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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.
For links no longer working, you may be able to gain paid access to text via the publisher's site.
Chemical byproducts produced by a fungus effectively killed almost three-quarters of adult mosquitoes tested from three disease-carrying species, showing there are viable alternatives to conventional insecticides.
Mosquito control is a vital public health tool, especially in tropical regions where malaria is endemic. This particular fungus' metabolite could be a promising alternative to some of the synthetic pesticides used to control mosquito populations. 29 June 2010. More...
People who eat meat and poultry have significantly higher levels of common flame retardants compared to vegetarians.
The findings indicate that food may be a more important source of the contaminants, known as PBDEs, than previously thought. 22 July 2009. More...
Scientists identify changes in brain chemistry caused by perfluorinated chemicals that may be the cause of 'deranged spontaneous behavior' observed when young mice are exposed to PFCs.
The chemicals are used in clothing, carpeting, upholstery, floor and car waxes, firefighting foams, and even in the lining of food containers, including pizza boxes and microwave popcorn bags. 3 April 2009. More...
Researchers report that very minute quantities of the hormone found in the birth control pill alter sperm development in rainbow trout by changing the number of chromosomes, which can lead to lower survival and long-term health problems in the offspring.
This error is called aneuploidy. For people, aneuploidy is the biggest known cause of spontaneous miscarriage and the number one cause of congenital birth defects. 17 February 2009. More...
Thirty-six scientists conclude in a peer-reviewed commentary that the FDA's draft decision on bisphenol A uses unacceptable criteria for selecting data and depends heavily upon a key paper that is fatally flawed.
The NIH-funded research rejected by the FDA is likely to produce reliable and valid scientific data than the studies used by the agency in its draft. 30 October 2008. More...
Pregnant women exposed to household pesticides may increase the risk of their children developing leukemia, according to a recent study conducted in France.
In the study, parents of leukemia patients were more likely to have used pesticides and insecticides either at home or at work. Exposure to these chemicals is a risk factor for blood cancers, particularly if children are exposed in the womb, the authors' conclude. 5 February 2008. More...
Minute quantities of a bacterial protein inserted in corn provoke immune reactions in mice.
The protein is added to increase the effectiveness of plant-based transgenic vaccines. The results indicate that special care will be needed with transgenic corn to reduce exposure to workers and the public if this protein is used commercially in corn or other food crops, to avoid unwanted immune responses in people and decreased effectiveness of oral vaccines that use the protein. 8 November 2007. More...
New research confirms that estrogenic contaminants can seep into sediment after being carried by sewage into rivers.
Standard water treatment doesn't remove them from waste water effluent, so they pass from treatment plants into rivers. Once in river waters, they move into river sediments and thus potentially reach groundwater, contaminating sources of drinking water. 8 October 2007. More...
The widely-used synthetic insecticide permethrin dramatically reduces testosterone levels and sperm counts in adult male mice exposed for six weeks.
Permethrin causes reproductive damage by altering the beginning steps of testosterone synthesis in the testes, lowering testosterone production. Permethrin is used in homes and agriculture and it can be found in dust and food. Doses used in the experiment were higher than those people would encounter regularly, but effects were seen at both doses tested. 3 July 2007. More...
Could lead poisoning contribute to asthma and other allergic diseases?
Experiments with cells in the immune system of mice--which are hypersensitized by lead-- provide support for this hypothesis. 25 June 2007. More...
Concentrations of arsenic considered safe in public drinking water impair the ability of zebrafish to fight off bacterial and viral infections when the exposure takes place during early development.
One day after being experimentally infected, embryos exposed to 2 parts per billion of arsenic had viral levels 57 times greater than controls and bacterial levels 20 times greater. The results raise questions about the adequacy of current public health standards for arsenic. 23 May 2007. More...
Traditional covert influence of industry on occupational and environmental health policies has turned brazenly overt in the last several years.
More than ever before the OEH community is witnessing the perverse influence and increasing control by industry interests. Government has failed to support independent, public health-oriented practitioners and their organizations, instead joining many corporate endeavors to discourage efforts to protect the health of workers and the community. International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health [PDF]. 2 March 2007. More...
Experiments with mice show that exposure during pregnancy to very low doses of bisphenol A scrambles the chromosomes of their daughters' fertilized embryos, ie., the pregnant female's grandchildren.
This 3rd-generation effect is possible because the eggs of a female mammal, including human, are formed while the female is still in the womb. Exposure to BPA at comparable levels appears widespread among people in the United States, because of its use in common consumer products, including polycarbonate plastic and food cans. 12 January 2007. More...
Men with higher levels of certain persistant organic pollutants are at greater risk to prostate cancer.
Men with cancer and PSA levels above the median were more likely to have elevated concentrations of PCB 153, HCB, p,p’-DDE, transchlordane, MD6, trans-nonachlordane, and sum of chlordanes (statistically significant, p<0.05). In this subgroup the odds ratios were 30.3 for PCB 153, 9.84 for hexachlorobenzene, 11 for trans-chlordane and 7.58 for chlordane type MC6 were also significantly higher. Confidence limits were very wide because of the small sample size. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 16 July 2006. More...
Science Byte: Experiments with rats reveals that the widely used artificial sweetener aspartame causes a wide array of cancers, even at doses much less than the current acceptable daily intake.
Cancers found included lymphomas, leukemias, and transitional cell carcinomas of the renal pelvis and ureter. The experiments were longterm, over the life of the animals, and with large sample sizes. Based on their findings, the researchers call for "an urgent re-examination" of present guidelines for aspartame. EHP. 21 November 2005. More...
A new assessment concludes that a larger portion of human infertility may be caused by environmental exposures than thought possible even a decade ago.
Laboratory data demonstrate conclusively that some contaminants can impair fertility in animals at levels to which people are commonly exposed. While it is well established that high levels of some contaminants can cause infertility, very few human data are available on the impacts of contaminants known to cause impacts at low-levels in animals. 31 October 2005. More...
Science Byte: Environmental chemicals can interfere with brain development during critical periods, thereby impacting sensory, motor, and cognitive function.
But establishing cause and effect in people is a research nightmare. Regulation in the US essentially requires proof of harm rather than proof of safety. Interdisciplinary scientific exploration is essential to address this significant public and mental health threat. American Psychologist. 5 May 2005. More...
Industry responses to new science and policy initiatives on bisphenol A, an endocrine-disrupting molecule that leaches from polycarbonate plastic, are based on highly flawed misrepresentations of current scientific knowledge.
The compound is now linked by animal experiments to a wide array of health effects following exposure to extremely low doses. Public comments from the American Council on Science and Health and junkscience.com contain blatant errors that reveal a lack of scientific understanding. 30 April 2005. More...
Science Byte: A review of confidential documents reveals that the tobacco industry schemed to undermine scientific conclusions about links between second-hand smoke and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Philip Morris executives commissioned consultants to write review articles for publication in the medical literature, and successfully encouraged one author to change his original conclusion that second-hand smoke is an independent risk factor for SIDS to state that the role of SHS is "less well established." Based on this recent action, it appears that the tobacco industry is continuing a disinformation campaign, contrary to recent claims of good corporate citizenship. Pediatrics. 7 March 2005. More...
A review of industry-funded studies used to challenge findings that atrazine at extremely low levels causes hermaphroditism in frogs reveals flawed experiments and misleading representation of the results.
Controls in experiments were contaminated. Positive results were summarized as negative. Poor animal husbandry caused high mortality rates. A statistical analysis of relevant studies finds that industry funding and specific labs are strongly associated with reporting negative results. 20 December 2004. More...
Discovered to be a synthetic estrogen in the 1930's, bisphenol A is now used widely in consumer products.
Experiments with animals and cells now link it to a wide array of human health conditions. Epidemiological studies with people have barely begun, although exposure is virtually ubiquitous. 11 April 2003. More...
Wetherill et al. demonstrate that bisphenol A, the basic building block of polycarbonate plastic, inititiates proliferation of androgen-independent prostate cancer cells.
This finding suggest that BPA may undermine one of the main weapons against prostate cancer, hormone therapy that forces androgen-dependent cancer cells into remission. 1 May 2002. More...
Analysis of internal documents from the tobacco and chemical industries reveals a sophisticated PR strategy to manipulate scientific standards.
The effort involved collaboration between the Chemical Manufacturers Association (now the American Chemistry Council) and Philip Morris Co. 7 November 2001. More...
Study reviews the toxicity of a potent male reproductive toxin, the pesticide DBCP, and warns of simliar effects from other unidentified agents.
DBCP was associated with a number of male reproductive abnormalities, including reduced sperm counts, infertility, hormonal changes, and changes in sex ratios. The lessons learned from DBCP include a) parental exposures to reproductive toxins can lead to a number of adverse effects including infertility and shifts in sex ratios. Annals of the New York Academy of Science 1 December 2000. More...
PCBs lower resistance to childhood diseases.
A long-term study of children in the Netherlands finds that background levels of PCB exposure experienced in the womb leads to higher risk for childhood diseases. Incidence of ear infections and chicken pox are both elevated in children that experienced relatively higher fetal exposure than those experiencing lower exposures. 29 November 2000. More...
Study links organochlorines and cryptorchidism.
Hosie et al. find a strong statistical association between undescended testes in young boys and levels of two organochlorine contaminants in their fat tissue, HCE and HCB. The results are consistent with emerging molecular data on causes of cryptorchidism. Estrogenic substances interfere with expression of genes crucial to normal testicular descent. 1 June 2000. More...
Independent research confirms the validity of low dose impacts of bisphenol A.
Industry spokespeople had mounted an aggressive campaign to paint research by Dr. Fred vom Saal (Univ. Missouri, Columbia) as impossible to replicate and therefore invalid. A new publication by Dr. Chhanda Gupta (School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh), refutes that claim. 1 May 2000. More...
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