Feature Channels: Environmental Health

Filters close
17-Feb-2015 3:45 PM EST
Exposure to Low Levels of Common Chemical Shown to Possibly Affect Reproductive Health of Male Newborns
Mount Sinai Health System

Male infants whose mothers were exposed during pregnancy to chemicals called phthalates may have a greater risk of future infertility

Released: 18-Feb-2015 11:25 AM EST
Laundry Detergent Pods: What You Need to Know
Kids + Chemical Safety

Laundry detergent pods became available on the US market in 2010 and are easy to use. These pods contain highly concentrated detergents wrapped in a thin film that easily dissolves in water. The appeal and design of laundry detergent pods has already resulted in many reported poisonings among children.

Released: 18-Feb-2015 11:00 AM EST
‘Nature’s Medicine Cabinet’ Helps Bees Reduce Disease
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Researchers studying interaction between plants, pollinators and parasites say in experiments where bees infected with an intestinal parasite had reduced parasite loads in the gut after seven days when they had consumed natural toxins present in plant nectar, compared to bees on control nectar.

Released: 18-Feb-2015 7:40 AM EST
Is the Flame Retardant, Tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), a Reproductive or Developmental Toxicant?
Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment TERA

The objectives of these GLP US EPA OPPTS 970.3800 and 970.3700 studies were to examine the effects of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) at oral doses of 10, 100 or 1000 mg/kg bw/day over the course of 2 generations on growth as well as behavioral, neurological and neuropathologic functions in offspring.

Released: 10-Feb-2015 2:00 PM EST
2011 Houston Heat Wave Led to Significant Rise in Emergency Department Visits
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Houston experienced its hottest summer on record in 2011, resulting in 278 excess emergency department visits per day during the August heat wave, according to research from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) published recently in Environmental Health.

9-Feb-2015 9:15 AM EST
Exposure to Mercury, Seafood Associated with Risk Factor for Autoimmune Disease
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Mercury in seafood – even at low levels generally considered safe – was associated with disease risk factor.

Released: 6-Feb-2015 4:00 AM EST
Environmental Policy to Prevent Cancer-Causing Pollutants
Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL)

Primary prevention of cancer - that is, stopping cancer before it starts - is possible through changes in environment policy, such as strengthening regulation on air quality and chemicals, including hormone disrupting chemicals. Malta chose to focus on this theme for World Cancer Day 2015. EU Environment Commissioner welcomed the initiative via a video message to the event.

Released: 5-Feb-2015 3:00 PM EST
Study Finds That Organic Food Reduces Pesticide Exposure
Boise State University

A new study from a researcher at Boise State is among the first to predict a person’s pesticide exposure based on information about their usual diet.

27-Jan-2015 3:55 PM EST
Earlier Menopause Linked to Everyday Chemical Exposures
Washington University in St. Louis

Women whose bodies have high levels of chemicals found in plastics, personal-care products, common household items and the environment experience menopause two to four years earlier than women with lower levels of these chemicals, according to a new study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The findings are reported online Jan. 28 in the journal PLOS ONE.

Released: 27-Jan-2015 3:00 PM EST
Man Trumps Dog: Earlier Assumption About BPA Exposure Confirmed
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Coating the mouth with BPA-containing food, like soup, does not lead to higher than expected levels of BPA in blood, a new study in Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology shows. The study authors conclude that oral exposure does not create a risk for high exposures of BPA, also known as bisphenol A.

Released: 23-Jan-2015 11:00 AM EST
Study Finds Lead Negatively Impacts Cognitive Functions of Boys More than Girls
Creighton University

The female hormones estrogen and estradiol may help ward off the effects of lead exposure for young girls, explaining why boys, are shown to suffer more often from the cognitive disabilities linked to lead.

   
Released: 22-Jan-2015 11:00 AM EST
Environmental Scientists Find Antibiotics, Bacteria, Resistance Genes in Dust from Feedlots
Texas Tech University

Researchers beginning to understand how antibiotic-resistant bacteria travel aerially.

Released: 22-Jan-2015 11:00 AM EST
As Ebola Deaths Rise, Researcher Sees Parallels with Devastating Medieval Plague
Rutgers University

Nükhet Varlik, a Rutgers historian, has studied the Black Death – the medieval plague that may have wiped out more than half of the population in vast parts of the world – and found echoes from centuries past in issues such as the spread of deadly diseases including Ebola, human interactions with the environment, climate change and other dilemmas that affect human health today as much as they did in the Middle Ages. There is much we may be able to learn about modern times from what Professor Varlik has found.

15-Jan-2015 3:00 PM EST
BPA Exposure during Pregnancy Causes Oxidative Stress in Child, Mother
Endocrine Society

Exposure to the endocrine-disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) during pregnancy can cause oxidative damage that may put the baby at risk of developing diabetes or heart disease later in life, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s journal Endocrinology.

Released: 20-Jan-2015 10:00 AM EST
Pioneer Study Examines Declining Coral Reef Health Due to Pesticides/Sea Surface Temperatures
University of North Florida

Coral reef health is declining worldwide. To better understand the combined effects of mosquito pesticides and rising sea-surface temperatures, Dr. Cliff Ross, UNF associate professor of biology, exposed coral larvae to selected concentrations of pesticides and temperatures.

Released: 15-Jan-2015 4:20 PM EST
Humanity Has Exceeded 4 of 9 ‘Planetary Boundaries,’ According to Researchers
University of Wisconsin–Madison

An international team of researchers says climate change, the loss of biosphere integrity, land-system change, and altered biogeochemical cycles like phosphorus and nitrogen runoff have all passed beyond levels that put humanity in a “safe operating space.” Civilization has crossed four of nine so-called planetary boundaries as the result of human activity, according to a report published today in Science by the 18-member research team.

Released: 12-Jan-2015 4:20 PM EST
WVU Public Health Professor to Provide Real-Time Data From Local Fracking Site Over Next Five Years
WVU Medicine

Michael McCawley, Ph.D., interim chair of the West Virginia University School of Public Health Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, plans to provide research data in real time from a dedicated scientific observation well being drilled in Morgantown.

Released: 8-Jan-2015 12:00 PM EST
Research: Exposure to Nanoparticles May Threaten Heart Health
American Technion Society

While nanotechnology has led to countless advancements, a group of Israeli researchers are now raising a flag of caution about its effects on our health. They say exposure to tiny silica-based particles can play a big role in increasing heart attack and stroke risks.

Released: 8-Jan-2015 8:00 AM EST
The Medical Minute: Radon’s Link to Lung Cancer
Penn State Health

Each year, radon kills more people than home fires, drowning, falls or drunk driving. It is the number one cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers, taking some 21,000 lives annually.

Released: 6-Jan-2015 8:30 AM EST
Low Levels of Libby Asbestos Exposure Linked to Lung Abnormalities
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

People exposed to asbestos from mining in Libby, Mont., show long-term changes in lung imaging and function tests, even with relatively low asbestos exposure, reports a study in the January Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

Released: 5-Jan-2015 11:00 AM EST
Vitamin B May Counter Negative Effect of Pesticide on Fertility
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Women who have adequate levels of B vitamins in their bodies are more likely to get and stay pregnant even when they also have high levels of a common pesticide known to have detrimental reproductive effects, according to new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research.

Released: 23-Dec-2014 10:00 AM EST
Argonne/EPA System Captures Mercury From Air in Gold Shops
Argonne National Laboratory

Nearly 20 percent of the world’s gold supply is produced by workers in artisanal and small-scale gold mining shops that purify gold by burning off mercury. Argonne National Laboratory and the Environmental Protection Agency have teamed up to stop this mercury where it starts.

8-Dec-2014 9:20 AM EST
Sharing That Crowded Holiday Flight with Countless Hitchhiking Dust Mites
University of Michigan

As if holiday travel isn't stressful enough. Now University of Michigan researchers say we're likely sharing that already overcrowded airline cabin with countless tiny creatures including house dust mites.

Released: 9-Dec-2014 9:00 AM EST
New Resource on Health Threats Posed by Endocrine-disrupting ChemicalsReleased on Eve of International Chemical Safety Meeting
Endocrine Society

As governments, industry and public interest groups from across the globe prepare to meet next week to discuss endocrine-disrupting chemicals and other international chemical safety issues, the Endocrine Society and IPEN released a new guide documenting the threat endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) pose to human health.

Released: 25-Nov-2014 8:00 AM EST
NIH Scientists Determine How Environment Contributes to Several Human Diseases
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Using a new imaging technique, National Institutes of Health researchers have found that the biological machinery that builds DNA can insert molecules into the DNA strand that are damaged as a result of environmental exposures. These damaged molecules trigger cell death that produces some human diseases, according to the researchers. The work, appearing online Nov. 17 in the journal Nature, provides a possible explanation for how one type of DNA damage may lead to cancer, diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular and lung disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.

   
Released: 17-Nov-2014 6:00 PM EST
'Probiotics' for Plants Boost Detox Abilities; Untreated Plants Overdose and Die
University of Washington

Scientists using a microbe that occurs naturally in eastern cottonwood trees have boosted the ability of willow and lawn grass to withstand the withering effects of the nasty industrial pollutant phenanthrene.

Released: 17-Nov-2014 4:00 PM EST
U-M-Led Study Adds to Understanding of How Phthalate Exposure Impacts Pregnancy
University of Michigan

In recent years, scientists have linked chemicals known as phthalates with complications of pregnancy and fetal development.

13-Nov-2014 5:00 PM EST
The Dirty Side of Soap
UC San Diego Health

Triclosan is an antimicrobial commonly found in soaps, shampoos, toothpastes and many other household items. Despite its widespread use, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report potentially serious consequences of long-term exposure to the chemical.

12-Nov-2014 10:00 AM EST
Ebola a Stark Reminder of Link Between Health of Humans, Animals, Environment
Ohio State University

Though no one would call the Ebola pandemic a good thing, it has presented an opportunity for scientists to alert the public about the dire need to halt the spread of infectious diseases, especially in developing and densely populated areas of the world.

Released: 10-Nov-2014 9:00 AM EST
U-M Students Complete Detroit's First Comprehensive Greenhouse Gas Inventory
University of Michigan

Energy use in buildings accounts for nearly two-thirds of the greenhouse gas emissions generated in Detroit, while exhaust from cars, trucks and buses is responsible for about 30 percent of the total, according to a new citywide inventory compiled by University of Michigan student researchers.

7-Nov-2014 11:00 AM EST
New Study Finds Laundry Detergent Pods a Serious Poisoning Risk for Children Younger than 6 Years of Age in the United States
Nationwide Children's Hospital

After releasing the results of a new study detailing the dangers of laundry detergent pods, researchers are calling for a national product safety standard in an effort to better protect children. The study showed that during a two year period, there were more than 17,000 children exposed to the highly concentrated chemicals in laundry detergent pods. That’s a child every hour.

Released: 7-Nov-2014 3:00 PM EST
New Study Shows Childhood Asthma Due to Living Near Major Roadways Cost Los Angeles Residents $441 Million in 2007 Alone
University of Massachusetts Amherst

Asthma caused or worsened by living near major roadways cost Los Angeles County more than $441 million in 2007 alone, according to a new peer-reviewed article by researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University of Southern California and the University of Basel, Switzerland.

Released: 6-Nov-2014 9:40 AM EST
Diversity Outbred Mice Better Predict Potential Human Responses to Chemical Exposures
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

A genetically diverse mouse model is able to predict the range of response to chemical exposures that might be observed in human populations, researchers from the National Institutes of Health have found. Like humans, each Diversity Outbred mouse is genetically unique, and the extent of genetic variability among these mice is similar to the genetic variation seen among humans.

16-Oct-2014 1:00 PM EDT
Triplet Threat from the Sun
American Institute of Physics (AIP)

The most obvious effects of too much sun exposure are cosmetic, like wrinkled and rough skin. Some damage, however, goes deeper—ultraviolet light can damage DNA and cause proteins in the body to break down into smaller, sometimes harmful pieces that may also damage DNA, increasing the risk of skin cancer and cataracts. Understanding the specific pathways by which this degradation occurs is an important step in developing protective mechanisms against it.

Released: 15-Oct-2014 10:00 AM EDT
UW-Milwaukee Researcher Adds to Evidence Linking Autism to Air Pollutants
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Study by Amy Kalkbrenner and colleagues shows that pollution's impact on autism rates in North Carolina is similar to results of previous pollution autism studies in California.

6-Oct-2014 9:00 AM EDT
Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Alter Thyroid Hormone Activity During Pregnancy
Endocrine Society

A new study in human placenta provides the strongest evidence to date that Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) can interfere with thyroid hormone action in pregnant women. The implication is that flame retardant chemicals called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can infiltrate the placenta during pregnancy and affect thyroid hormone activity at the cellular level, according to a new study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

Released: 8-Oct-2014 2:00 PM EDT
Proactive Office Ergonomics Can Increase Job Satisfaction and Employee Retention
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society

Although office ergonomics training programs have been shown to improve employee well-being and productivity, in many cases training occurs only after complaints are logged.

Released: 7-Oct-2014 10:00 AM EDT
Small Spills at Gas Stations Could Cause Significant Public Health Risks Over Time
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

A new study suggests that drops of fuel spilled at gas stations — which occur frequently with fill-ups — could cumulatively be causing long-term environmental damage to soil and groundwater in residential areas in close proximity to the stations.

Released: 7-Oct-2014 8:30 AM EDT
High-Pollution Days Linked to Increased Risk of Cardiac Arrest
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Rates of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are elevated after days with high levels of air pollutants, reports a Japanese study in the October Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

Released: 2-Oct-2014 10:00 AM EDT
HHS Releases 13th Report on Carcinogens
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Four substances have been added in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 13th Report on Carcinogens, a science-based document that identifies chemical, biological, and physical agents that are considered cancer hazards for people living in the United States. The new report includes 243 listings.

Released: 1-Oct-2014 1:00 PM EDT
Dog Waste Contaminates Our Waterways
American Chemical Society (ACS)

Americans love their dogs, but they don't always love to pick up after them. And that's a problem. Dog feces left on the ground wash into waterways, sometimes carrying bacteria — including antibiotic-resistant strains — that can make people sick. Now scientists have developed a new genetic test to figure out how much dogs are contributing to this health concern, according to a report in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology.

25-Sep-2014 7:30 AM EDT
Asthma Symptoms Kicking Up? Check Your Exposure to Air Pollution
American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI)

An article in the October issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, explores the case of a woman who suffers from asthma, and, along with her doctor, realizes that by changing her bike route to and from work every day, she can cut down on the pollution to which she’s exposed, thereby improving her asthma symptoms.

Released: 26-Sep-2014 1:00 PM EDT
Disease Without Borders
UC San Diego Health

In a paper published this week online in Global Society, researchers with University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and the Urban Studies and Planning Program, also at UC San Diego, present a bioregional guide that merges place-based (territorial) city planning and ecosystem management along the United States-Mexico border as way to improve human and environmental health.

Released: 23-Sep-2014 1:05 PM EDT
Microplastic Pollution Discovered in St. Lawrence River Sediments
McGill University

A team of researchers from McGill University and the Quebec government have discovered microplastics (in the form of polyethylene ‘microbeads,’ less than 2 mm in diameter) widely distributed across the bottom of the St. Lawrence River, the first time such pollutants have been found in freshwater sediments.



close
2.88307