Environmental Health Perspectives articles from July 2006

Environmental Health Perspectives archives from July 2006

Autism and the environment.(Guest Editorial)
July 1, 2006... Speculation that the environment plays a role in the development of autism primarily comes from two observations: a) although concordance among monozygotic twins is high, it is not perfect, and a specific "autism gene" or set of genes has not...

Disease-first: a new paradigm for environmental health science research.(DIRECTOR'S PERSPECTIVE)
July 1, 2006... In recent years, many observers have advocated the adoption of a new paradigm in the environmental health sciences--a shift toward a sharper focus on understanding human disease and improving human health by integrating knowledge from...

Anogenital distance: defining "normal".(Correspondence)
July 1, 2006... In their letter to EHP, McEwen and Renner (2006) dismissed the findings of Swan et al. (2005), who reported a significant relationship between a measure of anogenital distance (AGD) in boys and levels of phthalate metabolites in their mothers'...

Anogenital distance: bailey and Renner respond.(Correspondence)
July 1, 2006... In his letter, Weiss misrepresents the arguments presented in our letter (McEwen and Renner 2006) regarding the study of Swan et al. (2005). We pointed out that a value for "normal" anogenital distance (AGD) is not known and that without this...

Mercury from fish does not reduce children's IQs.(Correspondence)
July 1, 2006... Trasande et al. (2005) concluded that prenatal methylmercury (MeHg) exposure is reducing children's IQs (intelligence quotients), costing $8.7 billion/year. They achieved this high estimate a) by assuming that IQ reductions occur at MeHg...

Children's IQs: Trasande et al. respond.(Correspondence)
July 1, 2006... Schwartz makes a number of claims regarding our methodology (Trasande et al. 2005) that are inaccurate and based on a selective reading of the literature. In our article (Trasande et al. 2005), we estimated the health and economic...

Erratum.(Correction notice)
July 1, 2006... A line of text was inadvertently omitted from the June 2006 Innovations article ("Plant vs. Pathogen: Enlisting Tobacco in the Fight Against Anthrax," EHP 114:A364-A367 [2006]). The last sentence on page A365 should read: "The current anthrax...

California enacts Safe Cosmetics Act.(LEGISLATION)
July 1, 2006... Californians frustrated with what they consider the FDA's loose control over cosmetic safety have taken matters into their own hands with the country's first state cosmetics regulatory act, which takes effect in January 2007. The California...

Tanning trippers get UV high.(RADIATION)
July 1, 2006... It has long been suspected that cutaneous endorphins are produced during exposure to UV light. Now research published in the April 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology suggests that frequent users of tanning beds may...

Endometriosis and PCB exposure.(WOMEN'S HEALTH)
July 1, 2006... Endometriosis may be related to exposure to persistent pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), according to research published in the May 2006 issue of Chemosphere. This gynecological disorder linked to infertility afflicts 10% of...

No dental dilemma for BPA.(CHEMICAL EXPOSURES)
July 1, 2006... Among the many uses of bisphenol A (BPA) is the manufacture of resin-based dental composites and sealants. Recently a team of researchers from the CDC sank their teeth into questions about whether BPA monomer leaching from sealants could be...

Now broadcasting: green.tv.(The Beat)
July 1, 2006... green.tv, the world's first Internet-based broadband channel dedicated to environmental issues, started broadcasting in March 2006 from its website at http://www.green.tv/. The channel, developed with support from UNEP, is also available as a...

UNEP promotes Sustainable Building and Construction.(The Beat)
July 1, 2006... In February 2006 UNEP announced the launch of the Sustainable Building and Construction Initiative to promote environmentally friendly practices in the construction industry. Three of the world's largest construction companies--Lafarge,...

Pediatric environmental health in Argentina.(The Beat)
July 1, 2006... WHO statistics show that approximately 33% of diseases affecting children under age 5 are linked to environmental risk factors. To address this threat, the Argentine and Buenos Aires governments have set up new "pediatric environmental health...

Unlimited mileage from the drive-thru?(The Beat)
July 1, 2006... A company offering rental cars powered entirely by biodiesel opened its doors in Los Angeles in February 2006. The cars get 400 to 800 miles per tank on 100% biodiesel made from recycled cooking oil. Bio-Beetle Eco Rental Cars first started in...

Goldman Environmental Prize 2006.(The Beat)
July 1, 2006... For 17 years, the $125,000 Goldman Environmental Prize has been awarded to activists dedicated to effecting environmental change in their home countries. The six winners for 2006 are: * Yu Xiaogang, of China, who created groundbreaking...

Cure Autism Now.(ehpnet)
July 1, 2006... In 1995, parents of children with autism joined together to form the nonprofit organization Cure Autism Now (CAN). Since then, its membership has grown to include clinicians and scientists committed to accelerating the pace of biomedical...

A meeting of the minds on mice.(NIEHS News)
July 1, 2006... If genetics research is ever to fulfill its promise of revolutionizing medicine, genotypes must be linked to phenotypes--that is, individual genomic characteristics must be identified and associated with outcomes in the forms of disease...

Environmental Polymorphism Registry: banking DNA to discover the source of susceptibility.(NIEHS News)
July 1, 2006... Walking outside on a day when ozone levels are at "code orange" doesn't bother one person, but for someone else, it can result in chest pain, coughing, wheezing, or lung and nasal congestion. Why? Polymorphisms, tiny interindividual variations...

Misfolded protein presents potential molecular explanation for autism spectrum disorders.(Autism)
July 1, 2006... Currently, there is only very limited information available on the etiology and biological basis of the autism spectrum disorders, although a mutation in the neuroligin 3 gene has caught researchers' attention in recent studies. Now NIEHS...

Continuing education for nurses on Environmental Genetics And Complex Diseases.(BEYOND THE BENCH)
July 1, 2006... Many people find it hard to fit professional development and continuing education into their busy work lives. Now help is just a mouse-click away for nurses seeking flexible, self-paced training in the growing field of environmental genetics....

Tracing the origins of autism: a spectrum of new studies.(Focus)
July 1, 2006... The etiology of a medical condition might seem an unlikely subject to arouse intense feelings. Yet few medical disorders have stirred up as much passion and divisiveness among scientists and the general public as autism has in recent years. The...

TRI: corroding its original intent?(Spheres of Influence)
July 1, 2006... If knowledge is power, as the proverb goes, then the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) is a powerful tool indeed. Firefighters and first responders used this nearly 20-year-old public database of toxic chemical emissions to identify...

A clear solution for dirty water.(Innovations)
July 1, 2006... Turning water into wine may be among the most venerable of miracles, but for Greg Allgood, the real miracle has been turning dirty water into drinkable water. He once wowed an audience in a Malawi village, where hundreds of inhabitants along...

Near and not-so-dear TRI facilities: prenatal proximity and later brain cancer.(Science Selections)
July 1, 2006... The most clearly established environmental risk factor for childhood brain cancer is therapeutic radiation exposure (not including diagnostic X-rays). New research now suggests that children of mothers who lived near an EPA Toxics Release...

A killer smell: mold toxin destroys olfactory cells in mice.(Science Selections)
July 1, 2006... Mold seems ubiquitous: it permeates spaces made damp by leaking water lines, faulty roofs, or storm flooding. Although no one contests that its slimy presence is a general nuisance, its related adverse health effects have been the subject of...

Potential immunotoxic effect of thimerosal: compound alters dendritic cell response in vitro.(Science Selections)
July 1, 2006... Thimerosal, an ethylmercury-based compound used for decades as a vaccine preservative, has previously been linked to neurotoxic effects. New research reveals that it may also affect the immune system by altering how dendritic cells respond to...

Remember pfiesteria? Occupational exposure unlikely to cause cognitive effects.(Science Selections)(Clinical report)
July 1, 2006... Case reports have suggested that exposure to the dinoflagellate Pfiesteria may contribute to deficits in human learning and memory. Until now, however, there has been no clear, objective documentation of health effects associated with regular...

The NIH ENDGAME consortium.(NIEHS Extramural Update)
July 1, 2006... The NIH has recently established a highly interactive consortium of 11 research groups on Enhancing Development of Genome-wide Association Methods (ENDGAME) to advance the utility of genome-wide association studies. The consortium (funded by...

New books.(Announcements)
July 1, 2006... Advances in Genetics Jeffrey Hall, ed. Burlington, MA:Elsevier, 2006. 224 pp. ISBN: 0-12-017656-4, $149.95 Artists-in-Labs: Processes of Inquiry Jill Scott, ed. New York:Springer, 2006. 136 pp. ISBN: 3-211-27957-1, $25.95...

Causality and the interpretation of epidemiologic evidence.(Commentary)
July 1, 2006... There is an ongoing debate regarding how and when an agent's or determinant's impact can be interpreted as causation with respect to some target disease. The so-called criteria of causation, originating from the seminal work of Sir Austin...

Intersubject variability of risk from perchlorate in community water supplies.(Commentary)
July 1, 2006... This article is a brief review and summary of the estimated incremental risks (increases in hazard quotient or decreases in thyroid uptake of iodine) to pregnant women (and hence their fetuses) associated with perchlorate exposure in community...

Integrating research, surveillance, and practice in environmental public health tracking.(Commentary)
July 1, 2006... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is working with selected state and local health departments, academic centers, and others to develop an environmental public health tracking...

Paraoxonase polymorphisms, haplotypes, and enzyme activity in Latino mothers and newborns.(Research)
July 1, 2006... Recent studies have demonstrated widespread pesticide exposures in pregnant women and in children. Plasma paraoxonase 1 (PON1) plays an important role in detoxification of various organophosphates. The goals of this study were to examine in the...

Diabetes, obesity, and hypertension may enhance associations between air pollution and markers of systemic inflammation.(Research)
July 1, 2006... Airborne particulate matter (PM) may lead to increased cardiac risk through an inflammatory pathway. Therefore, we investigated associations between ambient PM and markers of systemic inflammation among repeated measures from 44 senior citizens...

Correction.(Correction notice)
July 1, 2006... In Table 1 of the manuscript published online, the ranges of CRP for both "Yes" and "No" under "Statin therapy" were incorrect. These values have been corrected here.

Organophosphate pesticide exposure and work in pome fruit: evidence for the take-home pesticide pathway.
July 1, 2006... Organophosphate (OP) pesticides are commonly used in the United States, and farmworkers are at risk for chronic exposure. Using a sample of 218 farmworkers in 24 communities and labor camps in eastern Washington State, we examined the...

Cancer mortality in workers exposed to organochlorine compounds in the pulp and paper industry: an international collaborative study.
July 1, 2006... The objective of this study was to evaluate cancer mortality in pulp and paper industry workers exposed to chlorinated organic compounds. We assembled a multinational cohort of workers employed between 1920 and 1996 in 11 countries. Exposure to...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease mortality in diesel-exposed railroad workers.
July 1, 2006... Diesel exhaust is a mixture of combustion gases and ultrafine particles coated with organic compounds. There is concern whether exposure can result in or worsen obstructive airway diseases, but there is only limited information to assess this...

The effects of air pollution on hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease in elderly people in Australian and New Zealand cities.
July 1, 2006... OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to estimate the associations between outdoor air pollution and cardiovascular hospital admissions for the elderly. DESIGN: Associations were assessed using the case-crossover method for seven cities:...

PCB-related alteration of thyroid hormones and thyroid hormone receptor gene expression in free-ranging harbor seals (Phoca vitulina).
July 1, 2006... Persistent organic pollutants are environmental contaminants that, because of their lipophilic properties and long half-lives, bioaccumulate within aquatic food webs and often reach high concentrations in marine mammals, such as harbor seals...

Isolation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria from the air plume downwind of a swine confined or concentrated animal feeding operation.(Research)
July 1, 2006... OBJECTIVE: In this study we evaluated the levels of antibiotic- and multidrug-resistant bacteria in bioaerosols upwind, within, and downwind at locations 25 m, 50 m, 100 m, and 150 m from a swine confined animal feeding operation. DESIGN:...

Occupational exposure to Pfiesteria species in estuarine waters is not a risk factor for illness.(Research)
July 1, 2006... BACKGROUND: Exposure to the dinoflagellate Pfiesteria has, under certain circumstances, been associated with deficits in human learning and memory. However, uncertainties remain about the health risk of chronic, low-level exposures (as seen...

Ozone and P[M.sub.2.5] exposure and acute pulmonary health effects: a study of hikers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.(Research)
July 1, 2006... To address the lack of research on the pulmonary health effects of ozone and fine particulate matter ([less than or equal to] 2.5 [micro]m in aerodynamic diameter; P[M.sub.2.5]) on individuals who recreate in the Great Smoky Mountains National...

Validation and calibration of a model used to reconstruct historical exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons for use in epidemiologic studies.(Research)
July 1, 2006... OBJECTIVES: We previously developed a historical reconstruction model to estimate exposure to airborne polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from traffic back to 1960 for use in case-control studies of breast cancer risk. Here we report the...

Propanil exposure induces delayed but sustained abrogation of cell-mediated immunity through direct interference with cytotoxic T-lymphocyte effectors.
July 1, 2006... The postemergent herbicide propanil (PRN; also known as 3,4-dichloropropionanilide) is used on rice and wheat crops and has well-known immunotoxic effects on various compartments of the immune system, including T-helper lymphocytes, B...

Evaluation of serum immunoglobulins among individuals living near six Superfund sites.
July 1, 2006... Residents living in communities near Superfund sites have expressed concern that releases from these facilities affect their health, including adverse effects on their immune systems. We used data from six cross-sectional studies to evaluate...

Benchmark dose for cadmium-induced renal effects in humans.
July 1, 2006... OBJECTIVES: Our goal in this study was to explore the use of a hybrid approach to calculate benchmark doses (BMDs) and their 95% lower confidence bounds (BMDLs) for renal effects of cadmium in a population with low environmental exposure. ...

Arsenic cancer risk confounder in southwest Taiwan data set.
July 1, 2006... Quantitative analysis for the risk of human cancer from the ingestion of inorganic arsenic has been based on the reported cancer mortality experience in the blackfoot disease (BFD)-endemic area of southwest Taiwan. Linear regression analysis...

Correction.(Correction notice)
July 1, 2006... The following figures have been modified from the originally published article online: Figure 1: Now includes the horizontal regression line at SMR = 100 to indicate the level at which no increased risk is observed. Figure 3: Now...

Uncoupling of ATP-mediated calcium signaling and dysregulated interleukin-6 secretion in dendritic cells by nanomolar thimerosal.
July 1, 2006... Dendritic cells (DCs), a rare cell type widely distributed in the soma, are potent antigen-presenting cells that initiate primary immune responses. DCs rely on intracellular redox state and calcium ([Ca.sup.2+]) signals for proper development...

Does living near a Superfund site contribute to higher polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposure?
July 1, 2006... We assessed determinants of cord serum polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels among 720 infants born between 1993 and 1998 to mothers living near a PCB-contaminated Superfund site in Massachusetts, measuring the sum of 51 PCB congeners...

Satratoxin G from the black mold Stachybotrys chartarum evokes olfactory sensory neuron loss and inflammation in the murine nose and brain.(Research)
July 1, 2006... Satratoxin G (SG) is a macrocyclic trichothecene mycotoxin produced by Stachybotrys chartarum, the "black mold" suggested to contribute etiologically to illnesses associated with water-damaged buildings. Using an intranasal instillation model...

Meeting report: national workshops for the communication of air pollution and health information: summary of four workshops in different regions of Europe.(Research)
July 1, 2006... AIRNET was a thematic network project (2002-2004) initiated to stimulate the interaction between researchers in air pollution and health in Europe. As part of AIRNET's communication strategy, a standardized workshop model was developed to...

Potential residential exposure to Toxics Release Inventory chemicals during pregnancy and childhood brain cancer.(Children's Health)
July 1, 2006... BACKGROUND: Although the susceptibility of the developing fetus to various chemical exposures is well documented, the role of environmental chemicals in childhood brain cancer etiology is not well understood. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to...

Correction.(Correction notice)
July 1, 2006... In Table 2, the value for "All other" has been corrected from 17 (4.5), as published online, to 75 (19.6); in Table 5, the value for "All reference ages" exposure index level II has been changed from 1.91 to 0.91.

The CHARGE study: an epidemiologic investigation of genetic and environmental factors contributing to autism.(Children's Health)
July 1, 2006... Causes and contributing factors for autism are poorly understood. Evidence suggests that prevalence is rising, but the extent to which diagnostic changes and improvements in ascertainment contribute to this increase is unclear. Both genetic and...

Coal home heating and environmental tobacco smoke in relation to lower respiratory illness in Czech children, from birth to 3 years of age.(Children's Health)
July 1, 2006... OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate how indoor pollution from tobacco and home heating may adversely affect respiratory health in young children. DESIGN: A birth cohort was followed longitudinally for 3 years to...

Persistent pesticides in human breast milk and cryptorchidism.(Children's Health)(Clinical report)
July 1, 2006... INTRODUCTION: Prenatal exposure to some pesticides can adversely affect male reproductive health in animals. We investigated a possible human association between maternal exposure to 27 organochlorine compounds used as pesticides and...