Latest News

• share
• favorite_border

Even though urban cyclists face hazards such as exposure to car exhaust and the risk of traffic accidents, it’s still far healthier to park the car and get on a bike. The health of the individual cyclists may improve as they drive less and exercise more, and the resulting reduction in exhaust emissions will benefit the entire community, according to a study published online June 30 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP).

• share
• favorite_border

The number of very hot days is increasing worldwide, but the rate of increase is more than double in the most sprawling metropolitan regions compared with more compact cities, according to a team of Atlanta-based scientists. This was true regardless of the urban regions’ climate zone, population size, or rate of growth.

• share
• favorite_border

The largest study yet to investigate exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants and pregnant women’s thyroid hormone levels correlates exposure to PBDEs with reduced levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and increased odds of subclinical hyperthyroidism.

• share
• favorite_border

Children exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) early in life later had a diminished immune response to diphtheria and tetanus vaccinations, according to a study published online June 20 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP).

• share
• favorite_border

Traffic-related air pollution, known to raise the risk for cardiovascular disease, may also increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in women. Low-grade inflammation may contribute to the higher incidence of type 2 diabetes in women exposed to air pollution, according to German researchers.

• share
• favorite_border

A study published online May 13 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) shows for the first time that elevated levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) like those predicted by models of climate change can drive increased production of fungal spores, including some associated with allergies and asthma.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers in British Columbia, Canada, have used a technique known as ecological niche modeling to identify likely areas where a potentially lethal fungus could spread next. Cryptococcus gattii, which can cause life-threatening infections of the lungs and central nervous system when inhaled, infects humans as well as a broad range of wild and domestic animals.

• share
• favorite_border

A study published April 19, 2010 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) demonstrates that conditions that can support the establishment of Lyme disease have come together in southern Quebec, an area that until now has not sustained the disease.

• share
• favorite_border

In celebration of this month’s 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) today posted a new podcast featuring preeminent zoologist Theo Colborn describing her work studying endocrine disruptors.

• share
• favorite_border

A study published 16 March 2010 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) finds that many developing countries have high long-term levels of aerosol air pollution. The study is the first to use satellite data to estimate long-term fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations across the entire globe.

• share
• favorite_border

In the latest installment of The Researcher’s Perspective podcast series, Dr. Robert Kavlock, director of the U.S. EPA National Center for Computational Toxicology, talks about the agency’s ToxCast™ project. The Researcher’s Perspective is the monthly podcast series of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). The new podcast is available at http://ehponline.org/static/podcasts.action.

• share
• favorite_border

A study published January 28 in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives suggests that women with higher exposure to phthalates during their pregnancy report more disruptive and problem behaviors in their children, using standardized measures. The study included 188 children whose mothers enrolled in Mount Sinai School of Medicine’s New York Children’s Environmental Health Study during their third trimester of pregnancy.

• share
• favorite_border

A study published 21 January 2010 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) for the first time links thyroid disease with human exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a persistent organic chemical used in industrial and consumer goods, including nonstick cookware and stain- and water-resistant coatings for carpets and fabrics.

• share
• favorite_border

A study published November 2, 2009 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) suggests that polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs) may affect serum cholesterol levels in people. The authors, all from the Boston University School of Public Health, used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), an ongoing survey of a representative sample of the civilian U.S. population that gathers data on dietary and health factors. NHANES is conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

• share
• favorite_border

A study published October 19th ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) found that 2- to 5-year-old children diagnosed with autism or autism spectrum disorders (AU/ASD) had blood mercury levels similar to those of typically developing control children after adjusting for a variety of sources. The study was conducted through Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE), an ongoing study to identify and understand factors contributing to childhood AU/ASD and developmental delays.

• share
• favorite_border

In a study published September 24th ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), researchers measured oseltamivir carboxylate (OC), the active metabolite of the popular anti-influenza drug Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate), in samples of sewage discharge and river water collected near Kyoto City during Japan’s 2008–2009 flu season.

• share
• favorite_border

A study published online ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) evaluated the relationship between exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and heart rate variability (HRV) in taxi drivers in Beijing, China before, during and after the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The report is among the first to document health effects of the massive air cleanup effort by China prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

• share
• favorite_border

In the latest installment of The Researcher's Perspective, the new podcast series by Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), Dr. Josh Hamilton discusses the potential implications of his recent mouse study on arsenic exposure and immune response to influenza A/H1N1.

• share
• favorite_border

A study published 15 June 2009 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) suggests that lipid-adjusted concentrations of polybrominated diphenyl ethers, polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans and organochlorine pesticides in women's blood serum and milk do not decrease during lactation as previously thought. This new insight should improve researchers' ability to assess infant exposures to environmental chemicals via breastfeeding.

• share
• favorite_border

A study published online 18 June 2009 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) suggests that diet is an important route of exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). PBDEs are a class of flame retardants that are commonly found in consumer products such as polyurethane foam, electronics and textiles.