Environmental Health
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Environmental Health
General Information
NEWS:
Bedbugs Can Carry Superbugs “They found bedbugs carrying methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococci. "I was a little surprised. Historically, bedbugs have not been associated with infections," Dr. Romney said in a telephone interview.”
Bed Bug Insecticides Causing Sickness, Officials Warn
Bisphenol A May Have Role in Ovarian Dysfunction
Brain scan overdose offers glimpse of radiation threat
Burning Coal Indoors Linked to Birth Defects
Can Aromatherapy Produce Harmful Indoor Air Pollutants? “Spas that offer massage therapy using fragrant essential oils, called aromatherapy, may have elevated levels of potentially harmful indoor air pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ultrafine particles …”
Cancer-Causing Mineral Found in U.S. Road Gravel: Erionite in Roads May Increase Risk of Mesothelioma“The scientists compared the erionite in North Dakota to erionite from the Turkish villages with high mesothelioma rates. They measured airborne concentrations of the mineral in various settings, studied its chemical composition, and analyzed its biological activity. When mice were injected with the erionite from Dunn County, their lungs showed signs of inflammation and abnormal cell growth, precursors to mesothelioma. Under the microscope, the fiber size of the erionite from North Dakota was similar to that of the Turkish erionite. Overall, the researchers found no chemical differences between the North Dakota erionite and samples of the cancer-causing mineral from Turkey. The airborne levels of erionite in North Dakota were comparable to levels found in Turkish villages with 6-8 percent mortality rates from mesothelioma, the researchers reported.”
Do Pools Expose Swimmers to Potentially Harmful Chemicals? “Swimmers have detectable levels of a potentially dangerous chlorine by-product called haloacetic acids (HAAs) in their urine within 30 minutes of a swim, a study shows. The Environmental Protection Agency limits HAA levels in drinking water because high amounts may be linked to birth defects and cancer. Chlorine is used in drinking water and swimming pool water to kill harmful bacteria. By-products such as HAA occur when disinfectants such as chlorine react with impurities in the water.”
Doorknobs May Be 'Reservoirs' for MRSA
Environmental Toxins Linked to Hardening of Arteries “In Sweden, and in many countries in the world, many of these substances are forbidden today, but since they are so long-lived they're still out there in our environment. We ingest these environmental toxicants with the food we eat, and since they are stored in our bodies, the levels grow higher the older we get," said Monica Lind, an associate professor in environmental medicine, in the release.”
Estimated Costs of Environmental Disease in Children at $76.6 Billion Per Year
Exposure to Common Chemicals May Affect Thyroid Function “Chemicals called phthalates and bisphenol-A (BPA) that are found in solvents, plastics and numerous household products may alter levels of thyroid hormones in the body, according to a new study. Thyroid hormones play a role in many critical bodily functions, including reproduction and metabolism. Researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health used data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to compare thyroid levels and traces of phthalates and BPA in urine samples of 1,346 adults and 329 teenagers. Their findings confirmed previous research linking BPA -- used in certain plastic water bottles and the linings of canned foods -- with disruptions in thyroid hormone levels, they said. Overall, higher concentrations of the chemicals had an inverse impact on thyroid levels, said study lead author John Meeker, an assistant professor, in a university news release. The greater the exposure to phthalates and BPA, the lower the thyroid hormone levels. The strongest link occurred with exposure to DEHP, a phthalate commonly used as a plasticizer, which people come into contact with through diet.”
Frequently Asked Questions About Potassium Iodide “Potassium iodide is a salt, similar to table salt. Its chemical symbol is KI. It is routinely added to table salt to make it "iodized." Potassium iodide, if taken in time and at the appropriate dosage, blocks the thyroid gland's uptake of radioactive iodine and thus could reduce the risk of thyroid cancers and other diseases that might otherwise be caused by exposure to radioactive iodine that could be dispersed in a severe nuclear accident.”
“Green” Air Fresheners: Clearing the Air
Heavy Metals Pollute a Tenth of China's Farmland
Invisible and Odorless, Radon Poses Risks to Lungs
Mercury Converted to Its Most Toxic Form in Ocean Waters
Pesticides May Wipe Out More Than Bugs“Prenatal exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides that are widely used on fruit and vegetable crops throughout the United States has been linked to IQ deficits in school-age children, according to 3 new studies published online April 21 in Environmental Health Perspectives. The studies add to the growing body of literature linking exposure to pesticides and insecticides to adverse neurologic and cognitive outcomes in children.”
Pollutants Linked to 450 Percent Increase in Risk of Birth Defects in Rural China
Public Restrooms Ripe with Bacteria
Researchers: Scented Laundry Detergent Could Be Hazardous
Roundup: Birth Defects Caused By World's Top-Selling Weedkiller, Scientists Say
Scores Got Sick, 1 Died Trying to Kill Bedbugs
She had her house sprayed for fleas, and then the trouble began
Studies Suggest Link Between Smog, Joint Disease “Exposure to certain types of air pollution is associated with an increased risk for the painful joint disease known as rheumatoid arthritis, new research suggests. This link is strongest for sulfur dioxide, one of the six most common air pollutants in the United States, according to the findings from two studies scheduled to be presented Wednesday at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting, in Chicago.”
Teflon component linked to arthritis
'Thirdhand Smoke' May Be Bigger Health Hazard Than Previously Believed “In an effort to learn more about thirdhand smoke, the scientists studied interactions between nicotine and indoor air on a variety of different materials, including cellulose (a component of wood furniture), cotton, and paper to simulate typical indoor surfaces. They found that nicotine interacts with ozone, in indoor air, to form potentially toxic pollutants on these surfaces. "Given the toxicity of some of the identified products and that small particles may contribute to adverse health effects, the present study indicates that exposure to [thirdhand smoke] may pose additional health risks," the article notes.”
Thyroid cancer a hazard from radioactive iodine emitted by Japan’s failing nuclear power plants
US Adds 8 Chemicals to Carcinogen List “The six agents now "reasonably anticipated to be carcinogens" are: • Styrene, a compound used to make polystyrene. Although disposable cups made from polystyrene leach small amounts of styrene, Bucher says the amounts are very small. • Captafol, a fungicide once commonly used in agriculture but no longer produced after 1987 or used after 2006 in the U.S. • Cobalt-tungsten carbide (in powder or hard metal form) is used to make hard-metal tools. The major source of exposure is from plants manufacturing such products. • Certain inhalable glass wool fibers used in air filters or as insulation. The type of glass wool used for insulation and filtration may be less dangerous than the special kind used for manufacturing. • O-nitrotoluene is used in the manufacture of dyes. Most exposures come from air or ground pollution. • Riddelliine is a plant compound found in a type of daisy found in the Western U.S. and in other parts of the world. It has been used accidentally in medicinal herbs and may contaminate the milk of cows that graze on the plants.“
WHO Reveals Cities With Most And Least Polluted Air
Woodsmoke from Cooking Fires Linked to Pneumonia, Cognitive Impacts
Worst U.S. Air: Bakersfield Calif.; Best: Honolulu, Santa Fe
ARTICLES:
How to Make Your Home Healthier: A Room-by-Room Guide
Toxic or not? A guide to everyday products
JOURNAL ARTICLES:
Air Mercury Contamination in the Gold Mining Town of Portovelo, Ecuador. (Bull Environ Contam Toxicol. 2011)
Air pollution and the brain: Subchronic diesel exhaust exposure causes neuroinflammation and elevates early markers of neurodegenerative disease. (J Neuroinflammation. 2011)
Air pollution from traffic and cancer incidence: a Danish cohort study. (Environ Health. 2011 ) “This hypothesis-generating study indicates that traffic-related air pollution might increase the risks for cervical and brain cancer, which should be tested in future studies.”
Air pollution ultrafine particles: toxicity beyond the lung. (Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2010)
Brain cancer and pesticide relationship in orchard farmers of Kashmir (Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2011)
Indoor Air Pollution From Coal Combustion and the Risk of Neural Tube Defects in a Rural Population in Shanxi Province, China (Am. J. Epidemiol. 2011)
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