Environmental Health Perspectives articles from June 2003

Environmental Health Perspectives archives from June 2003

Interrelationships between the precautionary principle, prediction strategies, and sustainable use of the planet. (commentary).
June 1, 2003... In this article, I examine the relationships between new concepts of human activity in the environment and several prevention strategies used to plot a course toward sustainable use. Natural capitalism and industrial ecology are relatively new...

Nerve cell damage in mammalian brain after exposure to microwaves from GSM mobile phones. (Research).
June 1, 2003... The possible risks of radio-frequency electromagnetic fields for the human body is a growing concern for our society. We have previously shown that weak pulsed microwaves give rise to a significant leakage of albumin through the blood-brain...

Correction.
June 1, 2003... Figure 1 in the original manuscript was cited in "Materials and Methods" and illustrated albumin leakage that we had reported earlier. The figure showed examples of cross-sections of the brains of rats sacrificed immediately after exposure to...

Crystallographic analysis of a hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyl (OH-PCB) bound to the catalytic estrogen binding site of human estrogen sulfotransferase. (Research).
June 1, 2003... Certain hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls (OH-PCBs) inhibit the human estrogen sulfotransferase (hEST) at subnanomolar concentrations, suggesting a possible pathway for PCB toxicity due to environmental exposure in humans. To address the...

Association between arsenic exposure from a coal-burning power plant and urinary arsenic concentrations in Prievidza District, Slovakia. (Research).
June 1, 2003... To assess the arsenic exposure of a population living in the vicinity of a coal-burning power plant with high arsenic emission in the Prievidza District, Slovakia, 548 spot urine samples were speciated for inorganic As ([As.sub.inorg]),...

Influence of airspace geometry and surfactant on the retention of man-made vitreous fibers (MMVF 10a). (Research).
June 1, 2003... Inhaled and deposited man-made vitreous fibers (MMVF) 10a (low-fluorine preparation of Schuller 901 insulation glass) were studied by electron microscopy in hamster lungs, fixed by intravascular perfusion within 23 [+ or -] 2 min (SD) of the...

Airborne particles of the California Central valley alter the lungs of healthy adult rats. (Research).
June 1, 2003... Epidemiologic studies have shown that airborne particulate matter (PM) with a mass median aerodynamic diameter < 10 pm (P[M.sub.10]) is associated with an increase in respiratory-related disease. However, there is a growing consensus that...

Exposure assessment of particulate matter for susceptible populations in Seattle. (Research).
June 1, 2003... In this article we present results from a 2-year comprehensive exposure assessment study that examined the particulate matter (PM) exposures and health effects in 108 individuals with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),...

Insecticidal juvenile hormone analogs stimulate the production of male offspring in the crustacean Daphnia magna. (Research).
June 1, 2003... Juvenile hormone analogs (JHAs) represent a class of insecticides that were designed specifically to disrupt endocrine-regulated processes relatively unique to insects. Recently we demonstrated that the crustacean juvenoid hormone methyl...

Cytopathology of the nasal mucosa in chronic exposure to diesel engine emission: a five-year survey of Swiss customs officers. (Environmental Medicine).
June 1, 2003... The simple and cheap technique of nasal cytology was used to assess possible adverse effects of chronic exposure to diesel engine emission (DEE) on respiratory mucous membranes. Brush cytology probes were taken from the noses of 194 male,...

Increased concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls, hexachlorobenzene, and chlordanes in mothers of men with testicular cancer. (Environmental medicine: article).
June 1, 2003... An increasing incidence of testicular cancer has been reported from several countries in the Western world during the last decades. According to current hypothesis, testicular cancer is initiated during the fetal period, and exposure to...

Chlorination by-products in drinking water and menstrual cycle function. (Environmental Medicine).
June 1, 2003... We analyzed data from a prospective study of menstrual cycle function and early pregnancy loss to explore further the effects of trihalomethanes (THM) on reproductive end points. Premenopausal women (n = 403) collected urine samples daily...

Disparities in exposure to air pollution during pregnancy. (Children's Health).
June 1, 2003... Previous research shows poorer birth outcomes for racial and ethnic minorities and for persons with low socioeconomic status (SES). We evaluated whether mothers in groups at higher risk for poor birth outcomes live in areas of higher air...

Maternal serum dioxin levels and birth outcomes in women of Seveso, Italy. (Children's Health).
June 1, 2003... 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-para-dioxin (TCDD), a ubiquitous environmental contaminant, is associated with increased fetal loss and reduced birth weight in animal studies. In 1976, an explosion at a trichlorophenol plant near Seveso, Italy,...

Organochlorines, lead, and mercury in Akwesasne Mohawk youth. (Children's Health).
June 1, 2003... Most humans have detectable body burdens of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), and p,p'-dichlorophenyldichloroethylene (p,p'-DDE), a metabolite of p,p'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT). Native American communities...

Childhood leukemia: electric and magnetic fields as possible risk factors. (Workshop Summary).
June 1, 2003... Numerous epidemiologic studies have reported associations between measures of power-line electric or magnetic fields (EMFs) and childhood leukemia. The basis for such associations remains unexplained. In children, acute lymphoblastic leukemia...

World Trade Center fine particulate matter--chemistry and toxic respiratory effects: an overview. (World Trade Center: mini-monograph).
June 1, 2003... The 11 September 2001 terrorist attack on New York City's World Trade Center (WTC) caused an unprecedented environmental emergency. The collapse of the towers sent a tremendous cloud of crushed building materials and other pollutants into the...

Chemical analysis of World Trade Center fine particulate matter for use in toxicologic assessment. (World Trade Center: mini-monograph).
June 1, 2003... The catastrophic destruction of the World Trade Center (WTC) on 11 September 2001 caused the release of high levels of airborne pollutants into the local environment. To assess the toxicity of fine particulate matter [particulate matter with a...

World Trade Center fine particulate matter causes respiratory tract hyperresponsiveness in mice. (World Trade Center: mini-monograph).
June 1, 2003... Pollutants originating from the destruction of the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City on 11 September 2001 have been reported to cause adverse respiratory responses in rescue workers and nearby residents. We examined whether WTC-derived...

Restoring the foundation: tracking chemical exposures and human health. (Guest Editorial).
June 1, 2003... The ubiquity of toxic substances in the environment continues to be a significant public health concern. Body burdens of chemicals such as dioxins, methyl mercury, PCBs, and a range of the "usual suspects" are the increasingly represented norm...

The environment as a cornerstone of public health. (Editorial).
June 1, 2003... The relationship of the environment to public health is back in the spotlight. Two recently released reports from the Institute of Medicine, "The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century" (Committee on Assuring the Health of the Public...

Critique of Vreugdenhil et al.'s study linking PCBs to the play behaviors of Dutch girls and boys. (Correspondence).
June 1, 2003... Vreugdenhil et al. (2002) administered the Pre-School Activities Inventory (PSAI) (Golombok and Rust 1993a, 1993b) to 158 Dutch girls and boys and concluded that higher prenatal exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in boys was related...

"Linking PCBs to play behaviors of Dutch girls and boys": Vreugdenhil et al.'s response. (Correspondence).
June 1, 2003... Kaufman's comments on the findings we presented in our article "Effects of Prenatal Exposure to PCBs and Dioxins on Play Behavior in Children at School Age" (Vreugdenhil et al. 2002) is based on three points: the instrument, the age of the...

Dutch girls and boys, PCB levels, and play behavior: what do the data really tell us? (Correspondence).
June 1, 2003... In their article in the October 2002 issue of EHP, Vreugdenhil et al. (2002) concluded that Childhood play behavior shows marked sex differences and is likely to be influenced by the prenatal steroid hormone environment, ...

"Dutch girls and boys: response from Vreugdenhil et al. (Correspondence).
June 1, 2003... Cicchetti's comments about our article "Effects of Prenatal Exposure to PCBs and Dioxins on Play Behavior in Children at School Age" (Vreugdenhil et al. 2002) are based on a multitude of misinterpretations and misunderstandings. Cicchetti...

Adverse health effects of biphenyl A in early life. (Correspondence).
June 1, 2003... In their paper "Parent Biphenyl A (BPA) Accumulation in the Human Maternal--Fetal--Placental Unit," Schonfelder et al. (2002) suggested that "long-term follow-up studies are needed to assess the adverse effects of BPA exposure in early life."...

Adverse health effects of bisphenol A: Chahoud's response. (Correspondence).
June 1, 2003... Heinze stated in his letter that according to two long-term studies, bisphenol A (BPA) does not induce any effect on reproduction in offspring at the low dose level. Several other studies have reported adverse effects of BPA; I briefly discuss...

Tobacco's secret weapon. (Molecular Biology).
June 1, 2003... It is almost universally understood that tobacco is bad for your health, but tobacco's specific role in triggering disease processes is still unclear. Now a component of tobacco has been shown to function in chemical reactions that are thought...

Far-reaching effects of fine particles. (Air Pollution).
June 1, 2003... Sulfate aerosols--fine particles generated from sulfur dioxide (S[O.sub.2]) emissions by power plants located primarily in the Northern Hemisphere--may alter rainfall patterns and contribute to drought thousands of miles away. This would help...

Asthma case won in Japan. (The Beat).
June 1, 2003... An October 2002 court decision awarded almost [yen] 80 million--US$638,000--in a suit filed against the Japanese national government, the Tokyo municipal government and highway authority, and seven auto makers. Of an original 99 plaintiffs, the...

Slovakia inks first Kyoto deal. (The Beat).
June 1, 2003... Although the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is not yet in effect, the first emissions credit deal has been brokered under the trading framework set up by the agreement. In December 2002, the Slovakian government sold...

Liking lichens even more. (The Beat).
June 1, 2003... Lichens, which absorb the nutrients they need from the air and thus mirror air pollution conditions, have been used as biomonitors for over a century. Now Brigham Young University biologists have demonstrated for the first time that lichens...

The deregulation debate. (Energy).
June 1, 2003... In 1996 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a landmark order designed to foster competition in the wholesale electricity industry. Order 888 required that electric generating utilities open their transmission grids--the...

Geology and health. (Research Initiatives).
June 1, 2003... If you don't consider geologists to be environmental health experts, think again. Earth scientists collect data on some of the planet's naturally occurring health hazards--including pathogens, radon, arsenic, coal, zinc, volcanic releases,...

Environmental public health tracking. (EHPnet).
June 1, 2003... Until recently, the United States had no integrated network to assess local and state data to determine exposures and health effects linked to environmental hazards. But now the National Center for Environmental Health of the U.S. Centers for...

Too many home alone? (The Beat).
June 1, 2003... Michigan State and Stanford researchers have found that in 76 countries rich in threatened native species--including Australia, Brazil, China, Kenya, and the United States--the number of households grew by 3.1% annually over the period...

Border 2012. (The Beat).
June 1, 2003... On 4 April 2003, the United States and Mexico finalized a 10-year cooperative environmental and public health plan called Border 2012. Almost 12 million people live and work in the 2,000-mile border area between the two countries, with 90%...

Muddy waters for GM fish. (The Beat).
June 1, 2003... In its January 2003 report on the science and regulation of genetically modified (GM) fish, the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology asks whether the FDA process for evaluating these biotechnology products--the same as that used for...

Genes and environment: a SNPshot. (NIEHS News).
June 1, 2003... Have you ever heard someone try to dispel concern about their smoking by describing elderly relatives who were lifelong smokers? This gambit usually fails, but there actually is something to the excuse. Increasingly, researchers are uncovering...

100th Research Brief published. (NIEHS News).
June 1, 2003... The NIEHS/U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Superfund Basic Research Program (SBRP) reached an important milestone in April 2003 with the release of its 100th Research Brief. Since their inception in 1997, these publications have been a key...

A new target of DNA instability: repeat expansions. (Genetics).
June 1, 2003... Potaman VN, Bissler JJ, Hashem VI, Oussatcheva EA, Lu L, Shlyakhtenko LS, et al. 2003. Unpaired structures in SCA10 [(ATTCT).sub.n]*[(AGAAT).sub.n] repeats. J Mol Biol 326:1095-1111. Genes in normal individuals contain short lengths of...

Body of evidence. (Focus).
June 1, 2003... More than a decade after the National Research Council pushed for broad testing of toxic substances in people and more than 40 years after the birth of the ongoing National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), data on human...

Building civic health. (Spheres of Influence).
June 1, 2003... The health care system has less impact on public health than do patients' lifestyle choices at home, work, and in the broader community. Ample research has shown that people live longer and healthier lives if they eat well, live in decent...

The risk where you live. (Innovations).
June 1, 2003... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is perfecting a software model that ranks chronic human health risks from industrial pollution exposures for populations living anywhere in the United States. Produced by the EPNs Office of...

Study talks: rat brain damage from mobile phone use. (Science Selections).
June 1, 2003... The idea that frequent exposure to the electromagnetic fields (EMFs) generated by mobile phones could cause adverse health effects has taken on the status of urban myth in many people's minds due to the lack of definitive scientific evidence....

It's all in the mix: proving adverse effects of fine and ultrafine PM. (Science Selections).
June 1, 2003... The association between exposure to airborne particulate matter with a median diameter of 10 micrometers ([micro]m) or less and increase in respiratory disease has been well established, although the physical and chemical properties involved...

Shorter cycles: trihalomethanes and menstruation. (Science Selections).
June 1, 2003... Prompted by increased concerns about the health effects of chlorination by-products, a team of researchers led by Gayle C. Windham of the California Department of Health Services studied tap water consumption in a sample of Northern California...

Community Outreach and Education Program. (NIEHS Extramural Update).
June 1, 2003... For over a decade, the NIEHS has been at the forefront of promoting increased interactions between environmental health scientists and the public. In 1996, the NIEHS established the Community Outreach and Education Program (COEP) as an...

Fellowships, grants, & awards. (Announcements).
June 1, 2003... Environmental Justice: Partnerships for Communication Program At every stage of life, people who are economically disadvantaged and/or who live or work in areas and occupations where conditions result in greater exposure to hazardous...

Calendar. (Announcements).
June 1, 2003... 2003 July 3-7 July, Thu-Mon. Driscoll Children's Hospital--Annual Pediatrics Conference. Fort Lauderdale, Florida--Cruising Western Caribbean. Information: Continuing Education Inc. 5700 4th St. N, St. Petersburg, FL 33703,...

Climate Change Policy: a Survey.
June 1, 2003... Edited by Stephen H. Schneider, Armin Rosencranz, and John O. Niles Washington, DC:Island Press, 2002. 368 pp. ISBN: 1-55963-880-X, $60.00 cloth; 1-55963-881-8, $29.50 paper. The consequences of rapid and substantial human-induced global...

New books. (Announcements).
June 1, 2003... Analysis and Fate of Surfactants in the Aquatic Environment T. P. Knepper, D. Barcelo, P. de Voogt, eds. New York:Elsevier Science, 2003. 960 pp. ISBN: 0-444-50935-6, $395 Arsine: Human Health Aspects International Programme on...

Environmental health reviews, 2003. (Introduction).
June 15, 2003... The study of environmental health is undergoing revolutionary changes as we begin to understand more clearly the relationships between human health, wildlife health, and ecosystem health. In effect, a new field of study is being born. Attempts...

Large effects from small exposures. I. mechanisms for endocrine-disrupting chemicals with estrogenic activity. (Research Review).
June 15, 2003... Information concerning the fundamental mechanisms of action of both natural and environmental hormones, combined with information concerning endogenous hormone concentrations, reveals how endocrine-disrupting chemicals with estrogenic activity...

Environmental pollutants and breast cancer.
June 15, 2003... Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the leading cause of cancer death among women 35-54 years of age. Rising incidence, increased risk among migrants to higher risk regions, and poor prediction of individual risk have prompted...

A critical review of methods for comparing estrogenic activity of endogenous and exogenous chemicals in human milk and infant formula. (Research Review).
June 15, 2003... The two primary sources of nutrition for infants are human milk and infant formula. Both contain an array of endogenous and exogenous chemicals that may act through many separate hormonal mechanisms. The safety of infant nutrition sources has...

Etiology and pathogenesis of uterine leiomyomas: a review. (Research Review).
June 15, 2003... Uterine leiomyomas, or fibroids, represent a major public health problem. It is believed that these tumors develop in the majority of American women and become symptomatic in one-third of these women. They are the most frequent indication for...

The role of genetic polymorphisms in environmental health. (Research Review).
June 15, 2003... Interest is increasing in the role of variations in the human genome (polymorphisms) in modifying the effect of exposures to environmental health hazards (often referred to as gene-environment interaction), which render some individuals or...

Parkinson's disease and exposure to infectious agents and pesticides and the occurrence of brain injuries: role of neuroinflammation. (Research Review).
June 15, 2003... Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is a devastating movement disorder characterized by selective degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic pathway. Neurodegeneration usually starts in the fifth decade of life and progresses over 5-10...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency particulate matter health effects research centers program: a midcourse report of status, progress, and plans. (Research Review).
June 15, 2003... In 1998 Congress mandated expanded U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) health effects research on ambient air particulate matter (PM) and a National Research Council (NRC) committee to provide research oversight. The U.S. EPA...

Impact of metals on the biodegradation of organic pollutants.
June 15, 2003... Forty percent of hazardous waste sites in the United States are co-contaminated with organic and metal pollutants. Data from both aerobic and anaerobic systems demonstrate that biodegradation of the organic component can be reduced by metal...

Do U.S. Environmental Protection Agency water quality guidelines for recreational waters prevent gastrointestinal illness? A systematic review and meta-analysis. (Research Review).
June 15, 2003... Despite numerous studies, uncertainty remains about how water quality indicators can best be used in the regulation of recreational water. We conducted a systematic review of this topic with the goal of quantifying the association between...

Introduction: what are the issues in addressing the allergenic potential of genetically modified foods? (Genetically Modified Foods Mini-Monograph).
June 15, 2003... There is growing concern among the general public and the scientific community regarding the potential toxicity of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The use of biotechnology to enhance pest resistance or nutritional value has raised a...

Clinical and laboratory investigation of allergy to genetically modified foods. (Genetically Modified Foods Mini-Monograph).
June 15, 2003... Technology has improved the food supply since the first cultivation of crops. Genetic engineering facilitates the transfer of genes among organisms. Generally, only minute amounts of a specific protein need to be expressed to obtain the desired...

Protein digestibility and relevance to allergenicity. (Genetically Modified Foods Mini-Monograph).
June 15, 2003... In January 2001 a Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health Organization Expert Consultation Committee on Allergenicity of Foods Derived from Biotechnology published a report outlining in detail an approach for...

Assessment of protein allergenicity on the basis of immune reactivity: animal models. (Genetically Modified Foods Mini-Monograph).
June 15, 2003... Because of the public concern surrounding the issue of the safety of genetically modified organisms, it is critical to have appropriate methodologies to aid investigators in identifying potential hazards associated with consumption of foods...

Key issues for the assessment of the allergenic potential of genetically modified foods: breakout group reports. (Genetically Modified Foods Mini-Monograph).
June 15, 2003... On the final afternoon of the workshop "Assessment of the Allergenic Potential of Genetically Modified Foods," held 10-12 December 2001 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA, speakers and participants met in breakout groups to discuss specific...

Assessment of allergenic potential of genetically modified foods: an agenda for future research. (Genetically Modified Foods Mini-Monograph).
June 15, 2003... Speakers and participants in the workshop "Assessment of the Allergenic Potential of Genetically Modified Foods" met in breakout groups to discuss a number of issues including needs for future research. These groups agreeed that research should...