Environmental Health Perspectives articles from September 2008

Environmental Health Perspectives archives from September 2008

Asia: changing times and changing problems.(Editorial)(Editorial)
September 1, 2008... Asia is currently experiencing rapid increases in industrialization, urbanization, and vehicularization. As a result, emission trends (e.g., energy, fuel, vehicle use), population trends (e.g., degree of urbanization, urban population growth,...

In memoriam.(In memoriam)
September 1, 2008... On 12 May 2008, Paul Kotin, MD, pioneer environmental health physician-scientist and NIEHS director from 1966 to 1971, passed away in Laguna Beach, California. A pathologist by training, Kotin received his MD in 1939 from the University of...

DDT and breast cancer trends.(Correspondence)(dichloro-diphenyltrichloroethane)
September 1, 2008... The correspondence section is a public forum and, as such, is not peer-reviewed. EHP is not responsible for the accuracy, currency, or reliability of personal opinion expressed herein; it is the sole responsibility of the authors. EHP neither...

Beef production and greenhouse gas emissions.(Correspondence)
September 1, 2008... In their article discussing the impacts of farm animal production on climate change, Koneswaran and Nierenberg (2008) called for "immediate and far-reaching changes in current animal agriculture practices" to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG)...

Beef production: Koneswaran and Nierenberg respond.(Correspondence)
September 1, 2008... Avery and Avery, who find comparing conventional Japanese and organic Swedish beef production misleading, propose relying on "comprehensive life cycle analyses" (LCAs) to quantify emissions from conventional U.S. beef production. However,...

Traffic-related air pollution and stress: effects on asthma.(Correspondence)
September 1, 2008... Chen et al. (2008) examined the potential for social stressors to influence responsiveness to environmental pollution. Contrary to their initial hypothesis, and to results we reported previously (Clougherty et al. 2007), their findings...

Traffic-related air pollution and stress: Chen and Brauer respond.(Correspondence)
September 1, 2008... We thank Clougherty and Kubzansky for their thoughtful review of our article (Chen et al. 2008). We view our article, as well as their article on exposure to violence, air pollution, and asthma etiology (Clougherty et al. 2007), as suggestive...

Cleanup for broken CFLs: our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved.(MERCURY)(Compact fluorescent lamps)
September 1, 2008... Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are about 75% more energy efficient than incandescent light bulbs and last 10 times longer, and thus have quickly become a modern-day environmental icon. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates...

New default for asphalt?(BUILT ENVIRONMENT)
September 1, 2008... The vast majority of the nearly 2 million miles of paved roads in the United States are surfaced with asphalt pavement, which is made by combining a thick hydrocarbon mixture known as liquid asphalt binder with sand, gravel, or crushed stone...

PAHO Communicable Disease Unit.(ehpnet)(Pan American Health Organization )(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), an international public health agency, supports a Communicable Disease Unit (CD) whose primary functions include building networks and mobilizing resources for the prevention and control of...

Solar tax credit loses energy.(LEGISLATION)
September 1, 2008... The Solar investment tax credit (ITC), created by the Energy Poliy Act of 2005, allows those who invest in solar technology to deduct 30% of the purchase and installation costs incurred during the year from their taxable income. Although it's...

Declaration on port pollution.(The Beat)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... A 2008 UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report estimates the shipping industry produces nearly 4.5% of the [CO.sub.2] emitted worldwide and that these emissions will increase by 30% by 2020. Shipping emissions are not governed by...

Keeping apace with e-waste.(The Beat)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... The import of electronic junk into developing countries for recycling or disposal threatens both environmental and human health. Although recycling computers yields valuable metals, improper handling also releases lead, mercury, and other...

Walk to school month 2008.(The Beat)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Each October community groups worldwide sponsor,events that promote walking to school as a way of improving children's health, reducing traffic emissions, and enriching community life. In 2007 millions of walkers in 42 countries participated in...

Potable water a priority in hurricane preparedness.(The Beat)(Survey)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... In July 2008 the Harvard School of Public Health released survey results on hurricane preparedness of more than 5,000 participants from eight coastal states, plus a special sample of New Orleans residents. Three years after Hurricane Katrina,...

Skin cancer souvenir?(The Beat)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... A population-based study of young, white British women published online 10 July 2008 ahead of print in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology suggests that vacationing--but not necessarily living--in hotter or higher-altitude locations than...

The health impact of incense.(The Beat)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... In Asian countries where Buddhism and Taoism are the major religions, incense is burned daily in homes and temples. A review published 25 April 2008 in Clinical and Molecular Allergy and a study published 9 May 2008 in Chemico-Biological...

Ocular safety assays accepted.(ALTERNATIVE TEST MODELS)
September 1, 2008... In a significant step forward for alternative safety test methods designed to reduce, refine, or replace the use of live test animals, the Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM) recently announced...

Dengue Reborn: widespread resurgence of a resilient vector.(Focus)
September 1, 2008... Dengue--a viral disease that can refer to both dengue fever and the more severe dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF)--swept away records again this past spring as it raged across Brazil, infecting more than 160,000 people and killing more than 100....

Unnatural Disaster: human factors in the Mississippi floods.(Spheres of Influence)
September 1, 2008... It's happened again. For the third time in 15 years the Mississippi River massively burst its banks this spring, inundating tiny Missouri towns such as Winfield (population 720) and Foley (population 178), causing potentially billions of...

A dose of defense? Omega-3 supplements appear protective against PM effects.(Science Selections)(particulate matter)
September 1, 2008... Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, believed to lessen the risk of many chronic ailments including arthritis, cancer, heart disease, and memory loss, may also help protect the heart against certain damaging effects of air pollution. In a new...

The cool factor; Season modifies cardiorespiratory deaths in China.(Science Selections)
September 1, 2008... Outdoor air pollution has been linked with increased risk of death from cardiorespiratory disease in epidemiologic studies in North America and Europe. Some studies have found that sex, age, or other modifying factors can cause increased...

Disaster response: mental health effects among WTC rescue and recovery workers.(Science Selections)(World Trade Center)
September 1, 2008... The attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) on 11 September 2001 exposed thousands of emergency responders and other recovery workers to a unique mix not only of airborne toxic pollutants but also psychological stressors. The physical...

"Metal detector" gene may influence lead absorption; Variants predict higher blood lead levels in children.(Science Selections)
September 1, 2008... An estimated 310,000 U.S. children between ages 1 and 5 have elevated blood lead levels despite efforts to reduce lead in the environment. Research in the past decade has begun to focus on factors that could make some children more susceptible...

Calendar.(Calendar)
September 1, 2008... 2008 September 18-21 September, Thu-Sun. 17th Annual Growth Factor and Signal Transduction Symposium: Extracellular and Membrane Proteases in Cell Signaling. Information: Growth Factor and Signal Transduction Conferences, 3208...

Water War in the Klamath Basin: Macho Law, Combat Biology, and Dirty Politics.(Book review)
September 1, 2008... In July 2001, employees of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation closed the big steel gates across the intake of a major irrigation canal just outside the town of Klamath Falls, Oregon. Water stopped flowing to about 85% of the farms in the Klamath...

Gene and protein expression following exposure to radiofrequency fields from Mobile Phones.(Commentary)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Since 1999, several articles have been published on genome-wide and/or proteome-wide response after exposure to radiofrequency (RF) fields whose signal and intensities were similar to or typical of those of currently used mobile...

Effects of maternal exposure to Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate during fetal and/or neonatal periods on atopic dermatitis in male offspring.(Research)(Clinical report)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) has been widely used in polyvinyl chloride products and is ubiquitous in developed countries. Although maternal exposure to DEHP during fetal and/or neonatal periods reportedly affects reproductive...

Fluoride induces endoplasmic reticulum stress and inhibits protein synthesis and secretion.(Research)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Exposure to excessive amounts of fluoride ([F.sup.-]) cause dental fluorosis in susceptible individuals; however, the mechanism of ([F.sup.-]) induced toxicity is unclear. Previously, we have shown that high-dose F.sup.-]) activates...

A temporal, multicity model to estimate the effects of short-term exposure to Ambient Air Pollution on health.(Research)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Countries worldwide are expending significant resources to improve air quality partly to improve the health of their citizens. Are these societal expenditures improving public health? OBJECTIVES: We consider these issues by...

Oridonin confers protection against arsenic-induced toxicity through activation of the nrf2-mediated defensive response.(Research)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Groundwater contaminated with arsenic imposes a big challenge to human health worldwide. Using natural compounds to subvert the detrimental effects of arsenic represents an attractive strategy. The transcription factor nuclear...

Bone mineral density changes in relation to environmental PCB exposure.(Research)(polychlorinated biphenyls )(Clinical report)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Bone toxicity has been linked to organochlorine exposure following a few notable poisoning incidents, but epidemiologic studies in populations with environmental organochlorine exposure have yielded inconsistent results. ...

Right heart pressure increases after acute increases in ambient particulate concentration.(Research)(Clinical report)
September 1, 2008... OBJECTIVES: We explored the association between acute changes in daily mean pulmonary artery (PA) and right ventricular (RV) pressures and concentrations of ambient fine particulate matter [PM with aerodynamic diameter [less than or equal to]...

High temperatures enhanced acute mortality effects of ambient particle pollution in the "oven" city of wuhan, China.(Research)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: We investigated whether the effect of air pollution on daily mortality is enhanced by high temperatures in Wuhan, China, using data from 2001 to 2004. Wuhan has been called an "oven" city because of its hot summers. Approximately...

The public health and air pollution in Asia (PAPA) project: estimating the mortality effects of particulate matter in Bangkok, Thailand.(Research)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Air pollution data in Bangkok, Thailand, indicate that levels of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter [less than or equal to] 10 [micro]m ([PM.sub.10]) are significantly higher than in most cities in North America and...

Season, sex, age, and education as modifiers of the effects of outdoor air pollution on daily mortality in Shanghai, China: The public health and air pollution in Asia (PAPA) study.(Research)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Various factors can modify the health effects of outdoor air pollution. Prior findings about modifiers are inconsistent, and most of these studies were conducted in developed countries. OBJECTIVES: We conducted a time-series...

The effects of air pollution on mortality in socially deprived urban areas in Hong Kong, China.(Research)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Poverty is a major determinant of population health, but little is known about its role in modifying air pollution effects. OBJECTIVES: We set out to examine whether people residing in socially deprived communities are at higher...

Public Health and Air Pollution in Asia (PAPA): a multicity study of short-term effects of air pollution on mortality.(Research)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although the deleterious effects of air pollution from fossil fuel combustion have been demonstrated in many Western nations, fewer studies have been conducted in Asia. The Public Health and Air Pollution in Asia...

In vitro biologic activities of the antimicrobials triclocarban, its analogs, and triclosan in bioassay screens: receptor-based bioassay screens.(Research)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Concerns have been raised about the biological and toxicologic effects of the antimicrobials triclocarban (TCC) and triclosan (TCS) in personal care products. Few studies have evaluated their biological activities in mammalian cells...

Raw single-wall carbon nanotubes induce oxidative stress and activate MAPKs, AP-1, NF-kB, and Akt in normal and malignant human mesothelial cells.(Research)(activator protein-1)(nuclear factor KB)(mitogen-activated protein kinases)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), with their unique physicochemical and mechanical properties, have many potential new applications in medicine and industry. There has been great concern subsequent to preliminary investigations...

Inhaled asbestos exacerbates atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice via [CD4.sup.+] T cells.(Research)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Associations between air pollution and morbidity/mortality from cardiovascular disease are recognized in epidemiologic and clinical studies, but the mechanisms by which inhaled fibers or particles mediate the exacerbation of...

Association between 24-hour urinary cadmium and pulmonary function among community-exposed men: the VA Normative Aging Study.(Research)(Clinical report)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: High levels of cadmium exposure are known to cause emphysema in occupationally exposed workers, but little has been reported to date on the association between chronic environmental cadmium exposure and pulmonary function. ...

Identification of the functional domain of thyroid hormone receptor responsible for polychlorinated biphenyl-mediated suppression of its action in vitro.(Research)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, and poly-chlorinated dibenzofurans adversely affect the health of humans and various animals. Such effects might be partially exerted through the thyroid hormone...

The effect of supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on markers of oxidative stress in elderly exposed to [PM.sub.2.5].(Research)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: The mechanisms of particulate matter (PM)-induced health effects are believed to involve inflammation and oxidative stress. Increased intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) appears to have anti-inflammatory...

The pyrethroid pesticide esfenvalerate suppresses the afternoon rise of luteinizing hormone and delays puberty in female rats.(Research)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: One of the most widely used classes of insecticides is the synthetic pyrethroids. Although pyrethroids are less acutely toxic to humans than to insects, in vitro studies have suggested that pyrethroids may be estrogenic. ...

Enduring mental health morbidity and social function impairment in World Trade Center Rescue, Recovery, and cleanup workers: the psychological dimension of an environmental health disaster.(Environmental Medicine)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: The World Trade Center (WTC) attacks exposed thousands of workers to hazardous environmental conditions and psychological trauma. In 2002, to assess the health of these workers, Congress directed the National Institute for...

Environmental Public Health Tracking of childhood asthma using California Health Interview Survey, traffic, and outdoor air pollution data.(Children's Health)(Survey)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Despite extensive evidence that air pollution affects childhood asthma, state-level and national-level tracking of asthma outcomes in relation to air pollution is limited. OBJECTIVES: Our goals were to evaluate the feasibility...

Variants in iron metabolism genes predict higher blood lead levels in young children.(Children's Health)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Given the association between iron deficiency and lead absorption, we hypothesized that variants in iron metabolism genes would predict higher blood lead levels in young children. OBJECTIVE: We examined the association between...

Risk of birth defects in Australian communities with high levels of brominated disinfection by-products.(Children's Health)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: By international standards, water supplies in Perth, Western Australia, contain high trihalomethane (THM) levels, particularly the brominated forms. Geographic variability in these levels provided an opportunity to examine...

Residential traffic and children's respiratory health.(Children's Health)
September 1, 2008... BACKGROUND: Living near traffic has been associated with asthma and other respiratory symptoms. Most studies, however, have been conducted in areas with high background levels of ambient air pollution, making it challenging to isolate an...