Environmental Health Perspectives articles from June 2005

Environmental Health Perspectives archives from June 2005

Reducing arsenic exposure from drinking water: different settings call for different approaches.(Guest Editorial)
June 1, 2005... On 1 January 2006, a new U.S. drinking water standard of 10 [micro]g arsenic/L will come into effect [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 2001a). We strongly support the U.S. EPA's decision to lower the allowable limit of As in drinking...

NIEHS priorities: the process of strategic planning.(NIEHS DIRECTOR'S PERSPECTIVE)
June 1, 2005... As we work to move the NIEHS forward, it is important that we critically consider how our research can have the greatest impact on public health. In last month's Director's Perspective, I identified my overarching vision for the NIEHS: to...

Arsenic on the hands of children.(Perspectives / Correspondence)
June 1, 2005... Kwon et al. (2004) reported significantly elevated dislodgeable soluble arsenic loads on (one or both?) hands of children following play on structures treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) but then concluded that the observed difference...

Arsenic on the hands of children: Wang et al. respond.(Perspectives / Correspondence)
June 1, 2005... In our study of arsenic on children's hands (Kwon et al. 2004), we measured arsenic in water samples in which participating children washed both hands after playing on selected playgrounds. The hand-washing water was filtered, and the soluble...

Glyphosate results revisited.(Perspectives / Correspondence)
June 1, 2005... With respect to the recent article by De Roos et al. (2005), we would like to a) comment on the authors' incomplete genotoxicity review, which is inconsistent with conclusions reached by regulatory agencies; b) estimate the likely range of...

Glyphosate results revisited: De Roos et al. respond.(Perspectives / Correspondence)
June 1, 2005... The reaction of Farmer et al. regarding our article on glyphosate exposure and cancer incidence in the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) (De Roos et al. 2005) is difficult to understand given the tentative nature of our conclusions. For the most...

Erratum.(Correspondence)(Correction Notice)
June 1, 2005... In Figures 1, 2, and 3 of "Altered Profiles of Spontaneous Novelty Seeking, Impulsive Behavior, and Response to D-Amphetamine in Rats Perinatally Exposed to Bisphenol A" by Adriani et al. [Environ Health Perspect 111:395-401 (2003)], results...

On hens and needles.(Livestock Issues)
June 1, 2005... Asian governments alarmed at the unprecedented spread of the deadly H5N1 avian influenza virus are seeking relief in a controversial vaccination program. The Thai government announced in February 2005 that it would join China and Indonesia in...

ExPECting the worst.(Infectious Disease)
June 1, 2005... Dramatic media reports have alerted the public to the dangers of foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7. But less-publicized microbes may soon become serious public health threats as well. Two foodborne bacteria,...

Seaweed for safety.(The Beat)
June 1, 2005... Researchers from Oregon State University and Northeastern University have found that certain red seaweeds including Portieria hornemannii and Acrosiphonia coalita can detoxify organic pollutants such as TNT and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons...

Nations' environmental efforts ranked.(The Beat)
June 1, 2005... In January 2005 the second Environmental Sustainability Index was released, ranking 146 nations on their environmental stewardship efforts. Prepared by researchers at Yale and Columbia, the index is based on 75 measures, including hazardous...

Sustainable wildcrafting in Nepal.(The Beat)
June 1, 2005... In Nepal, approximately 15,000 tons of medicinal plants are collected for export each year by villagers who often receive less than a living wage for their work and are encouraged by unscrupulous buyers to strip plant supplies. A coalition of...

A gut reaction to antibiotics.(Asthma)
June 1, 2005... Is the explosive rise in asthma and allergies being seen especially in children partially related to antibiotic use? Epidemiologic studies have found strong connections between antibiotic treatment and the later development of asthma and...

Triple threat activates neurons.(Neurology)
June 1, 2005... Scientists from the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, have reported on a potentially sinister synergy, showing that a combination of three common pollutants--bromoform, chloroform, and tetrachloroethylene--alters nerve...

West Bengal & Bangladesh Arsenic Crisis Information Center.(ehp net)
June 1, 2005... Bangladesh and the neighboring Indian state of West Bengal are the site of what has been called the largest mass poisoning in history: millions of people here are drinking water that is heavily contaminated with arsenic. Researchers, engineers,...

Obesity cuts longevity.(The Beat)
June 1, 2005... The surge of obesity, especially among children and adolescents, could shorten life expectancy in the United States by 2-5 years, reversing the steady rise in longevity of the past two centuries, says a data analysis published in the 17 March...

EU holds firm on REACH.(The Beat)
June 1, 2005... On 4 April 2005 the European Commission announced its plan to introduce its controversial Registration, Evaluation, and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) policy for consideration by the European Parliament. The policy calls for the chemical...

CFCs: a dying breed.(The Beat)
June 1, 2005... China and Venezuela have pledged to phase out the use and production of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of 2007, two years earlier than required by the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. A total of US$26.5...

Columbia program digs deeper into arsenic dilemma.(Environews / NIEHS News)
June 1, 2005... The German idiom verschlimmbesserung refers to an intervention that is made with the best intentions to solve a problem but ends up worsening the situation or creating new problems. Past efforts to improve the drinking water supply of...

Oasis of fun at Mount Desert Island.(Beyond the Bench)
June 1, 2005... Kids, summer, and water are three things that just naturally go together. The Community Outreach and Education Program (COEP) of the Center for Membrane Toxicity Studies, housed at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in Bar Harbor, Maine,...

Linking toenail arsenic content to cutaneous melanoma.(Headliners / Skin Cancer)
June 1, 2005... Beane Freeman LE, Dennis LK, Lynch CF, Thorne PS, Just CL. 2004. Toenail arsenic content and cutaneous melanoma in Iowa. Am J Epidemiol 160:679-987. Although exposure to arsenic has been associated with increased risk of nonmelanoma skin...

Arsenic: in search of an antidote to a global poison.(Environews / Focus)(Cover Story)
June 1, 2005... Arsenic. No other element has such a complex and variegated past. As early as 500 B.C. the ancients knew about arsenic, whose name comes from the Greek word for potent. Through the centuries, this "king of poisons" was a common means of...

From point B to point A: applying toxicogenomics to biological inference.(Environews / Focus)
June 1, 2005... The data points in an integrated toxicogenomics experiment with microarray, proteomics, and metabolomics data are virtually innumerable. With thousands--or tens of thousands--of data points for each sample in each type of analysis, the...

By order of the court: environmental cleanup in India.(Environews / Spheres of Influence)
June 1, 2005... Metal scrap from New York's World Trade Center towers. Live missiles and mortar shells from Iraq and Somalia. Used lead-acid batteries from Canada. Aging oil tankers and military carriers from Europe. This is just a little of the imported waste...

Metal attraction: an ironclad solution to arsenic contamination?(Environews / Innovations)
June 1, 2005... Inorganic arsenic--the more acutely toxic form of this metalloid element--contaminates drinking water supplies around the world. In the United States, the most serious arsenic contamination occurs in the West, Midwest, Southwest, and Northeast;...

A safer mosquito treatment? Minimizing deltamethrin risks to children.(Environews / Science Selections)
June 1, 2005... Indoor spraying to control disease-carrying mosquitoes is the strategy of choice in Mexico's effort to reduce malaria. When Mexico discontinued the use of DDT for this purpose in 2000, the pyrethrum-derived compound deltamethrin became the...

No magic bullet: tungsten alloy munitions pose unforeseen threat.(Environews / Science Selections)
June 1, 2005... In response to concerns about the human and environmental health effects of materials used to produce munitions, countries including the United States have begun replacing some lead- and depleted uranium-based munitions with alternatives made...

Roundup revelation: weed killer adjuvants may boost toxicity.(Environews / Science Selections)
June 1, 2005... Although the glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup is generally thought to be less toxic to the ecosystem than other pesticides, concerns about its effects on human reproduction persist. In a study in Ontario, Canada, exposure of male farmers to...

The arsenic differential: metabolism varies between children and adults.(Environews / Science Selections)
June 1, 2005... Worldwide, millions of people drink water contaminated with arsenic, but not everyone who drinks contaminated water has the same severity of effects. It has long been speculated that this differing susceptibility to the adverse health effects...

Intracellular calcium disturbances induced by arsenic and its methylated derivatives in relation to genomic damage and apoptosis induction.(Research / Review)
June 1, 2005... Arsenic and its methylated derivatives are contaminants of air, water, and food and are known as toxicants and carcinogens. Arsenic compounds are also being used as cancer chemotherapeutic agents. In humans, inorganic arsenic is metabolically...

Feasibility of using subject-collected dust samples in epidemiologic and clinical studies of indoor allergens.(Research / Article)
June 1, 2005... Studies of indoor allergen exposures are often limited by the cost and logistics of sending technicians to homes to collect dust. In this study we evaluated the feasibility of having subjects collect their own dust samples. The objectives were...

Association of air pollution with increased incidence of ventricular tachyarrhythmias recorded by implanted cardioverter defibrillators.(Research / Article)
June 1, 2005... Epidemiologic studies have demonstrated a consistent link between sudden cardiac deaths and particulate air pollution. We used implanted cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) records of ventricular tachyarrhythmias to assess the role of air...

The environmental estrogen bisphenol A inhibits estradiol-induced hippocampal synaptogenesis.(Research / Article)
June 1, 2005... Bisphenol A (BPA) is an estrogenic chemical that is widely used in the manufacture of plastics and epoxy resins. Because BPA leaches out of plastic food and drink containers, as well as the BPA-containing plastics used in dental prostheses and...

In vitro inhibition of human hepatic and cDNA-expressed sulfotransferase activity with 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene by polychlorobiphenylols.(Research / Article)
June 1, 2005... Sulfonation is a major phase II biotransformation reaction. In this study, we found that several polychlorobiphenylols (OH-PCBs) inhibited the sulfonation of 3-hydroxybenzo[a]pyrene (3-OH-BaP) by human liver cytosol and some cDNA-expressed...

Climate factors influencing coccidioidomycosis seasonality and outbreaks.(Research / Article)
June 1, 2005... Although broad links between climatic factors and coccidioidomycosis have been established, the identification of simple and robust relationships linking climatic controls to seasonal timing and outbreaks of the disease has remained elusive....

Socioeconomic and racial disparities in cancer risk from air toxics in Maryland.(Research / Article)
June 1, 2005... We linked risk estimates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) to racial and socioeconomic characteristics of census tracts in Maryland (2000 Census) to evaluate disparities in estimated cancer...

Perinatal exposure to low levels of the environmental antiandrogen vinclozolin alters sex-differentiated social play and sexual behaviors in the rat.(Research / Article)
June 1, 2005... In this study we examined the effects of exposure to the antiandrogenic fungicide vindozolin (Vz) on the development of two sex-differentiated behaviors that are organized by the perinatal actions of androgens. Pregnant Long-Evans rats were...

Sustained exposure to the widely used herbicide atrazine: altered function and loss of neurons in brain monoamine systems.(Research / Article)
June 1, 2005... The widespread use of atrazine (ATR) and its persistence in the environment have resulted in documented human exposure. Alterations in hypothalamic catecholamines have been suggested as the mechanistic basis of the toxicity of ATR to hormonal...

Differential effects of glyphosate and Roundup on human placental cells and aromatase.(Research / Article)
June 1, 2005... Roundup is a glyphosate-based herbicide used worldwide, including on most genetically modified plants that have been designed to tolerate it. Its residues may thus enter the food chain, and glyphosate is found as a contaminant in rivers. Some...

Accurate prediction of the response of freshwater fish to a mixture of estrogenic chemicals.(Research / Article)
June 1, 2005... Existing environmental risk assessment procedures are limited in their ability to evaluate the combined effects of chemical mixtures. We investigated the implications of this by analyzing the combined effects of a multicomponent mixture of five...

Embedded weapons-grade tungsten alloy shrapnel rapidly induces metastatic high-grade rhabdomyosarcomas in F344 rats.(Research / Article)
June 1, 2005... Continuing concern regarding the potential health and environmental effects of depleted uranium and lead has resulted in many countries adding tungsten alloy (WA)-based munitions to their battlefield arsenals as replacements for these metals....

Effects of ambient ozone exposure on mail carriers' peak expiratory flow rates.(Research / Article)
June 1, 2005... The extent to which occupational exposure to ozone in ambient air can affect lung function remains unclear. We conducted a panel study in 43 mail carriers by measuring their peak expiratory flow rates (PEFRs) twice daily for 6 weeks in 2001....

Exposures among pregnant women near the World Trade Center site on 11 September 2001.(Research / Article)
June 1, 2005... We have characterized environmental exposures among 187 women who were pregnant, were at or near the World Trade Center (WTC) on or soon after 11 September 2001, and are enrolled in a prospective cohort study of health effects. Exposures were...

Lead exposure inhibits fracture healing and is associated with increased chondrogenesis, delay in cartilage mineralization, and a decrease in osteoprogenitor frequency.(Research / Article)
June 1, 2005... Lead exposure continues to be a significant public health problem. In addition to acute toxicity, Pb has an extremely long half-life in bone. Individuals with past exposure develop increased blood Pb levels during periods of high bone turnover...

Hospitalization rates for coronary heart disease in relation to residence near areas contaminated with persistent organic pollutants and other pollutants.(Research / Article)
June 1, 2005... Exposure to environmental pollutants may contribute to the development of coronary heart disease (CHD). We determined the ZIP codes containing or abutting each of the approximately 900 hazardous waste sites in New York and identified the major...

Chronic neuropsychological sequelae of cholinesterase inhibitors in the absence of structural brain damage: two cases of acute poisoning.(Environmental Medicine / Case Report)
June 1, 2005... Here we describe two cases of carbamate poisoning. Patients AMF and PVM were accidentally poisoned by cholinesterase inhibitors. The medical diagnosis in both cases was overcholinergic syndrome, as demonstrated by exposure to cholinesterase...

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis associated with environmental mycobacteria.(Environmental Medicine / Grand Rounds)
June 1, 2005... A previously healthy man working as a machine operator in an automotive factory developed respiratory symptoms. Medical evaluation showed abnormal pulmonary function tests, a lung biopsy showed hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and his illness was...

Occupational bladder cancer in a 4,4'-methylenebis(2-chloroaniline) (MBOCA)-exposed worker.(Environmental Medicine / Grand Rounds)
June 1, 2005... A 52-year-old male chemical worker was admitted to the hospital with a history of paroxysmal microscopic hematuria for about 2 years and nocturia with gross hematuria about five times per night for 2 months. He was a nonsmoker and denied a...

Developmentally restricted genetic determinants of human arsenic metabolism: association between urinary methylated arsenic and CYT19 polymorphisms in children.(Children's Health / Article)
June 1, 2005... We report the results of a screen for genetic association with urinary arsenic metabolite levels in three arsenic metabolism candidate genes, PNP, GSTO, and CYT19, in 135 arsenic-exposed subjects from the Yaqui Valley in Sonora, Mexico, who...

Environmental health assessment of deltamethrin in a malarious area of Mexico: environmental persistence, toxicokinetics, and genotoxicity in exposed children.(Children's Health / Article)
June 1, 2005... We reported previously that children are exposed to deltamethrin in malarious areas. In the present work we explored the levels of this insecticide in soil samples and also obtained relevant toxico-kinetic data of deltamethrin in exposed...

Maternal exposure to occupational solvents and childhood leukemia.(Children's Health / Article)
June 1, 2005... Many organic solvents are considered probable carcinogens. We carried out a population-based case-control study including 790 incident cases of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia and as many healthy controls, matched on age and sex....

Seasonality and children's blood lead levels: developing a predictive model using climatic variables and blood lead data from Indianapolis, Indiana, Syracuse, New York, and New Orleans, Louisiana (USA).(Children's Health / Article)
June 1, 2005... On a community basis, urban soil contains a potentially large reservoir of accumulated lead. This study was undertaken to explore the temporal relationship between pediatric blood lead (BPb), weather, soil moisture, and dust in Indianapolis,...

Discovery of novel biomarkers by microarray analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cell gene expression in benzene-exposed workers.(Toxicogenomics / Article)
June 1, 2005... Benzene is an industrial chemical and component of gasoline that is an established cause of leukemia. To better understand the risk benzene poses, we examined the effect of benzene exposure on peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) gene...

Autism and the environment?(Announcements / NIEHS Extramural Update)
June 1, 2005... Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders that emerge before 3 years of age and are characterized by impairments in social and communicative skills and the presence of stereotyped and repetitive behaviors and...

Japan Society for the Promotion of Science: opportunities for U.S. Scientists in Japan.(Announcements / Fellowships, Grants, & Awards)
June 1, 2005... The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) conducts fellowship programs for foreign researchers to promote international cooperation in and mutual understanding through scientific research in Japan. These programs provide...

Arsenic research: The Grainger Challenge Prize for Sustainability.(Announcements / Fellowships, Grants, & Awards)
June 1, 2005... The National Academy of Engineering (NAE), supported by The Grainger Foundation, has established the Grainger Challenge Prize for Sustainability. The primary purpose of this "inducement prize" is to accelerate the development and dissemination...

Global Research Initiative Program, social science.(Announcements / Fellowships, Grants, & Awards)
June 1, 2005... As part of its global health initiative, the John E. Fogarty International Center (FIC) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), in partnership with the National Eye Institute (NEI), the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the...

Calendar.(Announcements)(Calendar)
June 1, 2005... 2005 June 12-15 June, Sun-Wed. Modifiers of Chemical Toxicity: Implications for Human Health Risk Assessment Workshop. Poros/Athens, Greece. Information: Environmental and Occupational Health Science Institute, B. Davis, 160...

Environmental Health, Third Edition.
June 1, 2005... Environmental Health, Third Edition By Dade W. Moeller Cambridge, MA:Harvard University Press, 2005.606 pp. ISBN: 0-674-01494-4, $65 cloth At least once a week, I need a brief account of an environmental health area that falls outside my...

New books.(Announcements)
June 1, 2005... Asbestos and Fire Rachel Maines Piscataway, NJ:Rutgers University Press, 2005. 288 pp. ISBN: 0-8135-3575-1, $34.95 Chemical Genomics: Reviews and Protocols Edward D. Zanders Totowa, NJ:Humana Press, Inc., 2005. 300 pp. ISBN: 1-58829-399-8,...