environmental health perspectives
Psychological effects of BP oil spill go beyond residents of impacted shorelines
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The psychological effects of the BP oil spill, the largest recorded environmental disaster in human history, extend far beyond people living around the areas of the Gulf of Mexico that were directly impacted by the spill, a…
Broader psychological impact of 2010 BP oil spill
Baltimore, MD — Feb. 17, 2011. The explosion and fire on a BP-licensed oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 had huge environmental and economic effects, with millions of gallons of oil leaking into the water for more than five months. …
NIH study finds 2 pesticides associated with Parkinson’s disease
New research shows a link between use of two pesticides, rotenone and paraquat, and Parkinson’s disease. People who used either pesticide developed Parkinson’s disease approximately 2.5 times more often than non-users.
The study was a collabora…
Pollution controls used during China Olympics could save lives if continued
CORVALLIS, Ore. — The air pollution control measures that were put in place in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games — if continued — would cut almost in half the lifetime risk of lung cancer for the area’s residents from certain inhaled pollu…
Findings on pollution damage to human airways could yield new therapies
DURHAM, N.C. — Researchers from Duke University Medical Center have identified how nanoparticles from diesel exhaust damage lung airway cells, a finding that could lead to new therapies for people susceptible to airway disease.
The scientists a…
UCSF study identifies chemicals in pregnant women
The bodies of virtually all U.S. pregnant women carry multiple chemicals, including some banned since the 1970s and others used in common products such as non-stick cookware, processed foods and personal care products, according to a new study from …
Researcher finds proximity to freeway associated with autism
LOS ANGELES (December 16, 2010) — Living near a freeway may be associated with increased risk of autism, according to a study published by a team of researchers from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the Keck School of Medicine of the Universit…
Chemicals’ study pinpoints threat to workers’ lungs
Tiny particles used in a range of everyday products from computers to shampoo can adversely affect the lungs in very different ways, a study has shown.
Research by the University of Edinburgh suggests that industrial manufacturers using nanopartic…
Unexpected findings of lead exposure may lead to treating blindness
HOUSTON, Oct. 25, 2010 — Some unexpected effects of lead exposure that may one day help prevent and reverse blindness have been uncovered by a University of Houston (UH) professor and his team.
Donald A. Fox, a professor of vision sciences…
Prenatal exposure to pesticides linked to attention problems
Berkeley — Children who were exposed to organophosphate pesticides while still in their mother’s womb were more likely to develop attention disorders years later, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley. …
20 years laters, no significant cancer increase in Three Mile Island residents
In a 20-year follow-up study of mortality data on residents living within a five-mile radius of Three Mile Island (TMI), researchers at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH) found no significant increase overall in deaths from cancer. “This survey of data, which covers the normal latency period for most cancers, confirms our earlier analysis that radioactivity released during the nuclear accident at TMI does not appear to have caused an overall increase in cancer deaths among residents of that area over the follow-up period, l979 to l998,” said Evelyn Talbott, Dr.P.H., professor of epidemiology at GSPH and principal investigator on the study.