government

In order to catch up with the massive backlog of chemical compounds that need toxicity assessments, the NIH, EPA, and FDA are expanding their Tox21 robot screening program to start testing a compound library of 10,000 samples. The Tox21 screening program was first conceived in 2005 and is a joint development between these three agencies. The Tox21 robot, located in Rockville, MD, was introduced earlier this year as the heart of the program and has already studied about 500 chemicals. To give you an idea of what an improvement this is, the EPA has only tested 200 chemicals since 1976. By speeding up chemical toxicity analysis the government will also accelerate the drug development process, as drug toxicity is one of the primary reasons new drugs fail.

The six-ton Tox21 robot system can test thousands of chemicals simultaneously using its vast network of tiny wells to perform high-throughput, cell-based assays at 15 different concentrations. The robot system is able to identify which chemicals have a potentially harmful reaction and then isolate them for further analysis by researchers. The economies of scale provided by Tox21 allow the program to keep the cost of testing each chemical to only a few hundred dollars.

The types of chemical compounds being tested by Tox21 are the same ones that go into food additives, medication, and industrial solvents, so the stakes for this project are high. To this end, the Tox21 team has opted for full disclosure of its results. From the Tox21 website you can see the full results of the chemicals that have already been tested, as well as the list of the 10,000 chemicals scheduled for analysis.

An added benefit of this project is that one of its mandates is to look for new chemical testing strategies that will minimize the number of laboratory animals used.

Learn more about Tox21 here.
Read the press release from NIH here.

This week the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fined a carbon steel foundry in Wisconsin $95,480 for willfully overexposing their workers to crystalline silica, a known carcinogen. Ironically, this news comes shortly after a group of citizens petitioned the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNS) to adopt more stringent rules governing emissions of respirable crystalline silica.

Crystalline silica is a particularly dangerous air pollutant because it is a basic component of soil, sand, brick, granite and other common materials. As a byproduct of many everyday industrial processes like mining, construction, and glass manufacturing, it is a ubiquitous presence for some workers. Industrial processes that involve abrasive blasting or the use of sand and quartz are also sources of crystalline silica exposure, which is why many of these workers are concerned over the increasing popularity of fracking in their state. The hydraulic fracturing (AKA “Fracking”) process involves fracturing rock layers with a fluid that includes sand or ceramic material in order to extract the gas underneath. As you can tell from the description, stirring up compressed rock dust and sand particles is a definite health concern, so it’s good to see those at risk aware of it and addressing the matter.

The petitioners are asking the Wisconsin DNS to classify respirable crystalline silica as a hazardous air pollutant under their air toxics rule. Furthermore, the petitioners recommend that the DNS comply with the standard set by the State of California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment which dictates a limit of 3 micrograms per cubic meter and requires consistent monitoring and enforcement.

Determining the concentration of crystalline silica and amorphous silica by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) standards requires capturing particulates from an air sample on a 0.45 micron, 25 mm diameter Silver Membrane Filter and then analyzing the particulate matter for silica using X-Ray diffraction (XRD). See NIOSH methods 7500 and 7501 for the complete procedure.

Read the full petition by Wisconsin citizens here.
Also see this report on silica from the Wisconsin DNS.

Today the Environmental Protection Agency awarded $32 million to 4 universities around the country to study the health impacts of air pollution. These centers will answering questions like, "does air pollution effect a child's learning ability?" "Are obese people more susceptible to health effects of air pollution?" "How does your commute effect your health?"

We work with a number of environmental labs to provide filtration materials, and one of the most common requests we get from them is for our 0.45 micron, 25mm silver membranes to comply with NIOSH methods for testing airborne contaminants such as silica and bromine.

Here is a breakdown of what the four new centers are focusing on:

• University of Washington - Effects of roadway pollution on on cardiovascular health.
• Michigan State University - The relationships between obesity and air pollution.
• Emory University / Georgia Institute of Technology - Characterize health risks of air pollution mixtures, research how social factors (living location, commute, etc.) impact health.
• Harvard University - Investigate health effects of short-term and long-term exposure to pollutants on specific health functions, including cognitive function, birth weight, and mortality.

See also:
"EPA Awards $32 Million to Understand Health Impacts of Air Pollution"

EPA Clean Air Research Centers Home