Environmental Health Perspectives articles from July 2005

Environmental Health Perspectives archives from July 2005

Contaminant source zones: remediation or perpetual stewardship?(Guest Editorial)
July 1, 2005... It has been some 20 years since I published my first paper on organic liquid contamination of the subsurface. That article was among the first to model the infiltration of organic solvents into aquifer systems. Before the mid-1980s, the...

Note from the editors: striving for a more reader-friendly journal.(Editorial)
July 1, 2005... We at EHP continually strive to make our content more accessible to our readers. With this issue, we are pleased to unveil some journal format changes that we hope will help with this goal. Our Table of Contents has a new easier-to-read format....

The NIEHS and the National Toxicology Program: an integrated scientific vision.(NIEHS DIRECTOR'S PERSPECTIVE)
July 1, 2005... The National Toxicology Program (NTP) is an interagency program (1) whose mission is to coordinate, conduct, and communicate toxicological research findings across the U.S. government. The NTP is administratively housed at the NIEHS, and David...

Urinary creatinine and arsenic metabolism.(Perspectives / Correspondence)
July 1, 2005... Urinary creatinine is almost universally employed to adjust concentrations of urinary analytes for variations in hydration status. In the February 2005 issue of EHP, Barr et al. used data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination...

Urinary creatinine: Barr et al. respond.(Perspectives / Correspondence)
July 1, 2005... Although individual predictors of urinary creatinine such as sex, body mass index, and age have been reported, no single research endeavor has documented the predictors in one study population as thoroughly as we reported in our recent article...

Ototoxicity.(Perspectives / Correspondence)
July 1, 2005... The January 2005 issue of EHP provided a much-needed overview of the prevalence of environment noise and its effects on health (Chepesiuk 2005; Manuel 2005; Schmidt 2005). Indeed, noise is pervasive and its adverse health effects are among the...

Bioremediation monitoring.(Perspectives / Correspondence)
July 1, 2005... In their article published in the February issue of EHP, Ganey and Boyd (2005) made some excellent points about the potential pitfalls of simply assaying for the disappearance of an environmental pollutant during or as a result of...

Errata.(Perspectives / Correspondence)(Correction Notice)
July 1, 2005... In "Seasick Lungs: How Airborne Algal Toxins Trigger Asthma Symptoms" [Environ Health Perspect 113:A324 (2005)], the accompanying photograph of Karenia brevis should have been credited to Daniel Baden/University of North Carolina at Wilmington....

The shape of food allergenicity.(Molecular Biology)
July 1, 2005... Every year, food allergies cause about 30,000 visits to emergency rooms and an estimated 150 deaths. The culprits are known; only eight foods--milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soybeans, and wheat--cause 90% of all allergic food...

NAS reports on perchlorate safety.(Drinking Water)
July 1, 2005... A National Academy of Sciences (NAS) panel has issued a final report on the health implications of perchlorate ingestion, recommending a reference dose of 0.0007 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) body weight. But the debate over the health risks...

"Cabin fever" fears unfounded.(The Beat)
July 1, 2005... Ever wonder how many infectious organisms are riding along with you in the cabin of a commercial airliner? According to a literature review in the 12 March 2005 Lancet, although hairliner cabins are a suitable milieu for the spread of disease,...

Betting on biomass.(The Beat)
July 1, 2005... The U.S. Department of Energy has unveiled a $2.85 million Biomass Surface Characterization Laboratory within the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado. Dedicated in March 2005, the new lab is designed to give scientists the...

Turning up the heat watch.(The Beat)
July 1, 2005... According to National Weather Service (NWS) data, excessive heat is the leading weather-related cause of death, with at least 1,500 excess deaths from heat-elated causes during the average U.S. summer. The NWS has been testing its Heat/Health...

Ionizing air cleaners zapped.(Allergies)
July 1, 2005... Ionizing air cleaners--those staples of infomercials and splashy magazine ads--are not only ineffective at removing contaminants from indoor air, but also may emit enough ozone to be a health concern. The effects may be even greater in people...

Framing a chemical future.(Policy)
July 1, 2005... Spurred by recent developments abroad to design new approaches to chemical management, the University of Massachusetts Lowell Center for Sustainable Production sponsored a two-day conference in April 2005 to stimulate similar productive changes...

UNEP.net freshwater portal.(ehp net)
July 1, 2005... Even though 70% of the Earth's surface is covered with water, little of that is freshwater. Today, one-third of the world's population lives in countries with moderate or high water stress, a fact that leads many experts to proclaim that water...

Japan revs up idling law.(The Beat)
July 1, 2005... Since 1997 Japan has required that drivers of commercial vehicles turn off their engines when they were going to be stopped for more than just a few moments--for example, at curbs and stoplights. Now, thanks to studies proving the measures'...

Africa forms waste institute.(The Beat)
July 1, 2005... Despite international conventions to control the importation and transboundary movement of hazardous waste, African nations still struggle with huge problems of pesticide dumps and illicit trade in hazardous waste. Now 10 nations have signed an...

The lawn and short of mower pollution.(The Beat)
July 1, 2005... Not all lawn mowers are created equal, nor is all lawn mower pollution. From traditional gas-powered mowers to electric models, the amount of pollution produced varies significantly. A life cycle analysis done by University of Florida engineers...

Global collaboration gives greater voice to African journals.(Environews / NIEHS News)
July 1, 2005... Peer-reviewed journals are a vital source of information exchange for researchers and clinicians in the medical and environmental health arena. The timely publication of credible research is integral to advancing the realm of knowledge in any...

Promoting health in Texas colonias.(Beyond the Bench)
July 1, 2005... Sometimes the best educational resources can be found in your own backyard. Staff at the Community Outreach and Education Program (COEP) of the NIEHS Center for Environmental and Rural Health at Texas A&M University recognize how true that can...

Effects of organochlorine compounds on menstrual cycles.(Headliners: Reproductive Health)
July 1, 2005... Windham GC, Lee D, Mitchell P, Anderson M, Petreas M, Lasley B. 2005. Exposure to organochlorine compounds and effects on ovarian function. Epidemiology 16:182-190. Over the past 20-30 years, environmental health scientists have expressed...

Paving paradise: the peril of impervious surfaces.(Environews / Focus)
July 1, 2005... Paved surfaces are quite possibly the most ubiquitous structures created by humans. In the United States alone, pavements and other impervious surfaces cover more than 43,000 square miles--an area nearly the size of Ohio--according to research...

Combined sewer system: down, dirty, and out of date.(Environews / Spheres of Influence)
July 1, 2005... When combined sewer systems were introduced in 1855, they were hailed as a vast improvement over urban cesspool ditches that ran along city streets and spilled over when it rained. These networks of underground pipes were designed to dry out...

Outsmarting olfaction: the next generation of mosquito repellents.(Environews / Innovations)
July 1, 2005... The world's most dangerous animal weighs about two milligrams and pursues its human prey at speeds of barely a mile per hour. Surprised? Don't be. The dubious honor belongs to the lowly mosquito--a fragile creature whose bite infects millions...

More concerns for farmers: neurologic effects of chronic pesticide exposure.(Environews / Science Selections)
July 1, 2005... Although there is considerable evidence that pesticides are neurotoxic, most research has focused on the short- and long-term consequences of acute high-level exposure such as that seen during industrial accidents or food contamination. To...

Blocking brain development: how PCBs disrupt thyroid hormone.(Environews / Science Selections)
July 1, 2005... Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have long been known to alter growth and development in animals and humans, and are suspected of interfering with the action of thyroid hormone (TH) in humans. Much less is known about which congeners of this...

Questioning lead standards: even low levels shave points off IQ.(Environews / Science Selections)
July 1, 2005... The maximum blood lead concentration deemed acceptable for children has declined over the years, from 60 micrograms per deciliter ([micro]g/dL) in 1970 to the present-day level of 10 [micro]g/dL, first established in 1991. In the last several...

Tap water and trihalomethanes: flow of concerns continues.(Environews / Science Selections)
July 1, 2005... Trihalomethanes (THMs) are the result of a reaction between the chlorine used for disinfecting tap water and natural organic matter in the water. At elevated levels, THMs have been associated with negative health effects such as cancer and...

Vinyl chloride: a case study of data suppression and misrepresentation.(Commentary)
July 1, 2005... When the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized its 2000 update of the toxicological effects of vinyl chloride (VC), it was concerned with two issues: the classification of VC as a carcinogen and the numerical estimate of its...

Pesticide testing on human subjects: weighing benefits and risks.(Commentary)
July 1, 2005... In the debate surrounding testing pesticides on human subjects, two distinct positions have emerged. The first position holds that pesticide experiments on human subjects should be allowed, but only under stringent scientific and ethical...

Ushering in the new toxicology: toxicogenomics and the public interest.(Commentary)
July 1, 2005... New scientific tools spawned by the genomics revolution promise to improve our ability to identify causative factors in human diseases. But as these new tools elucidate the complex interactions between chemical toxins and biologic systems, the...

Nanotoxicology: an emerging discipline evolving from studies of ultrafine particles.
July 1, 2005... Although humans have been exposed to airborne nanosized particles (NSPs; < 100 nm) throughout their evolutionary stages, such exposure has increased dramatically over the last century due to anthropogenic sources. The rapidly developing field...

Personalized exposure assessment: promising approaches for human environmental health research.).(Personalized exposure assessment: promising approaches for human environmental health research.)
July 1, 2005... New technologies and methods for assessing human exposure to chemicals, dietary and lifestyle factors, infectious agents, and other stressors provide an opportunity to extend the range of human health investigations and advance our...

Changes in levels of nerve growth factor in nasal secretions after capsaicin inhalation in patients with airway symptoms from scents and chemicals.(Research)
July 1, 2005... Patients complaining of upper and lower airway symptoms caused by scents and chemicals have previously been shown to have increased cough sensitivity to inhaled capsaicin, but the precise mechanisms behind this reaction are unknown....

Lipid adjustment in the analysis of environmental contaminants and human health risks.(Research)
July 1, 2005... The literature on exposure to lipophilic agents such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is conflicting, posing challenges for the interpretation of potential human health risks. Laboratory variation in quantifying PCBs may account for some of...

Serum dioxin concentrations and age at menopause.(Research)
July 1, 2005... 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorobenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), a halogenated compound that binds the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, is a by-product of numerous industrial processes including waste incineration. Studies in rats and monkeys suggest that TCDD may affect...

Influence of tap water quality and household water use activities on indoor air and internal dose levels of trihalomethanes.(Research)
July 1, 2005... Individual exposure to trihalomethanes (THMs) in tap water can occur through ingestion, inhalation, or dermal exposure. Studies indicate that activities associated with inhaled or dermal exposure routes result in a greater increase in blood THM...

Polychlorinated biphenyls disturb differentiation of normal human neural progenitor cells: clue for involvement of thyroid hormone receptors.(Research)
July 1, 2005... Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are ubiquitous environmental chemicals that accumulate in adipose tissues over the food chain. Epidemiologic studies have indicated that PCBs influence brain development. Children who are exposed to PCBs during...

Neurologic symptoms in licensed private pesticide applicators in the Agricultural Health Study.(Research / Environmental Medicine)
July 1, 2005... Exposure to high levels of many pesticides has both acute and long-term neurologic consequences, but little is known about the neurotoxicity of chronic exposure to moderate levels of pesticides. We analyzed cross-sectional data from 18,782...

Air pollution and ST-segment depression in elderly subjects.(Research / Environmental Medicine)
July 1, 2005... Increased levels of daily ambient particle pollution have been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity. Black carbon (BC) is a measure of the traffic-related component of particles. We investigated associations between...

Grand rounds: latex-induced occupational asthma in a surgical pathologist.(Research / Environmental Medicine)
July 1, 2005... CONTEXT: Latex allergy and sensitization have been an important problem facing health care workers. Providing a latex-safe environment is the intervention of choice. CASE PRESENTATION: A 46-year-old surgical pathologist presented with...

Low-level environmental lead exposure and children's intellectual function: an international pooled analysis.(Research / Children's Health)
July 1, 2005... Lead is a confirmed neurotoxin, but questions remain about lead-associated intellectual deficits at blood lead levels < 10 [micro]g/dL and whether lower exposures are, for a given change in exposure, associated with greater deficits. The...

Blood lead level and risk of asthma.(Research / Children's Health)
July 1, 2005... Asthma and lead poisoning are prevalent among urban children in the United States. Lead exposure may be associated with excessive production of immunoglobulin E, possibly increasing asthma risk and contributing to racial disparities. The...

Umbilical cord mercury concentration as biomarker of prenatal exposure to methylmercury.(Research / Children's Health)
July 1, 2005... Biomarkers are often applied to assess prenatal exposure to methylmercury in research and surveillance. In a prospective study in the Faroe Islands, the main exposure biomarkers were the mercury concentrations in cord blood and maternal hair...

Risk of brain tumors in children and susceptibility to organophosphorus insecticides: the potential role of paraoxonase (PON1).(Research / Children's Health)
July 1, 2005... Prior research suggests that childhood brain tumors (CBTs) may be associated with exposure to pesticides. Organophosphorus insecticides (OPs) target the developing nervous system, and until recently, the most common residential insecticides...

The Superfund Basic Research Program--a time of change.(Announcements / NIEHS Extramural Update)
July 1, 2005... It is a time of new beginnings for the Superfund Basic Research Program, a university-based grants program established in 1987. While maintaining the program's premise of supporting basic research for practical application to address the...

Stem cells and cancer.(Announcements / Fellowships, Grants, & Awards)
July 1, 2005... The clonal nature of most malignant tumors is well established. Experiments spanning several decades have shown, however, that as many as one million murine or human tumor cells are required to transplant a new tumor from an existing one. Two...

Secondary analyses in obesity, diabetes, digestive and kidney diseases.(Announcements / Fellowships, Grants, & Awards)
July 1, 2005... The specific objectives of this announcement on Secondary Analyses In Obesity, Diabetes, Digestive And Kidney Diseases are to support the following: (a) research on secondary analyses of data related to the epidemiology of disease areas of...

Calendar.(Announcements)(Calendar)
July 1, 2005... 2005 July 10-15 July, Sun-Fri. Hormone Action In Development and Cancer. South Hadley, Massachusetts. Information: Gordon Research Conferences, PO Box 984, West Kingston, RI 02892-0984 USA, 401-783-4011, fax: 401-783-7644, e-mail:...

Nanotechnology: Environments/Implications and Solutions.
July 1, 2005... Nanotechnology: Environments/Implications and Solutions By Louis Theodore and Robert G. Kunz Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2005. 378 pp. ISBN: 0-471-69976-4, $99.95 cloth This book, written mainly for engineering students, gives an...

New books.(Announcements)
July 1, 2005... Apoptotic Pathways as Targets for Novel Therapies in Cancer and Other Diseases Marek Los, Spencer B. Gibson, eds. New York: Springer-Verlag, 2005. 396 pp. ISBN: 0-387-23384-9, $149 BioIndustry Ethics David Finegold, Cecile Bensimon,...