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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.
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...
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...
Men -- but not women -- exposed to low levels of cadmium have an increased risk of death from cancer and heart disease.
To date, excess deaths due to cancer -- lung, prostrate and renal -- and cardiovascular disease have been found in people with high and occupational exposures to cadmium. Based on data from the CDC, this is the first study to show similar results in the general population. 3 April 2009. More...
Researchers find for the first time that mice exposed to dioxin during development or while nursing have a diminished capacity to fight a flu infection later in life.
Mouse pups born to pregnant mice that were exposed to a small amount of the ubiquitous and persistent pollutants had fewer white blood cells that normally kill the flu virus and more of a different kind that increases lung inflammation. The increased inflammation can make the disease more severe and recovery more difficult. 18 March 2009. More...
Pregnant women exposed to phthalates through hairspray and other sources at work have a greatly increased risk of delivering a son with a common reproductive birth defect known as hypospadias. Taking folate supplements might reduce this risk.
The findings from this British study of almost 1,000 infant boys highlights a new and compelling consequence of phthalate exposure and warrants increased caution in the workplace for pregnant women exposed to these chemicals. Phthalates are chemicals used in a wide variety of products including plastics, detergents and personal care products. 19 January 2009. More...
Women with potential exposure to pesticides at work or at home took longer to get pregnant than women without pesticide connections.
The findings agree with past studies and add more evidence to this sometimes confusing mix of research outcomes. 15 January 2009. More...
New research from China indicates that a part of the brain that controls short-term memory and learning is smaller in workers who were exposed to lead while at work and had high levels in their blood.
The study suggests that people who work with the heavy metal may develop subtle brain changes that could increase their risk of neurological disorders. 20 November 2008. More...
In rats, exposure to low doses of the widely used herbicide 2,4-D impairs a mother's care giving to her newborn pups.
The poor maternal care was linked to changes in certain chemicals in the brains of the mothers as well as to decreased blood levels of the important reproductive hormone prolactin. This animal study by researchers in Argentina is one of the few to show that an environmental pollutant can alter the way a mother cares for her offspring. 3 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...
New research exposing mice to a chemical used to make polyurethane foam and paints provides the first experimental confirmation that the compound causes respiratory tract disease.
The findings corroborate epidemiological studies showing links between on-the-job exposure to toluene diisocyanate and both nasal inflammations, diseases that affect at least half the industrial workers in the US. The results help understand how breathing even small amounts of a chemical can lead to debilitating respiratory diseases. 20 July 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...
An international scientific conference has forged a new consensus statement on the importance of fetal exposures for adult health.
Chemical exposures during prenatal and early postnatal life can bring about important effects on gene expression. New research on rodent models shows that developmental exposures to toxic chemicals, such as the hormonally active substances, diethylstilbestrol, tributyl tin, bisphenol A, genistein, can increase the incidence of reproductive abnormalities, metabolic disorders, including obesity and diabetes, and cancer. 25 May 2007. More...
A comprehensive review of published data has identified 216 chemicals that are associated with increases in mammary gland tumors in at least one animal study.
These include industrial chemicals, chlorinated solvents, combustion byproducts, pesticides, dyes and radiation. Twenty-nine are produced in the US at > 1 million pounds a year. Exposure is widespread. Cancer. 14 May 2007. More...
Arsenic interferes with the ability of human fat cells to regulate their blood sugar, according to new research.
The effect is evident at exposure levels below what is necessary for overt toxicity. This result may help explain how the heavy metal contributes to type II diabetes, a chronic, life-changing disease. 6 April 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...
Self-reported residential pesticide use is associated with a 39% increase in breast cancer risk.
Increased risk was seen for lawn and garden pesticide use, but not insect repellants or products to control pet ticks, fleas or lice. This finding comes from a study on Long Island, NY, of 1,508 newly diagnosed women matched with controls. However, there was no indication that higher use caused greater risk. American Journal of Epidemiology. 3 January 2007. More...
A systematic review of all observational studies of lead and cardiovascular disease concludes that lead exposure can cause high blood pressure.
The evidence also suggests-- but is insufficient to prove-- that lead exposure causes cardiovascular mortality and other health problems. as well as heart rate variability. The authors conclude that occupational lead exposure standards should be lowered immediately. Environmental Health Perspectives. 25 December 2006. More...
A small study in China of children diagnosed with ADHD finds a highly significant difference in blood mercury levels between cases and controls.
The children with ADHD had blood mercury levels on average (geometric mean) over 50% higher than controls. Children with blood mercury levels above 28 nmol/L were over 9 times more likely to have ADHD. Neuropediatrics. 23 December 2006. More...
A study of all women registered in Denmark as working hairdressers does not find an increased risk of infertility.
This study might not reveal small risks in the entire group or high risks in small subgroups. Several chemical exposures in the work environment have been hypothesized to affect female reproduction, and some are present in products used in hairdressing and related trades. Human Reproduction. 19 November 2006. More...
Workers exposed to the phthalates DBP and DEHP in an occupational setting have higher phthalate levels and lower free testosterone levels than unexposed workers.
The workers were employed in a polyvinyl chloride flooring factory in China. Within the exposed worker group, free testosterone was inversely correlated with phthalate levels. Environmental Health Perspectives. 4 November 2006. More...
Occupational exposure to lead is linked to an increased risk of death from brain cancer.
Brain cancer mortality rates were higher in jobs potentially involving lead exposure, and highest among individuals with the highest probability of intense exposure. Adjusting for age and sex, risk in these individuals was elevated over two-fold. International Journal of Cancer. 29 August 2006. More...
Increased perinatal exposure to PCBs appears to decrease immune responses by children to vaccinations.
Following routine childhood vaccinations against tetanus and diptheria, antibody responses were suppressed by increasing PCB levels. In the study population on the Faroe Islands, perinatal exposure to PCBs is a result of maternal consumption of whale blubber. PLoS Medicine. 26 August 2006. More...
Researchers report striking dose-response relationships between serum concentrations of 6 persistent organic pollutants and the prevalence of diabetes, and they conclude that the associations between POPs and diabetes are likely to be causal.
After controlling for potentially confounding variables, an analysis of combined exposures to all 6 POPs studies showed a strong dose-dependent relationship (p < 0.001). The association between diabetes and POPs were stronger in obese patients than in lean. Diabetes Care. 24 August 2006. 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...
Analysis of cancer cases in a cohort of 27,464 sawmill workers in BC, Canada, reveals strong dose-response relationships for estimated exposures to pentachlorophenol and tetrachlorophenol and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma and kidney cancer.
The relationships were strongest when the analysis was restricted to pentachlorophenol and the exposure was lagged by 20 years. Cancer Causes and Control 15 July 2006. More...
The human data on the relationship of semen quality with phthalate and pesticide exposure are limited and do not currently allow for a definitive conclusion on whether adult exposure, at background environmental levels, alters semen quality.
However, the epidemiologic data support an inverse association of PCBs with reduced semen quality, specifically reduced sperm motility. The associations found were generally consistent across studies despite a range of PCB levels. Seminars in Reproductive Medicine. 10 July 2006. More...
A prospective study of 143,325 people finds a 70% increase in risk of Parkinson's disease for people reporting exposure to pesticides.
The relative risk was for pesticide exposure was similar in farmers and nonfarmers. No relationship was found with exposure to asbestos, chemical solvents, coal or stone dust, or eight other occupational exposures. Annals of Neurology. 1 July 2006. More...
Science Byte: Children of mothers working in the flower trade in northern Ecuador have neurobehavioral deficits associated with exposures to pesticides in the womb.
Prenatal exposure was also linked to higher blood pressure in the children. The research indicates that fetal contamination may cause lasting neurotoxic damage that adds to the adverse impacts of malnutrition. Pediatrics. 8 March 2006. More...
An analysis of public records and court documents reveals an industry campaign to undermine steps taken by the US occupational health agency to develop safety standards for exposure to hexavalent chromium.
By splitting a study into two parts and publishing them separately, industry scientists made a significant elevation in risk of lung cancer go away. This study was never submitted by industry in its entirety to OSHA, but only became available when it was discovered in bankruptcy legal filings. 24 February 2006. More...
Science Byte: Earlier results indicating an excess of melanoma and brain cancers in PCB-exposed workers were confirmed by a new study.
The original work had examined cancers in workers from an Indiana capacitor company, through 1984. This new research tracked mortality in the same cohort through 1998. Brain cancer mortality increased significantly with PCB exposure. EHP. 2 January 2006. More...
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