To investigate the risk of arsenic exposure from a coal-burning power plant in Slovakia on nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) development, a 1996-1999 population-based case-control study was conducted with 264 cases and 286 controls. Exposure assessment was based on residential history and annual emissions (Asres1, Asres2) and on nutritional habits and arsenic content in food (Asnut1, Asnut2). Asres1 was assessed as a function of the distance of places of residence to the plant. Asres2 additionally considered workplace locations. Asnut1 was used to calculate arsenic uptake by weighting food frequencies with arsenic concentrations and annual consumption of food items. Asnut2 additionally considered consumption of local products. Age- and gender-adjusted risk estimates for NMSC in the highest exposure category (90th vs. 30th percentile) were 1.90 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.39, 2.60) for Asres1, 1.90 (95% CI: 1.38, 2.62) for Asres2, 1.19 (95% CI: 0.64, 2.12) for Asnut1, and 1.83 (95% CI: 0.98, 3.43) for Asnut2. No interaction was found between arsenic exposure and dietary and residential data. Other plant emissions could have confounded the distance-based exposure variables. Consumption of contaminated vegetables and fruits could be confounded by the protective effects of such a diet. Nevertheless, the authors found an excess NMSC risk for environmental arsenic exposure.

Epidemiological studies have associated adverse health impacts with ambient concentrations of particulate matter ( PM ) , though these studies have been limited in their characterization of personal exposure to PM. An exposure study of healthy nonsmoking adults and children was conducted in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, to characterize the range of personal exposures to air pollutants and to determine the influence of occupation, season, residence location, and outdoor and indoor concentrations on personal exposures. Twenty -four -hour personal, at -home indoor, and ambient measurements of PM 10 , PM 2.5 , sulfate ( SO 4 2 À ) and nicotine were obtained for 18 office workers, 16 industrial workers, and 15 high school students in winter and summer. Results showed that outdoor levels of pollutants were modest, with clear seasonal differences: outdoor PM 10 summer / winter mean = 35 / 45 g / m 3 ; PM 2.5 summer / winter mean = 22 / 32 g / m 3 . SO 4 2 À levels were low ( 4 ± 7 g / m 3 ) and relatively uniform across the different sample types ( personal, indoor, outdoor ) , areas, and occupational groups. This suggests that SO 4 2 À may be a useful marker for combustion mode particles of ambient origin, although the relationship between personal exposures and ambient SO 4 2 À levels was more complex than observed in North American settings. During winter especially, the central city area showed higher concentrations than the suburban location for outdoor, personal, and indoor measures of PM 10 , PM 2.5 , and to a lesser extent for SO 4 2 À , suggesting the importance of local sources. For PM 2.5 and PM 10 , ratios consistent with expectations were found among exposure indices for all three subject groups ( personal > indoor > outdoor ) , and between work type ( industrial > students > office workers ) . The ratio of PM 2.5 personal to indoor exposures ranged from 1.0 to 3.9 and of personal to outdoor exposures from 1.6 to 4.2. The ratio of PM 10 personal to indoor exposures ranged from 1.1 to 2.9 and the ratio of personal to outdoor exposures from 2.1 to 4.1. For a combined group of office workers and students, personal PM 10 / PM 2.5 levels were predicted by statistically significant multivariate models incorporating indoor ( for PM 2.5 ) or outdoor ( for PM 10 ) PM levels, and nicotine exposure ( for PM 10 ). Small but significant fractions of the overall variability, 15% for PM 2.5 and 17% for PM 10 , were explained by these models. The results indicate that central site monitors underpredict actual human exposures to PM 2.5 and PM 10 . Personal exposure to SO 4 2 À was found to be predicted by outdoor or indoor SO 4 2 À levels with 23 ± 71% of the overall variability explained by these predictors. We conclude that personal exposure measurements and additional demographic and daily activity data are crucial for accurate evaluation of exposure to particles in this setting.

The associations between As levels in fingernails with both As concentrations in urine and environmental samples are reported. The participants (aged 20-80 years, mean 66 years) lived in the vicinity of a coal-burning power plant with high As emissions in the Prievidza District, Slovakia. Samples were taken in 1999 and 2000. The As levels in fingernails (n ¼ 524) were measured after washing and digestion with microwave heating by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry. The spot urine samples (n ¼ 436) were speciated for inorganic As (As inorg ), monomethylarsonic (MMA) and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) by hydride-cryogenic trap-atomic absorption spectrometry. The geometric mean As level in fingernails was 0.10 mg/g (range, o0.01-2.94 mg/g). There was a clear association between As in fingernails and the distance of the home to the power plant (Po0.001). Geometric mean As levels were: 0.17 mg/g distance r5 km, 0.10 mg/g 6-10 km and 0.08 mg/g 4 10 km. The association between the distance to the power plant and total urinary As (As sum ) (n ¼ 436, no fish consumption during the last 3 days before sample collection) was less pronounced (P ¼ 0.018). The As levels in fingernails were positively correlated to As in soil (n ¼ 207, r ¼ 0.23, Po0.001) and to As in house dust (n ¼ 209, r ¼ 0.30, Po0.001). The associations between urinary As sum and As concentrations in soil (n ¼ 159, r ¼ 0.13, Po0.105) and in house dust (n ¼ 162, r ¼ 0.14, Po0.081) were quite similar. As levels in fingernails were associated with urinary As sum and with the different As species in urine. It is concluded that As levels in fingernails are a reliable marker of environmental As exposure, and that As concentrations in fingernails reflect the As exposure in a similar manner compared with urinary As sum and As species.

second indoor sample (collected at a spectator's area) was 221 ppb, with a range of 1-3,175 ppb. The ratio of the indoor to outdoor NO 2 concentrations was above 1 for 95% of the rinks sampled, indicating the presence of an indoor NO 2 source (mean indoor:outdoor ratio = 20). Estimates of short-term NO 2 concentrations indicated that as many as 40% of the sampled rinks would have exceeded the World Health Organization 1-hour guideline value of 213 ppb NO 2 for indoor air.Statistically significant associations were observed between NO 2 levels and the type of fuel used to power the resurfacer, ABSTRACTAn international survey of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 ) levels inside indoor ice skating facilities was conducted. One-week average NO 2 concentrations were measured inside and outside of 332 ice rinks located in nine countries. Each rink manager also completed a questionnaire describing the building, the resurfacing machines, and their use patterns. The (arithmetic) mean NO 2 level for all rinks in the study was 228 ppb, with a range of 1-2,680 ppb, based on a sample collected at breathing height and adjacent to the ice surface. The mean of the Brauer, Lee, Spengler, Salonen, Pennanen, Braathen, Mihalikova, Miskovic, Nozaki, Tsuzuki, Rui-Jin, Xu, Qing-Xiang, Drahonovska, and Kjaergaard Journal of the Air & Waste Management AssociationVolume 47 October 1997 the absence of a catalytic converter on a resurfacer, and the use of an ice edger. There were also indications that decreased use of mechanical ventilation, increased number of resurfacing operations per day, and smaller rink volumes were associated with increased NO 2 levels. In rinks where the main resurfacer was powered by propane, the NO 2 concentrations were higher than in those with gasoline-powered resurfacers, while the latter had NO 2 concentrations higher than in those using diesel. Rinks where the main resurfacer was electric had the lowest indoor NO 2 concentrations, similar to the levels measured outdoors.

To assess the arsenic exposure of a population living in the vicinity of a coal-burning power plant with high arsenic emission in the Prievidza District, Slovakia, 548 spot urine samples were speciated for inorganic As (As inorg ), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA), and their sum (As sum ). The urine samples were collected from the population of a case-control study on nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). A total of 411 samples with complete As speciations and sufficient urine quality and without fish consumption were used for statistical analysis. Although current environmental As exposure and urinary As concentrations were low (median As in soil within 5 km distance to the power plant, 41 µg/g; median urinary As sum , 5.8 µg/L), there was a significant but weak association between As in soil and urinary As sum (r = 0.21, p < 0.01). We performed a multivariate regression analysis to calculate adjusted regression coefficients for environmental As exposure and other determinants of urinary As. Persons living in the vicinity of the plant had 27% higher As sum values (p < 0.01), based on elevated concentrations of the methylated species. A 32% increase of MMA occurred among subjects who consumed homegrown food (p < 0.001). NMSC cases had significantly higher levels of As sum , DMA, and As inorg . The methylation index As inorg /(MMA + DMA) was about 20% lower among cases (p < 0.05) and in men (p < 0.05) compared with controls and females, respectively.