Publications by authors named "Garthika Navaranjan"

Organophosphate ester flame retardants and plasticizers (OPEs) are common exposures in modern built environments. Toxicological models report that some OPEs reduce dopamine and serotonin in the brain. Deficiencies in these neurotransmitters are associated with anxiety and depression.

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Background: Canadian children are widely exposed to phthalates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from indoor sources. Both sets of compounds have been implicated in allergic symptoms in children.

Objective: We characterize concentrations of eight phthalates and 12 PAHs in floor dust from the bedrooms of 79 children enrolled in the Kingston Allergy Birth Cohort (KABC).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how exposure to phthalates in home dust during the first year of life relates to childhood asthma and wheezing symptoms.
  • It involves 436 children and analyzes their exposure to five specific phthalates, particularly focusing on DEHP, a common phthalate found in dust.
  • Findings indicate that higher concentrations of DEHP are linked to nearly four times the risk of developing asthma and a two-fold increase in recurrent wheezing, especially with late onset wheezing.
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Background: Few studies have examined phthalate exposure during infancy and early life, critical windows of development. The Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development (CHILD) study, a population-based birth cohort, ascertained multiple exposures during early life.

Objective: To characterize exposure to phthalates during infancy and early childhood.

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The Ontario uranium miners study is a large (n = 28 546) cohort with low levels of radon exposure relative to other uranium miner cohorts. Multiple methods were used over time to estimate annual occupational exposure to radon daughters including: mine-specific extrapolations by mining engineers, area sampling in limited areas of the mines combined with approximate working time and lastly, consistent exposure sampling in different locations of the mine combined with workers' time cards. Nonetheless, estimating exposures involves assumptions that lead to some uncertainty in occupational exposure characterisation arising from the assessment approach and variability within workplace, over time and by individual.

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Although radon is a well-established contributor to lung cancer mortality among uranium miners, the effects of radon decay products on different histopathologies of lung carcinoma are not well established. Using a retrospective cohort design, this study aims to examine the risks of lung cancer by histological subtypes associated with exposure to radon decay products among the Ontario Uranium Miners cohort. Cases were stratified by histological groups, and associated risks were estimated for cumulative radon exposure after adjustment for attained age and calendar period.

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Objectives: The study objectives were to extend the follow-up of the Ontario uranium miners cohort, one of the largest cohorts of uranium miners with low cumulative exposures, to examine the relationship between radon exposure and lung cancer mortality and, for the first time incidence, and address gaps in the literature, including dose-response relationship between radon exposure and other cancer sites, and non-cancer mortality.

Methods: The cohort of mine and mill workers was created using data from Canada's National Dose Registry and the Ontario Mining Master File. The follow-up for the cohort was recently extended for mortality (1954-2007) and for the first time includes cancer incidence (1969-2005).

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Purpose: To determine the risk of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) associated with exposures to multiple pesticides grouped by various classes, including carcinogenic classifications.

Methods: Data collected in the Cross-Canada Study of Pesticides and Health, a population-based incident case-control study in six provinces conducted between 1991 and 1994, were analyzed using unconditional logistic regression. Cases (n = 316) were identified through provincial cancer registries and hospital records.

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