Feature Channels: Environmental Health

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July 2023 was the hottest month on record, with cities like Phoenix experiencing record-breaking heat waves for weeks on end.

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Hammerhead worms are once again making their way to backyards across the United States. They were most recently spotted in Washington, D.C and Virginia but have been around for some time.

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An international team of researchers led by UC San Diego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science investigated the health and environmental impacts of a program in Ecuador that put induction stoves in 750,000 households.

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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence for Cross-Border Threat Screening and Supply Chain Defense, CBTS, led by Texas A&M AgriLife Research, is supporting a DHS Summer Research Team effort to detect harmful chemicals in shrimp supplies.

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Researchers analyzed over 100 period products for fluorinated compounds, an indicator of potentially harmful per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS. While PFAS were absent from many products, they might be in others. They will present their results at ACS Fall 2023.

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Medical experts offer tips on various back to school health concerns to prepare for a healthy successful school year.

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Expert Sam R. Telford, III, from Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine debunks and confirms the best advice for a mosquito-free summer

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It's that time of year again. For media working on stories about the seasonal return to school, here are the latest features and experts in the Back-To-School channel on Newswise.

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Researchers have developed an innovative method for screening sensors to detect heavy metals, bacteria and other agents in water. This method could lead to mass manufacturing of sensors that provide dependable part-per-billion monitoring of water quality.

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The impact of particulate matter air pollution on death and disability is on the rise worldwide, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

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In rooms where smoking has taken place regularly, tobacco's imprint lingers on indoor surfaces, even long after regular smoking has stopped. The leftover residues, known as thirdhand smoke, can be a long-term source of indoor pollutants. New research from a team led by the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) zeroes in on carpets as an especially potent – and difficult to clean – reservoir of tobacco contaminants.

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Climate change has supersized summer heat this year, with Southern California expected to again reach more than 100 degrees mid-month. Along with the rise in outdoor temperatures, physicians are seeing an increase in heat-related illnesses following weeks of unrelenting hot weather.

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Just catching a quick whiff of certain chemicals known as nerve agents can be lethal. Researchers now reporting in ACS Sensors have developed a sensitive and selective nerve gas sensor using these human scent receptors. It reliably detected a substitute for deadly sarin gas in simulated tests.

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The latest headlines from the Food and Water Safety channel on Newswise.

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A new study analyzing toxins produced by Microcystis, the main type of cyanobacteria that compose the annual harmful algal bloom (HAB) in Lake Erie, suggests that the toxicity of the bloom may be overestimated in earlier warm months and underestimated later in the summer.

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The Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (RMCOEH), a partnership between the University of Utah and Weber State University and one of the nation’s leading centers focused on the health and safety of workers and their environment, was recently awarded an $8.6 million grant that will allow it to further a mission that touches tens of thousands of people each year in Utah and across the West.

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A multi-university study will investigate the aftermath of the train derailment and subsequent chemical spill and fires in East Palestine, Ohio, to gain a better understanding of the impact that this event had on the community.

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Below are summaries of recent Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center research findings and other news. Reporting on wildfire smoke? Fred Hutch clinicians and researchers are available to their expertise. Dr. Trang VoPham is an epidemiologist focusing on environmental exposures and risk, follow her on social media.

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Dr. Azita Amiri, an associate professor with the College of Nursing at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of the University of Alabama System, has been awarded a $25,000 Network of Practice Grant by the Bloomberg American Health Initiatives, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, to examine life expectancy inequities in Alabama.

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New analysis from researchers at the George Washington University links lead exposure either in utero or during childhood with an increased risk of engaging in criminal behavior in adulthood. While prior research has found an association between lead exposure and criminal behavior at the ​​aggregated population level, this is the first review to bring together the existing data at the individual-level of exposure and effects.

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On World Lung Cancer Day, Aug. 1, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) and its founding member, the American Thoracic Society, stress the importance of understanding lung cancer risk factors, as well as the importance of early detection through screening, and treatment.

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New exposure study suggests that combined consumption estimates of the metal cadmium in common foods may exceed some government health guidance limits for young groups.

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A new study identified the reduction of ammonia emissions as a cost-effective measure to reduce concentrations of fine particulate matter concentrations in the atmosphere.

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The combination of soaring heat and smothering fine particulate pollution may double the risk of heart attack death, according to a new study of more than 202,000 heart attack deaths in China.

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Cranking summer fun up to 11 first requires sensible safeguards against summer hazards. Dr. Stephanie Lareau, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, shares 11 safety tips for keeping summer plans fun and safe.

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When it comes to examining health risks associated with extreme heat, Phoenix is ground zero.That’s the conclusion of Pope Moseley, a research professor in Arizona State University’s College of Health Solutions.For more than 30 years, Moseley, a lung and intensive care physician, has led National Institutes of Health-funded research groups focused on heat-related illness.

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For more than 40 years, there has been an effort to reduce nutrient loads to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay. The Chesapeake Bay’s Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee released a report on its three-year investigation into this effort. The results suggest that significant adjustments are needed to the existing programs as well as public expectations to improve its health.

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Researchers at the George Washington University, in collaboration with colleagues in France and Germany, have developed a model organism to study neglected tropical diseases from a genetically modified parasitic worm.

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Eating more planet-friendly foods could help you live a longer, healthier life, according to new research.

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While the smell of fresh pine or the softness of fir branches can ease holiday woes, West Virginia University researchers have discovered that even the act of shopping for real Christmas trees offers consumers mental health benefits they don’t get on a hunt for artificial ones.

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Extreme heat is now plaguing parts of the U.S., Europe, and Asia. A Virginia Tech expert explains what is making this one of the hottest summers on record.

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A collaborative study found 800,000 tons of oil and gas waste with no records to match. Overall, poor records and a lack of monitoring are a barrier to truly understanding the local impact of immobilized waste disposal.