Environmental Health
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Environmental Health
General Information
NEWS:
A Repeat Call for the Banning of Asbestos
Agricultural Chemical Spray Linked to Birth Defect Risk “Gastroschisis occurred more often among infants born to mothers who lived less than 25 kilometers (or about 15.5 miles) from the site of high surface water contamination with atrazine. There was no increased risk associated with the other chemicals. The study authors also found that the risk of gastroschisis was higher for women who conceived in the spring (March through May), when agricultural chemical use is more prevalent.”
Air pollution, asthma linked to suicide
Analysis of 80 Studies Finds BPA Exposure Widespread
Auto Exhaust Linked to Thickening of Arteries, Possible Increased Risk of Heart Attack “"For the first time, we have shown that air pollution contributes to the early formation of heart disease, known as atherosclerosis, which is connected to nearly half the deaths in Western societies and to a growing proportion of deaths in the rapidly industrializing nations of Asia and Latin America," said study co-author Michael Jerrett, UC Berkeley associate professor of environmental health sciences. "The implications are that by controlling air pollution from traffic, we may see much larger benefits to public health than we thought previously."”
CDC and IOM Warn of Adverse Psychosocial, Cancer Effects From Gulf Oil Spill
Driveways could spread toxins into the home “If you're thinking about sprucing up your driveway with a fresh coat of black sealant, consider this: some homes with black parking lots have been found to have surprisingly large doses of carcinogens in their household dust. Some of the sticky, black sealants used to coat asphalt are made of coal tar, which contains polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), some of which are known or suspected carcinogens. Barbara Mahler of the US Geological Survey in Austin, Texas, and colleagues have been tracking a link between high quantities of these compounds in the environment and sealed parking lots. "Scientists who work with these compounds — their jaws drop open when they see our numbers," says Mahler. Their work has led to the banning of coal-tar sealants in some cities, including their home town of Austin and, in 2009, Washington DC. Now they show that the use of coal tar sealant in household driveways makes a big difference to the amount of PAHs in household dust1.”
Hard Plastics Decompose in Oceans, Releasing Endocrine Disruptor BPA
Hidden Chemicals in Popular Perfumes
HUD, CPSC Issue Guidance On Repairing Homes With Problem Drywall “Based on scientific study of the problem to date, HUD and CPSC recommend consumers remove all possible problem drywall from their homes, and replace electrical components and wiring, gas service piping, fire suppression sprinkler systems, smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms. Taking these steps, HUD and CSPC say, should help eliminate both the source of the problem drywall and corrosion-damaged components that might cause a safety problem in the home. To view a full text of the remediation guidance, visit the federal Drywall Information Center website.”
Much Higher Tritium Levels Found at Nuclear Plant “A radioactive substance recently found in groundwater monitoring wells at a Vermont nuclear plant has turned up again at levels more than nine times those previously reported and more than 37 times higher than a federal safe drinking water limit, officials said Thursday. Officials at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, state Health Department and federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission said a newly dug monitoring well at the Vernon reactor turned up a reading of nearly 775,000 picocuries per liter. It was by far the highest reading reported yet for tritium, which has been linked to cancer when ingested in large amounts. Despite the much higher reading, an NRC spokeswoman said Thursday there was nothing to fear. "There's not currently, nor is there likely to be, an impact on public health or safety or the environment," the NRC's Diane Screnci said in an interview. She had maintained previously that the Environmental Protection Agency drinking water safety limit of 20,000 picocuries per liter had an abundance of caution built into it. California's state limit is 50 times lower than the EPA's, 400 picocuries per liter. The National Academy of Sciences said in 2005 that any exposure to ionizing radiation from an isotope like tritium elevates the risk of cancer, though it also said with small exposures, the risk would be low. … Gov. Jim Douglas, meanwhile, told reporters he did not know whether to be satisfied with a management shake-up at Vermont Yankee. He had called for such changes last week, three weeks after it was revealed that officials with Vermont Yankee and it's owner, New Orleans-based Entergy Corp., had misled state regulators and lawmakers by saying the nuclear plant did not have the sort of underground piping that could carry tritium.”
Mystery Unraveled: How Asbestos Causes Cancer
New study gives first indication that smog might trigger cell death in the heart
Pesticide use and cutaneous melanoma in pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Heath Study. (Environ Health Perspect. 2010)
Scientists Raise Concerns About Flame Retardants "Flame retardants used in a wide range of consumer products pose a threat to human health and may not even be all that effective, according to a statement signed by nearly 150 scientists from 22 countries. Brominated and chlorinated flame retardants (BFRs and CFRs) are used in products such as televisions, computers, cell phones, upholstered furniture, mattresses, carpet pads, textiles, airplanes and cars."
Smokers' Former Homes May Retain Tobacco Toxins “The health of nonsmokers who move into homes previously inhabited by smokers could be threatened by tobacco toxins lodged in dust and on surfaces, a new study finds. This so-called "thirdhand smoke" was found on surfaces even after the homes had been vacant for two months and cleaned and repainted, said researchers reporting online Dec. 17 in Tobacco Control. "We found that thirdhand smoke is trapped on surfaces like walls and ceilings and in household dust and carpets left over by previous residents," study author Georg Matt, a psychology professor at San Diego State University, said in a university news release. "The homes of smokers become reservoirs of tobacco smoke pollutants. When new nonsmoking tenants come in contact with polluted surfaces and inhale suspended microscopic dust, they are unknowingly exposed to tobacco smoke toxins." “
Summer bummer: Ocean swimming can make you sick
The 7 Most Toxic Places to Live
Ultrafine air particles may increase firefighters' risk for heart disease “"Firefighters simply can't avoid inhaling these ultrafine particles when they are not wearing their protective breathing apparatus and, unfortunately, they routinely remove it during overhaul," explains Stuart Baxter, PhD, a collaborator in the study and UC professor of environmental health.”
U.S. facing 'grievous harm' from chemicals in air, food, water, panel says
U.S. Pays a Price for Dirty Air “"California's failure to meet air pollution standards causes a large amount of expensive hospital care," study author and Rand economist John Romley said in a news release. "The result is that insurance programs -- both those run by the government and private payers -- face higher costs because of California's dirty air."”
When Wrinkle-Free Clothing Also Means Formaldehyde Fumes “Though it is not obvious from the label, the antiwrinkle finish comes from a resin that releases formaldehyde, the chemical that is usually associated with embalming fluids or dissected frogs in biology class. And clothing is not the only thing treated with the chemical. Formaldehyde is commonly found in a broad range of consumer products and can show up in practically every room of the house. The sheets and pillow cases on the bed. The drapes hanging in the living room. The upholstery on the couch. In the bathroom, it can be found in personal care products like shampoos, lotions and eye shadow. It may even be in the baseball cap hanging by the back door. … The United States does not regulate formaldehyde levels in clothing, most of which is now made overseas. Nor does any government agency require manufacturers to disclose the use of the chemical on labels. So sensitive consumers may have a hard time avoiding it (though washing the clothes before wearing them helps).“
Widely Used Herbicide, Atrazine, Causes Prostate Inflammation in Male Rats and Delays Puberty
ARTICLES:
6 Daily Habits That May Make You Sick
7 Ingredients to Ban From Your Bathroom
Coal Ash: The toxic threat to our health and environment
How Your Home Affects Your Health
The Best Non-toxic Ways to Clean Your Home
Unsafe at home? “They conclude that seemingly innocent, everyday things might be killing us, because these hormone-altering chemicals are in just about everything and even low levels of them, over time, are harmful. "This notion that there's such a thing as a safe level just simply doesn't exist for endocrine-disrupting chemicals," Lourie said. "There is no safe level. Zero is safe, everything above zero is less safe." “
JOURNAL ARTICLES:
Air pollution positively correlates with daily stroke admission and in hospital mortality: a study in the urban area of Como, Italy. (Neurol Sci. 2010) “In conclusion, this study suggests an association between short-term outdoor air pollution exposure and ischemic stroke admission and mortality.”
Asbestos: Selected Cancers. (National Academies Press (US) 2010) “The committee also considered the biologic plausibility of causal associations of asbestos with cancers at the specified sites, recognizing that asbestos is an established cause of mesothelioma and lung cancer. The full committee reviewed the final integration of the evidence to assure uniformity of application of the causal criteria across the sites. Of the five sites considered, the committee found the evidence to be sufficient to infer a causal relationship for laryngeal cancer; to be suggestive for pharyngeal, stomach, and colorectal cancers; and to be inadequate for esophageal cancer. Most of the non-epidemiologic evidence does not indicate any particular site as being the target of carcinogenic action by asbestos in humans; that evidence and the complementary epidemiologic evidence do establish with certainty that asbestos is a human carcinogen.”
Final Report on Carcinogens Background Document for Formaldehyde. (National Toxicology Program.Rep Carcinog Backgr Doc. 2010)
Final report on carcinogens background document for glass wool fibers. (National Toxicology Program.Rep Carcinog Backgr Doc. 2009)
Pesticide Use and Thyroid Disease Among Women in the Agricultural Health Study (American Journal of Epidemiology 2010) “These data support a role of organochlorines, in addition to fungicides, in the etiology of thyroid disease among female spouses enrolled in the Agricultural Health Study.”
The effects of air pollution on vitamin D status in healthy women: A cross sectional study (BMC Public Health 2010) “The question addressed by this study was whether air pollution affects the blood level of 25-OH-D in healthy women. We found that the place of living, as a surrogate of air pollution, has a significant influence on vitamin D status. Hence, controlling air pollution levels will promote the body vitamin D status.”
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