Environmental Health Perspectives articles from July 2008

Environmental Health Perspectives archives from July 2008

Time for a change: from exposure assessment to exposure science.(Editorial)
July 1, 2008... During the late 1970s the emerging field of risk assessment spawned a new area of data analysis called "exposure assessment." It was developed to characterize a process for identifying an exposed population against a measured or estimated...

Note from the editor: EHP International Program.(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... We at EHP are proud of our work to bring environmental health science to a global audience. This month we are pleased to introduce a new, expanded website that provides information on our International Program, outlines our international...

How to control for gestational age in studies involving environmental effects on fetal growth.(Correspondence)
July 1, 2008... In studies on the effects of environmental factors on fetal growth, birth weight is usually corrected for gestational age. With the generalized use of ultrasound examinations in many countries, gestational age is often defined or corrected from...

How to control for gestational age: Olsen and Fei respond.(Correspondence)
July 1, 2008... As described by Slama et al., it is not a simple matter to adjust for gestational age when analyzing birth weights. Any estimate of gestational age is prone to misclassification, whether it is based on ultrasound or last menstrual period (LMP)....

Reassessing the risks of Tamiflu use during a pandemic to the Lower Colorado River.(Correspondence)
July 1, 2008... We wish to highlight an error in the article "Potential Risks Associated with the Proposed Widespread Use of Tamiflu" (Singer et al. 2007) in which we predicted environmental concentrations of Tamiflu (influenza antiviral) in several catchments...

Urinary mercury levels in children with amalgam fillings.(Correspondence)
July 1, 2008... Woods et al. (2007) reported on exposure to dental amalgam fillings and urinary mercury excretion in children. They stated that "urinary mercury concentrations are widely used as a measure of mercury exposure from dental amalgam fillings." We...

Salt mist is the right seasoning for ozone.(AIR POLLUTION)
July 1, 2008... Shipping ports face a newly discovered air pollution problem--the production of the ozone precursor nitryl chloride. Nitryl chloride was detected for the first time in the lowest part of the Earth's atmosphere by a team from the National...

Canyons up the pollution ante.(URBAN ISSUES)
July 1, 2008... New York City and other megacities with populations of 10 million or more are grappling with air pollution associated with traffic congestion, which has been linked with numerous health problems. As part of a larger research effort to...

EHP International Program.(ehpnet)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... http://www.ehponline.org/international/ Through its International Program EHP seeks to expand the quality of and access to scientific information around the world. With its new International Program website, EHP makes it easy for readers to...

Not immune to PFOS effects?(CHEMICAL EXPOSURES)(perfluorooctanyl sulfonate)
July 1, 2008... Two recent studies have demonstrated that exposure to perfluorooctanyl sulfonate (PFOS) can alter mammalian immune system function. In one study, PFOS induced immunotoxicity in test animals at exposures analogous to those reported in the U.S....

U.S. pesticide Survey shelved.(The Beat)(Survey)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... The USDA announced in May 2008 that it was suspending publication of the annual Agricultural Chemical Usage reports until at least 2010 because of budget constraints. Published since 1990, the reports have tracked the amount of pesticides...

Invasion of the biocrops?(The Beat)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... To address energy shortages and the impact of climate change, the world's biofuel industries are searching for fast-growing high-yield crops to turn into plant-based fuels. In a May 2008 report titled Biofuel Crops and the Use of Non-Native...

Persistent pesky dust mites.(The Beat)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... According to a 54-study review published in issue 2 (2008) of the Cochrane Database of Systematic, Reviews, despite all we do to rid our homes of dust mites, these pesky arthropods continue to thrive in carpet, bedding, and other fabric-covered...

Stone zone expansion.(The Beat)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... The U.S. Southeast is sometimes referred to as the Stone Belt because of a higher incidence of kidney stones, possibly due to dehydration in the warmer climate as well as diets rich in salt, meat, tea, and other foods linked to the condition....

Turn up the heat for respiratory health.(BUILT ENVIRONMENT)
July 1, 2008... In the dog days of summer it's hard to think about turning up the thermostat, but keep one thing in mind as the cooler months approach: people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) whose houses are cold in cold weather are more...

Quick hit to the vascular system.(The Beat)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Although governments around the world are are banning smoking in public areas in response to warnings of scientists about the harmful health effects of secondhand smoke (SHS), many people are still exposed daily to SHS, even if only for brief...

CA nail salon workers surveyed.(The Beat)(Survey)(Brief article)
July 1, 2008... Most of the 35,000 nail salons in California employ Asian immigrants who are routinely exposed to potentially harmful compounds in nail care products--some of which are unregulated--including carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. In a study...

In hot water: global warming takes a toll on coral reefs.(Environews Focus)
July 1, 2008... In the summer of 2005, while Atlantic hurricanes battered coastlines from Cuba to Mexico, the Eastern Caribbean baked under a relentless sun with barely a breeze to cool the air. Tourists and locals alike wilted in the heat, and below the sea,...

Ozone nation; EPA standard panned by the people.(Sphers of Influence)
July 1, 2008... Under the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to review the science underpinning the National Ambient Air Quality Standards to ensure those standards are adequately protective of public and environmental...

Shining a light on BP-3 exposure; Sunscreen chemical measured in U.S. population.(Science Selections)
July 1, 2008... Sunscreens provide important protection against sunburn and squamous cell cancer, particularly for individuals who work outdoors or in situations where sun exposure is unavoidable. The widespread use of the common sunscreen agent benzophenone-3...

Is arsenic "lactation intolerant"? Study indicates low excretion in breast milk.(Science Selections)
July 1, 2008... Arsenic is known to readily cross the placenta, but few data exist on postnatal exposure to arsenic in breast milk. Results of a study conducted in Bangladesh now suggest that infants who are exclusively breastfed are protected against arsenic,...

New window into breast cancer risk; Assessing lifetime exposures to POPs.(Science Selections)(Persistent organic pollutants)
July 1, 2008... Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are ubiquitous chemical compounds that persist in the environment and bioaccumulate through the food web. Although experiments have shown that POPs stimulate the...

Mischief makers; Secondhand smoke, lead linked to conduct disorder.(Science Selections)(Survey)
July 1, 2008... A study of 3,081 U.S. children now confirms the results of smaller studies associating exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke and lead with conduct disorder (CD), a persistent disruptive behavior pattern that includes aggression, lying, stealing,...

Recirculating Air filtration significantly reduces exposure to Airborne nanoparticles.
July 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Airborne nanoparticles from vehicle emissions have been associated with adverse effects in people with pulmonary and cardiovascular disease, and toxicologic studies have shown that nanoparticles can be more hazardous than their...

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic modeling of persistent organic pollutants for lifetime exposure assessment: a new tool in breast cancer epidemiologic studies.
July 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Despite experimental evidence, most epidemiologic studies to date have not supported an association between exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POP) and breast cancer incidence in humans. This may be attributable to...

Unmodified CdSe quantum dots induce elevation of cytoplasmic calcium levels and impairment of functional properties of sodium channels in rat primary cultured hippocampal neurons.(cadmium selenium)(Report)
July 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: The growing applications of nanotechnologic products, such as quantum dots (QDs), increase the likelihood of exposure. Furthermore, their accumulation in the bioenvironment and retention in cells and tissues are arousing increasing...

Brevetoxin forms covalent DNA adducts in rat lung following intratracheal exposure.(Research)
July 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Human exposure to brevetoxins produced by the red tide organism, Karenia brevis, is an increasing public health concern. Using in vitro exposure of rat liver cells to brevetoxin B (PbTx-2), the primary toxin product of K. brevis, we...

Diesel exhaust inhalation elicits acute vasoconstriction in vivo.
July 1, 2008... (1) Occupational and Environmental Medicine Program, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, (2) Department of Surgery (Vascular Surgery), (3) Department of Medicine, and (4) Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral...

Association of lead exposure with survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
July 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Reasons for the variability in survival among ALS cases are unknown but may include exposure to environmental neurotoxicants. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine whether lead exposure, assessed by measuring blood and bone lead...

Meeting report: measuring endocrine-sensitive endpoints within the First Years of life.
July 1, 2008... An international workshop titled "Assessing Endocrine-Related Endpoints within the First Years of Life" was held 30 April-1 May 2007, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Representatives from a number of pregnancy cohort studies in North America and...

Association of environmental toxicants and conduct disorder in U.S. Children: NHANES 2001-2004.(Children's Health)(Survey)
July 1, 2008... OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the association of tobacco smoke and environmental lead exposure with conduct disorder (CD). METHODS: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2004 is a...

Calendar.(Announcements)(Calendar)
July 1, 2008... 2008 July 14-16 July, Mon-Wed. Race and Disparities: A Research Forum. Cape Town, South Africa. Information: Kyle Farmbry, The Learning Circle Network, 26-40 Church Street #3, South Orange, NJ 07079 USA, 862-205-9877, e-mail:...

Biological monitoring: theory and applications--bioindicators and biomarkers for environmental quality and human exposure assessment.(Book review)
July 1, 2008... Edited by M.E. Conti Boston: WIT Press, 2008. 228 pp ISBN: 978-1-84564-002-6, $168 Biological Monitoring is a newly published book whose chief aim is to provide an overview on the current knowledge of biological monitoring by...