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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.
Analyzing data together from two large databases opens up next steps in understanding how the environment interacts with genes to influence disease, according to two Stanford scientists who are trying to untangle the interrelated effects.
Using data mining tools they found, for example, that breast and prostate cancers are associated with estrogenic chemicals, including the natural human estrogen, estradiol, a plant estrogen found in soy called genistein and bisphenol A, the synthetic estrogen used to make polycarbonate plastics and can linings. 9 September 2010. More...
Minute silver nanoparticles-- widely used in consumer products as antimicrobial agents-- can cause sperm cells to stop growing, according to a new study.
The nanoparticles interrupt key cell signaling within the sperm cells as they develop. The biggest effects were caused by the smallest-sized nanoparticles tested. 1 September 2010. More...
New research shows that the drugs and contaminants that often contaminate sewage sludge that is used as fertilizer can be taken up by the plants grown in fertilized fields and gardens.
Also called 'biosolids,' these fertilizers are regularly applied to agricultural fields and are sometimes packaged as organic soil fertilizers sold in home improvement stores. 30 August 2010. More...
People who live in houses with higher levels of flame retardant chemicals in the dust have themselves higher levels of the chemicals in their blood, a finding that implicates dust as a major exposure source for the compounds.
Prior studies point to dust and food as major sources of exposure to PBDE chemicals. While some foods do harbor PBDEs, eating and breathing dust appears to be the main source of exposure in the United States. 23 July 2010. More...
Pregnant women who live in areas close to electronic waste dismantling sites have higher exposures to persistent organic pollutants and depressed thyroid hormone levels than those who live farther away from the facilities, finds a study that compares women in two regions of China.
Even without direct interactions with the e-waste facility, recycling affected women living adjacent to the sites. This study raises concerns about e-waste practices and health effects on both the mothers and the developing fetuses. 20 July 2010. More...
Leftover residues of a compound made from bisphenol A (BPA) for use in food can linings reacts with sugars, proteins and other parts of food to form new molecules, researchers report.
The findings show how critical it is to understand the extent of chemical migration from resin linings into the can's contents and what happens to the compounds once they interact with the food and beverage. 19 July 2010. More...
Infants with higher exposures to three contaminants – perchlorate, nitrate or thiocyanate – found in water, food and tobacco smoke had increased levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), a sign that the thyroid gland may not be working properly.
The results are important because infants with poor thyroid function are at risk for stunted growth and mental impairment. 13 July 2010. More...
Researchers at the University of Iowa have discovered that PCBs are present in many more kinds of paint pigment than previously known. While the US EPA knew about some of the contamination, the extent of the problem is a surprise.
The researchers suggest that the contaminated pigments used in a variety of paints, inks, cosmetics, plastics and other consumer goods are probably a source of ongoing exposures in humans. 9 July 2010. More...
A first attempt at measuring flame retardants and PCBs in dust from daycare centers and classrooms in the United Kingdom shows these facilities to be an important source of exposure for toddlers and young children, with a small group of them experiencing very high exposures.
Researchers may be underestimating the impact from these facilities, as levels of certain chemical types were higher than those from house dust or car dust. 6 July 2010. More...
New chemicals - with unknown toxic properties - are present after heating commercial polypropylene plastics during manufacturing.
The contaminants form when synthetic antioxidant additives break down when exposed to high temperatures typical of the manufacturing process. The discovery of the new chemicals is of concern since they may occur in commercial products where they could migrate out of the plastic and potentially into humans. 25 June 2010. More...
Two new studies - one human and one rat - show that active BPA and its inactive metabolite freely cross the placenta from a pregnant mother to the fetus.
Even more important are the chemical transformations that occur in the fetus: the active form of BPA remains active while the inactive form can be converted to the active form. Together, these studies provide evidence that prebirth exposures occur in people and may pose a bigger risk to the developing fetus than previously thought. 7 June 2010. More...
PBDEs -- chemicals widely used to prevent fires in household products like furniture and electronics -- may contribute to fertility problems by lengthening the time it takes for a woman to get pregnant, according to a study of low-income, mostly Mexican-American women living in California.
The study is one of the first to examine if PBDEs can affect human fertility. Animal studies show that PBDEs can alter behavior, delay the onset of puberty and impact sex hormones and thyroid hormones. These, in turn, may influence ovulation, menstrual cycle regularity and fertility. 3 June 2010. More...
A family of common environmental contaminants, PCBs, can damage and break the important protein links between cells that line the intestine and form a protective barrier into the body.
The breaks allow the chemicals to move through the outer buffer cells and "leak" into surrounding tissues where they may cause the systemic toxic health effects associated with the compounds. 19 May 2010. More...
A study with rats finds that exposure to low doses of BPA during development changes some of the proteins expressed by the mammary gland - including those that control cell proliferation and death - before and during puberty in ways consistent with cancer formation.
This is the first time the chemical has been shown to influence key cell development through the proteins that guide these later-life processes. 13 May 2010. More...
A new study finds associations between exposure to bisphenol A and blood levels of thyroid and reproductive hormones.
Researchers found that men with higher urine BPA concentrations had higher blood levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and lower levels of inhibin B. Elevated FSH and depressed inhibin B have been associated with poorer sperm quality in humans. 5 May 2010. More...
Two new studies show remarkably high levels of PBDE flame retardants in the bodies of California children.
PBDE body burden levels in two separate populations of California children were 10 to 1,000 times higher than European children, 2 to 10 times higher than other U.S. children and adults, and approached levels measured in occupationally-exposed adults. 3 May 2010. More...
Researchers find that fabrics laced with silver nanoparticles designed to limit bacterial growth release those particles when the fabric is exposed to artificial human sweat.
The amount of nanosilver released depended on the type of fabric, the initial amount of silver and the type of artificial sweat. While this study does not provide direct evidence of toxicity, it describes a novel exposure source of nanoparticles about which almost nothing is known. 30 April 2010. More...
A new study has found an association between children’s potential for developing disruptive behavior disorders and exposure before birth to the types of phthalates found in fragrances, shampoos, lotions and cosmetics.
The pregnant women who had higher levels of these chemicals in their urine during their third trimester of pregnancy were more likely to have a child who scored below average on behavior and executive functioning tests at 4-9 years of age. The test scores are known to be correlated with clinical diagnoses of behavior or conduct problems and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders. 29 April 2010. More...
A new study suggests that hundreds of chemicals used commercially could persist and bioaccumulate, yet next to nothing is known about their actions and levels in the environment.
Predicting exposures and if and how chemicals may pose a health threat is incredibly difficult. Now, researchers propose a unique way to screen and identify chemicals that may need further evaluation and monitoring. 2 April 2010. More...
Researchers conducting a study of phthalate exposure and breast cancer among Mexican women reported that metabolites of one type of phthalate are associated with at least twice the risk of breast cancer, while other types appear to lower risk.
After adjusting for other risk factors, women in the highest third of exposure to MEP had twice the risk of breast cancer relative to women in the lowest third. Among premenopausal women, those with high exposure had a 4-fold increased risk of breast cancer. 19 March 2010. More...
Researchers have found that the extent of harm caused by certain common compounds could be influenced by a person’s genes and lifestyle. Two people exposed to the same amount of a chemical could have different levels in their blood and respond differently.
The study looked at seven elements, which included arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, selenium and zinc. Test subjects included 2,926 adult Australian twins. 16 March 2010. More...
Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) rubbed onto mouse skin changed the chemistry of the rodents' immune system and made them more prone to developing contact allergies, reports a new study published in the scientific journal Immunology.
This is the first study to show how DBP modifies the mouse immune system to predispose it to developing a type of allergy known as contact hypersensitivity. The results support prior studies that have found a connection between phthalates and allergies. 4 March 2010. More...
Men who are exposed to benzene at levels close to the U.S. permissible limit are more likely to have an abnormal number of chromosomes in their sperm, according to new research.
Having the wrong number of chromosomes in sperm or eggs is the largest known source of miscarriage in people. 16 February 2010. More...
As one class of flame retardants is phased out due to health concerns, new types – sometimes with widespread exposure and unknown effects – may be phased in.
A new study examining one type of potential replacement chemicals called organophosphorous flame retardants finds that men exposed through house dust had lower thyroid hormone levels and reduced sperm concentration. This is one of the first human studies to look at potential health effects of exposure to these types of flame retardants. 5 February 2010. More...
A study conducted in Massachusetts suggests that exposure to perchloroethylene through drinking water may be associated with an increased risk for certain congenital anomalies, but the results are not entirely conclusive.
Women whose estimated PCE exposure was higher may have a 50 percent increased risk of birth defects. Women ever exposed to PCE also had a 3-fold increased risk of giving birth to babies with neural tube defects or oral clefts. 28 January 2010. More...
A study finds that silver has the potential to cause problems with nerve cell development at concentrations five times less than that of the pesticide chlorpyrifos, a known nerve cell toxicant.
The findings call into question the widespread and increasing use of nanoparticles of silver in consumer products. 21 January 2010. More...
A new study finds that exposure to phthalate chemicals may be linked to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in school-aged children.
The Korean students in the study who were identified as having ADHD symptoms were more likely to have higher levels of phthalate chemical markers in their urine than children without symptoms of the disorder. 12 January 2010. More...
Silver nanoparticles used as antimicrobials in fabric can leach out of clothes as they are being washed. One brand lost over half of its silver content from the fabric with just two washings.
The discovery raises questions about potential effects of human and environmental exposures 7 January 2010. More...
A study examining frogs in South China shows for the first time that frogs absorb PBDE flame retardants from their food, concentrate them in their tissues and organs and deposit higher amounts of them in their eggs.
The concentrations of PBDEs were greater in the frogs than in their food. The results indicate the fire suppressors may have the potential to biomagnify - increase in concentration with each increasing level of the food chain (as occurs with the insecticide DDT). 5 January 2010. More...
A study from California suggests that living closer to high traffic roads may increase the risk of spontaneous abortion in certain women. The association was seen only with African-Americans, not with women of other races.
Increased risk of spontaneous abortion was seen among African-American women living close to roads where traffic exceeded 15,000 vehicles per day. Many large city streets have a daily traffic volume of 15,000 cars or more. 18 December 2009. More...
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