The Acreage Cancer Study

Hi Everyone,

The next Acreage Community Focus Group Meeting has been scheduled for August 5th at 6:30 p.m. Please mark your calendars and keep an eye out for email reminders.

Video from the July 19th meeting has been released. To watch the video, Click Here.

Below are several articles that may be of interest to you. We hope you enjoy them.

Have a great day!

BENZO(A)PYRENE

What is BENZO(A)PYRENE?

Benzo(a)pyrene is part of a class of chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). PAHs usually occur as complex mixtures, not as single compounds. Benzo(a)pyrene is on the priority pollutant list published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Where can benzo(a)pyrene be found and how is it used?

Benzo(a)pyrene is found in nature from the eruption of volcanoes and forest fires. Yet this chemical

compound is also man-made. Benzo(a)pyrene can be found in surface water, tap water, rainwater,

groundwater, wastewater and sewage sludge. Man-made releases of benzo(a)pyrene are to the air, where sunlight turns the chemical into a dry form that falls to the ground and breaks down in the soil. This chemical results from burning plants, wood, coal, and operating cars, trucks and other vehicles. The major indoor sources of benzo(a)pyrene in the air are wood-burning fireplaces and stoves, and tobacco smoking. There is no known industry production or use of benzo(a)pyrene.

How can people be exposed to benzo(a)pyrene?

You could be exposed to benzo(a)pyrene through:

Breathing air containing benzo(a)pyrene in the workplace. This can occur if you work in coking, coal-tar and asphalt production plants, or in smokehouses or where local trash is burned. You can also breathe benzo(a)pyrene from cigarette smoke, wood smoke, vehicle exhaust, asphalt roads or smoke from burning farm plants.

Contact with benzo(a)pyrene in the air, water, or soil near a waste site, or another polluted site.

Eating grilled or charred meats. You can also be exposed through contaminated cereals, flour, bread,

vegetables, fruits, meats; and processed or pickled foods.

Drinking contaminated water or cow’s milk. Nursing infants may be exposed through breast milk, especially if the mother lives near a waste site containing benzo(a)pyrene.

How does benzo(a)pyrene work and how can it affect my health?

Short-term health effects can be a skin rash or eye irritation with redness and/or a burning sensation. Exposure to sunlight and the chemical together can increase these effects.

Long-term health effects can be deadly. Benzo[a]pyrene is a probable cancer-causing agent in humans. There is some evidence that it causes skin, lung, and bladder cancer in humans and in animals. If benzo(a)pyrene is on your skin when you are being exposed to sunlight or ultraviolet light, the risk of skin cancer is greater. Exposure to coal tar and pitch increases the likelihood of cancer. Repeated exposure to substances containing benzo[a]pyrene may cause the skin to thicken and darken, and for pimples to appear. Long-term skin changes include both loss of color and reddish areas, thinning of the skin and warts. Bronchitis may result from repeated exposure to mixtures containing benzo(a)pyrene.

To view the full article, Click Here.

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ATSDR: Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

Highlights

Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons usually occurs by breathing air contaminated by wild fires or coal tar, or by eating foods that have been grilled. PAHs have been found in at least 600 of the 1,430 National Priorities List sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

What are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)?

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of over 100 different chemicals that are formed during the incomplete burning of coal, oil and gas, garbage, or other organic substances like tobacco or charbroiled meat. PAHs are usually found as a mixture containing two or more of these compounds, such as soot.

Some PAHs are manufactured. These pure PAHs usually exist as colorless, white, or pale yellow-green solids. PAHs are found in coal tar, crude oil, creosote, and roofing tar, but a few are used in medicines or to make dyes, plastics, and pesticides.

What happens to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) when they enter the environment?

• PAHs enter the air mostly as releases from volcanoes, forest fires, burning coal, and automobile exhaust.
  
• PAHs can occur in air attached to dust particles.
• Some PAH particles can readily evaporate into the air from soil or surface waters.PAHs can break down by reacting with sunlight and other chemicals in the air, over a period of days to weeks.
• PAHs enter water through discharges from industrial and wastewater treatment plants.
• Most PAHs do not dissolve easily in water. They stick to solid particles and settle to the bottoms of lakes or rivers.
• Microorganisms can break down PAHs in soil or water after a period of weeks to months.
• In soils, PAHs are most likely to stick tightly to particles; certain PAHs  move through soil to contaminate underground water.
• PAH contents of plants and animals may be much higher than PAH contents of soil or water in which they live.

For more information, Click Here.

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ATSDR: Arsenic

Highlights

Exposure to higher than average levels of arsenic occur mostly inthe workplace, near hazardous waste sites, or in areas with high natural levels. At high levels, inorganic arsenic can cause death. Exposure to lower levels for a long time can cause a discoloration ofthe skin and the appearance of small corns or warts. Arsenic has been found in at least 1,149 of the 1,684 National Priority List sites identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

What is arsenic?

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element widely distributed in the earth’s crust. In the environment, arsenic is combined with oxygen, chlorine, and sulfur to form inorganic arsenic compounds. Arsenic in animals and plants combines with carbon and hydrogen to form organic arsenic compounds.

Inorganic arsenic compounds are mainly used to preserve wood. Copper chromated arsenate (CCA) is used to make “pressure-treated” lumber. CCA is no longer used in the U.S. for residential uses; it is still used in industrial applications. Organic arsenic compounds are used as pesticides, primarily on cotton fields and orchards.

What happens to arsenic when it enters the environment?

• Arsenic occurs naturally in soil and minerals and may enter the air, water, and land from wind-blown dust and may get into water from run off andleaching.
  
• Arsenic cannot be destroyed in the environment. It can only change its form.
  
• Rain and snow remove arsenic dust particles from the air.
  
• Many common arsenic compounds can dissolve in water. Most of the arsenic in water will ultimately end up in soil or sediment.
• Fish and shellfish can accumulate arsenic; most of this arsenic isin an organic form called arsenobetaine that is much less harmful.

How likely is arsenic to cause cancer?

Several studies have shown that ingestion of inorganic arsenic canincrease the risk of skin cancer and cancer in the liver, bladder, and lungs. Inhalation of inorganic arsenic can cause increased risk of lung cancer. The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the EPA have determined that inorganic arsenic is a known human carcinogen. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has determined that inorganic arsenic is carcinogenic to humans.

How does arsenic affect children?

There is some evidence that long-term exposure to arsenic in children may result in lower IQ scores. There is also some evidence that exposure to arsenic in the womb and early childhood may increase mortality in young adults.

There is some evidence that inhaled or ingested arsenic can injure pregnant women or their unborn babies, although the studies are not definitive. Studies in animals show that large doses of arsenic thatcause illness in pregnant females, can also cause low birth weight, fetal malformations, and even fetal death. Arsenic can cross the placenta and has been found in fetal tissues. Arsenic is found at low levels in breast milk.

For more information, Click Here.