Environmental Health Loses a Leader
An article In Memoriam of David P. Rall (p. A538), former director of the NIEHS and NTP and founder of EHP, provides a retrospective of his career and contributions to the field of environmental health. Rall died on 28 September 1999 in an automobile accident.
Check-In on Children's Research
This month's NIEHS News (p. A554) checks on the progress of several ongoing projects including studies on the timing of egg implantation in pregnancy, the assessment of genetic damage in children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke, and the effects of prenatal methylmercury exposure in children.
Virtual Health
The Focus (p. A558) examines the pros and cons of the burgeoning field of telemedicine, in which health care providers use computer technology to make virtual housecalls and Internet users have their choice of several thousand health-related Web sites--some more reliable than others--offering answers to their medical questions.
World Trade-Off?
The Spheres of Influence (p. A562) spotlights the World Trade Organization, a body that was designed to arbitrate trade disputes but that is being increasingly called upon to decide environmental and public health questions as well.
A Sharper Image
Scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have combined nuclear magnetic resonance technology with optical microscopy to develop a new system, described in the Innovations (p. A566), that for the first time allows researchers to zoom in on living cells and study their chemical and physical changes in real time.
Yeast Screen for Androgens
Endocrine disruption can occur when hormonal mimics modify estrogen and androgen action by suppressing aromatase activity, the enzyme that converts C19 androgens to C18 estrogenic steroids. Mak et al. (p. 855) developed a high capacity, nonradioactive screening method in yeast to identify anti-aromatase activity of environmental chemicals.
Endocrine Disruptor Model in Quail
An in vivo model of endocrine disruption was developed by Halldin et al. (p. 861) using Japanese quail. Ethinylestradiol and diethylstilbestrol injected into the yolk of embryonated eggs caused changes in testis weights and cloacal glands, with the most sensitive end point being male sexual behavior. These results suggest that this end point should be included in tests for neuroendocrine disruptors.
Metals in Kidney Samples from Living Donors
Kidney biopsies from Swedish organ donors were analyzed for cadmium, mercury, and lead. Barregćrd et al. (p. 867) report median concentrations of 17 ”g/g cadmium, 0.29 ”g/g mercury, and 0.14 ”g/g lead. Results between these and autopsy cases are similar, indicating that autopsy data accurately reflect metal concentrations in the general population.
Air Pollution and Daily Mortality in Koreans
A study was conducted by Hong et al. (p. 873) to measure the statistical association between particulate and gaseous air pollution for prediction of daily mortality in Korea. The authors found that there was a better explanation for exposure-response relationships to mortality when a combined index of PM10, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide was used instead of individual air pollutants.
PCB and Methylmercury Synergism
An in vitro model of neurotoxicity was used by Bemis and Seegal (p. 879) to investigate the effects of PCB and methylmercury on dopamine release from rat brain cells. The authors report a significant interaction between these neurotoxicants, suggesting that there may be a common site of toxicant activity.
Metal Induction of Heat Shock Proteins in Human Kidney Cells
Heat shock proteins (hsp) are inducible gene products that respond to stress in cells, prevent aggregation of denatured proteins, and assist in refolding of misfolded proteins. Somji et al. (p. 887) conducted in vitro studies with human kidney cells exposed to heat or cadmium, and found evidence that expression of hsp 70 may be derived from the complex interplay of several genes rather than from transcription of a single gene.
Organochlorines in Human Placentas
Cord blood samples from over 2,000 neonates in Slovakia were collected from term deliveries by ReichrtovaŽ et al. (p. 895). Total IgE was measured as a marker for allergic sensitization because the region is polluted by organic chemical industries. The industrial region samples contained 16 of 21 organic compounds analyzed and significantly elevated IgE levels, suggesting that there was an association between these variables.
EMF Affects Melatonin in Kestrels
Fernie et al. (p. 901) used American kestrels to examine the effects of electromagnetic fields on melatonin, a neurohormone critical for survival of raptors and other vertebrates. Exposure to electromagnetic fields modified the cycle of melatonin circulation in both sexes of birds, suggesting that adverse biologic effects could occur in wild birds nesting close to power lines.
Intercomparison of Radon Detectors
Radon exposure may be caused by residential exposure to radon-222 decay products. Risk estimates for radon exposure are dependent upon epidemiologic studies that employ radon detectors. Two types of radon detectors used in Missouri and Iowa were evaluated by Field et al. (p. 905) to evaluate their usefulness in future exposure measurements.
Risk of Heat Stroke in Japan
A generalized linear model was used by Piver et al. (p. 911) to determine risk factors for heat stroke in Japan in July and August, between 1980 and 1995. The daily numbers of heat stroke emergency transport cases per million residents for Tokyo were obtained. Heat index and concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and ozone were significant risk factors for heat stroke in all age groups of both sexes.
Children's Health Articles
Children's Exposure to Lead from Battery Recycling
Children living in a community near an auto battery recycling smelter in Santo Domingo were previously identified as lead exposed and were examined 6 months later. Kaul et al. (p. 917) report that 146 children exhibited mean blood lead levels of 32 ”g/dL, and 28% of them had 
40 ”g/dL blood lead, indicating that urgent action is imperative to prevent severe neurologic impairment.
Children's Health Articles
Ozone Affects Children's Lung Function
Chen et al. (p. 921) evaluated the short-term effect of air pollution on lung function of 941 schoolchildren from Taiwan. The authors report that a decrease in children's lung function can occur at peak hourly ozone concentrations of < 80 ppb and that the decrease occurs at approximately 1 mL/ppb ozone exposure.
Grand Rounds
Infant Pulmonary Hemorrhage and Stachybotrys atra
Flappan et al. (p. 927) describe a case of pulmonary hemorrhage in an infant whose residence contained the toxicogenic mold Stachybotrys atra. The authors recommend that health care providers and parents should be educated about the potential effects of this mold.
Last Updated: October 27, 1999
