The findings shattered a myth started by a 2010 article in the journal Science, claiming the Trogia venenata mushroom contained high concentrations of the metal barium, causing high blood pressure, cardiac arrests and sudden deaths in southwestern China over the past 30 years.
It is a known fact that active maternal smoking during pregnancy has negative effects on child health, such as attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, new research suggests that second hand smoke, or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), may be just as harmful.
New research from the University of Michigan School of Public Health found BPA, or bisphenol A, in fetal liver tissue, demonstrating that there is considerable exposure to the chemical during pregnancy.
Dust is on the rise in many regions of the United States and the world, giving researchers more cause than ever to understand what exactly natural dust is made of and whether any of its constituents pose a risk to human health.
A new study published in the December issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology finds chemicals used for water purification can lead to food allergies.
In utero exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) can be associated with decreased thyroid function in newborn sheep, according to a recent study accepted for publication in Endocrinology, a journal of The Endocrine Society.
Even the very lowest levels of radiation are harmful to life, scientists have concluded in the Cambridge Philosophical Society’s journal Biological Reviews. Reporting the results of a wide-ranging analysis of 46 peer-reviewed studies published over the past 40 years, researchers from the University of South Carolina and the University of Paris-Sud found that variation in low-level, natural background radiation had small, but highly statistically significant, negative effects on DNA as well as several measures of health.
A new study shows that people who have had a head injury and have lived or worked near areas where the pesticide paraquat was used may be three times more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease. The study is published in the November 13, 2012, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
With temperatures dropping and cold weather settling in, people will turn to gas furnaces, space heaters and fireplaces for warmth. Not so fast, caution pulmonologists from Harris Health System, who recommend that everyone get those devices checked for carbon monoxide leaks. Known as the silent killer, carbon monoxide is the gas byproduct of the incomplete combustion of fuel used in cars, gasoline engines, stoves, lanterns, burning charcoal or wood, gas ranges, fireplaces and heaters.
The flame-retardant mixture known as “Firemaster 550” is an endocrine disruptor that causes extreme weight gain, early onset of puberty and cardiovascular health effects in lab animals, according to a new study spearheaded by researchers from North Carolina State University and Duke University.
A bacterial protein in common house dust may worsen allergic responses to indoor allergens, according to research conducted by the National Institutes of Health and Duke University. The finding is the first to document the presence of the protein flagellin in house dust, bolstering the link between allergic asthma and the environment.
Exposure to ambient air pollution from traffic during infancy is associated with lung function deficits in children up to eight years of age, particularly among children sensitized to common allergens, according to a new study.
Brian Rahm is a researcher at the New York State Water Resources Institute at Cornell University whose expertise includes the potential effects of hydraulic fracturing on surface and ground water. He comments on the recent release of EPA data from drinking water tests near hydraulic fracturing sites in Pavillion, Wyo.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic chemical widely used in the making of plastic products ranging from bottles and food can linings to toys and water supply lines. When these plastics degrade, BPA is released into the environment and routinely ingested. New research from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine suggests it’s the metabolic changes that take place once BPA is broken down inside the body that pose the greater health threat.
Exposures to perchlorate (ClO4), a compound found at low levels in the environment, and thiocyanate (SCN), a compound found in cigarette smoke and some foods, is unlikely to alter thyroid function in pregnant women and fetuses, according to new data presented at the 82nd Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) in Québec City, Québec, Canada
Research carried out at the University of South Carolina has identified novel mechanisms through which dioxin can alter physiological functions.
The drinking water at one-third of migrant farmworker camps in eastern North Carolina failed to meet state quality standards, according to a new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
Gestational exposure to ambient urban air pollution, especially during late pregnancy, may contribute to lower vitamin D levels in offspring, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM).
A Tufts University study of the relationship between air quality and unemployment levels uses a new statistical model that retrospectively estimates air pollution for previous time periods where such information is not available. The study also found that air quality improved during recessions
Almost 41 percent of Ohioans have visited a state body of water in the past year, and of those, nearly one-half usually go to Lake Erie, according to a report. Ohio residents value their lakes and rivers but also face contaminants in those bodies of water.
Dangerous levels of mold again are recorded in the Midwest, prompting the issuance of a second air quality alert. "Ragweed is adding to the toxic brew for those with sensitive allergy systems," says Dr. Joseph Leija, Loyola allergist who performs the Gottlieb Allergy Count, the official allergy count for the Midwest.
It’s well known that air pollution has a negative impact on our well-being. We can all name health problems due to it and respiratory complications come to mind immediately. What happens when extreme weather conditions are added to the mix? Health researchers are increasingly looking at air quality, the changing climate, and what it means for our health.
Greening vacant lots may make neighborhood residents feel safer and may be associated with reductions in certain gun crimes, according to a new study from Penn Medicine. Results show that residents living near greened vacant lots feel safer than those near non-greened sites.
During a recent oceanographic expedition off San Diego, graduate student researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego discovered convincing evidence of a deep-sea site where methane is likely seeping out of the seafloor, the first such finding off San Diego County.
China's efforts to reduce pollution for the Beijing Olympics has enabled scientists to quantify traffic impacts on carbon dioxide emissions. New research led by NCAR shows Beijing's lighter traffic achieved a percentage of the emissions cut that would be needed worldwide to prevent warming from exceeding 2 degrees Celsius.
Inspired by a European study, a team of Stony Brook University researchers looked into the potential impact of healthy human skin tissue (in vitro) being exposed to ultraviolet rays emitted from compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. The results, “The Effects of UV Emission from CFL Exposure on Human Dermal Fibroblasts and Keratinocytes in Vitro,” were published in the June issue of the journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology.
Establishing a more stringent ozone standard in the U.S. would significantly reduce ozone-related premature mortality and morbidity, according to a new study published online July 18 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board today has announced a public hearing to support its continued analysis of effective safety performance indicators and to release preliminary findings into the agency’s investigation of the Macondo well blowout, explosion and fire in the Gulf of Mexico. The CSB’s two day hearing on July 23-24, 2012, in Houston, Texas, will feature presentations and discussions on measuring process safety performance in high hazard industries, including the development and implementation of leading and lagging indicators, for effective safety management.
Northern states could face longer outbreak seasons than the Southern region.
American Society of Agronomy Provides Panel of Experts to Answer Questions Related to Heat and Dry Conditions
Researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York, found that living near a heavily congested highway correlates with a higher presence of asthma.
Obese children show greater exposure than nonobese children to a phthalate, a chemical used to soften plastics in some children’s toys and many household products, according to a new study, which found that the obesity risk increases according to the level of the chemical found in the bloodstream. The study will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society’s 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.
Prenatal exposure to bisphenol A, or BPA, a chemical found in many common plastic household items, can cause numerous genes in the uterus to respond differently to estrogen in adulthood, according to a study using a mouse model. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society’s 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.
Prenatal exposure to the environmental contaminants polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, causes long-term changes to the developing brain that have adverse effects on reproductive function later in life, a new study finds. Results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society’s 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.
In a Statement of Principles unveiled today, The Endocrine Society proposes a streamlined definition for endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and offers recommendations that will strengthen the ability of current screening programs to identify EDCs.
A lifestyle that features fresh foods and limited use of products likely to contain environmental chemicals has been shown to reduce exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), such as BPA and phthalates, in a small population study. EDCs are linked to a number of adverse health complications including neuro-developmental delays, behavioral issues and fertility problems. They are produced by the millions of pounds per year and found extensively in a range of products that contain certain plastics.
A fungicide used on farm crops can induce insulin resistance, a new tissue-culture study finds, providing another piece of evidence linking environmental pollutants to diabetes. The results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society’s 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.
New research presented at the ongoing International Zebrafish Development and Genetics Conference in Madison, Wisconsin, reveals that environmental estrogens may influence human and animal development at the very beginning stages of embryonic development, which is earlier than previously realized.
An ASME Task Force released recommendations for a new nuclear safety construct that will reach beyond the traditional regulatory framework of adequate protection of public health and safety to minimize socio-political and economic consequences caused by radioactive releases from accidents.
Exposure to low doses of Bisphenol A (BPA) during gestation had immediate and long-lasting, trans-generational effects on the brain and social behaviors in mice, according to a recent study accepted for publication in the journal Endocrinology, a publication of The Endocrine Society.
A competition to create a personal sensor system that measures air pollution and a person’s physiological response to it will offer cash awards to finalists, federal officials announced today. The goal is to help researchers, communities, and physicians better understand the connection between air quality and health.
With the goal of preparing to manage the health concerns of returning U.S. veterans, the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM), is devoting its June issue to the health effects of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
By correlating weather factors like temperature, rain and snowfall, Elena Naumova, Ph.D., professor of civil and environmental engineering at Tufts School of Engineering, is able to predict the timing and intensity of rotavirus, a disease that causes extreme diarrhea, dehydration and thousands of death annually, particularly among children. Her research focused on one of the hardest-hit regions of the world, South Asia.
Recent news reports and scientific reviews warn that nuclear radiation exposure is more serious than we believed. Just recently, the UK Guardian published an article titled, “Fukushima reactor shows radiation levels much higher than thought.” Another recent story published in Scientific American, finds California kelp contaminated with elevated levels of radioactive iodine. A review from the Max-Planck Society estimates that the risks of another serious nuclear accident are significantly higher than previously thought. As reports continue to reveal elevated nuclear radiation levels in Japan and elsewhere, public concerns about the safety of Fukushima and other reactor sites are reignited.
Exposure to solvents at work may be associated with reduced thinking skills later in life for those who have less than a high school education, according to a study published in the May 29, 2012, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Two years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, some cleanup workers and volunteers have raised questions about their health. Today, the Surgeon General, Dr. Regina M. Benjamin, a Gulf State native, issued new TV and radio public service announcements (PSAs) inviting oil spill cleanup workers and volunteers to participate in the GuLF STUDY (Gulf Long-term Follow-up Study), a national effort to determine whether the oil spill contributed to physical or mental health problems.
A small pilot study found higher levels of toxic mercury in dolphins downwind of power plants than in captive dolphins.
The link between prenatal exposure to air pollution and childhood lung growth and respiratory ailments is well established, and now a new study suggests that these prenatal exposures can be especially serious for children with asthma.
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