Feature Channels: Environmental Health

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Contamination of rice with arsenic is a major problem in some regions of the world with high rice consumption.

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The use of animals to test the toxicity of chemicals may one day become outdated thanks to a low-cost, high-speed algorithm developed by researchers at Rutgers and other universities.

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ROCHESTER, Minn. — A national organization focused on reducing health care's impact on the environment has recognized Mayo Clinic campuses in Arizona, Florida and Rochester, as well as Mayo Clinic Health System sites in Wisconsin, for their environmental sustainability efforts.

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DHS S&T today announced a new 18-month, $2.9 million contract award to ENSCO, Inc. for continued work on SenseNet, an effort to develop a low-cost integrated sensor system that can detect biological health hazards in buildings and other high-occupancy indoor facilities.

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Air pollution from diesel engines may worsen allergy-induced lung impairment more when tiny particles are filtered from the exhaust than when they are not, according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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Clarkson University and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) have been recently designated to launch New York state’s new Center of Excellence (CoE) in Healthy Water Solutions.

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Clarkson University and SUNY ESF will launch New York State's new Center of Excellence in Healthy Water Solutions.

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A series of tests conducted over several years by UC San Diego scientists has shown for the first time that the pesticide Sivanto could pose a range of threats to honey bees depending on seasonality, bee age and use in combination with common chemicals such as fungicides.

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The dust that settles throughout our homes and offices almost always contains bits of chemicals that can cause problems for the human endocrine system, scientists say. But a new study indicates that the microbes we track into buildings can help break those chemicals down.

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As the days get warmer and more people head outdoors to garden or do yard work, dermatologists from the American Academy of Dermatology are reminding the public to take a few precautions. Although gardening can be an enjoyable activity for many, they say, it can take a turn for the worse if you injure yourself, come into contact with a poisonous plant or have an allergic reaction.

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Antioxidants such as vitamin C could help reduce harmful effects from hexavalent chromium, according to a new study performed with human cells. The contaminant, which is often produced by industrial processes, was featured in the biographical movie Erin Brockovich.

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Measurements of hazardous air pollutant concentrations near operational sites have generally failed to capture levels above standard health benchmarks; yet, the majority of studies continue to find poor health outcomes increasing as distance from these operations decreases.

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Sandia National Laboratories ecologist Jennifer Payne is one of two Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioners in New Mexico, a title held by only 150 people in the country. With an eye for vegetation, she helps protect lands and upholds labs commitments to protecting the environment.

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Lead leaching from pipes into the water supply is a serious public health concern. If water sources or treatments are changed, the new chemistry can cause previously safe water distribution systems to begin releasing lead, as the crisis in Flint, Michigan, demonstrated.

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Hundreds of everyday items contain organophosphate ester (OPE) flame retardants and plasticizers. Some of these compounds make their way into the air, onto surfaces and even inside our bodies, with uncertain health effects.

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A new study finds that Medicare costs tend to be lower in counties with more forests and shrublands than in counties dominated by other types of land cover. The relationship persists even when accounting for economic, geographic or other factors that might independently influence health care costs, researchers report.

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Information to minimize risk from soil contaminants

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Dietary intake of two fatty acids, omega-3 and omega-6, may have opposite effects on the severity of asthma in children and may also play opposite roles in modifying their response to indoor air pollution, according to new research published online in the American Thoracic Society’s American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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As many as a billion people could be newly exposed to disease-carrying mosquitoes by the end of the century because of global warming, says a new study that examines temperature changes on a monthly basis across the world.