Environmental Health Perspectives back issues from August 2005:
Phthalate exposure during pregnancy and lower anogenital index in boys: wider implications for the general population?(Guest Editorial)
Aug 01, 2005; ... The article by Swan et al. (2005) in this issue of Environmental Health Perspectives reignites the issue of the role that phthalate exposure during pregnancy may play in the etiology of reproductive disorders in human males. It does so by providing the first evidence of an association ...
Strategic planning: establishing need and clarifying motivation.(NIEHS DIRECTOR'S PERSPECTIVE)
Aug 01, 2005; ... The overall goal of the strategic planning process at the NIEHS is to establish research priorities and develop a plan to support the very best science that will have the greatest impact on human health. To accomplish this, we will focus our initial efforts in four broad areas of ...
Arsenic on children's hands after playing in playgrounds.(Perspectives: Correspondence)
Aug 01, 2005; ... We commend Kwon et al. (2004) for their very interesting study of arsenic on the hands of children in contact with chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated wood structures and soil after playing in playgrounds. We would like to comment on some of their cited references and discuss the ...
Arsenic on children's hands: le et al. respond.(Perspectives: Correspondence)
Aug 01, 2005; ... We appreciate the comments of Zagury and Pouschat and their support of our overall conclusions presented in our article (Kwon et al. 2004). In response to their thoughtful comments, we would like to offer the following clarifications. In the introduction of our article (Kwon et ...
Invoking the precautionary principle.(Perspectives: Correspondence)
Aug 01, 2005; ... The article on the precautionary principle, risk perception, and assessment by Wiedemann and Schutz (2005) deserves praise and careful consideration because of the growing awareness that certain human activities could potentially seriously harm human and environmental health. ...
The precautionary principle: Schutz and Wiedemann respond.(Perspectives: Correspondence)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Salmony rightfully points to various examples for potentially harmful effects of human activities that call for strategies to cope with ambiguous risks. The precautionary principle is seen by many as the answer to this problem. We agree that the precautionary principle formulates a ...
Peripheral arterial disease and metals in urine and blood.(Perspectives: Correspondence)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Navas-Acien et al. (2005) recently analyzed the data from the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). They suggested that blood lead and blood and urinary cadmium, at levels well below safety standards, were associated with an increased prevalence of peripheral ...
Peripheral arterial disease and metals: Navas-Acien et al. respond.(Perspectives: Correspondence)
Aug 01, 2005; ... We thank Plusquin et al. for their interest in our analysis of the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data on the association of lead, cadmium, and other metals with the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) (Navas-Acien et al. 2004; Navas-Acien ...
Erratum.(Perspectives: Correspondence)(Correction Notice)
Aug 01, 2005 ... The publication date for an article cited by Do et al. [Chlorination Disinfection By-products and Pancreatic Cancer Risk. Environ Health Perspect 113:418-424 (2005)] was incorrectly given as 2004. The ...
Sweet deal for cocoa production?(Innovative Technologies)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Africa may be on the verge of becoming a continent of hope, and that would be a wonderful thing not just for Africa and Africans but for the whole world, because the world can't afford to have 600 million people left behind as the rest of the world moves forward. It's not only morally ...
Genetics at the community level.(Meeting Report)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Francis Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), picked up a guitar and sang to close out the Seattle community genetics forum. To the tune of the 1961 rock-and-roll song "Runaway" and enthusiastic audience response, he imagined the thoughts of a person in ...
Brazilian biodiesel blasts off.(The Beat)
Aug 01, 2005; ... With its immense agricultural sector, Brazil has the raw materials to become a leader in biodiesel production. Now it's building the capacity to turn these resources into fuel. This spring the country saw the opening of its first two biodiesel production plants. Brazilian president Luiz ...
More muscle needed for built environment research.(The Beat)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Over half the U.S. population fails to meet the Surgeon General's recommendations for physical activity. How much are the surroundings we build for ourselves to blame? And of the myriad ways available to alter the built environment, which would have the greatest impact on physical activity ...
Fewer foodborne illnesses.(The Beat)
Aug 01, 2005; ... A concerted federal effort appears to be paying off in fewer cases of some foodborne illnesses, according to the 15 April 2005 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. From 1996 to 2004, the incidence of E. coli 0157 poisoning decreased 42%, Campylobacter infections decreased 31%, ...
A tea-time mystery.(Food Safety)
Aug 01, 2005; ... When a 52-year-old Missouri woman approached physicians in 1998 complaining of stiffness and pain in her spine, the symptoms were at first attributed to "disc disease." But a series of laboratory tests showed that the woman had abnormally thick, dense bones and strikingly high levels of ...
Olestra's second wind.(Diet and Nutrition)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Olestra, the nonabsorbable fat substitute, has had a rocky past. Originally explored as a cholesterol-lowering drug, olestra was approved in 1996 for use in fat-flee snack foods with the proviso that these snacks carry a warning about possible cramping and loose stools. The Food and Drug ...
WHO/AFRO Division of Healthy Environments and Sustainable Development.(ehpnet)
Aug 01, 2005; ... The people of Africa are besieged by a wide range of diseases that are hard to eradicate because of widespread lack of sanitation and medical facilities. A number of factors--including poverty, lack of technology, undeveloped infrastructure, and political conflict--mean that the vast ...
Animals and airspace.(The Beat)
Aug 01, 2005 ... Animal feeding operations (AFOs) are generating concerns over the possible health impacts of their emissions. In January 2005 the U.S. EPA announced a new public-private agreement to help characterize the air pollution created by the nation's approximately 450,000 AFOs. This ...
Goldman Environmental Prize 2005.(The Beat)
Aug 01, 2005 ... Each year the Goldman Environmental Prize is awarded to activists from six geographic regions who often face life-threatening situations while encouraging their peers, governments, and international organizations to work toward preserving the environment. The winners for 2005 are: ...
Sharing solutions for childhood obesity.(Environews: NIEHS News)
Aug 01, 2005; ... According to a 2004 report by the Institute of Medicine Committee on Prevention of Obesity in Children and Youth, approximately 9 million American children over 6 years of age are considered obese--that is, they have a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than the 95th percentile as ...
Growth spurt for EDC recognition.(Environews: NIEHS News)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Once in a great while, a scientific conference takes place that later proves to have been a turning point in a particular field--a seminal event remembered long after the name tags have been discarded and the posters recycled. Although it's too soon to be certain, participants say the ...
Discovery of Gene Responsible for Cadmium Transport in Mice.(Headliners: Cadmium-Induced Disease)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Dalton TP, He L, Wang B, Miller ML, Jin L, Stringer KF, Chang X, Baxter CS, Nebert DW. 2005. Identification of mouse SLC39A8 as the transporter responsible for cadmium-induced toxicity in the testis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 102:3401-3406. Cadmium is a toxic and carcinogenic ...
Teaching teens by setting the scene.(Beyond the Bench)
Aug 01, 2005; ... For many teenagers, summer is a time for blockbuster movies, often featuring catastrophic natural--or alien-caused--disasters. For the last four years the Boston University Superfund Basic Research Program (BU SBRP) Outreach Core and the Boston Area Health Education Center (BAHEC; a ...
Genetically modified foods: breeding uncertainty.(Environews: Focus)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Genetically modified (GM) crops first appeared commercially in the mid-1990s to what seemed a bright and promising future. Resistant to pests and the herbicides used to control weeds, these new crops were so popular with farmers that millions of acres were planted with them by the turn of ...
Continental divide: why Africa's are change burden is greater.(Environews: Spheres of Influence)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Africa can easily be said to contribute the least of any continent to global warming. Each year Africa produces an average of just over 1 metric ton of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide per person, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's International Energy Annual 2002. The most ...
Better bonding with beans.(Environews: Innovations)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Formaldehyde is an extremely useful industrial chemical but also one that has long been known to cause environmental health problems in some circumstances. A major route for human exposure is inhalation of formaldehyde gas emitted from urea- and phenol-formaldehyde resins used as adhesives ...
Phthalates and baby boys: potential disruption of human genital development.(Environews: Science Selections)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Epidemiologic research has revealed widespread human exposure to phthalates, a class of chemicals that appear in products as diverse as flexible plastics, industrial solvents, and personal care products. Rodent studies indicate that prenatal exposure to some phthalates can disrupt normal ...
The ups and downs of thyroid hormone: PCBs may reduce levels in pregnancy.(Environews: Science Selections)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Maintaining adequate levels of thyroid hormone (TH) during pregnancy is critical for proper placental and fetal development. Environmental contaminants including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorinated pesticides, and mercury have been shown to disrupt the endocrine system in both ...
Thimerosal and animal brains: new data for assessing human ethylmercury risk.(Environews: Science Selections)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Since the 1950s, vaccines have contained thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative that breaks down to ethylmercury and thio-salicylate in the body. By some calculations, children given the usual schedule of vaccines containing thimerosal receive ethylmercury in doses exceeding the U.S ....
Pancreatic effects of EDCs: low doses can impair glucagon secretion.(Environews: Science Selections)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) mimic naturally occurring hormones such as estrogen by occupying hormone receptors and triggering a reaction in the body. Interactions of EDCs with the classical (nuclear) estrogen receptors ER-[alpha] and ER-[beta] have been well characterized, and ...
Is the global rise of asthma an early impact of anthropogenic climate change?(Commentary)
Aug 01, 2005; ... The increase in asthma incidence, prevalence, and morbidity over recent decades presents a significant challenge to public health. Pollen is an important trigger of some types of asthma, and both pollen quantity and season depend on climatic and meteorologic variables. Over the same period ...
Community-initiated breast cancer and environment studies and the precautionary principle.(Commentary)
Aug 01, 2005; ... The precautionary principle implies the need for research paradigms that contribute to "strength of the evidence" assessments of the plausibility of health effects when scientific uncertainty is likely to persist and prevention is the underlying goal. Previous discussions of science that ...
An extensive new literature concerning low-dose effects of bisphenol A shows the need for a new risk assessment.(Commentary)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Bisphenol A (BPA) is the monomer used to manufacture polycarbonate plastic, the resin lining of cans, and other products, with global capacity in excess of 6.4 billion lb/year. Because the ester bonds in these BPA-based polymers are subject to hydrolysis, leaching of BPA has led to ...
Potential role of ultrafine particles in associations between airborne particle mass and cardiovascular health.
Aug 01, 2005; ... Numerous epidemiologic time-series studies have shown generally consistent associations of cardiovascular hospital admissions and mortality with outdoor air pollution, particularly mass concentrations of particulate matter (PM) [less than or equal to] 2.5 or [less than or equal to] 10 ...
Exposure assessment for atmospheric ultrafine particles (UFPs) and implications in epidemiologic research.
Aug 01, 2005; ... Epidemiologic research has shown increases in adverse cardiovascular and respiratory outcomes in relation to mass concentrations of particulate matter (PM) [less than or equal to] 2.5 or [less than or equal to] 10 [micro]m in diameter (P[M.sub.2.5], P[M.sub.10], respectively). In a ...
Combustion-derived ultrafine particles transport organic toxicants to target respiratory cells.(Research)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Epidemiologic evidence supports associations between inhalation of fine and ultrafine ambient particulate matter [aerodynamic diameter [less than or equal to]2.5 [micro]m (P[M.sub.2.5])] and increases in cardiovascular/respiratory morbidity and mortality. Less attention has been paid to ...
Mapping and prediction of coal workers' pneumoconiosis with bioavailable iron content in the bituminous coals.
Aug 01, 2005; ... Based on the first National Study of Coal Workers' Pneumoconiosis (CWP) and the U.S. Geological Survey database of coal quality, we show that the prevalence of CWP in seven coal mine regions correlates with levels of bioavailable iron (BAI) in the coals from that particular region ...
Low doses of bisphenol A and diethylstilbestrol impair [Ca.sup.2+] signals in pancreatic [alpha]-cells through a nonclassical membrane estrogen receptor within intact islets of Langerhans.(Research)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Glucagon, secreted from pancreatic [alpha]-cells integrated within the islets of Langerhans, is involved in the regulation of glucose metabolism by enhancing the synthesis and mobilization of glucose in the liver. In addition, it has other extrahepatic effects ranging from lipolysis in ...
The effect of particulate air pollution on emergency admissions for myocardial infarction: a multicity case-crossover analysis.(Research)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Recently, attention has focused on whether particulate air pollution is a specific trigger of myocardial infarction (MI). The results of several studies of single locations assessing the effects of ambient particular matter on the risk of MI have been disparate. We used a multicity ...
Arsenite-induced alterations of DNA photodamage repair and apoptosis after solar-simulation UVR in mouse keratinocytes in vitro.(Research)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Our laboratory has shown that arsenite markedly increased the cancer rate caused by solar-simulation ultraviolet radiation (UVR) in the hairless mouse skin model. In the present study, we investigated how arsenite affected DNA photodamage repair and apoptosis after solar-simulation UVR in ...
GIS-based estimation of exposure to particulate matter and N[O.sub.2] in an urban area: stochastic versus dispersion modeling.(Research)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Stochastic modeling was used to predict nitrogen dioxide and fine particles [particles collected with an upper 50% cut point of 2.5 [micro]m aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5)] levels at 1,669 addresses of the participants of two ongoing birth cohort studies conducted in Munich, Germany ....
Residential proximity to agricultural pesticide use and incidence of breast cancer in California, 1988-1997.(Research)
Aug 01, 2005; ... California is the largest agricultural state in the United States and home to some of the world's highest breast cancer rates. The objective of our study was to evaluate whether California breast cancer rates were elevated in areas with recent high agricultural pesticide use. We identified ...
Benchmark calculations for perchlorate from three human cohorts.(Research)
Aug 01, 2005; ... The presence of low concentrations of perchlorate in some drinking water sources has led to concern regarding potential effects on the thyroid. In a recently published report, the National Academy of Sciences indicated that the perchlorate dose required to cause hypothyroidism in adults ...
Pollutant particles produce vasoconstriction and enhance MAPK signaling via angiotensin type 1 receptor.
Aug 01, 2005; ... Exposure to particulate matter (PM) is associated with acute cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, but the mechanisms are not entirely clear. In this study, we hypothesized that PM may activate the angiotensin type 1 receptor (A[T.sub.1]R), a G protein-coupled receptor that regulates ...
Comparison of blood and brain mercury levels in infant monkeys exposed to methylmercury or vaccines containing thimerosal.(Research)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Thimerosal is a preservative that has been used in manufacturing vaccines since the 1930s. Reports have indicated that infants can receive ethylmercury (in the form of thimerosal) at or above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for methylmercury exposure, depending on the ...
Long-term effects of neonatal exposure to hydroxylated polychlorinated biphenyls in the BALB/cCrgl mouse.(Research)
Aug 01, 2005; ... The neonatal mouse model has been a valuable tool in determining the long-term effects of early exposure to estrogenic agents in mammals. Using this model, we compared the effects of 2',4',6'-trichloro-4-biphenylol (OH-PCB-30) and 2',3',4',5'-tetrachloro-4-biphenylol (OH-PCB-61) as ...
Alterations in central nervous system serotonergic and dopaminergic synaptic activity in adulthood after prenatal or neonatal chlorpyrifos exposure.
Aug 01, 2005; ... Exposure to chlorpyrifos (CPF) alters neuronal development of serotonin (5HT) and dopamine systems, and we recently found long-term alterations in behaviors related to 5HT function. To characterize the synaptic mechanisms underlying these effects, we exposed developing rats to CPF regimens ...
Seasonal variations in air pollution particle-induced inflammatory mediator release and oxidative stress.(Research)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Health effects associated with particulate matter (PM) show seasonal variations. We hypothesized that these heterogeneous effects may be attributed partly to the differences in the elemental composition of PM. Normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells and alveolar macrophages (AMs) ...
Thyroid hormones in pregnancy in relation to environmental exposure to organochlorine compounds and mercury.(Research)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), chlorinated pesticides, and mercury are global environmental contaminants that can disrupt the endocrine system in animals and humans. However, there is little evidence that they can interfere with endocrine status in pregnant women and neonates at low ...
Differential gene expression in normal human mammary epithelial cells treated with malathion monitored by DNA microarrays.(Research)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Organophosphate pesticides are a major source of occupational exposure in the United States. Moreover, malathion has been sprayed over major urban populations in an effort to control mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus. Previous research, reviewed by the U.S. Environmental Protection ...
Acute blood pressure responses in healthy adults during controlled air pollution exposures.(Research: Environmental Medicine)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Exposure to air pollution has been shown to cause arterial vasoconstriction and alter autonomic balance. Because these biologic responses may influence systemic hemodynamics, we investigated the effect of air pollution on blood pressure (BP). Responses during 2-hr exposures to concentrated ...
Decrease in anogenital distance among male infants with prenatal phthalate exposure.(Research: Children's Health)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Prenatal phthalate exposure impairs testicular function and shortens anogenital distance (AGD) in male rodents. We present data from the first study to examine AGD and other genital measurements in relation to prenatal phthalate exposure in humans. A standardized measure of AGD was ...
Relationships among polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-DNA adducts, proximity to the World Trade Center, and effects on fetal growth.(Research: Children's Health)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are toxic pollutants released by the World Trade Center (WTC) fires and various urban combustion sources. Benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is a representative member of the class of PAHs. PAH-DNA adducts, or BaP-DNA adducts as their proxy, provide a measure of ...
Air pollution--associated changes in lung function among asthmatic children in Detroit.(Research: Children's Health)
Aug 01, 2005; ... In a longitudinal cohort study of primary-school-age children with asthma in Detroit, Michigan, we examined relationships between lung function and ambient levels of particulate matter [less than or equal to] 10 [micro]m and [less than or equal to] 2.5 [micro]m in diameter (P[M.sub.10] and ...
Correction.(Research: Children's Health)(Correction Notice)
Aug 01, 2005 ... The "Demographic and Asthma Characteristics of Cohort" section of "Results" in the manuscript originally published online was ...
Exposure assessment in the National Children's Study: introduction.(Research: Mini-Monograph)
Aug 01, 2005; ... The science of exposure assessment is relatively new and evolving rapidly with the advancement of sophisticated methods for specific measurements at the picogram per gram level or lower in a variety of environmental and biologic matrices. Without this measurement capability, environmental ...
Biologic monitoring of exposure to environmental chemicals throughout the life stages: requirements and issues for consideration for the National Children's Study.(Research: Mini-Monograph)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Biomonitoring of exposure is a useful tool for assessing environmental exposures. The matrices available for analyses include blood, urine, breast milk, adipose tissue, and saliva, among others. The sampling can be staged to represent the particular time period of concern: ...
Characterizing exposures to nonpersistent pesticides during pregnancy and early childhood in the national children's study: a review of monitoring and measurement methodologies.(Research: Mini-Monograph)
Aug 01, 2005; ... The National Children's Study is a proposed longitudinal cohort study to evaluate the relationships between children's health and the environment. Enrollment is estimated to begin in September 2005, and 100,000 children will be followed from preconception or early pregnancy until ...
Effects of environmental agents on the attainment of puberty: considerations when assessing exposure to environmental chemicals in the National Children's Study.(Research: Mini-Monograph)
Aug 01, 2005; ... The apparent decline in the age at puberty in the United States raises a general level of concern because of the potential clinical and social consequences of such an event. Nutritional status, genetic predisposition (race/ethnicity), and environmental chemicals are associated with altered ...
Exposure assessment implications for the design and implementation of the National Children's Study.(Research: Mini-Monograph)
Aug 01, 2005; ... Examining the influence of environmental exposures on various health indices is a critical component of the planned National Children's Study (NCS). An ideal strategy for the exposure monitoring component of the NCS is to measure indoor and outdoor concentrations and personal exposures of ...
Comparative Mouse Genomics Centers Consortium (CMGCC): mouse models to improve understanding of the biological significance of human polymorphisms.(Announcements: NIEHS Extramural Update)
Aug 01, 2005 ... The CMGCC is a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional component of the Environmental Genome Project (EGP). This program commenced in 2001 to develop resources in transgenic and knockout mouse models based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in human environmentally responsive genes ....
Inhalant abuse: supporting broad-based research approaches.(Announcements: Fellowships, Grants, & Awards)
Aug 01, 2005 ... The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) seeks to broaden the understanding of all aspects of inhalant abuse (i.e., from epidemiology, to treatment, to the underlying neurobiological mechanisms). Prevalence data from both the National Household Survey (NHS) and Monitoring the Future ...
Calendar.(Announcements)(Calendar)
Aug 01, 2005 ... 2005 August 1-3 August, Mon-Wed. West Virginia University Research Corporation's Systems Biology Initiative and CIIT Centers for Health Research 2005 Conference on the Application of Systems Biology Methodologies to Environmental Research. Morgantown, West Virginia. ...
Street Science: Community Knowledge and Environmental Health Justice.
Aug 01, 2005; ... Street Science: Community Knowledge and Environmental Health Justice By Jason Corburn Cambridge, MA:MIT Press, 2005. 256 pp. ISBN: 0-262-53272-7, $24 cloth Jason Corburn's Street Science: Community Knowledge and Environmental Health Justice is an important addition ...
New books.(Announcements)
Aug 01, 2005 ... Are Chemical Journals Too Expensive and Inaccessible?: A Workshop Summary to the Chemical Sciences Roundtable Ned D. Heindel, Tina M. Masciangioli, Eva yon Schaper, eds. Washington, DC:National Academies Press, 2005. 50 pp. ISBN: 0-309-09590-5, $18 Data Analysis and ...