Feature Channels: Environmental Health

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UWF’s Office of Research Administration and Engagement and the American Security Project partnered to host a public panel discussion that focused on the threat of climate change and extreme weather to military installations in Northwest Florida. The event was part of the American Security Project’s National Climate Security Tour. Moderated by Dr. Matthew Schwartz, associate VP of research administration, panelists included CAPT Tim Kinsella, USN (Ret.), executive director of the Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz Center for Leadership; CAPT Rick Miller, USN (Ret.), founder & CEO, PHAROS Mission Critical Solutions; Dr. Brian Crisher, assistant professor in UWF’s Reubin O’D. Askew Department of Government; Dr. Haris Alibašić, associate professor in UWF’s Department of Administration and Law; and Eric Christianson, planner with the Emerald Coast Regional Council.

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A new study led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) identified a viral hotspot in Viet Nam where bat roosting sites, bat guano harvesting, and pig farms are all in close proximity.

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While paper packaging is often seen as the sustainable, environmentally friendly alternative to plastic, new research by Aradhna Krishna has revealed that excess paper packaging often creates the illusion of sustainability without actually reducing plastic waste.

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The American Cleaning Institute (ACI) applauded a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reject a petition requesting increased testing and changing the safety status of a key chemistry used to make concentrated detergent unit-dose packets and sheets from its Safer Choice program.

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A new study from The University of Toledo suggests early exposure to a common class of insecticides called pyrethroids may increase the risk of autism and other developmental disorders, even at levels currently recognized as safe by federal regulators.

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A new study has highlighted under-prepared regions across the world most at risk of the devastating effects of scorching temperatures.

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In Biointerphases, researchers develop a fabrication method to increase the efficacy and longevity of membrane separation technology. The team created a nanofibrous membrane with electrospinning, in which a liquid polymer droplet is electrified and stretched to make fibers, and increased the roughness of the membrane surface by loading it with silver nanoparticles. In water, this rough surface promotes a stable layer of water, which acts as a barrier to prevent oil droplets from entering the membrane. The technology is greater than 99% effective at separating a petroleum ether-in-water emulsion.

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Radon is a radioactive element naturally found in rocks, soil, sand, and water, which humans generally use in construction. This dangerous gas is second only to smoking in contributing to lung cancer. A Chula engineering professor suggests ways to defend ourselves from this threat.

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Argonne National Laboratory helps secure the nation’s energy future through innovative methods of deeply understanding the complexities of the electric power system.

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Researcher will discuss the study which involved a sleeping aid known as suvorexant that is already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for insomnia, hints at the potential of sleep medications to slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

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The alga Melosira arctica, which grows under Arctic sea ice, contains ten times as many microplastic particles as the surrounding seawater. This concentration at the base of the food web poses a threat to creatures that feed on the algae at the sea surface.

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Hundreds of UNC students have shared the same passion as Caltrider over the years, prompting the development of a Sustainability minor in 1970, a bachelor’s degree in 2011 and the creation of LEAF in 2012, which was originally proposed by students as part of a senior seminar class.

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Research published in Regional Environmental Change has shown that as climate zones shift toward hotter and drier conditions, ecological diversity will decline, posing a major threat to terrestrial ecosystems with far-reaching social and ecological impacts.

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The multidisciplinary team created a virtual simulation of the devastation that a Category 5 hurricane and sea level rise could have on West Palm Beach. The simulation, produced with 3D technology, reveals the destruction that could occur in Osprey Park and the surrounding communities, highlighting the threat to the coastline and potential solutions for coastal areas.

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Aretrospective study of temperatures in the province of Barcelona reveals that low temperatures increase the risk of going on a period of sick leave, due in particular to infectious and respiratory diseases.

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A new survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) reveals that one-third of adults (32%) "always or often" lose sleep at night due to worries about environmental issues, and younger generations are more likely to lose sleep due to these worries.

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Two University of Washington researchers are using very different methods to investigate the issue of marine microplastics. For Earth Day, UW News asked them to discuss their research.

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Heatwaves in India are increasing in frequency, intensity and lethality, burdening public health, agriculture, and other socio-economic and cultural systems. A study published in PLOS Climate by Ramit Debnath at University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom and colleagues suggests that heatwaves made more likely by climate change may impede India’s progress toward its sustainable development goals.

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The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health will host its annual World Malaria Day Symposium Tuesday, April 25, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. EDT. The theme is the blood stage of malaria, which is the most devastating phase of the disease. The event will take place in person in Baltimore with thirteen panelists. A remote option is available to journalists.

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A new study shows that cardiovascular strain begins at lower temperature and humidity levels than those that cause increases in the body’s core temperature, and could inform revisions to safety guidelines and policies that help protect people during heat waves.

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A panel of experts will hold a WCS media briefing on High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) that is currently wreaking havoc around the world and is the largest known outbreak since scientists have begun tracking the disease.

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Air pollution, a warm bedroom, and high levels of carbon dioxide and ambient noise may all adversely affect our ability to get a good night’s sleep, suggests a study from researchers with the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Louisville.

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University Hospitals (UH) Cleveland Medical Center is interested in sustainability with two primary goals: to raise sustainability and climate change awareness among employees through educational events, and to set manageable sustainability and net zero emissions goals that lead to a broader impact on health and the environment.

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The dreaded tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus infects different types of brain cells in different parts of the brain, depending on whether the affected person's immune system is activated or not. This is shown in a new study at Umeå University, Sweden.

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Plastic debris particles smaller than 5 mm in size, known as microplastics (MPs), are a serious environmental concern.

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PCB has been banned in most countries since the 1970s, but that doesn't mean it no longer exists. Now, deep-sea researchers report that they have found PCB at the bottom of the Atacama Trench in the Pacific Ocean.

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The Virginia Tech media relations office has the following experts available for interviews surrounding the environment, energy, and sustainability. To schedule an interview, please contact [email protected]. Rising seas threatens U.S. coastlines and cities A recently released report from the U.N. on climate change found that rising sea levels are "unavoidable for centuries to millennia due to continuing deep ocean warming and ice sheet melt, and sea levels will remain elevated for thousands of years.

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A white-tailed deer afflicted with chronic wasting disease — also frequently referred to as “zombie deer disease” — will appear abnormally thin, move sluggishly, and salivate excessively. There is no cure: chronic wasting disease (CWD) is contagious and always fatal, and it has been detected with increasing frequency in Virginia and other states, raising concerns about effects on the deer population.

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Argonne, The Morton Arboretum, the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign received a grant from NOAA to assess drought resilience in the urban tree canopy.

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Nitrogen dioxide is one of the criteria air pollutants that plays an important role as a precursor gas of fine particulate matter and ozone. NO2 emissions are known to be primarily generated by industrial facilities or vehicle exhausts.

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The Bezos Earth Fund has awarded $9.9 million to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Cornell University to support a project developing low-cost virtual livestock fencing that would benefit farmers and animals, improve public health in developing countries and combat climate change.

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Historically oppressed communities are faced with compounded health, economic and social injustices – with climate change making them worse.

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Below are some of the latest headlines in the new Avian Flu channel on Newswise.