Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD BioMed Central
Résumé : International audience
ABSTRACT: Environmental exposures during pregnancy and early life may have adverse health effects. Single birth cohort studies often lack statistical power to tease out such effects reliably. To improve the use of existing data and to facilitate collaboration among these studies, an inventory of the environmental exposure and health data in these studies was made as part of the ENRIECO (Environmental Health Risks in European Birth Cohorts) project. The focus with regard to exposure was on outdoor air pollution, water contamination, allergens and biological organisms, metals, pesticides, smoking and second hand tobacco smoke (SHS), persistent organic pollutants (POPs), noise, radiation, and occupational exposures. The review lists methods and data on environmental exposures in 37 European birth cohort studies. Most data is currently available for smoking and SHS (N=37 cohorts), occupational exposures (N=33), outdoor air pollution, and allergens and microbial agents (N=27). Exposure modeling is increasingly used for long-term air pollution exposure assessment; biomonitoring is used for assessment of exposure to metals, POPs and other chemicals; and environmental monitoring for house dust mite exposure assessment. Collaborative analyses with data from several birth cohorts have already been performed successfully for outdoor air pollution, water contamination, allergens, biological contaminants, molds, POPs and SHS. Key success factors for collaborative analyses are common definitions of main exposure and health variables. Our review emphasizes that such common definitions need ideally be arrived at in the study design phase. However, careful comparison of methods used in existing studies also offers excellent opportunities for collaborative analyses. Investigators can use this review to evaluate the potential for future collaborative analyses with respect to data availability and methods used in the different cohorts and to identify potential partners for a specific research question.
ISSN: 1476-069X

inserm-00785248
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-00785248
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-00785248/document
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-00785248/file/1476-069X-12-8.pdf
DOI : 10.1186/1476-069X-12-8

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Long-term exposure to air pollution (AP) has been shown to have an impact on mortality in numerous countries, but since 2005 no data exists for France. We analyzed the association between long-term exposure to air pollution and mortality at the individual level in a large French cohort followed from 1989 to 2013. The study sample consisted of 20,327 adults working at the French national electricity and gas company EDF-GDF. Annual exposure to PM10, PM10–2.5, PM2.5, NO2, O3, SO2, and benzene was assessed for the place of residence of participants using a chemistry-transport model and taking residential history into account. Hazard ratios were estimated using a Cox proportional-hazards regression model, adjusted for selected individual and contextual risk factors. Hazard ratios were computed for an interquartile range (IQR) increase in air pollutant concentrations. The cohort recorded 1967 non-accidental deaths. Long-term exposures to baseline PM2.5, PM10-25, NO2 and benzene were associated with an increase in non-accidental mortality (Hazard Ratio, HR = 1.09; 95% CI: 0.99, 1.20 per 5.9 μg/m3, PM10-25; HR = 1.09; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.15 per 2.2 μg/m3, NO2: HR = 1.14; 95% CI: 0.99, 1.31 per 19.3 μg/m3 and benzene: HR = 1.10; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.22 per 1.7 μg/m3).The strongest association was found for PM10: HR = 1.14; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.25 per 7.8 μg/m3. PM10, PM10-25 and SO2 were associated with non-accidental mortality when using time varying exposure. No significant associations were observed between air pollution and cardiovascular and respiratory mortality. Long-term exposure to fine particles, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide and benzene is associated with an increased risk of non-accidental mortality in France. Our results strengthen existing evidence that outdoor air pollution is a significant environmental risk factor for mortality. Due to the limited sample size and the nature of our study (occupational), further investigations are needed in France with a larger representative population sample.
ISSN: 0160-4120

hal-01187145
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01187145
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01187145/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01187145/file/Association%20between%20long-term%20exposure%20to%20air%20pollution%20and%20mortality_accepted.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.envint.2015.08.006

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Background. In a French large population-based case-control study we investigated the dose-response relationship between lung cancer and occupational exposure to diesel motor exhaust (DME), taking into account asbestos exposure. Methods. Exposure to DME was assessed by questionnaire. Asbestos was taken into account through a global indicator of exposure to occupational carcinogens or by a specific JEM. Results. We found a crude dose response relationship with most of the indicators of DME exposure, including with the cumulative exposure index. All results were affected by adjustment for asbestos exposure. The dose response relationships between DME and lung cancer were observed among subjects never exposed to asbestos. Conclusions. Exposure to DME and to asbestos is frequently found among the same subjects, which may explain why dose-response relationships in previous studies that adjusted for asbestos exposure were inconsistent.
Journal of Cancer Epidemiology

hal-01205352
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01205352
DOI : 10.1155/2015/879302
PUBMED : 26425123

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD John Libbey Eurotext
Résumé : International audience
Chemical risk assessment is a tool used in decision-making processes concerning situations of scientific uncertainty. Approaches to risk assessment in occupational and environmental health share the same objective of risk prevention. Nevertheless, the methods for both differ depending on whether the goal is to enforce regulations or conduct expert assessments and studies. These differences are stronger in occupational health, for which regulations require risk assessments at the work station, to classify and prioritize exposure situations to implement occupational risk prevention strategies. Risk assessment thus has somewhat different meanings in occupational and environmental health. This article attempts to clarify the different terms used in the different contexts and to describe the similarities and differences of the two approaches.
ISSN: 1635-0421

hal-00936256
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00936256
DOI : 10.1684/ers.2013.0646

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD BMJ Publishing Group
Résumé : International audience
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of occupational exposure to chlorinated solvents in lung cancer aetiology. METHODS: ICARE (Investigation of occupational and environmental CAuses of REspiratory cancers) is a French, multicentre, population-based, case-control study. Information on the lifelong work history of 2926 cases and 3555 controls was collected using standardised questionnaires. Occupational exposures were assessed using job-exposure matrices for five chlorinated solvents. Solvents were studied separately and in combinations. ORs were computed using unconditional logistic regression models adjusted for classic risk factors, including a history of cigarette smoking and exposure to asbestos. Adjustment for socioeconomic status (SES) was also made. RESULTS: After adjustment for exposure to asbestos, we observed a positive, statistically significant association with lung cancer for men and women exposed to a combination of perchloroethylene (PCE), trichloroethylene and dichloromethane (DCM). Further adjustment for SES slightly decreased this association. In contrast, no statistically significant associations were found for other solvent combinations. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that exposure to PCE may constitute a risk factor for lung cancer, especially among women, who seem to have a higher prevalence of exposure than men.
ISSN: 1351-0711

hal-01063908
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01063908
DOI : 10.1136/oemed-2014-102182
PUBMED : 25015929

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
Background: Health care workers (HCWs) are occupationally exposed to various hazards, some associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes in previous reviews. This systematic review aims at synthesizing the recent literature on occupational exposures among HCWs related to fetal death, congenital anomalies, and fertility disorders. Methods: We searched the Medline database from 2000 to 2015 for articles about all potential occupational exposures of women and men working in this sector. Results: We retained 32 studies, most of them (n = 30) among women HCWs. Studies based on job title reported excess risks of some congenital anomalies (especially nervous and musculoskeletal systems) among HCWs compared to non-HCWs but no evidence about fetal death. Excess risks associated with specific exposures includes reports of some congenital anomalies forwomenexposed to anesthetic gases. Exposure to some sterilizing agents and, with less evidence, to antineoplastic drugs and to ionizing radiation, is associated with increased risks of miscarriage but not stillbirth. Strenuous work schedules appear to be associated with fertility disorders, but the evidence is limited. Only a few studies have been published since 2000 about non-ionizing radiation, or about fertility disorders related to chemical or physical agents, or about male HCWs. Conclusions: Despite the establishment of recommendations to limit exposures of HCWs, some excess risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes are still reported and need to be explained.
ISSN: 0271-3586

hal-01560148
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01560148
DOI : 10.1002/ajim.22711
PUBMED : 28514021

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins
Résumé : International audience
Objectives: Lung cancer risk associated with occupational cleaning activities has been investigated in the population-based case-control study ICARE. Methods: Occupational history was collected by standardized interviews. Jobs were first defined according to the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) codes and then categorized according to activity sectors. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) were estimated by unconditional logistic regression, separately for women (619 cases and 760 controls) and men (2265 and 2780). Results: Thirty percent of women and 2.3% of men controls ever held a cleaner or care job. Women who worked as housemaids longer than 7 years showed an OR of 1.76 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.09 to 2.87] with respect to controls. Women employed in domestic service sector for a long time had an OR of 2.06 (95% CI 1.15 to 3.66). Conclusion: We confirmed and redefined the association of lung cancer with occupational cleaning, which concerns a considerable proportion of women workers.
ISSN: 1076-2752

hal-01359564
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01359564
DOI : 10.1097/JOM.0000000000000722
PUBMED : 27206119

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
To study the associations between occupation, industry and prostate cancer risk in Guadeloupe, a high incidence area. Incident cases of prostate cancer (707 cases) and 722 population controls were included. Information on lifetime occupational history and other potential risk factors was collected by interview. Logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds-ratios (OR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI). A significantly decreased risk was observed in farmers (OR=0.5; CI 0.4-0.7), whereas marginally elevated ORs were found for farm workers, especially in sugarcane and banana farming. Banana plantation workers had been exposed to chlordecone, an estrogenic insecticide previously found to be associated with prostate cancer risk in this population. Significantly increased risks of prostate cancer were found in stock clerks (OR=2.7; CI 1.0-7.2), fishermen (OR=2.0; CI 1.0-4.0), mail distribution clerks (OR=7.7; CI 1.7-34.4) and electricians employed for more than 20 years (OR=4.0; CI 1.0-15.8), as well as in public administration (OR=1.8; CI 1.2-2.9), retail trade (OR=2.6; CI 1.1-6.0) and manufacture of food products (OR=2.0; CI 1.1-3.9), particularly sugar (OR=13.2; IC 1.6-108). Non-significantly elevated ORs were also seen for construction workers and transport equipment operators. Although the overall findings suggest that occupational factors have only a limited role in prostate cancer aetiology, elevated risks of prostate cancer were found in several occupations or industries. Exposure to pesticides, solvents, traffic-related air pollution, low physical activity, whole-body vibration may explain some of these increased risks.
Challenges for Occupational Epidemiology in the 21st Century EPICOH 2014
Chicago, United States

hal-01118558
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01118558
DOI : 10.1136/oemed-2014-102362.312
PUBMED : 25018167

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Objective: To estimate the social cost of respiratory cancers attributable to occupational risk factors in France in 2010. Methods: We estimated the number of cases ofrespiratory cancers attributable to each identified occupational risk factor according to the attributable fractions method. We also estimated direct (costs of hospital stays, drugs, outpatient care) and indirect costs (production losses) related to morbidity (absenteeism and presenteeism) and mortality (years of lost production). Production losses for paid work and unpaid domestic activities were taken into account. Results: The social cost of respiratory cancers (lung, larynx, sinonasal, pleural mesothelioma) attributable to exposure to asbestos, chromium, diesel engine exhaust, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, painting occupations (unidentified carcinogen), crystalline silica, wood and leather dust in France in 2010 was estimated to be between 960 and 1,866 million. The cost of lung cancer represents between 804 and 1,617 million. The three risk factors with the greatest impact are asbestos ((sic)530 to 890 million), diesel engine exhaust ((sic)227 to 394 million), and crystalline silica ( 116 to 268 million). Conclusion: These results provide a conservative estimate of the public health and economic burden of respiratory cancers attributable to occupational risk factors from a societal perspective.
ISSN: 0995-3914

hal-01659246
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01659246
DOI : 10.3917/spub.174.0509
PUBMED : 29034666

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins
Résumé : International audience
BACKGROUND: Exposure to solvents during pregnancy has long been suspected of increasing the risk of congenital malformations, but the lack of prospective assessment of specific solvent exposures has prevented definitive conclusions. METHODS: In a cohort of 3421 pregnant women in Brittany (2002-2006), occupational solvent exposure was assessed from self-report during pregnancy and from a job-exposure matrix. Congenital malformations were diagnosed among live births, stillbirths, and medical pregnancy terminations. In a nested case-control sample, urinary concentrations of 10 metabolites of glycol ethers and chlorinated solvents were measured in maternal samples collected during early pregnancy (n = 79 cases, 580 controls). RESULTS: Dose-response trends linked occupational solvent exposure (both self-reported and based on a job-exposure matrix) to the risk of major congenital malformations--especially oral clefts, urinary tract malformations, and male genital malformations. Detection of some glycol ether metabolites and trichloroacetic acid in urine was associated with increased risks of oral clefts and of urinary tract and limb defects. CONCLUSIONS: This prospective study, using three independent methods of exposure assessment, suggests several specific associations between solvent exposure during early pregnancy and congenital malformations. Results based on urinary biomarkers, although limited by small numbers, identify work situations that require further investigation.
ISSN: 1044-3983

hal-00875918
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00875918
DOI : 10.1097/EDE.0b013e31826c2bd8
PUBMED : 23007043

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Pyrethroids are insecticides frequently used in agriculture and in the home; exposure occurs through dietary and non-dietary pathways, including indoor and outdoor environmental contamination. Our objective was to study the potential determinants of pyrethroid metabolite concentrations measured in children's urine samples and in the dust of their homes. Specifically, we measured urinary metabolites from morning spot samples of 245 six-year- old children living in Brittany (France) in 2009-2012 and from dust vacuumed from the floor of their homes. Mothers reported home insecticide use, dietary habits, sociodemographic data; residential and school proximity to agricultural crops was assessed with spatialized data. The metabolites cis-DBCA, trans-DCCA, cisDCCA, 3-PBA, and F-PBA were detected in 84, 95, 64, 63, and 16% of the urine samples, respectively. Permethrin, cypermethrin, cyfluthrin, deltamethrin, and tetramethrin pyrethroids were detected in 100, 56, 9, 15, and 26% of the dust samples, respectively. Multiple regression analysis suggested diet plays a role in children's exposure, in particular, the food groups "pasta, rice or semolina" (for cis-DCCA and F-PBA), fruit (3-PBA), "breakfast cereals and whole grain bread" (cis-DBCA), and the global proportion of organic food in diet (for cis-DBCA, trans-DCCA). Children with a parent occupationally exposed to pesticides were about 3-times more likely to have higher urinary concentrations of 3-PBA (OR = 2.8, 95% CI [1.2; 6.5]). Dust content was correlated mainly with household insecticide use: higher mean concentrations of permethrin (beta = 0.8 [0.3; 1.3], in mu g/g) and an increased risk of a detectable level of cyfluthrin (OR = 4.7 [1.7; 12.9]) were observed in home dust, for indoor use of at least twice a year. Outdoor insecticide use at least once a year was associated with detection in dust of cypermethrin (OR = 3.0 [1.3; 6.7]) and tetramethrin (OR = 3.7 [1.6; 8.3]). Three positive and one negative correlations (out of 11) between urinary metabolite concentrations and home dust contents of their possible corresponding parent compounds were observed. The strength of this study lies in its concurrent use of biomarkers, environmental measurements, and potential sources of exposure. Its limitations include the use of a single urine sample and imprecise data about pyrethroid use in local agriculture.
ISSN: 0160-4120

hal-01560147
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01560147
DOI : 10.1016/j.envint.2017.04.007
PUBMED : 28453973

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Objective The objective of the study was to investigate the joint effect of occupational exposure to asbestos, and tobacco and alcohol consumption, on the risk of laryngeal cancer among men. Methods We used data from a large population-based case–control study conducted in France. We estimated two-way and three-way interactions between asbestos exposure (never vs ever exposed), tobacco consumption ( extless20 vs ≥20 pack-years) and alcohol consumption ( extless5 vs ≥5 drinks per day). The interaction on an additive scale was assessed by estimating the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) and the attributable proportion due to interaction, and the interaction on a multiplicative scale was assessed by estimating the multiplicative interaction parameter (ψ). Multiplicative interactions were also assessed using fractional polynomials for alcohol drinking, tobacco smoking and asbestos exposure. Results When compared with light-to-moderate smokers and drinkers never exposed to asbestos, the increase in laryngeal cancer risk was smallest among light-to-moderate drinkers and smokers exposed to asbestos (OR=2.23 (1.08 to 4.60)), and highest among heavy smokers and drinkers ever exposed to asbestos (OR=69.39 (35.54 to 135.5)). We found an additive joint effect between asbestos exposure and alcohol consumption (RERI=4.75 (−4.29 to 11.12)), whereas we observed a more than additive joint effect between asbestos exposure and tobacco consumption (RERI=8.50 (0.71 to 23.81)), as well as between asbestos exposure, and tobacco and alcohol consumption (RERI=26.57 (11.52 to 67.88)). However, our results did not suggest any interaction on a multiplicative scale. Conclusions Our results suggest that asbestos exposure, in combination with tobacco and alcohol exposure, accounted for a substantial number of laryngeal cancer cases. Our findings therefore highlight the need for prevention in activities, such as construction work, where exposure to asbestos-containing materials remains
Occupational and Environmental Medicine

hal-01269904
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01269904
DOI : 10.1136/oemed-2015-102954
PUBMED : 26403532

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD John Libbey Eurotext
Résumé : International audience
The diversity of chemicals used in hospitals (detergents-disinfectants, alcohol-based hand sanitizers, drugs, etc.) and recent developments in indoor air quality regulation of public access buildings require a better understanding of chemical risks in this particular environment. We developed a methodology for semi-quantitative chemical risk assessments in this environment to prioritize inhalation risks by sector and chemical. This methodology is based on a similar approach in the workplace that defines classes of exposures and of hazards. Their combination produces a risk matrix. Four criteria were used to determine the exposure classes: quantity and frequency of the chemical's use, volatility (vapor pressure), and the type of collective protective equipment associated with each area. The hazard class is also derived from four criteria: classification as carcinogenic, mutagenic, or toxic to reproduction, the existence of a toxicity reference value, occupational exposure limit values, and risk phrases (official risk descriptions, on labels, data sheets, etc). This methodology was tested in the Rennes University Hospital (Rennes, France) in five different hospital areas, with a specific survey undertaken to collect data about chemicals in each area. The results show the spatial specificity of chemical risks. Among the various sites analysed, the chemical risks of two require priority attention: the parasitology-mycology laboratory and patients' rooms. Because of their wide use in the hospital and the volatility of some of their components (alcohols), detergents-disinfectants contribute to increasing risk levels in all areas. The model is therefore discriminatory in terms of areas and substances.
ISSN: 1635-0421

hal-00952349
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00952349
DOI : 10.1684/ers.2013.0659

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD MDPI
Résumé : International audience
The decline in children's Blood Lead Levels (BLL) raises questions about the ability of current lead poisoning screening criteria to identify those children most exposed. The objectives of the study were to evaluate the performance of current screening criteria in identifying children with blood lead levels higher than 50 µg/L in France, and to propose new criteria. Data from a national French survey, conducted among 3831 children aged 6 months to 6 years in 2008-2009 were used. The sensitivity and specificity of the current criteria in predicting blood lead levels higher than or equal to 50 µg/L were evaluated. Two predictive models of BLL above 44 µg/L (for lack of sufficient sample size at 50 µg/L) were built: the first using current criteria, and the second using newly identified risk factors. For each model, performance was studied by calculating the area under the ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) curve. The sensitivity of current criteria for detecting BLL higher than or equal to 50 µg/L was 0.51 (0.26; 0.75) and specificity was 0.66 (0.62; 0.70). The new model included the following criteria: foreign child newly arrived in France, mother born abroad, consumption of tap water in the presence of lead pipes, pre-1949 housing, period of construction of housing unknown, presence of peeling paint, parental smoking at home, occupancy rates for housing and child's address in a cadastral municipality or census block comprising more than 6% of housing that is potentially unfit and built pre-1949. The area under the ROC curve was 0.86 for the new model, versus 0.76 for the current one. The lead poisoning screening criteria should be updated. The risk of industrial, occupational and hobby-related exposure could not be assessed in this study, but should be kept as screening criteria
ISSN: 1660-4601

hal-01239804
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01239804
DOI : 10.3390/ijerph121214989
PUBMED : 26633457

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD BioMed Central
Résumé : International audience
BACKGROUND: Environmental exposures, including dietary contaminants, may influence the developing immune system. This study assesses the association between maternal pre-parturition consumption of seafood and wheeze, eczema, and food allergy in preschool children. Fish and shellfish were studied separately as they differ according to their levels of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (which have anti-allergic properties) and their levels of contaminants. METHODS: The PELAGIE cohort included 3421 women recruited at the beginning of pregnancy. Maternal fish and shellfish intake was measured at inclusion by a food frequency questionnaire. Wheeze, eczema, and food allergy were evaluated by a questionnaire completed by the mother when the child was 2 years old (n = 1500). Examination of the associations between seafood intake and outcomes took major confounders into account. Complementary sensitivity analyses with multiple imputation enabled us to handle missing data, due mostly to attrition. RESULTS: Moderate maternal pre-parturition fish intake (1 to 4 times a month) was, at borderline significance, associated with a lower risk of wheeze (adjusted OR = 0.69 (0.45-1.05)) before age 2, compared with low intake (< once/month). This result was not, however, consistent: after multiple imputation, the adjusted OR was 0.86 (0.63-1.17). Shellfish intake at least once a month was associated with a higher risk of food allergy before age 2 (adjusted OR = 1.62 (1.11-2.37)) compared to low or no intake (< once/month). Multiple imputation confirmed this association (adjusted OR = 1.52 (1.05-2.21)). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that maternal pre-parturition shellfish consumption may increase the risk of food allergy. Further large-scale epidemiologic studies are needed to corroborate these results, identify the contaminants or components of shellfish responsible for the effects observed, determine the persistence of the associations seen at age 2, and investigate potential associations with health effects observable at later ages, such as allergic asthma.
ISSN: 1476-069X

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess
inserm-00926282
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-00926282
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-00926282/document
http://www.hal.inserm.fr/inserm-00926282/file/1476-069X-12-102.pdf
DOI : 10.1186/1476-069X-12-102

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
Herbicides are generally the most extensively used of the pesticides applied to agricultural crops. However, the literature contains little evidence useful in assessing the potential sources of the general population's exposure to herbicides, including by residential proximity to crops. The objective of this study was to take advantage of data from the PELAGIE mother-child cohort to identify the main determinants of the body burden of exposure to the chloroacetanilide and triazine herbicides commonly used on corn crops in Brittany, France, before 2006. Urine samples from a randomly selected subcohort of women in the first trimester of pregnancy (n=579) were assayed for herbicide metabolites. The residential exposure resulting from proximity to corn crops was assessed with satellite-image-based scores combined with meteorological data. Data on diet, drinking tap water (from the public water supply), occupations, and household herbicide use were collected by questionnaires. Herbicides were quantified in 5.3% to 39.7% of urine samples. Alachlor and acetochlor were found most frequently in the urine of women living in rural areas. The presence of dealkylated triazine metabolites in urine samples was positively associated with residential proximity to corn crops (OR=1.38, 95% CI: 1.05-1.80). Urinary metabolites of both atrazine and dealkylated triazine were correlated with tap water consumption (OR=2.94, 1.09-7.90, and OR=1.82, 1.10-3.03, respectively); hydroxylated triazine metabolites were correlated with fish intake (OR=1.48, 1.09-1.99). This study reinforces previous results that suggest that environmental contamination resulting from agricultural activities may contribute to the general population's exposure to herbicides.
Environment International

hal-00966842
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00966842
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00966842/document
DOI : 10.1016/j.envint.2013.10.010
PUBMED : 24246238

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Résumé : International audience
BACKGROUND: Glycol ethers are present in a wide range of occupational and domestic products. Animal studies have suggested that some of them may affect ovarian function. OBJECTIVE: To study the relation between women's exposure to glycol ethers and time to pregnancy. METHODS: Urine from randomly selected women in the PELAGIE mother-child cohort who had samples collected before 19 weeks of gestation was tested to measure eight glycol ether metabolites by chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry. Time to pregnancy was collected at the beginning of the pregnancy by asking women how many months they took to conceive. Associations between metabolite levels and time to pregnancy were estimated in 519 women with complete data using discrete-time Cox proportional hazards models to adjust for potential confounders. RESULTS: Glycol ether metabolites were detected in 6% (for ethoxyacetic acid) to 93% (for phenoxyacetic and butoxyacetic acids) of urine samples. Phenoxyacetic acid was the only metabolite with a statistically significant association with longer time to pregnancy (fecundability OR 0.82; 95% CI: 0.63, 1.06 for the second and third quartile combined; fecundability OR 0.70; 95% CI: 0.52, 0.95 for a fourth-quartile (≥1.38 mg/L) vs. first-quartile concentration (<0.14 mg/L)). This association remained stable after multiple sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION: Phenoxyacetic acid, which was present in most of the urine samples tested in our study, was associated with increased time to pregnancy. This metabolite and its main parent compound, 2-phenoxyethanol, are plausible causes of decreased fecundability, but may also be surrogates for potential co-exposures frequently present in cosmetics.
ISSN: 0091-6765

hal-00866023
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00866023
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00866023/document
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00866023/file/Urinary_Glycol_Ether-accepted.pdf
DOI : 10.1289/ehp.1206103

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
Résumé : International audience
Background: Glycol ethers (GE) are widely used organic solvents. Despite the potential neurotoxicity of several families of organic solvents, little is known about the impact of GE on the neurodevelopment of infants and children. Objectives: We investigated the relation between urinary concentrations of GE metabolites in pregnant women and neurocognitive abilities in their 6-year-old children in the PELAGIE mother-child cohort. Methods: Five GE metabolites were measured in first morning void urine samples of 204 French pregnant women in early pregnancy (<19 weeks of gestation). Psychologists assessed the neurocognitive abilities of their 6-year-old children with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children IV (WISC) and the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment (NEPSY). We analyzed the results with linear (WISC) and Poisson regression models (NEPSY), adjusted for potential confounders, including child's stimulation at home. Results: GE metabolites were detected in 90-100% of maternal urine samples. The WISC Verbal Comprehension score was significantly lower for children with the highest tertile of urinary phenoxyacetic acid (PhAA) [beta (third vs. first tertile)=-6.53; 95% CI: -11.44, -1.62]. Similarly, the NEPSY Design Copying subtest score was lower in those with the highest tertile of urinary ethoxyacetic acid (EAA) [beta (third vs. first tertile)=-0.11; 95% CI: -0.21, 0.00]. The other GE metabolites we studied were not significantly associated with WISC or NEPSY scores. Conclusions: Prenatal urine concentrations of two GE metabolites were associated with lower WISC Verbal Comprehension Index scores and NEPSY Design Copying subscale scores, respectively, at age 6 years. PhAA is the primary metabolite of 2-phenoxyethanol (EGPhE), which is commonly found in cosmetics, and precursors of EAA are frequently used in cleaning agents. Additional research is needed to confirm our findings and further explore potential effects of prenatal GE exposures on neurocognitive performance in children.
ISSN: 0091-6765

hal-01519256
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01519256
DOI : 10.1289/EHP39
PUBMED : 27740510

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : International audience
Introduction Adverse effect of environmental exposures on the pregnancy is now clearly stated in the literature. Chemical, biological, or physical agents are susceptible to influence the onset of the pregnancy, as well as the fetal development. This paper aims to summarize basic knowledge on the topic. Methods A literature review was conducted based on a targeted search on the Medline database. Results Literature data suggested increased risk of congenital malformation, fetal growth, or impaired neurodevelopment. Adverse environmental effects can be observed during the pregnancy, at birth, during the childhood, during the adulthood, and possibly on the next generation. Discussion Prevention tools can be used to limit several domestic, occupational or lifestyle exposures. While emphasizing the importance of the prevention, it is necessary to remind to pregnant women that frequency of adverse pregnancy outcomes remain uncommon, considering the systematic exposures to a large panel of reprotoxicants. © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS
ISSN: 16374088

hal-01647157
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01647157
DOI : 10.1016/j.sagf.2017.06.004

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD John Libbey Eurotext
Résumé : International audience
French toxicological reference values (VTR) and French occupational exposure limit values (VLEP) are indicators that are widely used in risk assessment for, respectively, human and occupational health. Neither value can replace the other. However, the information obtained for one can be very useful for the other. We propose to clarify the fundamental differences and similarities between these two values. To achieve this, we review first their history and then the methods used to derive them; we conclude by proposing some improvements to harmonize them. A case study of formaldehyde illustrates our analysis.
ISSN: 1635-0421

hal-00936267
https://hal-univ-rennes1.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00936267
DOI : 10.1684/ers.2013.0647