RSI's Nataliya Karyakina

Nataliya Karyakina

Senior Toxicologist, Health Risk Analyst

PhD, MSc, BSc

Joined RSI in 2008

Personal introduction

In 1983, I graduated from the Kiev State Medical Institute named after O.O. Bogomolets (now, Bogomolets National Medical University), where I obtained a B.Sc. in Medicine and a M.Sc. in Epidemiology. In 1992, I earned a Ph.D. in Toxicology at Ukrainian Scientific and Research Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ministry of Public Health of Ukraine (Kiev, Ukraine). While working on my dissertation, I examined hazardous properties of a new plant growth regulator (PGR) from nicotinic acid (niacin or vitamin B3) derivatives and its structural analogs to establish the Maximum Allowable Concentration (MAC) of the new PGR in surface water, used as drinking water supply by the general population. After defending my dissertation, I joined the Scientific Research Institute of Hygiene and Toxicology of Pesticides, Polymers and Plastics, Ministry of Public Health of the Soviet Union (Kiev, Ukraine) (currently, Scientific Centre of Preventive Toxicology, Food and Chemical Safety, Ministry of Public Health of Ukraine). My primary responsibilities included:

  • identification and assessment of acute, sub-chronic and chronic toxicity of new chemical substances and compounds from various chemical groups;
  • investigation of accumulation properties of new chemicals and it metabolites in biological tissues and organs of laboratory animals and environmental media;
  • analysis of the metabolism, toxicokinetic and potential mode of action of new chemicals and its potential metabolites;
  • identification of critical adverse health effect(s);
  • justification of the lowest observed adverse effect levels (LOAELs) and the no-observed-adverse-effect-levels (NOAELs) of acute, sub-acute and chronic toxic effects following oral, inhalation or dermal exposure;
  • investigation of environmental fate of new chemicals and its metabolites, their stability in drinking water and dependence of these indices on environmental conditions;
  • preparation of rationale documents for the development of regulatory health-based safety limits – the maximum acceptable concentrations (MACs) in different environmental media (food products, drinking water, ambient air and soil);
  • preparation of recommendations for the safe use of pesticides for workers and the general public and presentation of these recommendations to the Ministry of Public Health for approval.

I joined the McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment (Institute of Population Health, University of Ottawa) in 2005. At the McLaughlin Centre, I worked on various projects related to the assessment of health risks associated with exposure to physical, chemical and biological infectious agents. I joined RSI in June 2008.

Nataliya Karyakina: Current Focus

Dr. Nataliya Karyakina has solid knowledge and extensive experience in hazard identification and human health risk assessments of toxic chemicals present in air, water, food and consumer products. Her research focuses on multidisciplinary studies of potential adverse health effects of essential and toxic metals (e.g., aluminium, cooper, lanthanum, lithium, manganese, silica, tellurium), pharmaceuticals (e.g., statins, ethinyl estradiol, estradiol, veterinary drugs), engineered nanomaterials (e.g., titanium dioxide, alumina, nanostructured synthetic amorphous silica), pharmacokinetics and toxicokinetics of environmental, endogenous and man-made endocrine active or disrupting chemicals (e.g., phytoestrogens, estradiol, bisphenol A) (Mattison et al., 2014),research and development of toxicity profiles for chemicals on Health Canada’s Domestic Substances List (DSL) (e.g., carbon black, phthalates, brominated flame retardants). Dr. Karyakina has been working on projects involving classification and labeling of chemicals according to CLP (EC) 1272/2008), derivation of health-based Derived No Effect Levels (DNELs) for workers and the general population according to REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) Regulation (EC 1907/2006) (Armstrong et al., 2020 and Willhite et al., 2020), and derivation of health-based regulatory guidance and values of hazardous chemicals for the general population (Ramoju et al., 2020 a,b). Dr. Karyakina has been involved in a systematic review of the potential carcinogenic hazard associated with a perineal use of talc by the general population (Taher et al., 2019, 2020), a systematic reviews of potential health and environmental risks associated with insoluble and soluble aluminum compounds (Willhite et al., 2014; Willhite et al., 2019), a comprehensive review of the literature related to the potential human health effects of manganese (Mn) and its neurotoxic outcomes following occupational inhalation exposure to manganese (Mattison et al., 2017, Milton et al., 2017). Currently, she is working on projects related to potential adverse health effects following occupational and consumers’ exposure to engineered nanoalumina, on review of the literature related to the current status of diagnostic criteria for occupational manganism in Mn-exposed workers, potential biomarkers of Mn exposure and effects.

Works and Accomplishments

Dr. Karyakina has published multiple articles in scientific journals.

Tyshenko, M.G., Willhite, C., Levy, L., Deveau, M., Andersen, M.E., Karyakina, N., Maier, A., Momoli, F., Barton-Maclaren, TS., Krewski, D. 2023. Evolution of the Use of Toxicological Data for Evaluating Chemical Safety and Occupational Exposure Limits. Patty’s Ind Hyg Toxicol [accepted for publication].

Willhite, C.C., Karyakina, N.A., Yenugadhati, N., Momoli, F., Wisniewski, T., Krewski, D. 2023.  Aluminum Industrial Health and Safety. Patty’s Ind Hyg Toxicol [accepted for publication].

Karyakina, N.A., Shilnikova, N., Farhat, N., Ramoju, S., Cline, B., Momoli, F., Mattison, D., Jensen, N., Terrell, R., Krewski, D. 2023. Biomarkers for occupational manganese exposure. Crit Rev Toxicol. 1-28.

Jensen, N., Terrell, R., Ramoju, S., Shilnikova, N., Farhat, N., Karyakina, N., Cline, B.H., Momoli, F., Mattison, D., Krewski, D. 2022. Magnetic resonance imaging T1 indices of the brain as biomarkers of inhaled manganese exposure. Crit Rev Toxicol. 52(5):358-370.

Shilnikova, N., Karyakina, N., Farhat, N., Ramoju, S., Cline, B., Momoli, F., Mattison, D., Jensen, N., Terrell, R., Krewski, D. 2022. Biomarkers of environmental manganese exposure. Crit Rev Toxicol. 52(4):325-343.

Mattison, D.R., Momoli, F., Alyanak, C., Aschner, M., Baker, M., Cashman, N., Dydak, U., Farhat, N., Guilarte, T.R., Karyakina, N., Ramoju, S., Shilnikova, N., Taba, P., Krewski. D. Diagnosis of Manganism and Manganese Neurotoxicity: Workshop Report [prepared for submission].

Armstrong, V., Karyakina, N.A., Nordheim, E., Arnold, I., Krewski, D. 2021. Intent and Provision of REACH: Issues involved in the registration of metals. Neurotoxicology. 83:186-198.

Willhite, C., Karyakina, N.A., Nordheim, E., Arnold, I.M.F., Armstrong, V., Momoli, F., Shilnikova, N.S., Yenugadhati, N., Krewski, D., Willhite, C.C. 2021. The REACH Registration Process: A case study of aluminium metal, aluminium oxide, and aluminium hydroxide. Neurotoxicology. 83:166-178.

Ramoju, S., Andersen, M., Poddalgoda, D., Nong, A., Karyakina, N., Shilnikova, N., Krishnan, K., Krewski, D. 2020a. Derivation of whole blood biomonitoring equivalents for lithium for the interpretation of biomonitoring data. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 111:104581.

Ramoju, S., Andersen, M.E., Nong, A., Karyakina, N.A., Shilnikova, N., Krishnan, K., Krewski, D. 2020b. Derivation of whole blood biomonitoring equivalents for titanium for the interpretation of biomonitoring data. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 114:104671.

Taher, M.K., Farhat, N., Karyakina, N.A., Shilnikova, N., Ramoju, S., Gravel, C.A., Krishnan, K., Mattison, D., Wen, S.W., Krewski, D. 2020. Data on systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiologic evidence on the association between perineal use of talc powder and risk of ovarian cancer. Data Brief. 29:105277.

Taher., K.M, Farhat, N., Karyakina, N.A., Shilnikova, N., Ramoju, S., Grave, l C.A., Krishnan, K., Mattison, D., Wen, S.W., Krewski, D. 2019. Critical review of the association between perineal use of talc powder and risk of ovarian cancer. Reprod Toxicol. 90: 88-101.

Mattison, D.R., Milton, B., Krewski, D., Levy, L., Dorman, D.C., Aggett, P.J., Roels, H.A., Andersen, M.E., Karyakina, N.A., Shilnikova, N., Ramoju, S., McGough, D. 2017. Severity scoring of manganese health effects for categorical regression. Neurotoxicology. 58:203-216.

Milton, B., Krewski, D., Mattison, D.R., Karyakina, N.A., Ramoju, S., Shilnikova, N., Birkett, N., Farrell, P.J., McGough, D. 2017. Modeling U-shaped dose-response curves for manganese using categorical regression. Neurotoxicology. 58:217-225.

Mattison, D.R., Karyakina, N.A., Goodman, M., LaKind, J.L. 2014. Pharmaco – and toxicokinetics of selected exogenous and endogenous estrogens: A review of the data and identification of knowledge gaps. Crit Rev Toxicol. 6:1-29.

Willhite, C.C., Karyakina, N.A., Yokel, R.A., Momoli, F., Yenugadhati, N., Wisniewski, T.M., Arnold, I.M.F. & Krewski, D. 2014. Systematic review of potential health risks posed by pharmaceutical, occupational and consumer exposures to metallic and nanoscale aluminum, aluminum oxide, aluminium hydroxide and the soluble salts. Crit Rev Toxicol. 44(S4): 1–80.

Willhite, C., Karyakina, N.A., Wiles, A., Yenugadhati, N., Momoli, F., Wisniewski, T., and Krewski D. 2019. Overview of Potential Aluminium Health Risks. Encyclopedia of Environmental Health. 2nd ed. J.O. Niagu, S. Kacew, T. Kawamoto, J.A. Patz and D.M. Rennie, Eds., pp. 817-830. Elsevier, Amsterdam.

Phillips, K.P., Foster, W.G., Leiss, W., Sahni, V., Karyakina, N., Turner, M.C., Kacew, S., Krewski, D. 2008. Assessing and managing risks arising from exposure to endocrine-active chemicals and endocrine toxicants with emphasis on human health risks. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev. 11(3-4): 351-372.

Momoli, F., Karyakina, N., Dennis, J., Farhat, N., Krewski, D. 2008. Chrysotile asbestos exposure in Canada. Risk Sciences International. 129 p.

Karyakina, N., Darshan, S., Krewski, D. and Tyshenko, M.G. 2010. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy and variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease preventive risk management in Russian Federation. Int J Risk Assess Manag. 14 (1/2): 61-79.

Karyakina, N., Krewski, D. and Tyshenko, M.G. 2010. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy and variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease risk management in Central European Countries: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia and Poland. Int J Risk Assess Manag. 14 (1/2):79-103.

Darshan, S., Karyakina, N., Krewski, D. and Tyshenko, M.G. 2010. Preventive risk management strategies for bovine spongiform encephalopathy and variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease in India. Int J Risk Assess Manag. 14 (3/4):239-254.

Lemyre, L., Boutette, P., Karyakina, N., Markon, M. P. L., Brazeau, I., Krewski, D. 2009. International case studies of psychosocial ripple effects of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in European countries. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 72 (17&18):1092-1095.

Lemyre, L., Clément, M., Corneil, W., Craig, L., Boutette, P., Tyshenko, M. G., Karyakina, N., Clarke, R., Krewski, D. GAP-Santé Research Team. 2005. A Psychosocial risk assessment and management framework to enhance response to CBRN terrorism threats and attacks. Biosecur Bioterror. 3(4):316-330.

Karyakina (Minakova) N.A. 1992. Toxicology of new plant growth regulators from nicotinic acid derivates and regulations on their safe application for the public and the environment. Ph.D. Thesis. 14.00.20 – Toxicology. Ukrainian Scientific and Research Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Ministry of Public Health of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine. 15 p. [in Russian].

Nataliya, presenting a poster during a workshop.

Nataliya Karyakina: Extra-curricular

Nataliya enjoys cooking, reading, mushroom hunting and fishing.

She believes strongly that cooking a favorite dish or learning a recipe for her family and friends is highly rewarding and a continuous learning process.

This quote sums up her passion for books: “I read, so I can live more than one life in more than one place” (Anne Tyler).

Finally, mushroom hunting and fishing provide an amazing opportunity to interact with nature and wildlife.