Environmental Health Perspectives articles from June 2007

Environmental Health Perspectives archives from June 2007

EHP evolution continues.(Editorial)(Environmental Health Perspectives)
June 1, 2007... In the May 2007 issue of EHP, we announced that we would cease publication of the Mini-Monograph series this year, instead publishing more Review articles on topics that might once have been covered by Mini-Monographs. Here, we explain that...

Christopher G. Reuther, 1973-2007.(In Memoriam)(Obituary)
June 1, 2007... If you've ever flipped through this journal and been stopped by a compelling image that you had to examine or an intriguing layout that drew you into an article you might otherwise have skipped, chances are good that it was due to the talents...

Concepts of nanoparticle dose metric and response metric.(Correspondence)
June 1, 2007... Wittmaack (2007) did not agree with our suggestion (Oberdorster et al. 2005) that particle surface area is a more appropriate dose metric than particle mass or particle number when evaluating dose-response relationships of nanoparticle-induced...

Inflammatory response to Ti[O.sub.2] and carbonaceous particles scales best with BET surface area.(Correspondence)(titanium dioxide)
June 1, 2007... In an attempt to identify the proper dose metric for particle toxicity, Wittmaack (2007) reanalyzed our dose-response data (Stoeger et al. 2006) and that of Oberdorster et al. (2005) on acute lung inflammation in rodents after instillation of...

Dose and response metrics in nanotoxicology: Wittmaack responds to Oberdoerster et al. and Stoeger et al.(Correspondence)
June 1, 2007... In their letters, Oberdorster et al. and Stoeger et al. present some comments on a few out of many issues that I addressed in my reanalysis of literature data on lung inflammatory response to nanoparticle exposure (Wittmaack 2007). I appreciate...

Questioning sources and cardiovascular effects of nickel.(Correspondence)
June 1, 2007... Lippmann et al. (2006) attempted to identify subtle deleterious effects in fine airborne particulate matter (FPM), which is laudable. Nevertheless, the authors' claim (Lippmann et al. 2006) that on 14 of 103 days studied in the fall of 2004,...

Cardiovascular effects of nickel: Lippmann et al. respond.(Correspondence)
June 1, 2007... It is readily understandable that Dutton of the International Nickel Company (INCO) would like to separate the nickel emissions from the 381-m INCO smelter stack from the highly statistically significant Ni-associated effects on heart rate and...

Erratum.(Correction notice)
June 1, 2007... In Figure 4 of Lippmann et al. [Environ Health Perspect 114:1662-1669 (2006)], the key was correct in the original manuscript published online but was incorrect in the final version. The dashed lines should indicate filtered air, and the solid...

U.S. rice serves up arsenic.(FOOD SAFETY)
June 1, 2007... At one point during the reign of King Cotton, farmers in the south central United States controlled boll weevils with arsenic-based pesticides, and residual arsenic still contaminates the soil. Today, rice paddies cover fields where cotton once...

Estrogens shield breast cancer cells.(MOLECULAR BIOLOGY)
June 1, 2007... Among the more insidious aspects of cancer is its capacity for escaping the anticancer defenses of the host. New research suggests that some estrogens may further reinforce this evasion of host immunity, even as those same hormones stimulate...

Fresh guidance for produce safety.(The Beat)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Between 1998 and 2004, the number of produce-related disease outbreaks in the United States doubled, and outbreaks in the past six months have raised awareness more than ever. Now the FDA has called on industry to voluntarily implement the...

Water prices surge.(The Beat)(Earth Policy Institute)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... Over the past five years, municipal water rates have risen by an average of 27% in the United States, 45% in Australia, 50% in South Africa, and 58% in Canada, according to an Earth Policy Institute report released in March 2007. Yet these...

White house, greenhouse.(The Beat)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... The Supreme Court's 2 April 2007 ruling that greenhouse gases are pollutants does not require the U.S. EPA to regulate the gases, but does direct the agency to study the gases anew and regulate them if they are proven to harm human health....

National Children's Study receives more funding.(The Beat)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... In February 2007 Congress earmarked $69 million for the National Children's Study. These funds will expand the study by 15 to 20 new study centers and will allow the 7 existing centers to begin recruitment. The study, under the auspices of a...

Urban Environment Report.(The Beat)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... The Earth Day Network released its first Urban Environment Report in February 2007, ranking the 72 largest cities in the United States by more than 200 environmental, health, and quality of life indicators. The indicators cover eight main...

The great lightbulb switch.(The Beat)(Brief article)
June 1, 2007... A group of industry players, environmental advocates, and energy specialists is working to phase out incandescent lightbulbs by 2016 in favor of new technologies including compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes, which are up...

Dangerous wait.(LEAD)
June 1, 2007... You think waiting for the cable guy is bad? Some families must wait more than a year for a lead abatement team to remove or contain the lead that is poisoning their children, reports a group led by Kristina M. Zierold of the Wake Forest...

Ground zero for uranium?(REMEDIATION)
June 1, 2007... By harnessing bacteria that "breathe" uranium the way animals breathe oxygen, Florida State University microbiologist Joel Kostka is working to solidify liquid uranium waste under a 243-acre site adjacent to Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Using...

Doctor Fungus.(ehpnet)
June 1, 2007... The Doctor Fungus website, located at http://www.doctorfungus.org/, strives to be an online reference source for all things mycological. The nonprofit site is continually revised, updated, and reviewed by an international team of pathologists,...

A spreading concern inhalational health effects of mold.(Focus)
June 1, 2007... The issue of mold contamination has drawn the national and international spotlight on the heels of publicity about prominent situations, such as a hotly contended link between mold and severe illness--and one death--in 10 Ohio infants in 1993...

DVD offers mold remediation tips.(Focus)(Mold Clean-Up Guidance for New Orleans Area Residents Affected by Hurricane Katrina)
June 1, 2007... With homeowners and volunteers--not remediation specialists--performing much of the cleanup and rebuilding along the Gulf Coast following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, there's been a greater need for reliable information about avoiding adverse...

Growing green roofs, city by city.(Spheres of Influence)
June 1, 2007... Green roofs--rooftops that are partially or completely covered with vegetation growing in soil medium over a waterproof membrane--have gained momentum over the past six years as building owners recognize their advantages over conventional...

Shift in the sexes: are endocrine disruptors changing birth ratios?(Science Selections)
June 1, 2007... According to demographic data compiled by the United Nations, an average of 105 boys are born for every 100 girls. The male proportion of births, equal to 0.515, varies slightly between years and populations, but these factors do not fully...

Phthalates and metabolism: exposure correlates with obesity and diabetes in men.(Science Selections)
June 1, 2007... The prevalence of obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes has increased considerably in the past few decades. Many plausible contributing factors have been identified for this increase, among them low testosterone levels in men. Research has...

Childhood leukemia in Germany: cluster identified near nuclear power plant.(Science Selections)
June 1, 2007... Childhood leukemia clusters have been observed at a number of sites near European nuclear facilities. With the identification of the largest cluster to date, a new German study underscores the need to clarify the association [EHP 115:947-952;...

A twist in the Ritalin riddle: drug-related genomic damage not confirmed in children.(Science Selections)
June 1, 2007... The frequently prescribed central nervous system stimulant methylphenidate (MPH), better known by brand names that include Ritalin, does not cause genomic damage in children, contrary to earlier reports, according to new work published this...

Global Network for Women's and Children's Health Research (U01).(Fellowships, Grants, & Awards)
June 1, 2007... The NICHD invites applications from investigators willing to participate under a cooperative agreement in an ongoing multicenter international research network designed to perform randomized clinical trials of interventions to reduce the major...

New books.(Announcements)
June 1, 2007... Climate Change: What It Means for Us, Our Children, and Our Grandchildren Joseph F.C. DiMento, Pamela M. Doughman, eds. Cambridge, MA:MIT Press, 2007. 232 pp. ISBN: 0-262-04241-X, $60 Congenital Diseases and the Environment P....

A comparison of the monetized impact of IQ decrements from mercury emissions.(Review)
June 1, 2007... OBJECTIVE: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that the upper bound of benefits from removing mercury emissions by U.S. power plants after implementing its Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR) is $210 million per year. In...

Household air pollution from coal and biomass fuels in China: measurements, health impacts, and interventions.(Review)
June 1, 2007... OBJECTIVE: Nearly all China's rural residents and a shrinking fraction of urban residents use solid fuels (biomass and coal) for household cooking and/or heating. Consequently, global meta-analyses of epidemiologic studies indicate that indoor...

Massive microbiological groundwater contamination associated with a waterborne outbreak in Lake Erie, South Bass Island, Ohio.(Research)
June 1, 2007... BACKGROUND: A groundwater-associated outbreak affected approximately 1,450 residents and visitors of South Bass Island, Ohio, between July and September 2004. OBJECTIVES: To examine the microbiological quality of groundwater wells located...

Neonatal exposure to brominated flame retardant BDE-47 reduces long-term potentiation and postsynaptic protein levels in mouse hippocampus.(Research)
June 1, 2007... BACKGROUND: Increasing environmental levels of brominated flame retardants raise concern about possible adverse effects, particularly through early developmental exposure. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research was to investigate...

Lead levels and ischemic heart disease in a prospective study of middle-aged and elderly men: the VA Normative Aging Study.
June 1, 2007... BACKGROUND: Lead exposure has been associated with higher blood pressure, hypertension, electrocardiogram abnormalities, and increased mortality from circulatory causes. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the association between bone lead--a more...

Concentrations of urinary phthalate metabolites are associated with increased waist circumference and insulin resistance in adult U.S. males.(Research)
June 1, 2007... BACKGROUND: Phthalates impair rodent testicular function and have been associated with antiandrogenic effects in humans, including decreased testosterone levels. Low testosterone in adult human males has been associated with increased...

Positive associations of serum concentration of polychlorinated biphenyls or organochlorine pesticides with self-reported arthritis, especially rheumatoid type, in women.(Research)
June 1, 2007... BACKGROUND: Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can influence the immune system, possibly increasing the risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In addition, as metabolic change due to obesity has been proposed as one mechanism of osteoarthritis...

Dietary arsenic exposure in Bangladesh.(Research)
June 1, 2007... BACKGROUND: Millions of people in Bangladesh are at risk of chronic arsenic toxicity from drinking contaminated groundwater, but little is known about diet as an additional source of As exposure. METHODS: We employed a duplicate diet survey...

PBTK modeling demonstrates contribution of dermal and inhalation exposure components to end-exhaled breath concentrations of naphthalene.(Research)(physiologically based toxicokinetic)
June 1, 2007... BACKGROUND: Dermal and inhalation exposure to jet propulsion fuel 8 (JP-8) have been measured in a few occupational exposure studies. However, a quantitative understanding of the relationship between external exposures and end-exhaled air...

Estradiol and bisphenol a stimulate androgen receptor and estrogen receptor gene expression in fetal mouse prostate mesenchyme cells.(Research)
June 1, 2007... BACKGROUND: Hormonal alterations during development have lifelong effects on the prostate gland. Endogenous estrogens, including 17[beta]-estradiol ([E.sub.2]), and synthetic estrogenic endocrine disruptors, such as bisphenol A (BPA), have...

Exposure to organophosphates reduces the expression of neurotrophic factors in neonatal rat brain regions: similarities and differences in the effects of chlorpyrifos and diazinon on the fibroblast growth factor superfamily.(Research)
June 1, 2007... BACKGROUND: The fibroblast growth factor (FGF) superfamily of neurotrophic factors plays critical roles in neural cell development, brain assembly, and recovery from neuronal injury. OBJECTIVES: We administered two organophosphate...

Reduction in urinary arsenic levels in response to arsenic mitigation efforts in Araihazar, Bangladesh.(Research)
June 1, 2007... BACKGROUND: There is a need to identify and evaluate an effective mitigation program for arsenic exposure from drinking water in Bangladesh. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the effectiveness of a multifaceted mitigation program to reduce As...

Workgroup report: incorporating in vitro alternative methods for developmental neurotoxicity into international hazard and risk assessment strategies.(Research)
June 1, 2007... This is the report of the first workshop on Incorporating In Vitro Alternative Methods for Developmental Neurotoxicity (DNT) Testing into International Hazard and Risk Assessment Strategies, held in Ispra, Italy, on 19-21 April 2005. The...

Case report: silicatosis in a carpet installer.(Environmental Medicine)
June 1, 2007... CONTEXT: Chronic exposure to talc in the course of carpet installation can result in pneumoconiosis. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a case of a young carpet installer who was diagnosed with silicatosis of the lung. Review of occupational...

Does methylphenidate cause a cytogenetic effect in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder?(Children's Health)
June 1, 2007... BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common psychiatric disorder in children and adolescents (6-12% affected). Treatment with methylphenidate (MPH) in the United States has increased to a current...

Declines in sex ratio at birth and fetal deaths in Japan, and in U.S. whites but not African Americans.(Children's Health)
June 1, 2007... BACKGROUND: The expected ratio of male to female births is generally believed to be 1.05, also described as the male proportion of 0.515. OBJECTIVES: We describe trends in sex ratio at birth and in fetal deaths in the United States, in...

Childhood leukemia in the vicinity of the Geesthacht nuclear establishments near Hamburg, Germany.(Children's Health)
June 1, 2007... BACKGROUND: During 1990-1991 a childhood leukemia cluster was observed in the sparsely populated region surrounding two nuclear establishments southeast of Hamburg, Germany. Since then, several new cases have been reported. Recently a possible...

Improving indoor environmental quality for public health: impediments and policy recommendations.(Mini-Monograph)
June 1, 2007... BACKGROUND: People in modern societies spend more than 90% of their time indoors. Hence, indoor environmental quality (IEQ) has a significant impact on public health. In this article we describe health risks associated with indoor environments,...

Current state of the science: health effects and indoor environmental quality.(Mini-Monograph)
June 1, 2007... Our understanding of the relationship between human health and the indoor environment continues to evolve. Previous research on health and indoor environments has tended to concentrate on discrete pollutant sources and exposures and on specific...

Elements that contribute to healthy building design.(Mini-Monograph)
June 1, 2007... BACKGROUND: The elements that contribute to a healthy building are multifactorial and can be discussed from different perspectives. OBJECTIVES: We present three viewpoints of designing a healthy building: the importance of sustainable...

Childhood asthma and environmental interventions.(Mini-Monograph)
June 1, 2007... BACKGROUND: Contaminants encountered in many households, such as environmental tobacco smoke, house dust mite, cockroach, cat and dog dander, and mold, are risk factors in asthma. Young children are a particularly vulnerable subpopulation for...

Linking public health, housing, and indoor environmental policy: successes and challenges at local and federal agencies in the United States.(Mini-Monograph)
June 1, 2007... We describe the successes and challenges faced by federal and local government agencies in the United States as they have attempted in recent years to connect public and environmental health, housing, community development, and building design...

In search of a common European approach to a healthy indoor environment.(Mini-Monograph)
June 1, 2007... Increasingly, policymakers in Europe and around the world are realizing the importance of healthy indoor environments for public health. Certain member states of the European Union (EU) have already achieved successes in improving indoor...