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While all links worked when entries were posted to the database, different publishers
have different policies about retaining articles and providing access to archived material.
Thus some of the links, particularly older ones, may no longer be functional.
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Common air pollutants can react with one another to form highly reactive and toxic chlorine gasses, reports a study published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In areas where both NOx and HCl concentrations are generally high, these chemical reactions can also increase ozone pollution. 7 October 2009. More...
Household dust is an important source of exposure to a lesser known – but ubiquitous and potentially toxic – flame retardant, reports a study from Belgium.
This study is the first to examine the relationship between dust, diet and serum concentrations of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCDs). Results are consistent with studies of other better known flame retardants, indicating that indoor sources may contribute most of human exposure to these chemicals. 8 September 2009. More...
A new study finds that fewer older people are hospitalized due to heart problems associated with air pollution if they live in places that have more homes with central air conditioning.
But, a vicious cycle of energy demand, air conditioning use and air pollution can develop, the researchers explain. More air conditioning use requires more energy. Generating energy leads to air pollution and contributes to global warming, possibly spurring higher use of air conditioning. 4 September 2009. More...
Sperm counts are lower in mice whose mothers were exposed during pregnancy to a mixture of particles found in diesel exhaust.
The results add to a small but growing series of studies that suggest exposure to diesel exhaust can disrupt the proper development of the testis in rats and mice and perhaps affect reproduction. 14 August 2009. More...
A new study conducted in New York City concludes that prenatal exposure to the common air pollutants – polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) – can lower children’s IQ at kindergarten age.
While this is the first study to show that prenatal exposure to PAH can lower children’s IQ, PAHs are known to affect neurodevelopment, reproduction and growth, and to cause cancer. 13 August 2009. More...
Chemicals heavily used in everyday products can end up in dust and increase people's exposure to the contaminants, reports a study by Belgium researchers who calculated exposure to bisphenol A, an antibacterial agent and a flame retardant through dust.
The researchers conclude that exposure to BPA, tetrabromobisphenol-A and triclosan from dust contributes to less than 10 percent of average total daily exposure. Diet and direct contact with personal care products are the the greatest contributors. 15 July 2009. More...
In mice, short-term exposure to fine air particles reduces responsiveness of specialized neurons that regulate cardiac rhythm. Scientists believe that this reduced activity may be responsible for the cardiovascular disease associated with air pollution.
Fine particulate matter known as PM2.5 is a mixture of particles that are smaller than 2.5 micrometers (about one third of the diameter of a human hair). PM2.5 is a product of combustion and is released into the environment by forest fires and by gasses emitted by power plants, factories and automobiles. 7 July 2009. More...
A team of researchers report that some low concentrations of a commercial brominated flame retardant mix – which have no effect in laboratory rats – caused pregnancy failures when fed to female mink.
The low levels tested also skewed thyroid hormone levels in juvenile offspring that were exposed during development and weaning. The younger animals were more sensitive to the chemicals than the adult animals. 30 June 2009. More...
Management measures that keep unwanted pests out of buildings and apartments can control cockroaches and their associated allergens better than traditional pesticide sprayings.
This is the first study to show how a one-time, low cost visit by professionals can effectively reduce the insects' populations for up to six months. Sealing cracks and using bait traps--rather than periodic pesticide applications--to control the pests lowers people's indoor exposures to unhealthy toxic chemicals and allergens that can lead to asthma. 22 June 2009. More...
Preschoolers who lived in homes using gas appliances scored lower on cognitive tests and had a higher likelihood of exhibiting inattention behaviors than those in homes without gas appliances, finds a recent study.
The effects on memory, verbal skills and the coordination of complex behaviors were greater when more gas appliances were used in the homes. They were also more pronounced in children with a certain gene type involved with the detoxification of toxic exposures. 22 May 2009. More...
One year after a ban on smoking in all work places and some hospitality venues in Spain, nicotine levels in the air were significantly diminished -- up to 97 percent in some cases -- in offices and were much lower in nonsmoking areas of restaurants and bars.
The reductions are important because evidence linking secondhand smoke to adverse health effects has been growing. Even small exposures to the cancer-causing agents found in tobacco smoke increase the risk of cancer. 4 May 2009. More...
A recent study in Arizona of household air identified over 400 airborne chemicals ranging from pesticides to phthalates.
Pesticides, including diazinon, chlorpyrifos and DDT were found at surprisingly high levels, as were phthalates. 28 April 2009. More...
A chemical that makes electronics and other household products safe from fire disrupts behavior in mice, suggesting that the chemical alters brain development. The behavioral effects were seen at fairly low doses, were worse at the higher doses tested and grew stronger as the mice aged.
The findings indicate that very early life exposure to the chemical -- called deca-BDE -- has lasting effects on the brain. The chemical may affect behavior by interfering with a neurotransmitter -- a nervous system signaling molecule -- called acetylcholine. 19 March 2009. More...
Children are at risk of eating more than they bargained for if they don't wash their hands before eating. Researchers have found that dust contaminated with chemical flame retardants called PBDEs can stick to skin and may be a significant source of human exposure to the widely used compounds.
The findings suggests that small children -- who had 10 times the levels of the chemicals on their hands as adults -- may be at a significant risk of accumulating the chemicals from dust. 13 February 2009. More...
People living close to highways, large roads or other sources of high levels of traffic-related air pollution die earlier than those farther away, finds a study conducted in Toronto, Ontario.
People with higher exposure to pollution from traffic were 20 percent more likely to die at any given time than those with low levels of exposure. The greatest risk appears to be death from heart disease. People with high exposure to traffic pollution showed a 40 percent increased risk of cardiovascular mortality. 3 February 2009. More...
Parking lots treated with coal-tar-based sealcoats are a major source of cancer-causing contaminants that can pollute air, soil, water and wildlife, posing a significant health risk to humans who may breathe, drink or eat them in fish and other food.
Levels in eastern and central parking lots were as much as a thousand-fold higher than western lots, reflecting differences in the types of sealants used. 22 January 2009. More...
Genetics, age and gender determine what kind and how badly lungs are harmed in mice that breath ozone, a dangerous type of air pollution.
This study is the first to report which differences influence health effects of ozone exposure in various strains of mice. These data suggest that genetic makeup plays a strong role in how young and adults respond to ozone. 21 January 2009. More...
A recent study confirms and broadens our understanding of asthma by showing the respiratory disease is highly affected by particulate matter.
For the first time, researchers report that asthma incidence and severity is associated with a specific type of indoor air pollution, referred to as course particulate matter. Specifically, the amounts of wheezing, slowing of a child’s activity and use of rescue medication were all elevated in children living in homes with more of this type of indoor air pollution. 16 December 2008. More...
Women living in areas with heavy traffic flow are 1.5 times more likely to lose their babies during late gestation or have their newborns die compared to those who live in areas with less traffic, according to a Brazilian study.
The findings implicate air pollution, but confounding effects of other factors cannot be ruled out. 18 November 2008. More...
A new method of identifying airborne bacteria offers a new tool to control disease outbreaks and epidemics.
The technique is based on the observation that bacteria are constantly using between indoor air and people. By monitoring indoor air for the DNA signature of dangerous pathogens, scientists can determine whether they should prepare for a disease outbreak. 14 November 2008. More...
A new study from China indicates that reducing air pollution from coal-burning power plants may improve children's ability to learn.
Children living near a recently closed coal-burning power plant performed better in a neurological development test compared to children living in the area three years prior when the plant was still in operation. 25 September 2008. More...
Researchers comparing pollution levels between urban and rural Thai schoolboys found that those attending school in Bangkok had more chemicals in the bodies and more damage to key cell systems than their country-dwelling counterparts.
The boys attending schools in the highly populated, traffic-congested city had higher levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) breakdown products in their urine, more DNA damage and less ability to repair the DNA than rural dwellers. Air samples revealed PAH levels 30 times higher in front of urban schools. 24 May 2007. More...
Indoor air escaping from homes and buildings is a significant source of the PCBs found in outside air, a new study reports.
Its findings support a growing body of evidence indicating that indoor air contributes more to outdoor PCB pollution than other known sources, such as soil. The findings indicate that removing remaining indoor sources of PCBs will be important for lowering PCB body burdens. 26 April 2007. More...
Scientists studying residents living in a 1970s era housing development built atop a retired oil field waste pit found an extraordinarily high incidence of lupus, an autoimmune disease.
Researchers calculated that the rate was 30 to 99 times higher in people living in this six-block area of Hobbs, NM, than what would be expected in the general population. The disease was significantly associated with higher than normal exposure to the environmental contaminants mercury and pristane, a hydrocarbon found in petroleum. 10 April 2007. More...
Scientists report in a new study that six environmental contaminants which act like the hormone estrogen increase the speed and intensity of immune reactions in human and mouse cells.
The doses used were selected to be well within the range of human exposures. Intermediate doses had stronger impacts than higher doses. The results suggest that these contaminants may be contributing to the epidemic of asthma. 3 April 2007. More...
Young children living in houses with the highest measured levels of a common phthalate in house dust were two to four times as likely to report wheezing or allergic symptoms than those with lower levels.
The results are similar to those found by Swedish investigators in 2004 and support the notion that exposure to common chemicals may contribute to recent increases in allergic disease in the industrialized world. 27 March 2007. More...
Levels of brominated flame retardants in breast milk are strongly associated with levels of PBDEs in dust in the homes of subjects measured.
Dietary habits, especially consumption of dairy products, were also associated. The results indicate that the indoor environment and diet are both important pathways of exposure. Environmental Science & Technology. 17 January 2007. More...
The risk of adult-onset asthma is more than double for workers employed in offices with plastic wall-lining.
This conclusion emerged from a case-control study in southern Finland examining the work and home environment of 521 asthmatics and 932 controls. The researchers suggest that the association is a result of increased exposure to the phthalate DEHP in work environments that have used materials containing polyvinyl chloride, which can be as much as 40% by weight DEHP. 7 November 2006. More...
The phthalate DEHP increases allergic reaction to a mite allergen in mice at levels within the range deemed safe by current EPA standards.
The dose-response relationship followed an inverted-U pattern, with an intermediate dose causing larger effects than the highest dose use. This is the first report of non-monotonic response for a phthalate. The results implicate DEHP as a possible causal agent in increasing prevalence of allergic reactions in developed countries. 18 October 2006. More...
People living in Texas counties with higher reported air releases of zinc, chromium and copper are more likely to develop lung cancer.
The statistically significant finding emerged from a study examining over 80,000 cases of lung cancer in Texas and EPA air data on industrial pollution. Smoking rates were similar among the counties despite the differences in lung cancer risk. The study suggests that inhalation exposure to these metals plays a role in lung carcinogenesis. Journal of Thoracic Oncology. 16 September 2006. More...
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