Abstract Background Individual country- and cancer site-specific studies suggest that the age-adjusted incidence of many common cancers has increased in European populations over the past two ...decades. To quantify the extent of these trends and the recent burden of cancer, here we present a comprehensive overview of trends in population-based incidence of the five common cancers across Europe derived from a new web-based portal of the European cancer registries. Methods Data on incidence for cancers of the colon and rectum, prostate, breast, corpus uteri and stomach diagnosed from 1988 to 2008 were obtained from the European Cancer Observatory for cancer registries from 26 countries. Annual age-standardised incidence rates and average annual percentage changes were calculated. Results Incidence of four common cancers in eastern and central European countries (prostate, postmenopausal breast, corpus uteri and colorectum) started to approach levels in northern and western Europe, where rates were already high in the past but levelled off in some countries in recent years. Decreases in stomach cancer incidence were seen in all countries. Discussion Increasing trends in incidence of the most common cancers, except stomach cancer, are bad news to public health but can largely be explained by well-known changes in society in the past decades. Thus, current and future efforts in primary cancer prevention should not only remain focussed on the further reduction of smoking but engage in the long-term efforts to retain healthy lifestyles, especially avoiding excess weight through balanced diets and regular physical exercise.
Transient simulation using Large-Eddy Simulation of multiphase coal/biomass gasification has been conducted to evaluate the design of an entrained flow reactor to produce syngas. This work considers ...fast and slow fuel devolatilization, volatile and oxygen transport, chemical reaction and heat release, soot formation, diffuse radiation in the combustion zone and radiation to surrounding objects. Reaction rates and radiation parameters are based upon a local equivalence ratio calibrated against experimental data. This work evaluates reactor design for various co-firing conditions with model verification performed by comparing predictions to measured values of an experiment published by the Advanced Combustion Engineering Research Center. Results confirm the importance of small particles in flame stabilization and overall combustion efficiency.
•A multi-physics transient combustion model for coal-biomass co-firing is discussed.•The LES based transient coal-biomass model correctly identified impact small particles have on combustion efficiency.•The LES based coal combustion model runs on standard engineering workstation making it useful for industrial applications.•The model supports increased use of biomass to reduce fossil fuel use.
ObjectivesAnimal bioassays have demonstrated convincing evidence of the potential carcinogenicity to humans of titanium dioxide (TiO2), but limitations in cohort studies have been identified, among ...which is the healthy worker survivor effect (HWSE). We aimed to address this bias in a pooled study of four cohorts of TiO2 workers.MethodsWe reanalysed data on respirable TiO2 dust exposure and lung cancer mortality among 7341 male workers employed in TiO2 production in Finland, France, UK and Italy using the parametric g-formula, considering three hypothetical interventions: setting annual exposures at 2.4 (U.S. occupational exposure limit), 0.3 (German limit) and 0 mg/m3 for 25 and 35 years.ResultsThe HWSE was evidenced. Taking this into account, we observed a positive association between lagged cumulative exposure to TiO2 and lung cancer mortality. The estimated number of lung cancer deaths at each age group decreased across increasingly stringent intervention levels. At age 70 years, the estimated number of lung cancer deaths expected in the cohort after 35-year exposure was 293 for exposure set at 2.4 mg/m3, 235 for exposure set at 0.3 mg/m3, and 211 for exposure set at 0 mg/m3.ConclusionThis analysis shows that HWSE can hide an exposure–response relationship. It also shows that TiO2 epidemiological data could demonstrate an exposure–effects relationship if analysed appropriately. More epidemiological studies and similar reanalyses of existing cohort studies are warranted to corroborate the human carcinogenicity of TiO2. This human evidence, when combined with the animal evidence, strengthens the overall evidence of carcinogenicity of TiO2.
Abstract Aim To outline the perspectives for future control of cervical cancer in Europe. Methods Review of current status for major cervical cancer control tools. The review was based on PubMed ...searches for cervical cancer prevention, Human Papillomavirus, HPV-test, HPV-vaccination, and treatment with large loop excision of the transformation zone, LLETZ. Results Recent studies suggest that condom use offers some but not complete protection against HPV-infection. High quality cytology screening with good population coverage reduces the incidence and mortality of cervical cancer. Randomised controlled trials have found HPV-testing to increase the detection rate of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2+, CIN2+, compared with cytology. Two studies found a decreased detection rate of CIN3+ in the HPV-testing arm at the subsequent screening. Randomised controlled trials found that women not infected with vaccine HPV-types at vaccination are well protected against CIN2+ from these HPV-types, but the vaccine does not protect against CIN2+ from other HPV-types and neither does it protect already HPV infected women. There is an increased risk of adverse obstetric outcomes following excisional treatment. Conclusions The future of cervical cancer control may become a diversified strategy, one for non-vaccinated birth cohorts and another for vaccinated cohorts. It will take another 50 years before the non-vaccinated cohorts have passed the screening age. With the current uncertainty concerning the long term protection from HPV-vaccination it will furthermore be precautionary to continue screening practice for the first cohorts of HPV-vaccinated women. Organised vaccination and screening programmes with good record keeping are necessary to optimise the future control of cervical cancer.
IntroductionInorganic lead is considered a probable carcinogen by IARC (brain, lung, and stomach).MethodsWe conducted internal analyses via Cox regression of cancer incidence in two cohorts of ...lead-exposed workers with blood lead data (Finland, UK ), including almost 30 000 workers (20 752 in Finland and 9122 in the UK) and over 10 000 incident cancers. Our exposure metric was maximum annual blood lead (BL) test.ResultsThe combined cohort had a median maximum blood lead of 29 ug/dl, a mean first year BL test of 1977, and was 87% male. Forty-seven percent had more than 1 BL test. Significant (p<0.05) positive trends, using the log of each worker’s maximum BL, were found for brain cancer (malignant and benign combined), Hodgkins’s lymphoma, lung cancer, and rectal cancer, while significant negative trends were found for colon cancer and melanoma. A borderline significant positive trend (0.05≤p≤0.10) was found for esophageal cancer. Significant interactions by country were found only for lung cancer, with Finland showing a strong positive trend and the UK showing only a modest trend. However, in general trends were marked in Finland and weak or inconsistent in the UK.ConclusionsWe found strong positive incidence trends with increasing blood lead level, for several outcomes in internal analysis. Two of these, lung and brain cancer, were a priori suspected sites. Two of these outcomes are associated with smoking (lung and esophageal cancer), for which we had no data; however, we had no a priori reason to believe smoking differed between workers with different BL levels.
Estimated flare emissions created during flare ignition transient Smith, Joseph D.; Jackson, Robert; Suo-Antilla, Ahti
2017 International Conference on Environmental Impacts of the Oil and Gas Industries: Kurdistan Region of Iraq as a Case Study (EIOGI),
2017-April
Conference Proceeding
Gas flares are used to avoid catastrophic events where pressurized highly flammable gases must be safely discharged from processing facilities in chemical and petrochemical plants. Gas flaring in ...Russia, Iraq, and Iran represented approximately 39% of the 1,500 billion cubic meters of gas flared world-wide in 2016. Studies of flare design and performance have identified gas mixing, heat content, tip exit velocity, and crosswind velocity as key factors contributing to air emissions from gas flaring. To minimize these emissions, Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been used to analyze and optimize gas flare design and operation. Flare flame height and shape under diverse atmospheric conditions is highly variable and complex interactions between adjacent burner flames included in multi-point ground flares must be analyzed using Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) based CFD tools. Transient flare ignition and cross lighting requires detailed chemistry to accurately predict flame size/ shape, pressure profiles and associated gas emissions. Soot formation and radiation emissions from multi-tip flare systems burning upwards of 700,000 kg/hr in 400 flare tips have been predicted using a validated LES based CFD tool called C3d. This tool predicted radiation flux and respective temperature of surrounding equipment and gas emissions under no-wind and 10 mph wind. Predictions were compared to measured flame shape/size, radiation flux, and soot production for various fuel types under different wind conditions. A new technology to directly measure other air emissions during flare operation was also discussed. Comparison of measured flare performance to predictions haven been used to validate CFD results. The validated CFD tool along with the new measurement technology can be used to estimate world-wide flare emissions and develop strategies to minimize flare emissions.
This paper reviews articles published during 1970—1997 from 48 epidemiologic studies on occupational and environmental risk factors of ovarian cancer. Current evidence is characterized by poorly ...focused data for occupational and environmental agents, vulnerability to biases, and an almost complete lack of quantitative exposure-response data. The moderate amount of data on nurses, teachers, professionals, dry cleaning employees, women in agriculture, the pharmaceutical industry, pharmacists, waitresses, and cooks show very little, if any, evidence of excess risk. Hairdressers, beauticians, and women employed in the printing industry may be at increased risk, but the data are insufficient for strong conclusions. Some case-referent studies suggest a modest-to-moderate excess in association with genital talc application. Few high-quality studies have been carried out, and no chemical agents have been studied extensively, with the exception of exposure to talc. Ovarian cancer may have occupational and environmental etiologies intertwined with cultural, behavioral, and life-style factors and genetic susceptibility, but current knowledge is insufficient to quantify occupational and environmental etiologies reliably. Well-designed analytic epidemiologic studies with sufficient power are needed.
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