease. This represents a significant 3-fold excess risk of breast cancer. Malignant disease had occurred in 6 other women whose ages at diagnosis ranged from 33 to 58 years. This was not significantly in excess of expectation. The incidence of cancer among mothers of various subgroups of children was computed. For breast cancer mothers of: boys, children who were less than the median age at diagnosis, and children who had pelvic tumours had a greater excess risk than the group as a whole. Among those subgroups of mothers the highest excess risk was 13.5. For other cancers, no subgroup showed an incidence which was significantly above the expected. A high proportion of infiltrating lobular carcinoma was found among the breast cancers, and histological type may indicate familial disease. These findings are consistent with the cancer family syndrome described by Li & Fraumeni in 1969, but the present results suggest that a higher proportion of childhood soft tissue sarcoma than was hitherto suspected may have a genetic aetiology. Further pedigree and laboratory studies may help to identify familial cases at the time of the child's diagnosis.
Acute arsenic exposure can cause severe heartbeat abnormalities, and chronic exposure has been li... more Acute arsenic exposure can cause severe heartbeat abnormalities, and chronic exposure has been linked to coronary disease and cancer. Now researchers from Inner Mongolia, China, and the United States have begun to analyze the effects of chronic exposure on the electrical signals that regulate heartbeat [EHP 115:690-694; Mumford et al.]. They found a correlation between exposure via drinking well water and signal changes associated with arrhythmia and death.
Exposure to toxic levels of arsenic is a serious problem in many Asian countries, notably Banglad... more Exposure to toxic levels of arsenic is a serious problem in many Asian countries, notably Bangladesh and India, where exposure to inorganic arsenic through naturally contaminated groundwater is widespread and often excessive. Scientists have long recognized the lung to be a major site of action of ingested arsenic, and most of the focus has been on risks associated with lung cancer. Nonetheless, habitual ingestion of high-arsenic drinking water also promotes many noncancer lung effects, and researchers are investigating the potential utility of biomarkers to identify such effects [EHP 116:190-195; Parvez et al.]. One of the challenges of pursuing connections between arsenic and respiratory illness is that assessments of respiratory symptoms may be prejudiced by interviewer bias if study participants show visible skin lesions, a hallmark sign of chronic arsenic poisoning. To overcome this obstacle, researchers have begun exploring the use of biomarkers for chronic respiratory disease such as serum levels of Clara cell protein CC16. This serum marker runs low in individuals with compromised lung conditions induced by chronic environmental exposures such as cigarette smoking or ozone. In the current study, investigators sought to determine the relationships of serum CC16 with well-water arsenic, total urinary arsenic, and urinary arsenic methylation indices in a population of 241 nonsmoking individuals exposed to arsenic-laden drinking water in Araihazar,
P ersistent organic pollutants (POPs) can hang around in the environment for decades and accumula... more P ersistent organic pollutants (POPs) can hang around in the environment for decades and accumulate in humans and animals, causing liver cancer and problems with the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. An international treaty, the Stockholm Convention, banned production of the socalled "Dirty Dozen" POPs, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Now a new study in the U.K. and Norway reports that although PCB levels continue to drop, the international ban has had little influence on them since going into effect in 2004 (Environ. Sci. Technol.,
Information was obtained on the health status or cause of death in the mothers of a populationbas... more Information was obtained on the health status or cause of death in the mothers of a populationbased series of 143 children with soft tissue sarcomas. Among these mothers there were 6 cases of breast cancer. All 6 women were pre-menopausal and 2 had bilateral disease. This represents a significant 3-fold excess risk of breast cancer. Malignant disease had occurred in 6 other women whose ages at diagnosis ranged from 33 to 58 years. This was not significantly in excess of expectation. The incidence of cancer among mothers of various subgroups of children was computed. For breast cancer mothers of: boys, children who were less than the median age at diagnosis, and children who had pelvic tumours had a greater excess risk than the group as a whole. Among those subgroups of mothers the highest excess risk was 13.5. For other cancers, no subgroup showed an incidence which was significantly above the expected. A high proportion of infiltrating lobular carcinoma was found among the breast cancers, and histological type may indicate familial disease. These findings are consistent with the cancer family syndrome described by Li & Fraumeni in 1969, but the present results suggest that a higher proportion of childhood soft tissue sarcoma than was hitherto suspected may have a genetic aetiology. Further pedigree and laboratory studies may help to identify familial cases at the time of the child's diagnosis.
Acute arsenic exposure can cause severe heartbeat abnormalities, and chronic exposure has been li... more Acute arsenic exposure can cause severe heartbeat abnormalities, and chronic exposure has been linked to coronary disease and cancer. Now researchers from Inner Mongolia, China, and the United States have begun to analyze the effects of chronic exposure on the electrical signals that regulate heartbeat [EHP 115:690-694; Mumford et al.]. They found a correlation between exposure via drinking well water and signal changes associated with arrhythmia and death.
Exposure to toxic levels of arsenic is a serious problem in many Asian countries, notably Banglad... more Exposure to toxic levels of arsenic is a serious problem in many Asian countries, notably Bangladesh and India, where exposure to inorganic arsenic through naturally contaminated groundwater is widespread and often excessive. Scientists have long recognized the lung to be a major site of action of ingested arsenic, and most of the focus has been on risks associated with lung cancer. Nonetheless, habitual ingestion of high-arsenic drinking water also promotes many noncancer lung effects, and researchers are investigating the potential utility of biomarkers to identify such effects [EHP 116:190-195; Parvez et al.]. One of the challenges of pursuing connections between arsenic and respiratory illness is that assessments of respiratory symptoms may be prejudiced by interviewer bias if study participants show visible skin lesions, a hallmark sign of chronic arsenic poisoning. To overcome this obstacle, researchers have begun exploring the use of biomarkers for chronic respiratory disease such as serum levels of Clara cell protein CC16. This serum marker runs low in individuals with compromised lung conditions induced by chronic environmental exposures such as cigarette smoking or ozone. In the current study, investigators sought to determine the relationships of serum CC16 with well-water arsenic, total urinary arsenic, and urinary arsenic methylation indices in a population of 241 nonsmoking individuals exposed to arsenic-laden drinking water in Araihazar,
P ersistent organic pollutants (POPs) can hang around in the environment for decades and accumula... more P ersistent organic pollutants (POPs) can hang around in the environment for decades and accumulate in humans and animals, causing liver cancer and problems with the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. An international treaty, the Stockholm Convention, banned production of the socalled "Dirty Dozen" POPs, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Now a new study in the U.K. and Norway reports that although PCB levels continue to drop, the international ban has had little influence on them since going into effect in 2004 (Environ. Sci. Technol.,
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