From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2012-02-29 18:19:33 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] wood bedding hazards (notice that oak, beech, and some others also dangerous but not discussed before)
To: FML List <ferret-l@LISTSERV.FERRETMAILINGLIST.ORG>, fhl <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
This is for when people ask about wood bedding hazards. Pine pellet litter has typically has the volatile components removed, but wood stove pellets (which some people have used in the past do not and actually contain some woods which are even more associated with carcinogenic effects).
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajim.4700240511/abstract
Carcinogenic effects of wood dust: Review and discussion
⢠Leena A. Nylander MS1,*,
⢠John M. Dement PhD, CIH2,â
Article first published online: 19 JAN 2007
DOI: 10.1002/ajim.4700240511
Copyright © 1993 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company
Issue
American Journal of Industrial Medicine
Volume 24, Issue 5, pages 619â647, November 1993
Keywords:
⢠wood dust;
⢠occupational exposure;
⢠furniture workers;
⢠carpenters;
⢠nasal cancer;
⢠occupational disease;
⢠toxicity;
⢠mutagenicity;
⢠prevention
Abstract
Occupational exposure to wood dust (alone or chemically treated) is associated with an increased risk of developing adenocarcinoma of the nasal cavity. The specific causative agents, i.e., wood dust alone (natural products), wood dust with additives used in the processing or manufacturing of wood products, and/or physical determinants of wood dust and the associated risk factors, are not known or understood.
The strongest association of exposure to wood dust and development of nasal cancer is observed in those occupations where workers are exposed to hard wood dust and chemical additives are not used. The time between first occupational exposure to wood dust and the development of adenocarcinoma of the nasal cavity averages 40 years (range 7â70 years). The epidemiological data available are not sufficient to make a definitive assessment between wood dust exposure and increased risk for cancer other than nasal cancer.
The toxicity, mutagenicity, and carcinogenicity of wood dust to laboratory animals or in vitro with animal or microbial cells have not been throughly studied. Thus there is no direct experimental evidence on the potential hazards of wood dust. Data are insufficient or lacking on 1) wood dust exposure levels in ambient air and worker's breathing zone, and the deposition in the nasal cavity; 2) hard vs. soft wood dusts; 3) particle size and shape; 4) chemical composition of wood dust and the extent of contamination with chemical additives; and 5) interaction between inhaled wood dust, chronic irritation, and tobacco smoking. These data are required so that one can understand the association between wood dust exposure and nasal cavity tumors, along with demographic differences in cancer rates, and to develop strategies for intervention and reduction of disease causing agents in order to reduce risk to wood industry workers. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Here is a grad student compilation paper has useful info:
http://www.trifl.org/cedar.shtml
That link above is a meta-paper up to the mid 1990s with many references.
These PubMed abstracts may also be of interest; I I know that oak and beech have not been publicly mentioned in ferret discussions in relation to carcinogenic aspects:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8231799
(abstract below)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/189039
(abstract below)
Med Pr. 1993;44(3):277-88.
[Biological effect of wood dust].
[Article in Polish]
Maciejewska A, Wojtczak J, Bielichowska-Cybula G, DomaÅska A, Dutkiewicz J, MoÅocznik A.
Source
ZakÅadu Aerozoli Instytutu Medycyny Pracy, Lodzi.
Abstract
The biological effect of exposure to wood dust depends on its composition and the content of microorganisms which are an inherent element of the dust. The irritant and allergic effects of wood dust have been recognised for a long time. The allergic effect is caused by the wood dust of subtropical trees, e.g. western red cedar (Thuja plicata), redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), obeche (Triplochiton scleroxylon), cocabolla (Dalbergia retusa) and others. Trees growing in the European climate such as: larch (Larix), walnut (Juglans regia), oak (Quercus), beech (Fagus), pine (Pinus) cause a little less pronounced allergic effect. Occupational exposure to irritative or allergic wood dust may lead to bronchial asthma, rhinitis, alveolitis allergica, DDTS (Organic dust toxic syndrome), bronchitis, allergic dermatitis, conjunctivitis. An increased risk of adenocarcinoma of the sinonasal cavity is an important and serious problem associated with occupational exposure to wood dust. Adenocarcinoma constitutes about half of the total number of cancers induced by wood dust. An increased incidence of the squamous cell cancers can also be observed. The highest risk of cancer applies to workers of the furniture industry, particularly those dealing with machine wood processing, cabinet making and carpentry. The cancer of the upper respiratory tract develops after exposure to many kinds of wood dust. However, the wood dust of oak and beech seems to be most carcinogenic. It is assumed that exposure to wood dust can cause an increased incidence of other cancers, especially lung cancer and Hodgkin's disease. The adverse effects of microorganisms, mainly mould fungi and their metabolic products are manifested by alveolitis allergica and ODTS. These microorganisms can induce aspergillomycosis, bronchial asthma, rhinitis and allergic dermatitis.
PMID: 8231799 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
J Natl Cancer Inst. 1977 Jan;58(1):149-50.
Possible carcinogenic effects of cedar shavings in bedding of C3H-Avy fB mice.
Vlahakis G.
Abstract
C3H-AvyfB female mice were tested on bedding consisting only of low-resin pine and on bedding ofpine plus cedar shavings. Tumor occurrences were similar in both groups of animals, with a slightly lower incidence and slightly higher average age for mammary gland tumors in the females on bedding of pine plus cedar. From these results, the high incidence of cancer in the C3H-AvyfB strain could not be attributed to the routine use of cedar shavings in the bedding material.
PMID: 189039 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20362040
Toxicol Lett. 2010 Jun 16;196(1):33-41. Epub 2010 Mar 31.
Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity in human lung epithelial A549 cells caused by airborne volatile organic compounds emitted from pinewood and oriented strand boards.
Gminski R, Tang T, Mersch-Sundermann V.
Source
Institute of Environmental Medicine and Hospital Epidemiology, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University Medical Center, Breisacher Strasse 115b, D-79106 Freiburg, Germany.
Abstract
Due to the massive reduction of air-change rates in modern, energy-saving houses and dwellings, the contribution of volatile organic compound (VOCs) emissions from wood-based materials to indoor air quality has become increasingly important. To evaluate toxicity of VOC mixtures typically emitted frompine wood and oriented strand boards (OSB) and their main constituents (selected terpenes and aldehydes), cytotoxicity and genotoxicity were investigated in human A549 lung cells. To facilitate exposure directly via gas phase, a 250 L emission chamber was combined with a Vitrocell exposure system. VOC exposure concentrations were measured by GC/MSD. Biological effects were determined after an exposure time of 1h by measuring cytotoxicity (erythrosine B staining) and genotoxicity (comet assay). Neither cytotoxic nor genotoxic effects were observed for VOC mixtures emitted from pine wood or OSB at loading factors of approximately 13 m(2)/m(3) (worst case conditions) of the panels (with maximum VOC levels of about 80 mg/m(3)) in comparison to clean air. While alpha-pinene and Delta(3)-carene did not induce toxic effects even at exposure concentrations of up to 1800 mg/m(3) and 600 mg/m(3), respectively, hexanal showed a cytotoxic effect at 2000 mg/m(3). The alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes 2-heptenal and 2-octenal caused genotoxic effects in concentrations exceeding 100mg/m(3) and 40 mg/m(3), respectively. In conclusion, high concentrations of VOCs and VOC mixtures emitted from pine wood and OSB did not lead to adverse effects in A549 human lung cells even at concentrations 10(2) to 10(5)-fold higher than those found in normal indoor air. Attention must be paid to mutagenic and possibly carcinogenic alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes.
Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
PMID: 20362040 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12851120
J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2003 Jul 11;66(13):1221-35.
The effects of wood dusts on the redox status and cell death in mouse macrophages (RAW 264.7) and human leukocytes in vitro.
Naarala J, Kasanen JP, Pasanen P, Pasanen AL, Liimatainen A, Pennanen S, Liesivuori J.
Source
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Kuopio, Finland.
Abstract
Wood dusts are classified as carcinogenic to humans and also produce other toxic, allergic, and acute effects in woodworkers. However, little is known about causative agents in wood dusts and their mechanisms of action. The effects of different tree species and particle size for biological activity were studied. The differences in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cell death (necrotic and apoptotic) between mouse macrophage (RAW 264.7) cells and human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) for pine, birch, and beech dust exposures were investigated in vitro. The pine and birch dust exposure (1-100 microg/ml) produced concentration-dependent ROS production in both the cells, which was one order of magnitude higher with pine dust. The ROS production was faster in human PNML than murine RAW cells. The higher concentrations (500 and/or 1000 microg/ml) decreased ROS formation. With pine and birch dust exposure, this was probably due to the necrotic cell death. The pine dust concentrations of 500 and 1000 microg/ml were cytotoxic to human PMNL. The beech dust exposure activated the ROS production and decreased the cell viability only at the highest concentrations, being least potent of the three dusts. A sign of the apoptotic cell death in the murine RAW cells was observed at the pine dust concentration of 100 microg/ml. The exposure to the birch and beech dusts with a smaller particle size (<5 microm) produced greater ROS production than exposure to the corresponding dust with a wide range of particle sizes. However, changing the particle size did not affect the cell viability. The results indicate that the type of wood dust (tree species and possibly particle size) has a significant impact on the function and viability of phagocytic cells.
PMID: 12851120 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8750906
Arch Toxicol. 1995;70(1):57-60.
Genotoxicity of wood dust in a human embryonic lung cell line.
Zhou ZC, Norpoth KH, Nelson E.
Source
Institute of Hygiene and Occupational Medicine, University Medical Centre, Essen, Germany.
Abstract
Wood dust exposure has been found to be an occupational hazard, being linked to an enhanced incidence of various neoplasias. Here we performed an experiment to evaluate the ability of solvent extracts of natural woods to induce chromosome aberrations in respiratory cells in culture. Human embryonic lung cells, MRC-5, grown in Dulbecco's medium were exposed to various concentrations of the dust extracts of pesticide-free (untreated) beech, oak and pine woods. Three concentrations per extract with and without metabolic activation (S9) and 100 metaphase cells per dose were examined for possible structural aberrations. Although no dose-dependent activity could be found with any extract in the presence of S9, most aberrations observed were of the chromatid type caused by oak wood. Dose-dependent chromosomal breaks caused by oak and chromatid breaks caused by both beech and oak were observed in the absence of S9. These data might support the early hypothesis that hard wood dust per se contains some in vivo genotoxic and thus possibly carcinogeniccomponents.
PMID: 8750906 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Might also interest some:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21869524
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19875789
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20391724
Sukie (not a vet)
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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