Feature Channels: Environmental Health

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Northern states could face longer outbreak seasons than the Southern region.

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American Society of Agronomy Provides Panel of Experts to Answer Questions Related to Heat and Dry Conditions

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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A small pilot study found higher levels of toxic mercury in dolphins downwind of power plants than in captive dolphins.

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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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When writer Florence Williams was nursing her second child, she had her breast milk analyzed for toxins. What she found surprised her. Trace amounts of pesticides, dioxin, a jet-fuel ingredient and high-to-average levels of flame retardants were present in her breast milk. She reported on these findings in New York Times Magazine, which has since set off a wave of controversy. A Loyola University Health System lactation consultant puts these findings in perspective.

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Mayo Clinic’s Mount Everest expedition is exploring heart problems, sleep apnea, muscle wasting, calorie burning and other health issues faced by patients and high-altitude climbers alike.

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Occupational exposure to formaldehyde in Chinese men may be linked to reduced fertility, reports a paper in the May Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

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Antibiotics, hormonal supplements and other drugs can harm waterways when poured down the drain. A national prescription drug take-back day on April 28, will help keep waterways including the Great Lakes clean, a UB expert says.

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Researchers at McGill, Univ. of Minnesota call for combining best of both approaches.

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An editorial published today in the prestigious journal Environmental Health Perspectives calls for increased research to identify possible environmental causes of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders in America's children and presents a list of ten target chemicals including which are considered highly likely to contribute to these conditions.

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McMaster University researchers have now discovered that floc – “goo-like” substances that occur suspended in water and that host large communities of bacteria – also contain high levels of antibiotic resistance.

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Usually, we think of mold, feces, nitric oxide, hydrogen sulfide and rat poison as rank, toxic or both. But scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health are learning more about the helpful roles these substances can play.

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Breast cancer cells are more aggressive the longer they’re exposed to cadmium

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The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine has published a position statement suggesting that two new trends in medicine – accountable care organizations (ACO) and the patient centered medical home (PCMH) – will benefit by integrating them more closely with workplace health programs.

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With more people spending a portion of their day inside – at home, school, or work – it is important to recognize that indoor environments contain hazards. To address these hazards and commemorate Earth Day, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine has re-released its checklist Ten Environmental Hazards You Can Live Without.

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Childhood exposure to lead dust has been linked to lasting physical and behavioral effects, and now lead dust from vehicles using leaded gasoline has been linked to instances of aggravated assault two decades after exposure, according to researchers at Tulane University and Colorado State University.



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Chinese scientists employ risk assessment tools in urban planning efforts to analyze and quantify major industrial hazards in entire cities.

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A new technology developed by a research team led by RTI International will help scientists better understand the relationship between environmental contaminants in the air and potential adverse health effects.

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There have been many scientific studies looking at the levels of toxic mercury (Hg) in fish. After all, fish can end up directly on our plate. However, far fewer studies have examined Hg levels in aquatic insects. This is a significant oversight because aquatic insects are an important source of Hg to fish and even terrestrial wildlife.

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The study is the first to identify a neurobehavioral effect of BPA using a zebrafish model exposed to concentrations comparable to what humans might encounter in the environment.

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The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine has joined other organizations to oppose S.J. Res. 37, a resolution by Sen. Inhofe (R-OK) that employs the Congressional Review Act to reverse the Environmental Protection Agency’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for Power Plants.

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Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs)—such as BPA—can show tangible effects on health endpoints at high dosage levels, yet those effects do not predict how EDCs will affect the endocrine system at low doses, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Endocrine Reviews.

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A University of Delaware researcher found small quantities of radioactive iodine in the Delaware River, a major waterway. It is providing a new way to track where and how substances travel to the ocean. The iodine, I-131, is waste from thyroid cancer treatments.

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New research has found that one type of pavement sealcoat, common on driveways and parking lots throughout the nation, has significant health and ecosystem implications.

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The American Cleaning Institute expressed disappointment with research which wrongly raises unfounded safety concerns over cleaning products and ignores enhanced efforts to communicate with consumers about product ingredients. ACI said that the paper – co-written by the interest group Silent Spring Institute in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives – distorts the established safety of ingredients used in cleaning products by inappropriately equating their detection with health issues.

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A study finds manganese in the air of residential neighborhoods at higher levels than in manufacturing industries.

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Fish exhibit abnormal behavior and lower levels of anxiety when exposed to Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI), which are common drugs used to treat depression, among other disorders. The study, by Baylor University researchers and online in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, also found that human data for drug activity can be used to predict surface water concentrations of these substances that negatively impact fish behavior.

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Simple recommendations help reduce harmful exposures for women.

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A new report from Indiana University supplies a close examination of the European Union's reformed chemicals law REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals), focusing on potential lessons for the U.S.

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Sharks are among the most threatened of marine species worldwide due to unsustainable overfishing. They are primarily killed for their fins to fuel the growing demand for shark fin soup, which is an Asia delicacy. A new study by University of Miami (UM) scientists in the journal Marine Drugs has discovered high concentrations of BMAA in shark fins, a neurotoxin linked to neurodegenerative diseases in humans including Alzheimer’s and Lou Gehrig Disease (ALS). The study suggests that consumption of shark fin soup and cartilage pills may pose a significant health risk for degenerative brain diseases.

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Dalhousie University researcher Heather Castleden has been invited by the Pictou Landing Native Women's Association (PLNWA) to engage in community-based participatory health research in the area in search of a definitive answer to the question; "Are we getting sick from Boat Harbour?"

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Dr. Lynn Goldman, Dean of the GW School of Public Health and Health Services is available to comment on the human health aspects of the newly announced UN initiative for climate change and clean air aimed at reducing short-lived climate pollutants

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Short-term exposure (for up to 7 days) to all major air pollutants, with the exception of ozone, is significantly associated with an increased risk of heart attack, according to a review and meta-analysis of previous studies appearing in the February 15 issue of JAMA.