No related posts.

No related posts.

Public release date: 7-Jan-2008 Contact: Amy Molnar amolnar@wiley.com Wiley-Blackwell Trichloroethylene is a risk factor for parkinsonism Parkinson’s disease, the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder caused by aging, can also be caused by pesticides and other neurotoxins. A new study found strong evidence that [...] No related posts.]]> The mountain of evidence confirming TCE’s danger merely grows and grows. This came across our plate this week:

Public release date: 7-Jan-2008



Contact: Amy Molnar

amolnar@wiley.com

Wiley-Blackwell




Trichloroethylene is a risk factor for parkinsonism



Parkinson’s disease, the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder caused by aging, can also be caused by pesticides and other neurotoxins. A new study found strong evidence that trichloroethylene (TCE) is a risk factor for parkinsonism, a group of nervous disorders with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease. TCE is a chemical widely used in industry that is also found in drinking water, surface water and soil due to runoff from manufacturing sites where it is used. The study was published in the October 2007 issue of Annals of Neurology (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/ana), the official journal of the American Neurological Association.



Led by Don M. Gash and John T Slevin, of the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY, researchers conducting a clinical trial of 10 Parkinson’s disease patients came across a patient who described long-term exposure to TCE, which he suspected to be a risk factor in his disease. TCE has been identified as an environmental contaminant in almost 60 percent of the Superfund priority sites listed by the Environmental Protection Agency and there has been increasing concern about its long term effects. The patient noted that some of his co-workers had also developed Parkinson’s disease, which led to the current study of this patient and two of his co-workers diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease who underwent neurological evaluations to assess motor function. All of these individuals had at least a 25 year history of occupational exposure to TCE, which included both inhalation and exposure to it from submerging their unprotected arms and forearms in a TCE vat or touching parts that had been cleaned in it. In addition, questionnaires about experiencing signs of Parkinson�s disease, such as slowness of voluntary movement, stooped posture and trouble with balance, were mailed to 134 former workers. The researchers also conducted studies in rats to determine how TCE affects the brain.



The results showed that 14 former employees who reported three or more parkinsonian signs worked close to the TCE source, were found to exhibit signs of parkinsonism when they were examined and were significantly (up to 250 percent) slower in fine motor hand movements than age-matched controls. Clinical exams of 13 patients who reported no signs of parkinsonism revealed that they worked in the same areas as the symptomatic workers or further from the TCE vat, they exhibited some mild features of the condition and their fine motor movements were also significantly slower than controls, although they were faster than the group with symptoms. The rat studies showed that TCE exposure inhibited mitochondrial function (which in humans is associated with a wide range of degenerative diseases) in the substantia nigra, an area in the brain that produces dopamine and whose destruction is associated with Parkinson’s disease. Specifically, Complex 1, an enzyme important in energy production, was significantly reduced in the substantia nigra. Dopamine neurons in this area also showed degenerative changes following TCE administration.



The authors acknowledge that while the study was not a large scale epidemiological investigation, the results demonstrate a strong potential link between chronic TCE exposure and parkinsonism. ‘It will be important to follow the progression of movement disorders in this cohort over the next decade to fully assess the long-term health risks from trichloroethylene exposure,’ they state. Although previous studies identified pesticides as a risk factor for Parkinson’s disease, the drug MPTP was previously the only mitochrondrial neurotoxin linked to the disease. The authors conclude: ‘Trichloroethylene is implicated as a principal risk factor for parkinsonism based on its dopaminergic neurotoxicity in animal models, the high levels of chronic dermal and inhalation exposure to trichloroethylene by the three workers with Parkinson’s disease, the motor slowing and clinical manifestations of parkinsonism in co-workers clustered around the trichloroethylene source, and the mounting evidence of neurotoxic effects in other reports of chronic trichloroethylene exposure.’

Thanks to Lenny Siegel, Director of the Center for Public Environmental Oversight (CPEO), for the tip

No related posts.

A naturally occurring bacteria is being used to clean up a hazardous waste plume [of TCE] in the aquifer under the Idaho National Laboratory.

[...]

Bacteria native to the underground basalt in the area is breaking [...] No related posts.]]> Over a year ago, TCE clean-up efforts at Idaho National Laboratory were paused to observe progress. Now, the Associated Press reports:

A naturally occurring bacteria is being used to clean up a hazardous waste plume [of TCE] in the aquifer under the Idaho National Laboratory.

[...]

Bacteria native to the underground basalt in the area is breaking down the organic solvent and turning it into harmless byproducts, scientists say. Scientists are considering other areas where the bacteria could help.

“The natural bacteria are solving the problem,” Ron Crawford, a University of Idaho professor who is studying the bacteria, told the Post Register.

The DOE has plans to clean up other areas with the bacteria that can break down TCE, and use a method that makes the bacteria “breathe” TCE when oxygen is removed.

Read more here

No related posts.

Petroleum and solvents in the soil and groundwater beneath what was once a downtown mall are stalling Ogden’s effort to build a high-adventure recreation center.

The concentration of the solvent tetrachloroethylene [...] No related posts.]]> It’s hard to tell from the story if they are referring to trichloroethylene (TCE) or tetrachloroethylene (PCE) below, but, nonetheless, the Salt Lake Tribune (UT) reports:

Petroleum and solvents in the soil and groundwater beneath what was once a downtown mall are stalling Ogden’s effort to build a high-adventure recreation center.

The concentration of the solvent tetrachloroethylene (TCE) in the groundwater of one test hole was at 13 parts per billion, more than twice the contaminant level the state allows for drinking water, Thiriot said.

Thiriot, who is manager of site assessment for the state’s Superfund program, said the TCE concentration found so far is not a grave concern.

But TCE is heavier than water, so more tests are needed to determine whether the groundwater underlying the future recreation center is seriously polluted.

“If they increase in concentration as we go deeper, then we’ve got a problem,” Thiriot said.

Read more.

No related posts.

Montana and federal officials Tuesday released the final plan for cleaning up solvent-contaminated soils and groundwater in the Lockwood Superfund site. The cleanup will take about 10 years and cost an estimated $14.3 million. The report, called a Record of Decision, identifies the remedy for the site as approved by the state Department [...] No related posts.]]> The Billings Gazette (MT) reports:

Montana and federal officials Tuesday released the final plan for cleaning up solvent-contaminated soils and groundwater in the Lockwood Superfund site.



The cleanup will take about 10 years and cost an estimated $14.3 million.



The report, called a Record of Decision, identifies the remedy for the site as approved by the state Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.



[...]



The chemicals, which are commonly used as degreasers and in dry cleaning, include tetrachloroethene (PCE), and its breakdown chemicals, trichloroethene (TCE), dichloroethene (DCE) and vinyl chloride.

Read the full story.

No related posts.

An independent panel of scientists is recommending that the federal agency researching past water contamination aboard Camp Lejeune notify all people potentially exposed, expand its areas of study and allow those affected an advisory role, according to a report released Thursday evening.

The ATSDR website hosts the report, in [...] No related posts.]]> The New Burn Sun Journal (NC) reveals:

An independent panel of scientists is recommending that the federal agency researching past water contamination aboard Camp Lejeune notify all people potentially exposed, expand its areas of study and allow those affected an advisory role, according to a report released Thursday evening.

The ATSDR website hosts the report, in which the following recommendations appear:

• Future studies should be conducted in full partnership with the exposed community.
• An advisory panel, with long-term stability, should be established to oversee health studies of persons with potential exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at Camp Lejeune.
• Identify cohorts of individuals with potential exposure, including adults who lived on base; adults who resided off base, but worked on base; children who lived on base; and those who may have been exposed while in utero.
• Initiation of recommended research activities need not await completion of current ATSDR activities to better characterize past exposure, but should be conducted in parallel with the current work.
• The 1997 ATDSR Public Health Assessment of Camp Lejeune should be amended with a recognition that adult exposures to VOC may result in adverse health outcomes, and also include updated information on potential exposures.
• All persons potentially affected by exposure to VOC in the drinking water at Camp Lejeune should be notified.
• Future funding for Camp Lejeune health studies should come through direct Congressional action, not DOD, to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.

No related posts.

Workers at Sanmina SCI should see their doctors if they are concerned about exposure to traces of trichloroethylene gas recently detected in the factory, a local health official said Tuesday. Johannes Peeters, director of the Tioga County Department of Health, said there are health risks associated with trichloroethylene (TCE) exposure, [...] No related posts.]]> The Press & Sun-Bulletin (Binghamton, NY) reports:

Workers at Sanmina SCI should see their doctors if they are concerned about exposure to traces of trichloroethylene gas recently detected in the factory, a local health official said Tuesday.



Johannes Peeters, director of the Tioga County Department of Health, said there are health risks associated with trichloroethylene (TCE) exposure, but they vary from person to person. He could not characterize risks to 750 workers at the printed circuit board plant off Route 17C, where samples taken earlier this year found TCE gases at concentrations up to 40 times higher than a guideline recently set by the state Department of Health.



“Anytime people are exposed to anything, the first line of defense is (to) go see your doctor,” Peeters said.



Gary Litwin, director of the state Department of Health’s Bureau of Environmental Exposure Investigation, said a ventilation system, under construction, will eliminate the problem.



[...]



The state began applying a much stricter guideline for TCE in October 2003 after scientists found gases from the solvent, spilled into the ground decades ago, were entering businesses and homes near industrial sites in the Southern Tier.



“There’s a reason they changed the standards. There must be a risk associated with it,” Peeters said.

Read the full story here.

No related posts.

The Department of Defense says it will continue an environmental cleanup of jet fuel, solvents and other contaminants at Ellsworth Air Force Base, even if the base is closed, as the department has recommended. Ellsworth is a Superfund site, and the cleanup ordered by the Environmental Protection Agency has cost the Air [...] No related posts.]]>

The Department of Defense says it will continue an environmental cleanup of jet fuel, solvents and other contaminants at Ellsworth Air Force Base, even if the base is closed, as the department has recommended.



Ellsworth is a Superfund site, and the cleanup ordered by the Environmental Protection Agency has cost the Air Force $61 million during the past 10 years.



The cleanup is necessary to redevelop the base for almost any purpose, should it close. Ellsworth supporters vow to do all they can but acknowledge that the odds of keeping the base open aren’t in their favor.

Read more.

No related posts.