Concentration and risk assessments of mercury along the elevation gradient in soils of Langtang Himalayas,Nepal

The fragile Himalayan region could be regarded as the sink for various pollutants transported from urbanized and polluted areas of South Asia. Therefore, in order to understand the concentrations, spatial distribution, pollution, and risk assessments of toxic heavy metal, mercury (Hg), surface soil samples were taken from the central Himalayas in the Langtang region. The average THg concentration in the Langtang Himalayas was 35.75 ± 24.41(ngg^?1), which is comparable to the Tibetan top soil values and slightly lower than world average soil values. In addition, an inverse relationship of THg with elevation were observed (i.e. decrease in concentration with increase in elevation) in the Langtang Himalayan soils. Meanwhile, THg concentrations and TOC% were significantly positively correlated at both the depths (0–10 and 10–20 cm), inferring the sorption capacity of organic carbon for Hg. The results of the geo-accumulation index (I_geo), enrichment factor (EF), and pollution index (PI) indicated limited or no pollution by Hg in the Himalayan soils. Further, surface soils had a low potential ecological risk in the region. Therefore, the Hg value from this study could be used for the further evaluation and calculation of I_geo, EF, and PI for water, soil, and aerosol in the Himalayan region as background reference value. However, Hg pollution from long-range transport and atmospheric deposition (wet/dry) in future could not be ignored in the Himalayan region.     

Assessment of water quality and health risks for toxic trace elements in urban Phewa and remote Gosainkunda lakes,Nepal

The concentration of 13 metals (Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Pb, and Hg) and their associated health risk assessment was performed for two Himalayan lakes, urban Phewa and remote Gosainkunda, from Nepal. Water Quality Index (WQI), Metal Index (MI), Hazard Quotient (HQ), Hazard Index, and Cancer Risk were calculated in order to evaluate the water quality of these lakes. Correlation analysis revealed that Mn and Fe were derived from natural geological weathering processes and Pb, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Cd might have originated from anthropogenic sources. The results revealed that WQI of the remote lake fell into excellent water quality and urban lake fell into poor water quality, which is also supported by the MI calculation. Moreover, the HQ of Mn in urban lake showed values greater than unity suggesting its health risk to the local inhabitants. The cancer index values indicated “high” risk due to Cr, whereas Cd possesses “very low” cancer risk on local population residing nearby areas. This study provides the useful database and suggests for the regular assessment and policy formulation for safeguarding the natural water bodies in the region.     

A Comparison of Predictive Methods in Extinction Risk Studies: Contrasts and Decision Trees

Over the last two decades an increasing emphasis has been placed on the importance of controlling for phylogeny when examining cross-species data; so-called comparative methods. These methods are appropriate for testing hypotheses about correlations between evolutionary events in the history of a clade and adaptive responses to those changes. When this approach is applied to extinction risk, possible correlations between evolutionary changes in, for example, body size or habitat specialisation and some measure(s) of current threat status are examined. However, there may be a mismatch here between the results of such studies, and the real, pragmatic needs of species conservation. This kind of approach certainly adds to our knowledge of some fundamental processes, but it is more difficult to see how this can be applied to conservation decision-making. For more practical purposes a decision-tree approach can be extremely useful. This paper illustrates the use of a contrasts based analysis of extinction risk compared with a decision-tree analysis for Galliformes (Aves). While the contrasts analyses concur with some general macroecological trends found in other studies, the decision-tree models provide lists of species predicted to be more at risk than current assessments would suggest. We argue that in practical terms, decision tree models might be more useful than a macroecological linear model-based approach.     

Risk of Disease Transmission between Conservation Personnel and the Mountain Gorillas: Results from an Employee Health Program in Rwanda

Humans and gorillas share 97% of their genetic makeup which means the risk of disease transmission between the two is potentially high. Humans with high exposure and whose exposure-related activity can most easily be managed are park conservation personnel. In June 2001, the Morris Animal Foundations Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project initiated a health program for all employees working in Rwandas Parc National des Volcans in collaboration with in-country government and nongovernmental agencies. The goal is to improve the health of conservation personnel and reduce the risk of zoonotic disease transmission between employees and the parks mountain gorillas. Employees annually receive a clinical examination and laboratory testing, and provide a clinical history, In 2002, analyses were performed on the dataset of 127 employees to identify potential risk factors associated with positive laboratory tests. Considering all fecal tests combined, 70.1% were positive for one or more pathogenic organisms. A high percentage (> 80%) tested positive on viral antibody titer testing for various communicable diseases including measles, chickenpox, and hepatitis. On multivariate analysis, the main risk factor for testing positive for any pathogenic organism was use of a pit latrine at home. Vaccination against childhood communicable diseases and improved human waste disposal could be critical control points for preventing disease transmission to mountain gorillas. Program results have been shared with local health officials to aid in their efforts to improve village health and sanitation standards, and with park employers as a basis for ongoing employee health education.The Mountain Gorilla Veterinary Project 2002 Employee Health Group members are listed in Appendix 1. by area of contribution.     

Ecological Risk Assessment of China's Freshwater Ecosystems Applying the Relative Risk Model: Toward an Ecosystem-Based Water Management in China

The relative risk model (RRM) was applied to evaluate the ecological risk characterization of the freshwater ecosystems in China, from both overall and region-specific levels. Ten large-scale river basins (further broken into 15 risk regions) in China were chosen as the study objects; 10 sources, two habitats, and seven endpoints were identified as risk components. The results reveal the status of ecosystem conditions, key ecological risk issues, and the spatial heterogeneity of the freshwater ecosystems in China. The policy implications for the ecosystem-based water management contained in the results are discussed. The results obtained in this article provide a deeper understanding of the ecological risk characterization of the freshwater ecosystems in China, and aid in promoting the applications of the RRM as the tool for ecosystem-based water management.     

医疗风险基金在医院财务管理中的应用

医疗风险无处不在已成为医疗界的共识,在当今商业医疗保险制度尚不健全的条件下,医院通过设立医疗风险基金,建立风险共担机制,增加医院主动进行风险预防和控制的能力,医疗风险基金应结合医院财务管理,规范核算、合理运用,并实行监督考核机制,确保医疗风险管理机制得以持续发展。     

Types of Integration in Risk Assessment and Management,And Why They Are Needed

Risk-based decision making requires that the decision makers and stakeholders are informed of all risks that are potentially significant and relevant to the decision. The International Programme on Chemical Safety of the World Health Organization has developed a framework for integrating the assessment of human health and ecological risks. However, other types of integration are needed to support particular environmental decisions. They are integration of exposure and effects, of multiple chemicals and other hazardous agents, of multiple routes of exposure, of multiple endpoints, multiple receptors, multiple spatial and temporal scales, a product's life cycle, management alternatives, and socioeconomics with risk assessment. Inclusion of all these factors in an integrated assessment could lead to paralysis by analysis. Therefore, it is important that assessors be cognizant of the decision process and that decision makers and those who will influence the decision (stakeholders) be involved in planning the assessment to ensure that the degree of integration is necessary and sufficient.     

Chlorine in the Netherlands, Part II: Risk Management in Uncertainty for Chlorine

The debate over chlorine in industrialized economies has become extremely polarized in the last decade. Environmental pressure groups are striving for a virtual phaseout of chlorine and chlorinated hydrocarbons (CHCs), because they are convinced that the risks cannot be managed. Industry argues this is not necessary because environmental risks can be controlled, nor is it feasible, because at least 60% of all firms use CHCs, produds made with CHCs, or elemental chlorine. In an attempt to give this discussion a more factual basis, the Dutch minister of environment launched a strategic study on chlorine (see Kleijn et al. I997;Tukker et al. 1995). Using all available knowledge about emissions and contemporary evaluation methods, the study found only a limited number of environmental issues outstanding related to the chlorine chain: however, it also found important uncertainties. This article describes the outstanding uncertainties in more detail. It defines which uncertainties have to be regarded as chlorine-specific and the extent to which additional research can resolve them. For the remaining uncertainties the potential benefts of uncertainty reduction strategies are evaluted, relying mainly on the precautionary principle     

APOC3/A5 haplotypes, lipid levels, and risk of myocardial infarction in the Central Valley of Costa Rica

Genetic variation in the APOC3 and APOA5 genes has been associated with plasma triglyceride concentrations and may affect the risk of myocardial infarction (MI). To assess whether APOC3/A5 haplotypes are associated with risk of MI, we examined three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in APOC3 (3238C>G, -455T>C, and -482C>T) and six SNPs in the APOA5 gene (-1131T>C, c.-3A>G, c.56C>G, IVS3+476G>A, c.553G>T, and c.1259T>C) in incident cases (n = 1,703) of a first nonfatal MI matched for gender, age, and area of residence with population-based controls (n = 1,703). Conditional logistic regression models, adjusted for potential environmental confounders, were used for analysis. The common APOC3*222 haplotype was more frequent in cases than in controls (17.4% and 13.7%, respectively, P < 0.001) and was associated with increased risk of MI [odds ratio (OR) = 1.27; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.09, 1.48] compared with APOC3*111 wild-type haplotype. This association was independent of the APOA5 SNPs. Although the APOC3 3238G, APOA5 -1131C, APOA5 c.-3G, and APOA5 c.1259C alleles were associated with higher triglyceride plasma concentrations, these effects could not explain the associations with MI in this population. In summary, this study supports the hypothesis that haplotypes in the APOC3 gene but not in the APOA5 gene increase susceptibility to MI.     

An Approach for Incorporating Information on Chemical Availability in Soils into Risk Assessment and Risk-Based Decision Making,Prepared by: The New England Environmentally Acceptable Endpoints Workgroup

A regional workgroup comprised of individuals from regulatory agencies, uni versities, and consulting companies was formed to develop an approach for incor porating information on chemical availability in soils into risk assessment and risk based decision making. The approach consists of the following decision framework for including information on chemical availability: (1) Determine the usefulness of incorporating information on bioavailability; (2) Identify information needs from a conceptual model of exposure for the site and from exposure pathways judged critical to the assessment; (3) Identify soil factors that affect bioavailability; (4) Determine the type or form of information (measures and/or models) that can be used within the risk assessment and risk management process; (5) Select methods (measures and/or models) based on the “weight of evidence” or strength of the bioavailability information they will provide and how that information will be used for risk assessment and risk based decision making; (6) Incorporate information into the risk assessment and risk based decision making. These fac tors can be integrated into existing risk based approaches for site management such as Superfund, state approaches, and the ASTM Risk Based Corrective Action Process (RBCA). Consistent with risk assessment guidance, an assessment of chemical availability in soils must consider current as well as reasonably foresee able conditions. The approach recognizes that information on chemical availabil ity is contextual and depends on the receptor and pathway. Further, the value of information depends on how well it is accepted and/or validated for use in regulatory decision making. The workgroup identified four principles for select ing methods (measures and/or models) for obtaining information on chemical availability and for evaluating information on chemical availability for use in risk assessments: (1) soil chemical relevance, (2) pathway relevance, (3) receptor relevance, and (4) acceptance of the method.     

The Concept of Data Utility in Health Risk Assessment: A Multi-Disciplinary Perspective

Human and ecological health risk assessments and the decisions that stem from them require the acquisition and analysis of data. In agencies that are responsible for health risk decision-making, data (and/or opinions/judgments) are obtained from sources such as scientific literature, analytical and process measurements, expert elicitation, inspection findings, and public and private research institutions. Although the particulars of conducting health risk assessments of given disciplines may be dramatically different, a common concern is the subjective nature of judging data utility. Often risk assessors are limited to available data that may not be completely appropriate to address the question being asked. Data utility refers to the ability of available data to support a risk-based decision for a particular risk assessment. This article familiarizes the audience with the concept of data utility and is intended to raise the awareness of data collectors (e.g., researchers), risk assessors, and risk managers to data utility issues in health risk assessments so data collection and use will be improved. In order to emphasize the cross-cutting nature of data utility, the discussion has not been organized into a classical partitioning of risk assessment concerns as being either human health- or ecological health-oriented, as per the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund Program.     

Cats and dogs: A mesopredator navigating risk and reward provisioned by an apex predator

Successfully perceiving risk and reward is fundamental to the fitness of an animal, and can be achieved through a variety of perception tactics. For example, mesopredators may “directly” perceive risk by visually observing apex predators, or may “indirectly” perceive risk by observing habitats used by predators. Direct assessments should more accurately characterize the arrangement of risk and reward; however, indirect assessments are used more frequently in studies concerning the response of GPS‐marked animals to spatiotemporally variable sources of risk and reward. We investigated the response of a mesopredator to the presence of risk and reward created by an apex predator, where risk and reward likely vary in relative perceptibility (i.e., degree of being perceptible). First, we tested whether coyotes (Canis latrans) use direct or indirect assessments to navigate the presence of mountain lions (Puma concolor; risk) and kills made by mountain lions (reward) in an area where coyotes were a common prey item for mountain lions. Second, we assessed the behavioral response of coyotes to direct encounters with mountain lions. Third, we evaluated spatiotemporal use of carrion by coyotes at kills made by mountain lions. Indirect assessments generally outperformed direct assessments when integrating analyses into a unified framework; nevertheless, our ability to detect direct perception in navigating to mountain lion kills was likely restricted by scale and sampling limitations (e.g., collar fix rates, unsampled kill sites). Rather than responding to the risk of direct encounters with mountain lions, coyotes facilitated encounters by increasing their movement rate, and engaged in risky behavior by scavenging at mountain lion kills. Coyotes appear to mitigate risk by using indirect perception to avoid mountain lions. Our predator–predator interactions and insights are nuanced and counter to the conventional predator–prey systems that have generated much of the predation risk literature.     

A Support Tool for Air Pollution Health Risk Management in Emerging Countries: A Case in Brazil

This study evaluated the health risk due to air pollution in São Paulo State, Brazil, comparing Brazil's standards and the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines. New methodology was applied considering, as hazard parameters, the maximum average concentrations of SO₂, NO₂, O₃, CO, and PM₁₀ from 2007 to 2011. As exposure parameters, population density and location sensitivity were considered. A health risk index based on fuzzy logic was performed to integrate the selected parameters, giving the likelihood of reaching different risk levels. Data gathering and spatial representation of parameters and risk scores were performed by means of geographic information system (GIS). Highest values of risk were observed in the Metropolitan Area of São Paulo and near the cities of Cubatão and Piracicaba, associated to vehicular and industrial emissions and sugar cane burning. Discussions about the need to revise national air quality standards have intensified over the past years. Generally, indices used for air quality do not consider the population exposed. This study showed the integration of GIS with fuzzy logic methodology to be a useful tool for health risk assessment. When evaluating the risk, exposure parameters must be intrinsically considered to enhance the importance of population vulnerability when assessing environmental problems, especially in emerging economies.     

Extrapolation in Human Health and Ecological Risk Assessments: Proceedings of a Symposium

A symposium was conducted in April 1998 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL) to explore issues of extrapolation in human health and ecological risk assessments. Over the course of three and one half days, leading health and ecology experts presented and discussed research methods and approaches for extrapolating data among taxa and across levels of biological organization, through time, and across spatial scales. The intended result of this symposium was enhanced interaction among a diverse array of scientists, policymakers, and risk assessors to promote identification of approaches for reducing the uncertainties of extrapolation in risk assessment.     

Optimizing Risk Management for the Sustainable Performance of the Regional Innovation System in Korea through Metamediation

In recent years, the concept of Regional Innovation Systems (RIS) has evolved into a widely used analytical framework for sustainable economic development. But in reality, the RIS does not seem to be workable due to the lack of governance. To reduce this operational risk, the emphasis on the structure as well as network management of the system should be merged into a more market-oriented as well as performance-oriented governance. In Korea, there are seven RISs among 14 regions nationwide. Empirically, they are not very sustainable. Thus, the article proposes the role of metamediary for the facilitation, network service provision, and collaboration of the system.     

Identifying Uncertainty in Environmental Risk Assessments: The Development of a Novel Typology and Its Implications for Risk Characterization

Environmental risk analysts need to draw from a clear typology of uncertainties when qualifying risk estimates and/or significance statements about risk. However, categorizations of uncertainty within existing typologies are largely overlapping, contradictory, and subjective, and many typologies are not designed with environmental risk assessments (ERAs) in mind. In an attempt to rectify these issues, this research provides a new categorization of uncertainties based, for the first time, on the appraisal of a large subset of ERAs, namely 171 peer-reviewed environmental weight-of-evidence assessments. Using this dataset, a defensible typology consisting of seven types of uncertainty (data, language, system, extrapolation, variability, model, and decision) and 20 related sub-types is developed. Relationships between uncertainties and the techniques used to manage them are also identified and statistically evaluated. A highly preferred uncertainty management option is to take no action when faced with uncertainty, although where techniques are applied they are commensurate with the uncertainty in question. Key observations are applied in the form of guidance for dealing with uncertainty, demonstrated through ERAs of genetically modified higher plants in the European Union. The presented typology and accompanying guidance will have positive implications for the identification, prioritization, and management of uncertainty during risk characterization.     

The Health Risk Assessment Performed in California for the Herbicide Simazine: A Case Study

Simazine, a member of the triazine group, is registered in California for weed control in soils where a wide range of crops will be (or are) planted. The health risks from simazine use in California were recently assessed by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) for all potential (acute and long-term) exposure scenarios relevant to Californian residents and workers. The results of the CDPR risk assessment indicate that current exposure levels in many of the scenarios under consideration are not health protective for the people in California. The main objective of the present summary report (i.e., case study) was two-fold, both for offering a forum to advance further scientific discussion: (1) to highlight the toxicity and exposure data as well as the assumptions used in the CDPR simazine risk assessment and then (2) to systematically requalify the uncertainties and complexities involved in terms of the toxicity and exposure appraisals given in that risk assessment. In both attempts, the focus was more on residential exposures for young children and women of child-bearing age in that simazine was reportedly seen to exhibit neuroendocrine effects across a variety of species.