Volume 34, Issue 1

Ionizing radiation (IR) targeted at killing cancer cells also damages normal human cells and tissues through oxidative stress. Thus, the practical treatment of cancer using radiation therapy (RT) is sometimes limited because of the acute side effects in individual patients. In addition, some radioresistant cancers are difficult to treat with limited doses of IR, which leads to treatment failure. Natural chemicals that have unique physiological functions and low toxicity offer significant advantages for the development of new radiation therapies. Natural chemicals can counteract the oxidative damage caused by IR during RT because of their strong antioxidant ability. Certain natural chemicals can also serve as radiosensitizers that can enhance the cancer-killing effects. This review article discusses the main roles of radio-functional natural chemicals in the development of cancer RT.

Between 1953 and 1979, the USSR irradiated the United States embassy in Moscow with microwaves. This episode, a classic Cold War affair, has acquired enormous importance in the discussions on the effect of non-ionizing radiation on people’s health. In 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as being a possible human carcinogen (Group 2B), but the results of recent laboratory and epidemiological studies have led some researchers to conclude that radiofrequency electromagnetic fields should be reclassified as a human carcinogen instead of merely a possible human carcinogen. In 1978, the “Moscow signal” case was officially closed after the publication of the epidemiological study of (Lilienfeld AM, Tonascia J, Tonascia S, Libauer CA, Cauthen GM. Foreign Service health status study. Evaluation of health status of foreign service and other employees from selected Eastern European posts. Report on Foreign Service Health Status Study, U.S. Department of State 6025-619073, 1978.), showing no apparent evidence of increased mortality rates and limited evidence regarding general health status. However, several loose ends still remain with respect to this epidemiological study, as well as the affair as a whole. In this paper, we summarize the available evidence concerning this case, paying special attention to the epidemiological study of Lilienfeld et al. After reviewing the available literature (including declassified documents), and after some additional statistical analyses, we provide new insights which do not complete the puzzle, but which may help to better understand it.

This review evaluates the sources of lead exposure worldwide. Studies from searches relating to sources of lead exposure in various countries within different regional zones were reviewed. Results indicated that in Nigeria, exposure sources include electronic waste, paint and batteries. In Mexico exposure sources include glazed ceramics, lead contaminated utensils and lead contaminated water, for India lead sources include cosmetics and traditional medicines. Sources of lead exposure in China include e-waste, traditional medicines and industrial emissions. In France, exposure sources included lead paint from older homes, imported ceramics and cosmetics and industrial emissions. Australia’s exposure sources include paint, dust, imported toys and traditional medicines. Finally, in the United States exposure sources included paint, the industrial legacy of lead exposure and batteries. In high-income countries (HICs) the legacy of lead exposure keeps populations continuously exposed. In lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs), in addition to the legacy of lead exposure, lack of regulations or the inability to enforce regulations keeps populations exposed. In all, evidence suggests that lead exposure remains an issue of public health significance in both HIC and LMIC.

Background Understanding the role of environmental toxicant exposure on children’s development is an important area of inquiry in order to better understand contextual factors that shape development and ultimately school readiness among young children. There is evidence suggesting negative links between exposure to environmental toxicants and negative physical health outcomes (i.e. asthma, allergies) in children. However, research on children’s exposure to environmental toxicants and other developmental outcomes (cognitive, socioemotional) is limited. Objectives The goal of the current review was to assess the existing literature on the links between environmental toxicants (excluding heavy metals) and children’s cognitive, socioemotional, and behavioral development among young children. Methods This literature review highlights research on environmental toxicants (i.e. pesticide exposure, bisphenol A, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, tobacco smoke, polychlorinated biphenyls, flame retardants, phthalates and gas pollutions) and children’s development across multiple domains. Results The results highlight the potential risk of exposure to multiple environmental toxicants for young children’s cognitive and socioemotional development. Discussion Discussion will focus on the role of environmental toxicants in the cognitive and socioemotional development of young children, while highlighting gaps in the existing literature.

Bioethanol is currently the only alternative to gasoline that can be used immediately without having to make any significant changes in the way fuel is distributed. In addition, the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) released during the combustion of bioethanol is the same as that used by the plant in the atmosphere for its growth, so it does not participate in the increase of the greenhouse effect. Bioethanol can be obtained by fermentation of plants containing sucrose (beet, sugar cane…) or starch (wheat, corn…). However, large-scale use of bioethanol implies the use of very large agricultural surfaces for maize or sugarcane production. Lignocellulosic biomass (LCB) such as agricultural residues for the production of bioethanol seems to be a solution to this problem due to its high availability and low cost even if its growth still faces technological difficulties. In this review, we present an overview of lignocellulosic biomass, the different methods of pre-treatment of LCB and the various fermentation processes that can be used to produce bioethanol from LCB.

Environmental pharmacology is the knowledge, study and the methods implemented for amalgamating the presence of pharmaceutical products and their metabolites in the environment. Pharmaceutical and house care products and their metabolites gain access to the environment through various means and affect the flora and fauna and modulate the ecosystem. The effect on wildlife, biofilms and human are being studied to gain knowledge of sources and causations. Potential risks of development of acute and chronic toxicity, carcinogenicity, interference with hormone and immune systems and drug resistance are of major concern. They may alter the genome and can affect future generations leaving them vulnerable to disease. There are regulations in good manufacturing practices and disposal which take into account the environmental risks but the knowledge for stakeholders and their implementation is very restricted. Ecopharmacology and ecopharmacovigilance are propagators of green healthcare. A strategy towards human health risk assessment and ecotoxicological hazard evaluation must be developed and risk minimization measures to be sought for and applied.

Indoor air quality (IAQ) standards and guidelines for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been stipulated by various national and international agencies. The main purpose of this paper is to establish an overview of indoor VOCs regarding their impacts on human health. Herein, 13 VOCs were designated as indoor air pollutants (IAPs) in the IAQ standards and guidelines. They were further grouped into four types: nonchlorinated aromatic compounds, chlorinated aromatic compounds, chlorinated aliphatic compounds and aldehydes. For this purpose, the present study discusses the criteria for designating VOCs, and summarizes their main sources in indoor environments. Because the occupational exposure limit (OEL) in workplaces has often used as a preliminary basis for establishing acceptable health-based IAQ guidelines in buildings and residences, this paper thus reviews the OEL values, especially in the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH)-threshold limit value (TLV). In addition, this paper also reviews the information about the classification of carcinogenicity in human by the international agencies for these VOCs. It shows that human tissues, including kidney, liver, leukemia, nasal cavity, paranasal sinus, liver and bile duct, could be more involved in the development of cancers or tumors when people are exposed to these VOCs through inhalation route in buildings over a long period of time.

Algae are increasingly emerging as one of the most promising sustainable and long-term sources of biomass and oils for fuel, feed food and other co-products. What makes them so attractive are the large number and wide variety of benefits associated with how and where they grow. This review presents added values and recent developments in resource recovery from microalgae. The main focus was in the cultivation and application of microalgae on biofuel recovery. Nearly all these benefits stem from the fact that these plants have evolved over billions of years to produce and store energy in the form of oil, and they do this more efficiently than any other known natural or engineered process. The results show that the investment in a microalgae biomass project can be associated with various processes, which include: growth of microalgae, harvesting, dehydration and extraction of oils. In addition, there are always project costs, which include engineering, infrastructure, installation and integration and contract fees.