Feature Channels: Environmental Health

• share
• favorite_border

The use of synthetic food dyes such as Allura Red has increased significantly over the last several decades, but there has been little earlier study of these dyes’ effects on gut health. Khan and his team published their findings in Nature Communications. “What we have found is striking and alarming, as this common synthetic food dye is a possible dietary trigger for IBDs. This research is a significant advance in alerting the public on the potential harms of food dyes that we consume daily,” he said.

• share
• favorite_border

Testing the contents of a simple sample of wastewater can reveal a lot about what it carries, but fails to tell the whole story, according to Rice University engineers.

• share
• favorite_border

The London Underground is polluted with ultrafine metallic particles small enough to end up in the human bloodstream, according to University of Cambridge researchers.

• share
• favorite_border

Research led by University of Queensland (UQ) and including the University of Göttingen analysed the effects of decarbonisation strategies by linking global resource inventories with demographic systems to generate a matrix showing the risks and benefits.

• share
• favorite_border

In a global study, researchers have identified that most reservoirs of rodent-borne diseases tend to live exclusively or occasionally in or near human dwellings, show large fluctuations in their numbers, and/or are hunted for meat or fur.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study has found that young Brits would be willing to change to a more sustainable diet, but a lack of understanding about what that actually means is preventing many from doing so.

• share
• favorite_border

Extremely hot and cold temperatures both increased the risk of death among people with cardiovascular diseases, such as ischemic heart disease (heart problems caused by narrowed heart arteries), stroke, heart failure and arrhythmia, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association’s flagship journal Circulation.

• share
• favorite_border

Emissions from copper-based antifouling paints are a well-known environmental problem.

• share
• favorite_border

Exposure to extremely hot or cold temperatures increases a heart disease patient’s risk of dying, according to a new study published today in the American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.

• share
• favorite_border

Electric cars – and their continued sales growth – are expected to have a greener, cleaner influence on air pollution and reduce human mortality in most, if not all, U.S. metropolitan areas, according to Cornell University research published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews.

• share
• favorite_border

Nearly every person in the United States has been exposed to per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) at some point in their life. These “forever chemicals” are the focus of a targeted investigation by University of Kentucky Superfund Research Center (UKSRC) researchers who are working collaboratively with community partners to protect Kentuckians.

• share
• favorite_border

Western wildfires have been increasing over the last decade and are expected to become more frequent. As a result, communities are seeing more unhealthy air days. In southern Oregon, Jackson County is creating a smoke management community response plan with the help of two University of Oregon graduate students.

• share
• favorite_border

Here are some of the latest articles that have been added to the Behavioral Science channel on Newswise, a free source for journalists.

• share
• favorite_border

University of California scientists have a new way to demonstrate which neighborhoods returned to pre-pandemic levels of air pollution after COVID restrictions ended.

• share
• favorite_border

On their own, microplastics are potentially harmful, and it’s unclear what effect they could have on pollutants. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters show that, when attached to microplastics, UV filters in sunscreens can make chromium metal more toxic.

• share
• favorite_border

By 2033, more than 1 billion laptops, cellphones, and other electronic devices could be entering the U.S. waste stream each year. However, with better end-of-life management, new Berkeley Lab research shows electronic waste could also represent a source of valuable metals, namely gold, that could benefit the future economy by offsetting increasing demand for virgin mining.

• share
• favorite_border

A team of researchers uncovered an ancient “pandoravirus” from underneath a frozen lake in Siberia. The virus was found along with others in the Siberian permafrost. Scientists say the viruses could help us prepare for pandemic-level issues as the permafrost thaws.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers find correlation between medications in sewage treatment plants and hospital data

• share
• favorite_border

A brief roundup of news and story ideas from the experts at UCLA Health.

• share
• favorite_border

In the lake-rich regions of the world, algae blooms are a growing problem. Not only are the floating green scums a nuisance for anyone hoping to enjoy the water, they can turn toxic and threaten public health.The main driver behind these blooms is phosphorus, an element used widely in agriculture to fertilize crops, that can run from the land and into lakes — especially during heavy rains.

• share
• favorite_border

Green Bronx Machine, Future Food Institute, Mayor of Pollica, President of ICCAR- UNESCO, and Italian coordination of the UNESCO Emblematic Communities announce LIFESTYLE FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE to partner with 600 schools in Italy to promote human and planetary health via Mediterranean Diet.

• share
• favorite_border

UC Davis Health infectious diseases expert George Thompson warns of the rising threat and apparent spread of disease-causing fungi outside their traditional hot spots. Fungal lung infections are commonly misdiagnosed, leading to delays in treatment and increase in antimicrobial resistance in the community.

• share
• favorite_border

Tick bites transmit Lyme disease. But even knowing where these ticks live doesn’t necessarily mean you can predict the disease in humans.

• share
• favorite_border

A team led by University of South Australia researchers has pioneered a new soil remediation technique that is significantly faster, simpler, safer, and more cost-effective than currently available methods.

• share
• favorite_border

They’re the creepy crawlies with a voracious appetite, so when it comes food waste, black soldier fly larvae are nature’s number one composters. Now, these wriggly grubs are helping South Australia’s food bowl stay clean and green as part of a sustainable food initiative from Mobius Farms.

• share
• favorite_border

There are hidden metabolic health impacts in things that most people encounter every day. From surface cleaners to silicone wristbands, from fracking fluids to wastewater — even household dust — these diverse environmental mixtures have a potential to disrupt human health. A grant from the EPA to Wayne State University will evaluate the risks of chemical mixtures on health.

• share
• favorite_border

Hosted by Chulalongkorn University the APRU APEC University Leaders' Forum 2022 is the first post-pandemic in-person APEC meeting held to foster high-level dialogue between CEOs, policy leaders, university presidents, and top researchers. This event begins Nov 15 at 9 PM EST.

• share
• favorite_border

Survey results from dialysis facilities in Australia and New Zealand indicate that environmental sustainability is not currently prioritized in facilities’ clinical practice, building design, or infrastructure and management systems.

• share
• favorite_border

The projects are focused on enhancing air quality monitoring in communities across the U.S. in areas that are underserved, historically marginalized and overburdened by pollution, supporting President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative.

• share
• favorite_border

Here are some of the latest articles that have been added to the Arthritis channel on Newswise.

• share
• favorite_border

Whether in drinking water, food or even in the air: plastic is a global problem - and the full extent of this pollution may go beyond of what we know yet. Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), together with partners from the Netherlands and Australia, have reviewed conventional assumptions for the transport of plastic in rivers.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

Among adults with normal kidney function, exposure to higher concentrations of components of air pollution was linked with higher risks of later developing chronic kidney disease.

• share
• favorite_border

A Brazilian study shows that the number of fires detected in the entire Amazon region between 2003 and 2020 was influenced more by uncontrolled human use of fire than by drought.

• share
• favorite_border

The word “plumber” comes from the Latin word for the metal “lead.”