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PurposeThe benefits associated with the conventional use of neonicotinoids on greenhouse vegetables have lasted for several decades. Extensive use of neonicotinoids could result in their accumulation in the soils, thereby potentially threatening human health through ingestion, dermal contact and inhalation. This study aimed to clarify the pollution characteristics and non-dietary human cumulative risk of neonicotinoids in vegetable greenhouse soils.Materials and methodsA total of 283 soil samples were collected from celery, cucumber, pepper and tomato greenhouses across Shandong Province in China and analysed for nine widely used neonicotinoids. Furthermore, the potential health risks for both adults and children were assessed.ResultsAmong all the soil samples, imidacloprid, clothianidin and thiamethoxam were the top three detected neonicotinoids, with detection frequencies of 96.82–99.65%. The three neonicotinoids had higher average concentrations in the soils, with average concentrations of 27.55–157.64 µg/kg. All the soil samples contained at least two neonicotinoids, but most of the detected residues were at low levels with concentrations ranging from 0.02 to 1816.67 µg/kg. The levels of total neonicotinoids (calculated based on a relative potency factor method) in tomato and pepper soils were statistically higher than those in cucumber and celery soils. Although the exposure risk to children was far higher than that to adults, the health risk assessment for each neonicotinoid or total neonicotinoids was within the established safe limits (hazard index range, 1.07 × 10−10 to 1.95 × 10−3, < 1). Despite the low health risk, potential hazards of exposure to neonicotinoid-contaminated soils should be continuously assessed due to the low-dose adverse effects and potential accumulation in human tissues.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that attention should be given to the neonicotinoids in vegetable greenhouse soils due to their ubiquity and toxicokinetic characteristics.

This presents a report on the proposed work programme, focus on cumulative risk assessment (CRA) for chemical risks, specifically pesticide residues in food. While not a scientific publication, this technical report aims to provide insights without including the fellow's data to avoid publication restrictions. This report focuses on addressing the question concerning the trigger value to perform a prospective CRA in case of a new maximum residue level (MRL) setting. The 1,000 margin of exposure (MOE) threshold value was tested and compared to preliminary ANSES results. Alternative thresholds were calculated and explored. The EU‐FORA fellow selected two cumulative assessment groups (CAGs) related to acute craniofacial alterations and chronic thyroid effects. The fellow performed exposure assessments, integrating effects data, French monitoring data, processing factors, agricultural uses, MRLs and extrapolations into Monte Carlo risk assessment (MCRA). Retrospective cumulative exposures using MCRA were conducted for children, adults and a vulnerable group of childbearing women based on the French survey INCA3, identifying background levels at P99.9. The fellow also performed prospective assessments with MCRA, analysing results at P99.9 to evaluate the adequacy of the 1,000 MOE threshold. Alternative thresholds are discussed and proposed.

Recent evidence suggests that breastfeeding may increase the risk of vitamin D deficiency in offspring. However, it is unclear whether increased risk results from breastfeeding alone, or whether it is associated together with other risk factors. This study surveyed 208 infant–mother dyads recruited by stratified random sampling in different districts of Hong Kong. Mothers were asked to complete a questionnaire on their demographics, history of risk behavior, and feeding practices. Peripheral blood samples were collected from infants to determine their vitamin D status. Among all infant participants, 70 were vitamin D insufficient or deficient. Being breastfed, being a girl, having a multiparous mother, and the use of sun cream were found to be the strongest risk factors for vitamin D insufficiency during infancy (all p < 0.05), after mutual adjustment. The cumulative risk model displayed a dose–response pattern between the number of risk factors and the risk of vitamin D insufficiency during this period. Our findings indicate the risk profile of infants with insufficient vitamin D. Guidelines and recommendations on healthy diet and lifestyle should be provided to mothers during the early stage of pregnancy to increase the likelihood of adequate levels of vitamin D in their offspring.

Diet is an important exposure route for phthalates, such as di-iso-butyl phthalate (DiBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), and benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP). In this study, we aimed to estimate phthalate exposure in the diet of pregnant women and assess the health risk. A total of 517 pregnant women in the first trimester were recruited, and food frequency questionnaires were collected. A simple distribution assessment method was used to estimate daily exposure, and the hazard index (HI) method was used to assess cumulative risk. The maximum daily dietary exposure to DEHP, DBP, DiBP, and BBP was 5.25, 3.17, 2.59, and 0.58 μg/kg bw/day, respectively, and did not exceed the safety limit values. Cereals and vegetables were the main sources of the estimated daily intake (EDI) of phthalates in the diet. The cumulative risk assessment, based on the European Food Safety Authority tolerable daily intake (TDI) and the US Environmental Protection Agency reference dose (RfD), did not exceed the threshold of 1. DiBP, DBP, and DEHP had higher hazard quotient (HQ) values for cumulative health risk than BBP. In conclusion, a low health risk was posed by the cumulative dietary exposure to phthalates for pregnant women in Beijing. Graphical abstract

BackgroundThe clinical phenotype of CDH1 pathogenic variant carriers has mostly been studied in families that fulfil criteria of hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC). We aimed at determining cancer phenotype and cancer risk estimation among families with CDH1 pathogenic variants not selected by HDGC clinical criteria.MethodsPatients were all consecutively identified CDH1 pathogenic variant carriers from a clinical laboratory tested with multigene panel testing and from an academic cancer genetics programme. Clinical and demographic features, cancer phenotypes and genotype–phenotype correlations were determined among CDH1 families. Age-specific cumulative cancer risks (penetrance) were calculated based on 38 families with available pedigrees.ResultsWithin the 113 CDH1 pathogenic variant probands and 476 relatives, 113 had gastric cancer, 177 breast cancer and 196 other cancers. Mean age at diagnosis was 47 for gastric and 54 for breast cancer. Forty-six per cent fulfilled criteria of HDGC. While 36% of families had both gastric and breast cancers, 36% had breast but no gastric cancers and 16% had gastric but not breast cancers. Cumulative risk of cancer by age 80 was 37.2% for gastric and 42.9% for breast cancer.ConclusionIn unselected CDH1 pathogenic variant carrier families, gastric cancer risks were lower and age at diagnosis higher than previously reported in families pre-selected for HDGC criteria. A substantial proportion of families did not present with any gastric cancers and their cancers were limited to breast. Thus, clinical criteria for CDH1 testing should be widened, including breast cancer families only, and a consideration for delayed prophylactic gastrectomy/surveillance should be evaluated.

The article covers aspects of the regulatory requirements to well integrity in such countries as Norway, Australia and USA. It also discusses cumulative risk assessment of well integrity in the operate phase of the lifecycle of the wells. The scope of the article primarily addresses offshore wells (both subsea and platform wells), however the same principles could be applied to the onshore wells. Commonly, the cumulative risk assessment covers only the status of the well barriers, excluding risks associated with the status of the interfacing systems. The article covers the methodic of the cumulative risk assessment which includes system interfaces external to well boundaries and which could be modified to address the specificity of each asset and corresponding risks. The article provides the design of an integrated cumulative risk assessment methodology.

► Frequent travel for work or leisure is common. ► Vaccine decisions are traditionally based on individual trip risk analysis. ► Many pre-travel vaccines can be considered an investment as they provide long-term protection. ► Vaccine recommendations should formally consider cumulative risks from future trips. Vaccine recommendations for travellers are based on individual risk assessments of multiple factors, most importantly the destination and duration of the impending trip. Many people undertake frequent trips, but existing WHO, CDC and national advisory board recommendations do not explicitly consider cumulative travel-associated risks. Given the period of protection provided by many vaccines, in particular rabies, hepatitis A, hepatitis B and yellow fever vaccines, an aggregate multi-trip risk assessment which views vaccines as an investment for future travel health may be more appropriate than separately evaluating the risks for each trip.

Children who have experienced environmental adversity—such as abuse, neglect, or poverty—are more likely to develop physical and mental health problems, perform poorly at school, and have difficulties in social relationships than children who have not encountered adversity. What is less clear is how and why adverse early experiences exert such a profound influence on children's development. Identifying developmental processes that are disrupted by adverse early environments is the key to developing better intervention strategies for children who have experienced adversity. Yet much existing research relies on a cumulative-risk approach that is unlikely to reveal these mechanisms. This approach tallies the number of distinct adversities experienced to create a risk score. This risk score fails to distinguish between distinct types of environmental experiences, implicitly assuming that very different experiences influence development through the same underlying mechanisms. We advance an alternative model. This novel approach conceptualizes adversity along distinct dimensions, emphasizes the central role of learning mechanisms, and distinguishes between different forms of adversity that might influence learning in distinct ways. A key advantage of this approach is that learning mechanisms provide clear targets for interventions aimed at preventing negative developmental outcomes in children who have experienced adversity.

As the gradual deterioration of the environment, the method of environmental risk assessment has been developed from basing only on a single source to basing on a cumulative risk source. In accordance with the water environment features of the plain river network area, a cumulative risk assessment system of water environment in the plain river network area was established in this paper, the design process for which could be divided into three step: (1) Control unit divided reasonably was chosen as the basic unit for water quality management. (2) On that basis, according to the characteristics of the plain river network area, the cumulative risk indexes were selected. The index weight is calculated using entropy method and analytic hierarchy process (AHP), which could determine the risk grade of each control unit. (3) The cumulative risk assessment method is coupled to the existing water environment management platform. The platform with a dynamic database can realize the dynamic calculation and visualization of the cumulative risk grade. In this paper, the Zhejiang area of Taihu Basin was selected to be the research target as the typical plain river network area. Thirty-five control units were divided with regional water environment and control section. Taking the data in the year 2011 as example, the proposed cumulative risk assessment method was used to identify the control units in different grades and the results demonstrated that the numbers of high-, medium-, low- and extremely low-risk control units are 13, 12, 5 and 5, respectively. It is necessary to give priority to the high-risk control unit. Therefore, the cumulative risk assessment method based on the control unit provides an essential theoretical basis for reducing the probability of water pollution and reducing the degree of water pollution damage.

We present a phased approach for evaluating the effects of physical, biological, chemical, and psychosocial stressors that may act in combination. Although a phased concept is common to many risk-based approaches, it has not been explicitly outlined for the assessment of combined effects of multiple stressors. The approach begins with the development of appropriate conceptual models and assessment end points. The approach then proceeds through a screening stage wherein stressors are evaluated with respect to their potential importance as contributors to risk. Stressors are considered individually or as a combination of independent factors with respect to one or more common assessment end points. As necessary, the approach then proceeds to consider interactions among stressors. We make a distinction between applications that begin with effects of concern (effects based) or with specific stressors (stressor based). We describe a number of tools for use within the phased approach. The methods profiled are ones that have been applied to yield results that can be communicated to a wide audience. The latter characteristic is considered especially important because multiple stressor problems usually involve exposures to communities or to ecologic regions with many stakeholders.