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In a study of 31 Boston offices, polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants now banned internationally by the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants were detected in every office tested. The research, published online June 30 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), links concentrations of PBDEs in office dust with levels of the chemicals on the hands of the offices’ occupants.

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A review published online June 22 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) reports the conclusions of an international workshop on ways to improve chemicals safety testing for effects on the breast. The studies reviewed by workshop scientists indicate that chemical exposures during critical periods of development may influence breast growth, ability to breastfeed, and cancer risk. The scientists recommend that future chemical testing evaluate effects on the breast after prenatal and early-life exposure.

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The safety of seafood from the Gulf of Mexico became a central concern following the Deepwater Horizon blowout a year ago. Even after previously closed Gulf waters began reopening in summer 2010, consumer confidence in the safety of Gulf seafood remained shaky. A new review published online May 12 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) affirms that levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found thus far in Gulf seafood samples in fact have been well below levels that would be of concern for human health.

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Three independent investigations published online April 21 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) have reached similar conclusions, associating prenatal exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides with IQ deficits in school-age children. The fact that three research groups reached such similar conclusions independently adds considerable support to the validity of the findings.

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On April 22, 2011, Earth Day, Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), the peer-reviewed journal covering environmental health sciences as they relate to human health, will launch a website dedicated to this event. The site, available on Friday at http://ehponline.org/earthday2011, features a collection of recent EHP research, news, science education materials, and podcasts that relate to the overarching themes of air, land, water and climate.

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A group of 264 Mexican-American children living in California had higher levels of polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants in their blood serum than 283 counterparts living in Mexico, according to research published online April 15 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP).

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Young children who mouth or swallow jewelry containing cadmium may be exposed to as much as 100 times the recommended maximum exposure limit for the toxic metal, according to research published online March 4 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). The study measured bioavailability, or how much cadmium leached out of the jewelry. The research also found that damaged pieces of jewelry in some cases leached up to 30 times more cadmium than undamaged pieces.

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According to a new study published February 24 in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), serum polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at concentrations found in the general U.S. population are associated with the failure of fertilized embryos to implant in the uterus after in vitro fertilization (IVF). This study may help explain earlier reports of impaired reproduction and increased time to pregnancy among women exposed to PCBs. “Our findings provide insight into a specific time point following conception that determines whether a pregnancy will occur that may be particularly sensitive to PCB exposure,” says lead author John Meeker.

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Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) is pleased to announce the launch of its iPhone app, which gives readers of the peer-reviewed journal access to research and news as soon as it is published online. This new format is another step in EHP’s efforts to make high-quality science easier to access and available to more people than ever before. The app is available free through iTunes.

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Electricity use has health benefits in diverse populations worldwide, but the relationship is not linear, and increasing use past a certain threshold may not add benefits. Additionally, those benefits may be offset by negative health impacts of the fuel used to generate electricity. A multitiered analysis published February 21 in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) investigates the relationship between coal consumption, electricity use, and health impacts, as well as the related implications for climate and energy policy.

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For every four to five reported cases of mesothelioma worldwide, at least one case goes unreported, according to estimates published online January 6 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). This study is the first to provide a global estimate of unreported mesothelioma cases based on the collective experience of countries with available data on asbestos use and the disease.

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A study published December 7 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) reports what scientists believe is the worst documented U.S. case of food contamination with polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants. The incident also marks the first time food contamination has been thought to result from PBDEs in a food’s packaging.

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Sperm whales throughout the Pacific carry evidence of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and persistent organic pollutants including the pesticide DDT, according to a study published online December 6 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). The broad study provides a baseline for future research on ocean pollution and health.

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Moscow grabbed headlines last summer as thousands perished during an unprecedented heat wave. However, a retrospective study of heat waves in 43 U.S. cities indicates mortality climbs even during the less dramatic heat events that hit many cities almost every year, according to research published online November 18 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). “Our findings have implications for decision makers addressing the health burden of heat waves and for researchers estimating health effects from climate change,” said study co-author Michelle L. Bell of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.

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A statement signed by nearly 150 scientists from 22 countries raises concerns about occurrence, toxicity, and efficacy of a major class of flame retardant chemicals commonly found in upholstered furniture, foam carpet pads, textiles, televisions and other consumer electronics, airplanes, and automobiles. These chemicals also were used in mattresses produced before July 2007.

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Babies whose mothers had relatively high levels of the chemical DDE in their blood were more likely to both grow rapidly during their first 6 months and to have a high body mass index (BMI) by 14 months, according to a team of scientists based in Barcelona, Spain. DDE, an endocrine disrupter, is a by-product of the pesticide DDT.

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Swimming in indoor chlorinated pools may induce genotoxicity (DNA damage that may lead to cancer) as well as respiratory effects, but the positive health effects of swimming can be maintained by reducing pool levels of the chemicals behind these potential health risks, according to a new study published in a set of three articles online September 12 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). This study is the first to provide a comprehensive characterization of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in an indoor pool environment and the first to study the genotoxicity of exposure to these chemicals among swimmers in an indoor chlorinated pool.

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Exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides before birth can increase susceptibility to attention disorders such as attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to new research published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). The new study is part of a growing body of research indicating that exposure to OP pesticides can adversely affect brain development.

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Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) has increased its impact factor to 6.19, as reported by the Journal Citation Reports® Science Edition, making it the top monthly journal of original research both in environmental sciences and in public, environmental, and occupational health.

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The July 2010 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) will feature a call for an international ban on the mining and use of all forms of asbestos, including chrysotile asbestos. The commentary by Joseph LaDou, MD, and other Fellows of the Collegium Ramazzini demonstrates clearly the need for an international ban on all forms of asbestos: although 52 countries have banned asbestos, many others still use the mineral, exposing millions of people to an agent for which there is no scientifically verified safe level. LaDou contends, “All asbestos-related diseases are preventable if asbestos is banned globally.”