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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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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...
In a study of men and women 55 to 67 years old, higher lead levels were associated with poorer performance on tasks used to assess memory deficits.
Although other studies have found associations between lead exposure and cognitive deficits in older adults, this is the first study to link lead exposure with specific measures of memory impairment that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s Disease. 26 June 2009. More...
Developmental exposure to PCBs can permanently damage hearing but co-exposure with methyl mercury reduces the effects.
The mercury doses were selected to achieve a ratio of PCBs to methyl mercury similar to that found in walleye caught by fisherman in Wisconsin, but the doses were higher than those typically encountered by people. 25 June 2009. More...
Air pollution in a remote Arctic community in Norway approaches levels seen in larger European towns due to the springtime use of snowmobiles.
The pollution is 100 times higher during the spring snowmobile season than during the summer when only cars and large coal trucks are used in the remote area. Older snowmobiles with outdated, 2-stroke engines contribute the most to the excessive levels in the spring. 24 June 2009. More...
First time expectant mothers in the US have much lower blood levels of selected persistent organic pollutants than women did before the chemicals' ban and restrictions on use and emissions.
Levels of a PCB indicator fell drastically, from 140 nanograms per gram in women sampled between 1959-1966 to about 8 nanograms per gram in women from the more recent sample. Still, a metabolite of the insectide DDT, which has not been used in the US for 30 odd years, was detected in all of the women's blood. 23 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...
A bacteria-killing chemical widely used in an array of consumer products has made its way down kitchen and bathroom sinks and into dolphins living in US coastal waters.
Researchers report for the first time that a marine mammal--the bottlenose dolphin--is accumulating triclosan from water bodies where treated sewage is released. The study examined animals from rivers, an estuary, a harbor and a lagoon in South Carolina and Florida. 18 June 2009. More...
A detailed analysis of all the available studies comparing work-related, parental pesticide exposure and childhood leukemia finds that the mother’s exposure during pregnancy can double her child’s risk of the disease. The father’s exposure before pregnancy does not.
The study emphasizes the significant contribution of prenatal exposure in developing childhood disease and shows a need for more in-depth studies of the effects of prenatal exposures to environmental factors. 17 June 2009. More...
A new study shows that pesticides, some already banned for decades from the US market, continue to persist in homes.
DDT and chlordane – two pesticides that have been banned for decades – were found in 42 percent and 74 percent of homes respectively. Chlorpyrifos and diazinon, both banned for several years, were detected in 78 percent and 35 percent of homes respectively. 16 June 2009. More...
Researchers have isolated a new estrogen-like compound in soy called glycinol. The authors report that glycinol appears to be as potent as other, similar compounds found in the legume and its many food products, such as tofu and soy milk.
Glycinol is a more effective estrogen mimic than other, more well known isoflavones commonly found in soy foods, including the widely studied isoflavones genistein and daidzein. 15 June 2009. More...
Some horse estrogens used in hormone replacement therapies make their way from people to wastewater and into fish where they may contribute to the feminization of the animals, reports a study from England.
Laboratory tests showed the hormones – one of which was more potent than human varieties – can turn on estrogen hormone systems in fish at very low concentrations. This is the first time scientists report that HRT-related horse estrogens in water coming into and leaving sewage treatment plants are estrogenic in fish. 9 June 2009. More...
Newborn girls exposed prenatally to phthalates scored poorly on a standard behavior test – and very differently from boys. The phthalate metabolites found in the mother's urine were associated with the girls' poor performance on tests of attention and alertness.
This is the first study to link phthalates to neurological development effects in humans. Previous health studies have linked phthalates to altered genital development, obesity, diabetes risk and poor sperm quality. 8 June 2009. More...
Bacteria in sewage can chemically transform estrogenic compounds, converting them to back to their original chemical form as the sewage travels toward treatment plants after the compounds have been excreted by people.
The findings open the door to exploring new ways in which the estrogens that are more resistant to bacterial modification could be changed at the sewage treatment plant to make them easier to remove from the water. 5 June 2009. More...
Nine years after China banned lead in gasoline, lead levels in children's blood is decreasing.
A new study reports that by 2007, boys' blood lead levels had dropped to 79.3 µg/L from 96.4 µg/L in 2004. 4 June 2009. More...
Phthalates used in plastics and beauty products cause the death of cells essential for healthy bones, according to a new study with mice.
The researchers conclude that "chronic exposure to phthalates at low concentrations could probably affect new bone formation and matrix deposition with clinical implications on bone homeostasis and mineral density." 3 June 2009. More...
Traditional and locally harvested foods contribute more persistent, stain-repelling compounds to the native Inuit diet than packaged food that is imported and sold at the local stores, report researchers who analyzed and compared exposures from the two food sources.
The estimated PFC exposure of the Nunavut Inuit studied is similar to levels measured in Canadians and Europeans. Yet, no universal health standards are set for PFC exposure, so the health impacts are unclear. 2 June 2009. More...
Researchers report a shift in the types and amounts of stain repelling chemicals found in harbor seals living near populated regions in the North Sea. Levels of one of the most studied kinds in this family of chemicals showed declines during the study's ten year span.
These findings add to a growing number of studies showing that environmental concentrations of some of the most widely used perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) are declining, possibly because of replacement by less long-lived chemicals. 1 June 2009. More...
A new study adds to the growing literature suggesting that chemical exposure may affect male fertility.
Men exposed to higher levels of contaminants produced by burning a range of substances, including coal, oil, gas and wood had an increased risk of infertility, according to results from a study conducted in China. 29 May 2009. More...
A five-generation rat study provides the clearest evidence to date that exposure to low levels of environmental estrogens can increase the risk of abnormal cell growth in the male breast.
Abnormalities which could have the potential to become cancerous developed in the mammary gland tissue of male rats that were exposed to either the soy-based phytoestrogen genistein or ethinyl estradiol -- an estrogen used in birth control pills. 27 May 2009. More...
New research indicates that smoking during pregnancy can lead to impulsive behavior in children.
Preteenagers whose mothers smoked during pregnancy are more impulsive on a standard behavior test and use different regions of their brain while performing the test when compared to children whose mothers did not smoke. 26 May 2009. More...
Although there is a naturally wide range in the age that healthy girls enter puberty, a new study finds the age may be shifting younger for all of Denmark.
The shift toward a younger age is of concern because it exposes girls to hormones for more of their life and may lead to damaging behavioral changes. 26 May 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...
New animal research suggests that overweight children may be at unique risk for adverse health problems due to exposure to dioxin before they are born.
Overweight mice whose mothers were exposed to dioxin during pregnancy die earlier, tend to have higher blood sugar levels and develop breasts sooner during puberty than those not exposed in the womb. Lean mice under the same circumstances had few of these effects. 21 May 2009. More...
Cigarette smoke can change prebirth development in ways that contribute to cardiovascular disease later in life, according to results of this study using mice.
Smoking exposure altered body weight and cholesterol levels in the offspring. The research is part of a rapidly developing field that examines prenatal environmental exposures which can impact health later in life. 18 May 2009. More...
Researchers report a higher risk of genital anomalies in boys exposed before birth to polybrominated biphenyl flame retardants.
Although no longer used, the effects of exposure to PBBs are of concern due to their similarity to currently used flame retardants, their long half-life and their ability to cross the placenta. The children of mothers who had the highest exposures also had a greater risk for urinary tract or genital problems. 15 May 2009. More...
Exposure to commonly used agricultural pesticides may increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, particularly among people who have certain gene types.
The degenerative nerve disease can develop when dopamine levels in the brain are lower than normal. Without pesticide exposures, susceptible gene variants alone were not sufficient to increase risk. The increased risk to Parkinson's required both susceptible genes and pesticide exposure. 14 May 2009. More...
A new study reveals that by interfering with thyroid hormone, exposure to low levels of bisphenol A (BPA) slows the rate at which tadpoles develop into frogs.
Thyroid signals are necessary both for normal frog metamorphosis and for fetal development in people. In these experiments, exposure to levels similar to those found in human infants prevented key genes from turning on, thus delaying tadpole development. 12 May 2009. More...
A new study finds that exposure to bisphenol A in the womb causes infant male monkeys to behave more like infant females, highlighting a new and potentially important consequence of exposure to low doses of BPA.
The species of monkey used in this study was chosen due to its similarity to humans. People are exposed to BPA–a chemical found in hard plastics–through food, water and some medical instruments. 11 May 2009. More...
Men with high levels of chemicals used as anti-adhesive, stain and water repellents had fewer normal sperms and a tendency for lower sperm concentration.
This study is the first to evaluate the potential impact of exposure to chemicals known as perfluoroalkyl acids, or perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), on male fertility. 7 May 2009. More...
Both long and short summer ice thaws in Arctic waters are associated with higher mercury levels in seals.
As global climate change progresses, and the sea ice melts for longer periods each year, the seals' mercury levels could consistently increase over time. Mercury levels are predicted to increase in fish as coal power plants continue to spew the metal. Mercury is a neurotoxin that has known effects on reproduction, behavior and immune responses. 5 May 2009. More...
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