Feature Channels: Environmental Health

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Newswise: Researchers track antimicrobial resistance in E. coli isolated from swine
Released: 16-May-2023 4:05 PM EDT
Researchers track antimicrobial resistance in E. coli isolated from swine
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The spread of drug-resistant microbes has become a global health concern that threatens our ability to treat infections. The widespread use of antimicrobials in livestock, such as swine farms, exacerbates this problem.

   
Released: 16-May-2023 2:00 PM EDT
May is Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Keep up with the latest news on skin in the Dermatology channel
Newswise

Skin cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer in the United States, with over 5 million cases diagnosed annually. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that melanoma alone accounts for more than 8,000 deaths each year. Thankfully, skin cancer is highly preventable, making it crucial to prioritize protection. Below are some of the latest headlines in the Dermatology channel.

Released: 16-May-2023 1:40 PM EDT
Easier way to test for PFAS could help detect dangerous levels earlier
Michigan State University

Giving people at high risk of PFAS exposure the opportunity to easily self-test could improve access to testing for these “forever chemicals” and lead to the early detection of detrimental health conditions, according to a new Michigan State University study. The study tested an improved approach for people to collect their own blood samples to test for PFAS without being part of an academic research study.

   
Released: 15-May-2023 1:05 PM EDT
Socio-economic development on the West African coast is a key factor for increasing flood risks
Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD)

Anthropogenic factors on the West African coast are contributing more than global climate change to the rapid increase in vulnerability and flood risks in the region.

Released: 15-May-2023 11:55 AM EDT
Scientists call for chemical pollution monitoring in Antarctica to support global chemical policy
Griffith University

A horizon-scan of chemical pollution research needs in has Antarctica has called for Antarctic Treaty consultative parties to extend their national chemical monitoring programs to their Antarctic research stations and Territories.

Newswise: Smartphone Use Goes Up in City Parks, But Down in Forests
Released: 15-May-2023 6:30 AM EDT
Smartphone Use Goes Up in City Parks, But Down in Forests
University of Vermont

New research shows that smartphone activity actually increases during visits outdoors to city parks—a finding that contradicts popular notions. Thanks to two years of unparalleled access to 700 study participants' smartphone data, the study is the first to show that young adults now spend far more time on their smartphone screens than in nature. The study finds that people who visit forests or nature preserves experience significant declines in screen time, compared to visits to urban locations for the same duration.

   
Newswise: Using urine to make sub-Saharan city region food systems more sustainable
Released: 12-May-2023 3:50 PM EDT
Using urine to make sub-Saharan city region food systems more sustainable
Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD)

To give the authorities a cross-sectoral view of a city’s nutrient sink status, the researchers identified and analysed a range of waste flows. Their approach distinguished four nested spatial levels: the urban area; the potential territorial recycling system; the country and the international level. Based on that analysis, the researchers focused on the origin and fate of those nutrient-containing waste flows.

Released: 12-May-2023 3:25 PM EDT
New research links changes in land use to water quality and quantity
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently published a study in the journal PLOS Water that focuses on the Sudbury-Assabet and Concord watershed in eastern Massachusetts, and which links hydrological changes, including floods, drought and runoff, to changing patterns of land use.

Newswise: SARS-CoV-2 seasonal behavior traced back to genetics and global change
Released: 11-May-2023 4:30 PM EDT
SARS-CoV-2 seasonal behavior traced back to genetics and global change
College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

As the northern hemisphere heads into summer, we may be in for a COVID-19 reprieve. Not because the pandemic is over; the Omicron subvariant ‘Arcturus’ is still creeping upward and causing new symptoms. But two new studies from the University of Illinois add evidence supporting a seasonal pattern in the behavior of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Released: 11-May-2023 4:00 PM EDT
EPA Ruling on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Big Step in Improving Air Quality: American Thoracic Society
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

Today, the EPA announced its proposed rule to regulate greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from power plants. Power plants, account for a quarter of all U.S. GHG emissions and is the largest stationary point source of such pollutants.

   
Released: 11-May-2023 3:10 PM EDT
UC Irvine study shows traffic-related air pollution in Irvine weakens brain function
University of California, Irvine

Researchers from the University of California, Irvine have found that exposure to traffic-related air pollution in Irvine led to memory loss and cognitive decline and triggered neurological pathways associated with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

Newswise: Metal-filtering sponge removes lead from water
Released: 11-May-2023 1:35 PM EDT
Metal-filtering sponge removes lead from water
Northwestern University

Northwestern University engineers have developed a new sponge that can remove metals — including toxic heavy metals like lead and critical metals like cobalt — from contaminated water, leaving safe, drinkable water behind.

Released: 11-May-2023 1:25 PM EDT
‘Sea butterfly’ life cycle threatened by climate change may impact Southern Ocean ecosystem
Frontiers

A team of marine scientists has examined life cycles, abundance, and seasonal variability of shelled sea butterflies in the north-east Scotia Sea, a region undergoing some of the fastest climate change in the Southern Ocean.

9-May-2023 3:05 PM EDT
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Get your mental health news here
Newswise

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Get your mental health news here.

Released: 10-May-2023 2:45 PM EDT
Air pollution worsens movement disorder after stroke
Hiroshima University

Air pollution has been shown to have a negative effect on the prognosis of ischemic stroke, or stroke caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, but the exact mechanism is unknown. A team of researchers recently conducted a study to determine whether or not increased inflammation of the brain, also known as neuroinflammation, is the main culprit.

   
Newswise: Virginia Tech researchers conduct proof-of-concept study on mosquito’s scent preferences
Released: 10-May-2023 2:30 PM EDT
Virginia Tech researchers conduct proof-of-concept study on mosquito’s scent preferences
Virginia Tech

Humans smell. Each and every person has a unique body odor. People have been using commercial products to alter their scent for generations. From soaps to perfumes, people gravitate to floral and fruity smells. Whether we think these smells are good or bad is of little consequence to mosquitoes, transmitters of diseases that kill hundreds of thousands of people each year.

   
Released: 10-May-2023 1:55 PM EDT
Environment impacts mental health of young people - research
University of Otago

Living in areas with high numbers of fast food, alcohol and gambling outlets, can negatively impact young people’s mental health, new research shows.

Newswise: Warmer Climate Could Cause Puerto Rico’s Frogs to Croak #ASA184
1-May-2023 12:15 PM EDT
Warmer Climate Could Cause Puerto Rico’s Frogs to Croak #ASA184
Acoustical Society of America (ASA)

The coqui frog, one of Puerto Rico’s most iconic animals, gets its name from its distinctive two-note call, “co-qui,” which can be heard throughout the island every night. The males produce these calls to mark their territory and ward away rivals, but scientists can use them to study the changing climate. At the 184th ASA Meeting, Peter Narins of the University of California, Los Angeles will describe changes in the coqui calls over a 23-year period. Every frog call had grown higher in pitch, indicating a mini-migration that corresponds with the temperature shift induced by climate change.

1-May-2023 4:15 PM EDT
Air Quality and Lung Cancer in Wayne County, Mich.—a Large Urban/Suburban Study
American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS)

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths in North America. Although cigarette smoking remains the main risk factor for lung cancer development, the importance of environmental factors such as pollution and poor air quality is becoming increasingly recognized.

Newswise: Indigenous people in South America are twice as likely to die from wildfires
Released: 4-May-2023 8:00 PM EDT
Indigenous people in South America are twice as likely to die from wildfires
Institute of Physics (IOP) Publishing

A new study, published in IOP Publishing’s journal Environmental Research: Health, reveals that Indigenous people in the Amazon Basin are twice as likely to die prematurely from smoke exposure due to wildfires than the broader South American population.

   
Newswise: Nitrogen addition and mowing alter drought resistance and recovery of grassland communities
Released: 4-May-2023 7:35 PM EDT
Nitrogen addition and mowing alter drought resistance and recovery of grassland communities
Science China Press

This study is led by Dr. Zhuwen Xu (School of Ecology and Environment, Inner Mongolia University). The effects of increased nitrogen input and mowing on the resistance and recovery of temperate grassland experiencing a three-year natural drought (from 2015 to 2017) were investigated based on a five-year field manipulative experiment.

Released: 4-May-2023 7:05 PM EDT
Vanishing glaciers threaten alpine biodiversity
University of Leeds

With glaciers melting at unprecedented rates due to climate change, invertebrates that live in the cold meltwater rivers of the European Alps will face widespread habitat loss, warn researchers.

Released: 4-May-2023 6:20 PM EDT
A new look at the electric vehicle supply chain as battery-powered cars hit the roads en masse
Argonne National Laboratory

Researchers at Argonne have published a series of reports that look at how production of electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries for cars are reshaping the transportation sector, with impacts ranging from job creation to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Newswise: FAU Lands $2 Million for ‘Center for Equitable Transit-Oriented Communities’
Released: 4-May-2023 3:00 PM EDT
FAU Lands $2 Million for ‘Center for Equitable Transit-Oriented Communities’
Florida Atlantic University

The center will focus on “Preserving the Environment,” to support the U.S. DOT’s climate solution and sustainability goals. The center will promote transit access, multimodal infrastructure, compact and efficient land use patterns, as well as resilience and climate mitigation and adaptation.

Newswise: Converging ocean currents bring floating life and garbage together
28-Apr-2023 2:10 PM EDT
Converging ocean currents bring floating life and garbage together
PLOS

The North Pacific “Garbage Patch” is home to an abundance of floating sea creatures, as well as the plastic waste it has become famous for, according to a study by Rebecca Helm from Georgetown University, US, and colleagues, publishing May 4th in the open access journal PLOS Biology.

Newswise:Video Embedded tick-safety-tips-from-lyme-disease-experts-at-tufts
VIDEO
Released: 4-May-2023 9:40 AM EDT
Tick Safety Tips from Lyme Disease Experts at Tufts
Tufts University

Warm weather means tick season. Faculty at the School of Medicine and Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine share tips for staying healthy outdoors.

Newswise: Marine Seagrass Meadows Show Resilience to ‘Bounce Back’ After Die-Offs
Released: 4-May-2023 8:30 AM EDT
Marine Seagrass Meadows Show Resilience to ‘Bounce Back’ After Die-Offs
Florida Atlantic University

A study in Florida Bay, one of the largest global contiguous seagrass systems, examined if a phytotoxin that accumulates as seagrass ecosystems become more enriched in nutrients prevents a marine seagrass, turtlegrass, from recruiting into open bare sediment following die-off events. While they do “bounce back,” long-term monitoring indicates the timeframe for recovery after major die-off events is at least a decade. Turtlegrass can successfully recruit into open bare sediment following die-off events due to biomass partitioning.

Newswise: Conformer-Dependent Reactivity of Carbonyl Oxides Leads to Dramatically Different Atmospheric Fates
Released: 3-May-2023 3:00 PM EDT
Conformer-Dependent Reactivity of Carbonyl Oxides Leads to Dramatically Different Atmospheric Fates
Department of Energy, Office of Science

The air pollutant secondary organic aerosol (SOA) forms when ammonia and amines react with oxygenated species. When ammonia is present when alkenes react with ozone, SOA increases in size and numbers. This may be due to Criegee intermediates. New research found that a particular amine, dimethylamine, reacts 34,000 times faster with one version of the Criegee intermediate acetaldehyde oxide than with another version of the same compound.

Newswise: World tour for model boat inspiring citizen science against environmental pollution
Released: 2-May-2023 5:35 PM EDT
World tour for model boat inspiring citizen science against environmental pollution
Northumbria University

After capturing the world’s attention on expeditions around East Africa, the Flipflopi project continues to find ways to inspire communities, governments and businesses to take action against environmental pollution. Now, a model of the traditional ‘dhow’ style vessel has arrived in Lisbon in Portugal from Dundee in Scotland as part of a travelling exhibition.

Released: 2-May-2023 2:30 PM EDT
Climate change affecting allergies, and other allergy news
Newswise

For millions of Americans that suffer from seasonal allergies (pollen and mold), climate change is exacerbating an earlier, longer, and overall worse allergy season.

Newswise: Sustaining U.S. Nuclear Power Plants Could be Key to Decarbonization
Released: 2-May-2023 2:05 PM EDT
Sustaining U.S. Nuclear Power Plants Could be Key to Decarbonization
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

As the world races to discover solutions for reaching net zero carbon emissions, a PNNL analysis quantifies the economic value of the existing nuclear power fleet and its carbon-free energy contributions.

Newswise: Air Pollution May Increase Risk of Dementia, Complicated by Genetics
Released: 2-May-2023 2:00 PM EDT
Air Pollution May Increase Risk of Dementia, Complicated by Genetics
University of California San Diego

UC San Diego researchers describe how exposure to ambient air pollution, such as car exhaust and power plant emissions — is associated with a measurably greater risk of developing dementia over time.

Released: 2-May-2023 12:55 PM EDT
More than 5,000 tons of toxic chemicals released from consumer products every year inside homes and workplaces
Silent Spring Institute

People often assume that the products they use every day are safe. Now a new study by Silent Spring Institute and University of California, Berkeley exposes how much people come into contact with toxic ingredients in products, used at home and at work, that could harm their health.

   
Newswise: Study Shows Oil and Gas Infrastructure Hurting Nesting Birds In Globally Important Breeding Area in Arctic Alaska
Released: 2-May-2023 12:35 PM EDT
Study Shows Oil and Gas Infrastructure Hurting Nesting Birds In Globally Important Breeding Area in Arctic Alaska
Wildlife Conservation Society

A new WCS-led study that analyzed 17 years of migratory bird-nesting data in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, revealed that nest survival decreased significantly near high-use oil and gas infrastructure and its related noise, dust, traffic, air pollution, and other disturbances.

Newswise: New Study Shows Non-Optimal Temperature is a Significant Contributor to Cardiovascular Disease Burden Globally
Released: 2-May-2023 10:20 AM EDT
New Study Shows Non-Optimal Temperature is a Significant Contributor to Cardiovascular Disease Burden Globally
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center

A new study by physician-scientists at University Hospitals Harrington Heart & Vascular Institute has shown that non-optimal temperatures have a significant impact on the cardiovascular disease burden across the globe.

Newswise: NIH Statement on World Asthma Day 2023
Released: 2-May-2023 9:50 AM EDT
NIH Statement on World Asthma Day 2023
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

The National Institutes of Health recognizes World Asthma Day and the innovative research that is helping to shed light on the disease, pave the way for effective treatments, and improve the lives of people who have asthma.

Released: 1-May-2023 7:30 PM EDT
Coal trains increase air pollution in San Francisco bay area
University of California, Davis

Coal trains and terminal operations add a significant amount of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution to urban areas, more so than other freight or passenger trains, according to a study conducted in Richmond, California, by the University of California, Davis.

Released: 1-May-2023 6:30 PM EDT
Exposure to airplane noise increases risk of sleeping fewer than 7 hours per night
Boston University School of Public Health

A new study has found that people who were exposed to even moderate levels of aircraft noise were less likely to receive the minimum recommended amount of sleep each night, and this risk increased among people living in the Western U.S., near a major cargo airport, or near a large water body, and among people with no hearing loss.

Newswise: Prolonged power outages, often caused by weather events, hit some parts of the U.S. harder than others
Released: 1-May-2023 2:45 PM EDT
Prolonged power outages, often caused by weather events, hit some parts of the U.S. harder than others
University of Washington

New research found that Americans already bearing the brunt of climate change and health inequities are most at risk of impact by a lengthy power outage.

Released: 1-May-2023 2:35 PM EDT
Bacteria could make salmon healthier
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

Researchers, including from NTNU, are breeding bacteria-free fish fry. This pursuit is more important than you might think. The researchers have studied how bacteria affect the growth, genes and mucous membranes of the fish.

Released: 1-May-2023 1:30 PM EDT
Air pollution exposure associated with increased risk of irregular heartbeat: Large study
Canadian Medical Association Journal

Does air pollution affect your heart? Acute exposure to air pollution was found to be associated with an increased risk of arrythmia — irregular heartbeat — in a large study of 322 Chinese cities published in CMAJ

Released: 28-Apr-2023 3:15 PM EDT
All time high temperatures are causing more injury deaths
University of California, Irvine

UCI Public Health’s Tim Bruckner, PhD, a professor of health, society, and behavior joined a research team to analyze death certificate data during the Pacific Northwest heat wave and discovered the association of higher injury death rates.

   
Released: 27-Apr-2023 8:10 PM EDT
Genomes from 240 mammal species explain human disease risks
Uppsala University

Research shows which regions have important functions in mammals, which genetic changes have led to specific characteristics in different species and which mutations can cause

   
Released: 27-Apr-2023 7:35 PM EDT
Twilight zone at risk from climate change
University of Exeter

Life in the ocean’s “twilight zone” could decline dramatically due to climate change, new research suggests.



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