Mustafa Al-Zoughool

PhD

Toxicologist

Photo of Dr. Mustafs Al-Zoughool

Mustafa Al-Zoughool

PhD
Toxicologist
Country of Residence
Square flag of Kuwait

Current Professional Activities

I am currently an associate professor of environmental and occupational health in the College of Public Health at Kuwait University. My interdisciplinary research focuses on assessing public health risks from chemical, biological, physical and lifestyle factors. I study the link between environmental, occupational and lifestyle factors and the risk of [chronic] diseases in the human population (e.g. cancer, asthma). Specific ongoing projects include risk modeling of emerging infectious diseases, risk of occupational asthma in health care settings, levels of air pollutants in schools and urban centers, air pollution and the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Professional Experience

Prior to joining Kuwait University, Dr. Al-Zoughool was an associate professor and director of the Quality Assurance & Academic Accreditation Unit, at the College of Public Health, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences in Saudi Arabia. From 2006-2012, Dr. Al-Zoughool worked in Canada at the McLaughlin Center for Population Health Risk Assessment, University of Ottawa. Before that, he completed a one-year postdoctoral fellowship at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France from 2005- 2006.

Academia, Publishing, Awards

Dr. Al-Zoughool has published 38 peer-reviewed articles (20 of them as a lead author) and 3 book chapters on diverse areas in public health such as molecular toxicology and toxicity testing, environmental cancer, modeling of infectious diseases, occupational asthma, disease burden and occupational injuries. The total citations for these publications are 1121. Dr. A-Zoughool was involved in the high profile IARC project to classify known and suspected human carcinogens according to the strength of epidemiological evidence. In that project, he was also directly involved in analysis of the key mechanistic characteristics of all human carcinogens. His research also contributed to the development of methodologies to quantify levels of occupational and environmental exposures to important health hazards such as carcinogens and air pollutants. He supervised more than 15 graduate students in environmental health and population health risk assessment.

He has led 15 research projects grants and won several awards including the Highly Qualified Profession Award by PrioNet Canada, Research Fellowship Award by the Institute of Scientific Foundation in Italy.

2022

Mustafa Al-Zoughool, Tamer Oraby, Harri Vainio, Janvier Gasana, Joseph Longnecker; Walid Al Ali, Mohammad AlSeaidan, Susie Elsaadany, and Michael G. Tyshenko. Using a Stochastic Continuous-Time Markov Chain Model to Examine Alternative Timing and Duration of the COVID-19 Lockdown in Kuwait: What Can be Done Now? Archives of Public Health, 80:22. DOI 10.1186/s13690-021-00778-y.

Albahar Soad, Janvier Gasana and Mustafa Al-Zoughool. Air Pollution and Respiratory Hospital Admissions in Kuwait: The Epidemiological Applicability of Predicted PM2.5 in Arid Regions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, 5998.

2021

Janvier Gasana, Ayah Odeh, Barrak Al-Ahmad, Shubhendu Mudgal, Mohamed Kamel, Mustafa Al-Zoughool, Harri Vainio, Lubna Hazeem, Maha Altourah, Mariam Buqammaz, Abdulla Safar, Shaikhah Al Hajri, Alanoud Ateeq, Shaikhah Alfajjam. Healthcare Workers and Exposure to COVID-19: Survey and Training in Kuwait. Teikyo Medical Journal, 44:06, 3313-3329.

Janvier Gasana, Harri Vainio, Joseph Longenecker, Tom Loney, Balázs Ádám, and Mustafa Al-Zoughool. Identification of Public Health Priorities, Barriers, and Solutions for Kuwait Using the Modified Delphi Method for Stakeholder Consensus. International Journal of Health Management and Planning, 2021 Jun 26. doi: 10.1002/hpm.3270.

Janvier Gasana, Boubakari Ibrahimou, Ahmed Albatineh, Mustafa Al-Zoughool, Dina Zein. Exposures in the Indoor Environment and Prevalence of Allergic Conditions in the United States of America. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18, 4945

Michael G. Tyshenko, Tamer Oraby, Joseph Longenecker, Harri Vainio, Janvier Gasana, Walid Q. Alali, Mohammad AlSeaidan, Susie Elsaadany, Mustafa Al- Zoughool. Analysis of Intervention Effectiveness Using Early Outbreak Transmission Dynamics to Guide Future Pandemic Management and Decision-Making in Kuwait. Infectious Disease Modeling, 6:693-705.

Tamer Oraby, Michael G Tyshenko, Jose Campo Maldonado, Kristina Vatcheva, Susie Elsaadany, Walid Alali, Joseph C Longenecker and Mustafa Al-Zoughool. Modeling the effect of lockdown timing as a COVID-19 control measure in countries with differing social contacts. Nature Scientific Reports. 2021;11(1):3354. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-82873-2.

2020

Tamer Oraby T, Tyshenko M, Balkhy H, Tasnif Y, Quiroz-Gaspar A, Mohammad Z, Araya A, Elsaadany S, Al-Mazroa E, Ahelaili M, Arabi Y, Al-Zoughool M. Analysis of the healthcare MERS-CoV outbreak in King Abdulaziz Medical Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, June-August 2015 using a SEIR ward transmission model. Int. Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 23;17(8): E2936. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17082936.

2019

Al-Zoughool M, Bird M, Rice J, Billard M, Birkett N, Krewski D, and Zielinski JM. Development of a database on key characteristics of human carcinogens. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health B Critical Reviews 22(7-8):264-287.

Krewski D, Bird M, Al-Zoughool M, Birkett N, Billard M, Milton B, Rice JM, et.al. Key characteristics of 86 agents known to cause cancer in humans. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health B Critical Reviews;22(7-8):244-263.

Birkett N, Al-Zoughool M, Bird M, Baan RA, Zielinski J, Krewski D. Overview of biological mechanisms of human carcinogens. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health B Critical Revi ;22(7-8):288-359.

AlDakhil L, Yenugadhati N, Al-Seraihi O, and Al-Zoughool M. Prevalence and associated factors for needlestick and sharp injuries (NSIs) among dental assistants in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine. 10;24(1):60.

2018

Al-Zoughool M, Al-Ahmari H and Khan A. Patterns of physical activity and the risk of coronary heart disease in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 15(4), 778-791.

Al-Zoughool M, Al-Shehri. Infection risk among dentists and dental professionals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Toxicology and Industrial Health 34(9):609-619.

Al-Zoughool M, and Al-Mistneer. Risk of asthma symptoms among workers in health care settings. Int. J. Environ. Impacts 1 (2): 172–182.

2017

Westphal M, Paoli, G M, Andersen, M E, Al-Zoughool, M, Croteau, M C, and Krewski, D. Future Directions in Risk Science. International Journal of. Risk Assessment and Management 20 (1/2/3): 241-260.

Al-Zoughool M, Tyshenko M, and Jradi, H. Towards an Effective Public Health Strategy to Reduce the Burden of Disease from Non-Communicable Diseases in the Gulf Region. Gulf Medical Journal. 6(1): 2-10.

2016

Al-Zoughool M, Oraby T, Krewski D. A Bayesian back-calculation method to estimate the risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in Canada during the period 1996-2011. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health A. 79 (16- 17):700-12.

Oraby T, Al-Zoughool M, Elsaadany S, Krewski D. A stochastic model of the bovine spongiform encephalopathy epidemic in Canada. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health A. 79 (16-17):677-89.

2015

Al-Zoughool M, Cottrell D, El-Saadany S, Murray N, Oraby T, Smith R, Krewski D. Mathematical Models for the Estimating the Risks of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Critical Reviews B. 18 (2):71-104, 2015.

Al-Zoughool M. Air pollution: health effects and assessment of exposure levels. Reviews in Environmental Health, 30 (3):131-3.

Al-Zoughool M, AlShehri1 A, Alqarni A, Alarfaj A, Tamimi W. Vitamin D status of patients visiting healthcare centers in the coastal and inland cities of Saudi Arabia. Journal of Public Health in Developing Countries. 1(1): 14-21.

2014

Krewski D, Westphal M, Andersen M, Paoli G, Chiu W, Al-Zoughool M, Croteau M, Burgoon L, Cote I. A Framework for the Next Generation of Risk Science. Environmental Health Perspectives. 122(8):796-805. 2013

Al-Zoughool M, Pintos J, Richardson L, Parenet L, Ghadirian P, Krewski D, Siemiatyki J. Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke and the Risk of Lung Cancer in Montréal: a case-control study. BMC Environmental Health. 12:112.

2011

Krewski, D, Westphal M, Al-Zoughool M, Croteou M and Anderson M. New directions in toxicity testing. Annual Review of Public Health. 32:161-78.

2010

Anderson M, Al-Zoughool M, Croteou M, Westphal M, and Krewski D. The Future of Toxicity Testing. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health. 13(2-4):163-96.

Al-Zoughool M, Tyshenko M, Krewski D. Risk Management of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and Variant Crutzfeldt-Jacob Disease in France: Policy Analysis and Lessons Learned. International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management. 14(1-2): 103-120.

William L, Tyshenko M, Lemyre L, Amaratunga C, Al-Zoughool M, Krewski D. Managing the risks of bovine spongiform encephalopathy: a Canadian perspective. International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management 14: No. 5:381-436.

2009

Al-Zoughool M, Krewski D. Health effects of radon: A review of the literature. International Journal of Radiation Biology 85: 57–69.

2008

Wilcox H B, Al-Zoughool M, Garner M J, Jiang H, Krewski D, Nicholson W, Landrigan P, Zielinski J. Case-control study of radon and lung cancer in New Jersey. Radiation Protection Dosimetry 128:169-179.

2007

Al-Zoughool M, Allen N, Tjonneland A, Kaaks R, Francoise C, Tjonneland A, Key T, Dossus L, Bueno-de-Mesquita H. Bas, Boshuizen H C, Jakob L, Jenny Chang-Claude, Riboli E., et al. Risk of endometrial cancer in relationship to cigarette smoking: results from the EPIC study. International Journal of Cancer 121:2741-2747.

2006

Al-Zoughool M, Talaska G. 4-aminobiphenyl N-glucuronidation by liver microsomes: optimization of the reaction conditions and characterization of the UDP-glucuronosyltransferase isoforms. Journal of Applied Toxicology 26: 524-532.

Al-Zoughool M, Succop P, Vietas J, Desai P, Talaska G. Effect of N-glucuronidation on urinary bladder genotoxicity of 4-aminobiphenyl in male and female mice. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology 22: 153-156.

Talaska G, Al-Zoughool M, Malaveille C, Fiorini L, Schumann B, Vietas J, Marsala R, Matullo G, Sacerdote C, Vineis P. Randomized controlled trial: effects of diet on DNA damage in heavy smokers. Mutagenesis 21: 179-183.

Fischer JM, Robbins SB, Kannamkumarath SS, Al-Zoughool M, Stringer SL, Talaska G, Caruso JA, Stambrook PJ, Stringer JR. Exposure of mice to arsenic and/or benzo[a]pyrene does not increase the frequency of Aprt-deficient cells recovered from explanted skin of Aprt heterozygous mice. Environmental &Molecular Mutagenesis 47: 334-344.

2005

Fischer J, Robbins S, Al-Zoughool M, Kannamkumarath S, Stringer S, Larson J, Caruso J, Talaska G, Stambrook P, Stringer J. Co-mutagenic activity of arsenic and benzo[a] pyrene in mouse skin. Mutation Research 588: 35–46.

Al-Zoughool M, Talaska G. High Performance Liquid Chromatography Method for Determination of N-Glucuronidation of 4-Aminobiphenyl by Mouse, Rat and Human Liver Microsomes. Analytical Biochemistry 340: 352-358.

2003

Talaska G, Al-Zoughool M. Aromatic Amines and Biomarkers of Human Exposure, Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part C—Environmental Carcinogenesis & Ecotoxicology Reviews, 21: 133-164.

Book Chapters:

Krewski D, Al-Zoughool M, Bird M, Birkett N, Smith M, Billard M Milton B, Rice J, Grosse Y, Baan R, Cogliano V, Kathryn Z. Guyton M, Straif K, Hill M, Little J, Zielinski J. 2019. Analysis of key characteristics of human carcinogens, Chapter 22. Of the IARC Scientific Publications, number 165: Tumour Site Concordance and Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis, Editors: Robert A. Baan, Bernard W. Stewart, and Kurt Straif. Lyon (FR): International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2019.

Tamer Oraby, Susie Elsaadany, Robert Gervais, Mustafa Al-Zoughool, Michael G. Tyshenko, Lynn Johnston, Mel Krajden, Dick Zoutman, Jun Wu, and Daniel Krewski. 2012. The Risk of Blood-Borne Viral Infection due to Syringe Re-Use, The Continuum of Health Risk Assessments, Dr. Michael G. Tyshenko (Ed.), ISBN: 980-953-307-582-7, InTech, Available from: https://www.intechopen.com/books/the-continuum-of-health-riskassessments/the-risk-of-blood-borne-viral-infection-due-to-syringe-re-use.

Photo of Dr. Mustafs Al-Zoughool