Though most “low molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons” (LMW PAHs) have not been shown to cause cancer alone, the study shows that in common combinations, these chemicals can help to spark the disease.
A new study demonstrates that outbreaks of mosquito-borne viruses Zika and Chikungunya generally occur about three weeks after heavy rainfall. Researchers also found that Chikungunya will predominate over Zika when both circulate at the same time.
Cooking in a frying pan with oil can quickly become dangerous if “explosive” hot oil droplets jump out of the pan, leading to painful burns. But these droplets may be doing something even more damaging: contributing to indoor air pollution. A group of researchers exploring these “explosive droplets” will present their work to uncover the fluid dynamics behind this phenomenon during the 70th meeting of the Division of Fluid Dynamics, Nov. 19-21, 2017.
Helmut Zarbl will link the institute with the university’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, promote collaboration between education and research
When a Cornell-led team of scientists analyzed two dozen environmental factors to understand bumblebee population declines and range contractions, they expected to find stressors like changes in land use, geography or insecticides. Instead, they found a shocker: fungicides, commonly thought to have no impact.
Someday, left-over toner in discarded printer cartridges could have a second life as bridge or building components instead of as trash, wasting away in landfills and potentially harming the environment. One group reports in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering that they have devised a method to recycle the residual powder in “empty” cartridges into iron using temperatures that are compatible with existing industrial processes.
Université de Montréal research reveals that 29 pregnant women living near natural-gas hydraulic fracturing sites had a median concentration of a benzene biomarker in their urine that was 3.5 times higher than that found in women from the general Canadian population.
Legionnaires disease outbreaks in New York City and toxic levels of lead in Flint, Michigan have raised questions about how to manage risks in aging water systems. Multiple studies assessing the risk of opportunistic pathogens in water systems and the institutional infrastructure failures that led to the Flint water crisis will be discussed at the 2017 Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) Annual Meeting.
The Climate Science Special Report, released last week by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, details the science behind global warming and its current and potential impacts on the American economy, communities, public health and infrastructure. One of the report’s lead authors is Robert E. Kopp, a professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, director of Rutgers’ Institute of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences (EOAS) and co-director of Rutgers’ Coastal Climate Risk and Resilience Initiative.
Rural counties continue to rank lowest among counties across the U.S., in terms of health outcomes. A group of national organizations including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National 4-H Council are leading the way to close the rural health gap.
Can environmental toxins disrupt circadian rhythms – the biological “clock” whose disturbance is linked to chronic inflammation and a host of human disorders? Research showing a link between circadian disruption and plankton that have adapted to road salt pollution puts the question squarely on the table.
New research published today suggests that chemicals commonly used in consumer products are being absorbed by pregnant mothers and their newborns. The study, a collaboration between investigators at The Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center® at Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack University Medical Center (Hackensack, NJ) and Rutgers University, appears to be the first study to explore in utero exposure to bisphenol-A (BPA) substitutes and the first U.S. study to test for BPA in maternal/fetal pairs.
University of Washington researchers have found a link between air pollution and psychological distress. The higher the level of particulates in the air, the UW-led study showed, the greater the impact on mental health. The study is believed to be the first to use a nationally representative survey pool, cross-referenced with pollution data at the census block level, to evaluate the connection between toxic air and mental health.
A new suite of personal protective equipment (PPE) may provide additional protection for firefighters from exposure to carcinogenic vapors and particulate matter at incident sites.
Increasing organic runoff as a result of climate change may be reducing the penetration of pathogen-killing ultraviolet (UV) sunlight in inland lakes, rivers, and coastal waters, according to a new study in the journal Scientific Reports.
Seeking a better way to capture radioactive iodides in spent nuclear reactor fuel, Rutgers–New Brunswick scientists have developed an extremely efficient “molecular trap” that can be recycled and reused. The trap is like a tiny, porous super-sponge. The internal surface area of just one gram of this material could stretch out to cover five 94-by-50-foot basketball courts, or 23,500 square feet. And, once caught inside, radioactive iodides will remain trapped for eons.
Workplace incivility is taking over our organizations, professional relationships and everyday interactions. According to Dr. Jia Wang, associate professor of human resource development, understanding why incivility happens and how to address it starts with awareness.
In this special supplement, AJPH examines the impact of climate change on public health.
In September, a ban on triclosan in over-the-counter antiseptic soaps, gels and wipes went into effect in the U.S. But the antibacterial ingredient is still allowed in toothpastes for its reported ability to reduce gum inflammation, plaque and cavities. Now a study in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology has found that triclosan accumulates in toothbrush bristles and elastomer parts, and is readily released when users switch toothpastes, potentially prolonging users’ exposure to the compound.
Eating large amounts of certain fish can expose consumers to methylmercury, which can potentially cause health problems. But recent research has shown that rice grown in polluted conditions can also have raised levels. Now, a study appearing in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reports that some types of infant rice cereal could also contain amounts of methylmercury that could potentially pose a health risk.
Analyzing samples from a prospective study, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers found that human exposure to glyphosate, a chemical widely found in weed killers, has increased approximately 500 percent since the introduction of genetically modified crops.
One of the largely unanticipated impacts of a changing climate may be a decline in sunlight's ability to disinfect lakes, rivers, and coastal waters, possibly leading to an increase in waterborne pathogens and the diseases they can cause in humans and wildlife.
Pollution in the air, water, soil and in the workplace is linked to an estimated nine million deaths each year worldwide – equivalent to one in six (16%) of all deaths, according to a ground-breaking new report in the leading medical journal The Lancet.
Joanne Turner, Ph.D., a preeminent scientist in tuberculosis (TB) research, has joined the Texas Biomed team, bringing with her a portfolio of research on the immune system in relation to Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and aging.
The threat of getting burned by roaring flames is an obvious danger of firefighting, but other health risks are more subtle. For example, firefighters have been found to develop cancer at higher rates than the general population. Now researchers have measured how much firefighters’ exposure to carcinogens and other harmful compounds increases when fighting fires. Their study, appearing in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology, also points to one possible way to reduce that exposure.
As so often happens in science, UAH doctoral student Aaron Kaulfus was looking for something else when he realized his forest fire smoke research might be significant.
A group of international researchers will conduct the largest-ever study of the effects of maternal consumption of nitrate-contaminated drinking water on birth outcomes among approximately one million babies born in Denmark.
Two Clarkson University Professors have developed a novel and efficient method of cleaning contaminated water by using an electric discharge plasma.
“The decision to repeal the Clean Power Plan flies in the face of scientific evidence of the dangers air pollution poses to public health, and we cannot keep silent on this,” said George Thurston, ScD, chair of the ATS Environmental Health Policy Committee.
A study of 300,000 children in 35 nations says kids whose watersheds have greater tree cover are less likely to experience diarrheal disease, the second leading cause of death for children under the age of five.
The Endocrine Society, the world’s largest organization of endocrinologists, welcomed the European Parliament vote Wednesday to object to proposed criteria that would have failed to identify endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) currently causing harm to public health.
Soils keep plants healthy by providing plants with water, helpful minerals, and microbes, among other benefits. But what if the soil also contains toxic elements, such as cadmium? The solution goes back to the soil. Researchers are investigating which soil additives work best.
Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the agriculture and forestry sectors could lead to increased food prices—but new research identifies strategies that could help mitigate climate change while avoiding steep hikes in food prices.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory partnered with the University of Chicago to sponsor “All About Energy,” a six-week program that gives Chicago public high school students an up-close look at careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and a chance to learn what it means to be a scientist.
Chemists from Empa have developed and patented an environmentally friendly way to produce flame retardants for foams that can be used in mattresses and upholstery. Unlike previous flame retardants made of chemicals containing chlorine, the new material is non-toxic and effective. Two of Empa’s industrial partners are now launching the innovation on the market.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded $4 million over four years to an equal partnership of the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Chicago to establish an environmental health sciences center in the Chicago area.
Rutgers researchers say that lead levels in sindoor, a red powder used in Hindu ceremonies, is a real concern that must be addressed.
The Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (GCCHE) today announced that, since its launch earlier this year, 125 health professions schools and programs around the world have joined and committed to ensure future health professionals are educated on the health impacts of climate change. These impacts include more deadly heat waves, flooding, and wildfires; greater spread of disease vectors like ticks and mosquitos; and growing food and drinking water insecurity.
A group of UK scientists, co-ordinated by the University of Southampton, has published extensive research into how industry and environmental change are affecting our seafloors, but say more work is needed to help safeguard these complex ecosystems and the benefits they provide to people for the future.
Outdoor air pollution may increase the risk of chronic kidney disease and contribute to kidney failure, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Veterans Affairs (VA) St. Louis Health Care System. Scientists culled national VA databases to evaluate the effects of air pollution and kidney disease on nearly 2.5 million people over a period of 8.5 years, beginning in 2004. The scientists compared VA data on kidney function to air-quality levels collected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The study is published Sept. 21 in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
An estimated 275 fewer children were born in Flint, Michigan, while the city was using lead-contaminated water from the Flint River, according to findings by researchers from West Virginia University and the University of Kansas.
If the U.S. wants to start using wood pellets to produce energy, either the government or power customers will have to pay an extra cost, a new University of Georgia study has found.
When the government gives citizens a personal stake in forested land, trees don’t disappear as quickly and environmental harm slows down.
UofL gastroenterologist Matthew Cave, M.D., believes that chemicals we breathe, consume or come in contact with in the environment may be contributing to liver disease. He has been awarded $4 million by the NIEHS to explore the effects of environmental chemicals on the liver.
Workers who were likely exposed to dispersants while cleaning up the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill experienced a range of health symptoms including cough and wheeze, and skin and eye irritation, according to scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study appeared online Sept. 15 in Environmental Health Perspectives and is the first research to examine dispersant-related health symptoms in humans.
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