Environmental Health Perspectives back issues from July 2002:
Determinants of serum polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides measured in women from the Child Health and Development Study cohort, 1963-1967. (Research Articles).
Jul 01, 2002; ... We examined predictors of organochlorine concentrations in serum specimens from women who were pregnant in the 1960s and participated in the Child Health and Development Study in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. That study enrolled pregnant women at the Kaiser-Permanente Medical ...
Serum dioxin concentrations and breast cancer risk in the Seveso Women's Health Study. (Research Articles).
Jul 01, 2002; ... 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD or dioxin), a widespread environmental contaminant, has been shown to disrupt multiple endocrine pathways. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified TCDD as a known human carcinogen, primarily based on occupational studies of ...
Serum dioxin concentrations and endometriosis: a cohort study in Seveso, Italy. (Research Articles).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Dioxin, a ubiquitous contaminant of industrial combustion processes including medical waste incineration, has been implicated in the etiology of endometriosis in animals. We sought to determine whether dioxin exposure is associated with endometriosis in humans. We conducted a ...
Increasing habitat suitability in the United States for the tick that transmits Lyme disease: a remote sensing approach. (Research Articles).
Jul 01, 2002; ... The warnings about the spread of Ixodes scapularis one of the vectors of Lyme disease, into the United States are based on reports about regional distribution and increasing local abundance. In a modeling approach, I used the recorded, current distribution of this tick and remotely sensed ...
Mitogen-activated protein kinase activation by oxidative and bacterial stress in an amphibian cell culture model. (Research Articles).
Jul 01, 2002; ... The decline of many amphibian species could be caused by their susceptibility to environmental pollutants that cause cellular stress and cell death. A variety of intracellular signal transduction pathways are activated by environmental stress factors, which result in cell death ....
Indoor exposure to molds and allergic sensitization. (Research Articles).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Evidence that indoor dampness and mold growth are associated with respiratory health has been accumulating, but few studies have been able to examine health risks in relation to measured levels of indoor mold exposure. In particular, little is known about the contribution of indoor molds ...
Apartment residents' and day care workers' exposures to tetrachloroethylene and deficits in visual contrast sensitivity. (Research Articles).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Tetrachloroethylene (also called perchloroethylene, or perc), a volatile organic compound, has been the predominant solvent used by the dry-cleaning industry for many years. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified perc as a hazardous air pollutant because of its potential ...
Synergism between rhinovirus infection and oxidant pollutant exposure enhances airway epithelial cell cytokine production. (Research Articles).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Of the several factors believed to exacerbate asthmatic symptoms, air pollution and viral infections are considered to be particularly important. Although evidence indicates that each of these respiratory insults individually can increase asthma severity in susceptible individuals, we know ...
The importance of weight-normalized exposure data when issuing fish advisories for protection of public health. (Research Articles).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Public health protection from environmental contaminants requires an understanding of the extent of contamination and of the extent of exposure to the contamination. My argument here is that weight-normalized, species-specific, individual-consumption pattern data are vital for determining ...
Trichloroacetic acid as a biomarker of exposure to disinfection by-products in drinking water: a human exposure trial in Adelaide, Australia. (Research Articles).
Jul 01, 2002; ... We addressed the need for a biomarker of ingestion exposure to drinking water disinfection byproducts by performing a human exposure trial. We evaluated urinary excretion of trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) as an exposure biomarker using 10 volunteers who normally consume their domestic tap ...
Volatile organic compounds as breath biomarkers for active and passive smoking. (Research Articles).
Jul 01, 2002; ... We used real-time breath measurement technology to investigate the suitability of some volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as breath biomarkers for active and passive smoking and to measure actual exposures and resulting breath concentrations for persons exposed to tobacco smoke. Experiments ...
Cadmium and lead in blood in relation to low bone mineral density and tubular proteinuria. (Research Articles).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Long-term exposure to cadmium may cause kidney and bone damage. Urinary cadmium is commonly used as the dose estimate for the body burden of cadmium. However, elevated levels of cadmium in the urine may reflect not only high levels of cadmium dose but also renal dysfunction. In this study ...
Characterization of the dust/smoke aerosol that settled east of the World Trade Center (WTC) in Lower Manhattan after the collapse of the WTC 11 September 2001. (Research Articles).
Jul 01, 2002; ... The explosion and collapse of the World Trade Center (WTC) was a catastrophic event that produced an aerosol plume impacting many workers, residents, and commuters during the first few days after 11 September 2001. Three bulk samples of the total settled dust and smoke were collected at ...
Biologic effects induced in vitro by P[M.sub.10] from three different zones of Mexico City. (Research Articles).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Exposure to urban airborne particles is associated with an increase in morbidity and mortality. There is little experimental evidence of the mechanisms involved and the role of particle composition. We assessed cytotoxicity (crystal violet assay), apoptosis [terminal deoxynucleotidyl ...
Environmental pollutants and disease in American children: estimates of morbidity, mortality, and costs for lead poisoning, asthma, cancer, and developmental disabilities. (Children's Health Articles).
Jul 01, 2002; ... In this study, we aimed to estimate the contribution of environmental pollutants to the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and costs of pediatric disease in American children, We examined four categories of illness: lead poisoning, asthma, cancer, and neurobehavioral disorders. To estimate ...
Family correlations of arsenic methylation patterns in children and parents exposed to high concentrations of arsenic in drinking water. (Children's Health Articles).
Jul 01, 2002; ... We investigated the evidence of a familial contribution to urinary methylation patterns in families ingesting arsenic in drinking water. Arsenic methylation can be assessed by measuring urinary levels of inorganic arsenic (InAs) and its methylated metabolites, monomethylarsonate (MMA), and ...
Cockatiel-induced hypersensitivity pneumonitis. (Grand Rounds in Environmental Medicine).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Diagnosing an environmental or occupationally related pulmonary disorder often involves a process of elimination. Unlike commonly diagnosed conditions in other specialties, a cause-and-effect relationship may be implied, yet other factors such as temporality and biologic plausibility are ...
Mathematical modeling in environmental health. (Perspectives Editorial).
Jul 01, 2002; ... In both recent and forthcoming issues of EHP, an increasing number of papers and news articles feature applications of statistical and mathematical modeling in environmental health. My comments focus on applications of mathematical models, which have become increasingly popular as tools ...
Estrogenicity of styrene oligomers and assessment of estrogen receptor binding assays. (Correspondence).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Polystyrene is frequently used in resins, and the styrene dimers and trimers eluted from polystyrene have been reported to have estrogenic activity (1). We have performed a number of in vitro and in vivo tests [i.e., estrogen receptor (ER) and androgen receptor binding assays, thyroid ...
Estrogenicity of styrene oligomers: response to Ohno et al. (Correspondence).
Jul 01, 2002; ... The main point of the letter by Ohno et al. is that styrene oligomers have no estrogenic activity, that our statement about "some styrene oligomers having binding affinity for hER[alpha]" was inaccurate, and that the MCF-7 cell proliferation assay is useless in detecting estrogenicity. ...
Corrections and clarifications.
Jul 01, 2002 ... In "3-Chloro-4-(dichloromethyl)-5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone (MX) and Mutagenic Activity in Massachusetts Drinking Water" by Wright et al. [Environ Health Perspect 110:157-164 (2002)], there are two errors in "Methods." In lines 12-16 of the second paragraph describing analytical protocol, ...
Up a chemical creek. (Water Pollution).
Jul 01, 2002; ... A federal agency's survey of 95 chemicals in U.S. rivers and streams has unveiled what the survey's leader calls "a real cocktail of various compounds." The chemicals studied included antibiotics, other prescription drugs, pesticides, and household chemicals such as detergents and ...
Big chill in fridge recycling. (Waste Disposal).
Jul 01, 2002; ... A new regulation requiring the recovery of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) from refrigerators has caused the United Kingdom to adopt new control procedures and build new recycling facilities on very short notice. The United Kingdom disposes of about 2.5 ...
Rice code cracked. (The Beat).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Reports of the completion of the genome sequences of one of the world's most important food sources--rice--were published in the 5 April 2002 issue of Science. The two most widely grown varieties were sequenced. A group of U.S. and Chinese scientists, including scholars from the Beijing ...
Canada restricts cars. (The Beat).
Jul 01, 2002; ... In 2002 the Canadian government announced new stricter emissions standards for on-road vehicles targeted at reducing levels of smog-forming pollutants (such as particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and carbon monoxide) and toxic substances (such as benzene and acrolein). Cars and ...
The origin of rain. (The Beat).
Jul 01, 2002; ... A new NASA computer model can trace precipitation back to the place on Earth from which it originally evaporated, possibly helping scientists improve rainfall and drought forecasts. Project leader Mike Bosilovich says the model provides a much clearer picture than ever before of how water ...
If a tree falls in the city. (Urban Issues).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Trees in urban settings have often been thought of as little more than decorative objects ripe for sacrifice in the name of development. But in addition to making city life more pleasant, trees also offer significant health and environmental benefits, trapping and converting air pollutants ...
Save your hide from UV damage. (Radiation).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Despite the increasing number of sunscreen products on store shelves, the incidence of skin cancer continues to climb. The American Cancer Society says the rate of melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer, more than tripled in Caucasians between 1980 and 2002. However, two recent ...
Center for Science in the Public Interest Antibiotic Resistance Project. (Environews Forum).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Sixteen years after discovering penicillin, Alexander Fleming predicted in a 1945 New York Times interview that the misuse of antibiotics could lead to the evolution of drug-resistant bacteria. As early as the late 1940s, when antibiotics were available to the public without prescription, ...
The power to harm. (The Beat).
Jul 01, 2002; ... A report presented in April 2002 by former EPA regulatory affairs director Eric Schaeffer implicates air pollution produced by coal-burning power plants in an estimated 5,900 deaths, 14,000 cases of acute bronchitis, and 140,000 asthma attacks yearly. Schaeffer resigned his post in March ...
Zero-sulfur future. (The Beat).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Penn State University researchers have developed a new fuel desulfurization process that uses lower temperatures than current methods and does not require reactive gases. The process yields the ultraclean, zero-sulfur compounds needed for fuel cells as well as fuels that will meet the new ...
A financial plan for the environment. (The Beat).
Jul 01, 2002; ... The European Environmental Bureau (EEB), a federation of 133 environmental organizations, has launched a campaign for environmental fiscal reform consisting of environmental taxation reform, the removal of subsidies that negatively affect the environment, and the development of fiscal ...
Decoding the cryptic origins of colon cancer. (NIEHS News).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Cancers of the colon (large intestine) will be diagnosed in more than 130,000 Americans this year, and an estimated 58,000 deaths are expected. Colon cancers are the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancers and rank second among cancer deaths in the United States. The scientific models used ...
Antibiotic resistance in livestock: more at stake than steak. (Focus).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Imagine, for a moment, this scenario: you, like millions of other people around the world, are lying in a hospital bed suffering from a bacterial infection. Your doctors have told you that your disease, which once would have been easily treated, no longer responds to available drugs. In ...
Compensating for Cold War cancers. (Spheres of Influence).
Jul 01, 2002; ... When the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) became law on 30 October 2000, it was widely regarded as a landmark piece of legislation. After years of fighting workers' claims of occupational illness in court, the government had decided to acknowledge ...
A BETR way to track toxic pollutants. (Innovations).
Jul 01, 2002; ... The continuing existence in recent years of significant toxaphene levels in the Great Lakes has been somewhat of a mystery, especially since the chemical had never been used very much in that watershed. First introduced in the 1940s, toxaphene was used primarily in Southeast cotton fields ...
Adding insult to infection: pollution exacerbates the common cold. (Science Selections).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Coming down with a cold caused by one of the many types of rhinoviruses is bad enough, but new research indicates that common pollutants can interact with respiratory cells to make the cold even worse than normal [EHP 110:665-670]. E. William Spannhake, professor and associate chairman of ...
Processing arsenic: genes have a say in how it's metabolized. (Science Selections).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Arsenic has become notorious as a contaminant in drinking water worldwide because long-term ingestion of its inorganic form causes cancer and skin lesions. Studies are showing that some people are more affected by arsenic than others, probably due to genetic differences in how their bodies ...
A causal connection: cadmium damages kidneys and bones. (Science Selections).
Jul 01, 2002; ... Long-term exposure to cadmium has long been suspected of causing kidney and bone damage in humans. Until now, the most common method of assessing the body burden of cadmium has been to measure the presence of cadmium in urine. However, elevated concentrations of cadmium in urine can also ...
New directions in environmentally related cardiovascular disease. (Extramurally Speaking ...).
Jul 01, 2002 ... Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary cause of death in the industrialized world. CVD can be caused by many factors, including diet, genetics, and lifestyle. In addition, research over the last several years has made it clear that environmental factors are also associated with CVD. ...
Fellowships, grants, & awards.
Jul 01, 2002 ... Environmentally Induced Cardiovascular Malformations The NIEHS invites applications to study environmental agents that cause cardiovascular malformations (CVMs). The purposes of this PA are to stimulate research to characterize environmental agents that cause alterations in the ...
Calendar.
Jul 01, 2002 ... 2002 August 4-9 August, Sun-Fri. Macromolecular Organization & Cell Function. Oxford, United Kingdom. Information: Gordon Research Conferences, PO Box 984, West Kingston, RI 02892-0984 USA, 401-783-4011, fax: 401-783-7644, e-mail: grc@grc.org, Internet: ...
New books.
Jul 01, 2002 ... <Pre> African Environment Outlook--Integrated Environmental Assessment Reporting: An Update United Nations Environment Programme London, United Kingdom: Earthscan Publications, 2002, 400 pp. ISBN: 1-85383-845-4, $30 Air Pollution Control Equipment Selection Guide Kenneth Schiffter ...