Rodenticides are a key component of rodent management strategies, but birds of prey are susceptible to non-target exposure. New rules on sale and use of rodenticide products were introduced across ...the UK in 2016 in an industry-led stewardship scheme, with the aim of reducing this risk. To determine if this intervention has achieved its aim, exposure to second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) was measured in buzzards. Liver samples from 790 buzzards collected between 2005 and 2022 (excluding 2016 and 2017 samples) were analyzed and the percentage presence and concentrations of SGARs from pre-stewardship and post-stewardship samples were compared.
There was no statistically significant decrease in the percentage of buzzards exposed to bromadiolone, difenacoum or combined SGAR residues after the introduction of stewardship. The percentage of buzzards exposed to brodifacoum increased significantly post-stewardship, from 8 % to 27 %. There were no significant decreases in the concentrations of individual SGARs post-stewardship but concentration of combined SGARs increased significantly post-stewardship. Individual buzzards were significantly more likely to be exposed to multiple SGARs post-stewardship.
Rodenticide poisoning was recorded as the cause of death for 5 % of pre- and post-stewardship buzzards with detectable levels of SGARs, and 90 % of these had combined SGAR residues >0.1 mg/kg.
These findings suggest that the industry-led stewardship scheme has not yet had the intended impact of reducing SGAR exposure in non-target wildlife. The study highlights a substantial increase in exposure of buzzards to brodifacoum and to multiple SGARs post-stewardship, indicating that further changes to the stewardship scheme may be necessary.
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•Exposure of buzzards to anticoagulant rodenticides was investigated.•There was no decrease in rate of exposure or concentrations of SGARs in buzzards.•More buzzards were exposed to brodifacoum post-stewardship.•Higher concentrations of combined SGARs were detected post-stewardship.•The stewardship scheme has not yet reduced wildlife exposure to rodenticides.
Exposure of wildlife and domestic animals to anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) is a worldwide concern, but few methods exist to determine residue levels in live animals. Traditional liver detection ...methods preclude determining exposure in live wildlife. To determine the value of assessing AR exposure by fecal analysis, we compared fecal and liver residues of ARs in the same animals. We collected liver and fecal samples from 40 apparently healthy red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) potentially exposed to ARs, and quantified brodifacoum, bromadiolone, coumatetralyl, difenacoum, difethialone, and flocoumafen residues by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Residues of ARs were detected in 53% of the fecal samples and 83% of the liver samples. We found good concordance between AR residues in feces and liver for coumatetralyl, difenacoum, and difethialone. Bromadiolone occurred in significantly greater frequency in livers compared to feces, but no significant difference in concentration between feces and liver in individual foxes could be detected. Brodifacoum displayed a significant difference in concentration and occurrence of positive samples between liver and feces. Our findings demonstrate that fecal analysis of ARs provides a feasible and valuable non-lethal means of determine AR exposure in live wildlife.
The objective of the project was to investigate the plausibility of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to undergo sublimation from topical application following evaporation of solvent. Topical ...formulations with different APIs were subjected to a sublimation screening test. The APIs in the selected topical products were found to undergo sublimation to a different extent. The salicylic acid topical product was found to undergo a significant loss due to sublimation. The extent of sublimation of salicylic acid was significantly greater at skin temperature compared to room temperature. When the APIs were subjected to the sublimation screening test in their neat form at 32 ± 1 °C, the natural log of the rate of sublimation decreased linearly with the standard enthalpy of sublimation of compound (R 2 = 0.89). The formulation composition was found to have a significant impact on the extent of sublimation of the representative API, salicylic acid. The sublimation of APIs from the topical product was found to affect the mass balance studies in the case of the salicylic acid ointment. Furthermore, the results of the human studies agreed with the in vitro experimental results demonstrating the plausibility of loss of API due to sublimation from the site of application.
We conducted two focus groups and four individual interviews to examine the experiences of Florida Puerto Rican adults (N = 26) with secondary exposure to the devastation caused by Hurricane María. ...Results from our thematic analysis yielded four major themes and eight subthemes depicting responses to Hurricane María. Four major themes emerged across participant responses: 1) Participants’ Experience with Hurricane María, 2) Participants’ Negative Reactions to Hurricane María, 3) Participants Providing Support, and 4) Resilience and Growth. We also found that Florida Puerto Ricans’ secondary stress reactions were influenced by Puerto Rico’s political status and economic crisis. Results also indicated that participants experienced vicarious posttraumatic growth not only at the individual but also at the community level.
The study provides a systematic review of the empirical evidence for associations between job burnout and secondary traumatic stress (STS) among professionals working with trauma survivors, ...indirectly exposed to traumatic material. Differences in the conceptualization and measurement of job burnout and STS were assumed to moderate these associations. A systematic review of literature yielded 41 original studies, analyzing data from a total of 8,256 workers. Meta-analysis indicated that associations between job burnout and STS were strong (weighted r = .69). Studies applying measures developed within the compassion fatigue framework (one of the conceptualizations of job burnout and STS) showed significantly stronger relationships between job burnout and STS, indicating a substantial overlap between measures (weighted r = .74; 55% of shared variance). Research applying other frameworks and measures of job burnout (i.e., stressing the role of emotional exhaustion) and STS (i.e., focusing on symptoms resembling posttraumatic stress disorder or a cognitive shift specific for vicarious trauma) showed weaker, although still substantial associations (weighted r = .58; 34% of shared variance). Significantly stronger associations between job burnout and STS were found for: (a) studies conducted in the United States compared to other countries; (b) studies using English-language versions of the questionnaires compared to other-language versions, and (c) research in predominantly female samples. The results suggest that, due to high correlations between job burnout and STS, there is a substantial likelihood that a professional exposed to secondary trauma would report similar levels of job burnout and STS, particularly if job burnout and STS were measured within the framework of compassion fatigue.
Secondary inhalation of medical aerosols is a significant occupational hazard in both clinical and homecare settings. Exposure to fugitive emissions generated during aerosol therapy increases the ...risk of the unnecessary inhalation of medication, as well as toxic side effects.
This study examines fugitively-emitted aerosol emissions when nebulising albuterol sulphate, as a tracer aerosol, using two commercially available nebulisers in combination with an open or valved facemask or using a mouthpiece with and without a filter on the exhalation port. Each combination was connected to a breathing simulator during simulated adult breathing. The inhaled dose and residual mass were quantified using UV spectrophotometry. Time-varying fugitively-emitted aerosol concentrations and size distributions during nebulisation were recorded using aerodynamic particle sizers at two distances relative to the simulated patient. Different aerosol concentrations and size distributions were observed depending on the interface.
Within each nebuliser, the facemask combination had the highest time-averaged fugitively-emitted aerosol concentration, and values up to 0.072 ± 0.001 mg m
were recorded. The placement of a filter on the exhalation port of the mouthpiece yielded the lowest recorded concentrations. The mass median aerodynamic diameter of the fugitively-emitted aerosol was recorded as 0.890 ± 0.044 µm, lower the initially generated medical aerosol in the range of 2⁻5 µm.
The results highlight the potential secondary inhalation of exhaled aerosols from commercially available nebuliser facemask/mouthpiece combinations. The results will aid in developing approaches to inform policy and best practices for risk mitigation from fugitive emissions.
As a result of legal protection and population recovery, European polecats (Mustela putorius) in Great Britain are expanding into areas associated with greater usage of second-generation ...anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs). We analysed polecat livers collected from road casualties from 2013 to 2016 for residues of five SGARs. We related variation in residues to polecat traits and potential exposure pathways, by analysing stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) in their whiskers. 54 of 68 (79%) polecats had detectable residues of at least one SGAR. Bromadiolone (71%) was the most frequently detected compound, followed by difenacoum (53%) and brodifacoum (35%). Applying historical limits of detection to allow comparison between these new data and previous assessments, we show that in the 25 years from 1992 to 2016 inclusive, the rate of detection of SGARs in polecats in Britain has increased by a factor of 1.7. The probability of SGAR detection was positively related to increasing values of δ15N, suggesting that polecats feeding at a higher trophic level were more likely to be exposed. Total concentrations of SGARs in polecats with detectable residues were higher in polecats collected in arable compared to pastoral habitats, and in the west compared to the east of Britain. The number of compounds detected and total concentrations of SGARs increased with polecat age. There was no evidence of regional or seasonal variation in the probability of detecting SGARs, suggesting that the current risk of exposure to SGARs does not vary seasonally and has increased (from that in the 1990s) throughout the polecat's range. We recommend quantification of current practices in rodenticide usage, particularly in the light of recent regulatory changes, to enable assessment and mitigation of the risks of secondary exposure to rodenticides in non-target wildlife.
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•79% of European polecats in England and Wales were exposed to rodenticides.•1.7-fold increase in detection of rodenticides in polecats since the 1990s.•71% polecats had residues of bromadiolone, 53% difenacoum, 35% brodifacoum.•Enriched nitrogen isotope signatures were positively related to rodenticide detection.•Liver rodenticide concentrations were higher in arable than pastoral habitats.
79% of polecats in Great Britain were found to have been exposed to rodenticides from 2013 to 2016 and exposure has increased by a factor of 1.7 since the 1990s.
Nebulised medical aerosols are designed to deliver drugs to the lungs to aid in the treatment of respiratory diseases. However, an unintended consequence is the potential for fugitive emissions ...during patient treatment, which may pose a risk factor in both clinical and homecare settings.
The current study examined the potential for fugitive emissions, using albuterol sulphate as a tracer aerosol during high-flow therapy. A nasal cannula was connected to a head model or alternatively, a interface was connected to a tracheostomy tube in combination with a simulated adult and paediatric breathing profile. Two aerodynamic particle sizers (APS) recorded time-series aerosol concentrations and size distributions at two different distances relative to the simulated patient.
The results showed that the quantity and characteristics of the fugitive emissions were influenced by the interface type, patient type and supplemental gas-flow rate. There was a trend in the adult scenarios; as the flow rate increased, the fugitive emissions and the mass median aerodynamic diameter (MMAD) of the aerosol both decreased. The fugitive emissions were comparable when using the adult breathing profiles for the nasal cannula and tracheostomy interfaces; however, there was a noticeable distinction between the two interfaces when compared for the paediatric breathing profiles. The highest recorded aerosol concentration was 0.370 ± 0.046 mg m
from the tracheostomy interface during simulated paediatric breathing with a gas-flow rate of 20 L/min. The averaged MMAD across all combinations ranged from 1.248 to 1.793 µm by the APS at a distance of 0.8 m away from the patient interface.
Overall, the results highlight the potential for secondary inhalation of fugitive emissions released during simulated aerosol treatment with concurrent high-flow therapy. The findings will help in developing policy and best practice for risk mitigation from fugitive emissions.
Testosterone gels applied to skin carry a risk of secondary transfer to non-patients, leading to development of symptoms such as precocious purberty. Currently, there is a lack of in vitro data ...available to inform guidance over safe contact parameters. A secondary transfer model using porcine skin to model primary (patient) skin and secondary (contact) skin was employed, with testosterone permeation and distribution analysis after 24 hours. Primary skin saw increasing amounts of unabsorbed testosterone and a reduction in delivery to the skin during at later contact times. Secondary skin saw a reduction in unabsorbed testosterone and delivery with later contact times. Permeation data mirrored the distribution data. These differences could be explained by changes in the formulation on the skin surface after application.
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