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One of the originally scheduled speakers,
Robert Scott, needed to postpone his presentation because of an urgent
health-related matter. He will give his talk, "Re-evaluating the Linear
No-Threshold Hypothesis Relating to Ionizing Radiation," at a later date.
Please join me in wishing him a full and speedy recovery. - Joseph Regna
Progress in Lead Toxicity Research: Much Studied,
Much Regulated, but Much Remains Unknown
Howard Hu, M.D., M.P.H., M.S., Sc.D.,
Associate Professor of Occupational Medicine,
Harvard School of Public Health
Summary: Lead is arguably the most investigated substance in
toxicology and environmental health, as well as one of the most heavily
regulated of all hazardous materials. That said, significant gaps in our
knowledge persist regarding many aspects of the toxicity of lead. These
discontinuities have important implications for public health: (1) whether
cumulative exposure to lead at even modest levels is a major risk factor
for hypertension, kidney disease, cognitive impairments, and neurodegenerative
disorders (such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's), (2) whether treatment
of lead toxicity can reverse outcomes, such as deficits in IQ, (3) whether
the accelerated mobilization of maternal bone lead stores that occurs
during pregnancy poses a significant hazard to fetal health, and (4) whether
certain common genetic traits may predispose some individuals to lead
toxicity at much lower doses than are tolerated by others. Howard Hu will
discuss these questions, particularly in relation to the epidemiological
studies being conducted by his research laboratory, which has been at
the forefront of lead toxicity research for the past fifteen years.
Biography: Howard Hu received his B.S. degree from Brown University
(1976), his M.D. degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine (1982),
and his M.P.H., M.S., and Sc.D. degrees from the Harvard School of Public
Health (1982, 1986, 1990). He is currently Associate Professor of Occupational
Medicine at the Harvard School of Public Health, Associate Professor of
Medicine at the Harvard Medical School, and Associate Physician at the
Brigham and Women's Hospital. Dr. Hu's responsibilities include being
Director of the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program
at Harvard, Director of the Metals Epidemiology Research Group at Harvard,
and Medical Editor of Environmental Health Perspectives, the official
journal of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).
Dr. Hu is the author or co-author of over 150 publications and is currently
Principal Investigator of four research projects supported by NIEHS and
that involve environmental epidemiological investigations of chronic low-level
lead toxicity.
Awards and honors Dr. Hu has received include the 1994 Will Solimene
Award of Excellence from the American Medical Writers Association (for:
Chivian E, McCally M, Hu H, Haines H, eds., Critical Condition: Human
Health and the Environment, MIT Press, 1993), the 1997 Alice Hamilton
Lectureship at the University of California at San Francisco, the 1998
First Prize for Best Infant Nutrition Research from the Instituto Danone
of Mexico, and the 1998-1999 NIEHS "Scientific Advance of the Year." During
the 2000-2001 year, Dr. Hu was a U.S. Senior Fulbright Scholar and Visiting
Scientist at Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute in
Chennai (Madras), India.
Development of a Risk-Based Contaminated Land Management
Program for Hong Kong
Christine Rioux, M.S., L.S.P.,
Senior Scientist, CDM
Summary: A massive urban renewal program, similar
to the U.S. Brownfields initiative, has been underway in Hong Kong, designated
as a Special Administrative Region of China. Under contract since 1999
to the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department (HKEPD), Christine
Rioux has developed a risk-based contaminated land management program
in both newly developed and redeveloped sites in Hong Kong. This program
consists of not only over 1,500 soil and groundwater risk-based cleanup
goals (RBCGs) for five receptor groups, but also the relevant policies,
guidance docum, and background document to facilitate implementation of
the program. To the extent possible, RBCGs were tailored to local conditions,
particularly by incorporating information on soil and meteorological conditions,
typical Hong Kong work schedules, and building operations and design.
Christine will discuss the steps that have been involved
in developing this program, including research into, and preparation of
reports on, the following topics:
- Existing health- and ecological-risk-based programs in five other
countries: Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, and the United
States.
- Current and past land use practices in Hong Kong that could result
in soil and groundwater contamination. (This information was used to
develop a list of the chemicals of concern.)
- Current analytical capabilities of Hong Kong laboratories. (This
information was used to prepare a compendium of recommended laboratory
methods for 168 chemicals of concern for soil and groundwater.)
- Identification of (1) the appropriate models for the relevant pathways
of exposure, (2) the physical and chemical properties of, and toxicological
information about, the chemicals of concern, and (3) the site-specific
input parameters used to calculate the RBCGs.
Christine will also discuss how this project demonstrated the importance
of considering environmental, sociopolitical, and cultural features when
generating science-based risk assessment policy.
Biography: Christine Rioux received her M.S. degree in Environmental
Health and Engineering from Tufts University in 1988. For the past twelve
years, she has been a Senior Scientist and Risk Assessment Specialist
with CDM in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In that capacity, Christine has
conducted risk assessments in sixteen U.S. states, as well as in Hong
Kong, Taiwan, Peru, and Venezuela. She is also a Licensed Site Professional
in Massachusetts. Christine is the author of numerous articles and reports
relevant to the health and ecological effects of hazardous substances
and has worked with clients from a variety of sectors, including federal,
state, and local governments, industry, and community groups.
Christine is presently accepting advance offers from publishers to complete
the manuscripts for two books she has been writing: Case Studies in
International Health Risk Assessment and Yoga for the Risk Assessment
Professional.
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