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Current query:Type: Scientific Studies
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Higher levels of manganese in hair and blood are associated with lower IQ in children, especially girls, who live near a manganese processing site, finds a study of Mexican children.
Despite being an essential element, high levels of manganese may cause cognitive and intellectual deficits, especially if exposure occurs during childhood. Few studies have examined the impact of airborne manganese on children's intelligence. 25 August 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...
Arsenic carried to rice fields by contaminated irrigation water tends to accumulate in top soil layers where the rice takes it up, contaminating the grain, lowering its nutritional value and exposing large populations who depend on it for food.
Rice is one of the largest sources of arsenic exposure for people in Bangladesh and India, representing about half the total intake 12 July 2010. More...
Reproductive problems leading to infertility were seen in female fish exposed to pthalates at levels generally found in the environment.
The results are some of the first to show the plasticizers can affect females as well as males, report researchers in the online journal PLoSOne. This preliminary evidence of the effects of DEHP on the female reproductive system suggests that further study on females is warranted in other species, including humans. 28 June 2010. More...
Intellectual delays in kindergarten-aged kids may result from prebirth exposures to common air pollutants called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, according to a study of Polish children.
The researchers report that 5-year-old children whose mothers had higher exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons when they were pregnant performed worse on tests that measured cognitive abilities, lowering their IQ by more than three points. 14 June 2010. More...
In a new study, people who adopted a vegetarian diet for just five days show reduced levels of antibiotics and phthalates in their bodies.
The pilot study suggests that people may be able reduce their exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals through dietary choices, such as limiting consumption of animal products like meats and dairy. 11 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...
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 study of children born near a PCB-contaminated harbor in Massachusetts finds that prenatal exposure to banned persistent organic pollutants - specifically PCBs and DDE - may be linked to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The results are consistent with previous human and animal studies that have found links between PCB levels and ADHD-like behaviors, such as inattention and impulsivity. This may be the first time the behaviors are associated with DDE exposure. 20 April 2010. More...
Memory and anxiety behavior were affected in mice that were exposed to low levels of bisphenol A as youngsters, adding more concrete evidence that early life exposure to the synthetic estrogen can alter brain function.
The results support a growing body of research that suggests exposure to BPA early in life alters brain development and affects behaviors in a number of ways. It also adds more evidence to concerns about exposure of humans to BPA during fetal development and infancy. 15 April 2010. More...
Children exposed to insecticides before birth through their mothers were up to two years behind in thinking, learning and memory abilities when they reached ages 6 to 8 years old, finds a study of children from northern Ecuador.
They also had higher blood pressures. The results mimic those of a pilot study done by the same research group and agree with a growing body of evidence that suggests fetal exposure to pesticides during development – especially during certain windows – is of concern. 6 April 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...
Exposure to very low concentrations of the plastic monomer bisphenol A (BPA) causes cellular damage and death in cultured human placenta cells, researchers report.
The doses used for this study are similar to blood levels found in pregnant women. Particularly concerning was the observation that that effects were most pronounced at the lowest - rather than the highest - concentrations of BPA. 2 February 2010. More...
A study of breast milk samples from more than 300 women in North Carolina found flame retardants were highest in women aged 25 to 29.
The PBDEs were detected in almost three-quarters of the women in the study. Women older than 35 had the lowest levels. 25 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...
The severity of a child's autism coincided with the levels of toxic metals excreted in their urine after treatment with a metals removal therapy, finds a study published in the Journal of Toxicology.
The higher the levels of lead, antimony and other metals excreted, the more severe was the child's autism. The findings hold true across four independent tools used to assess autism severity. 28 December 2009. More...
Living for decades near busy urban or rural roads may affect brain health and could contribute to cognitive decline as women age, conclude German scientists in a study published in the journal Environmental Research.
This is the first study to find an association between cognitive impairment and long-term exposure to air pollution due to traffic. It is also one of a handful of recent studies to report a link between air pollution and brain function in people. 22 December 2009. More...
The first study to examine the effects of commonly used flame retardant chemicals on children’s brain development has found both harmful and beneficial associations.
Children with higher in utero exposure to certain PBDEs were more likely to be identified by their teachers as having problems with aggression, attention or rule breaking behaviors. However, children with higher exposure to other PBDEs were less likely to be reported by their parents as having depression or anxiety, being withdrawn, or having other internalizing behavior problems. 30 November 2009. More...
A compound in red wine may offer yet another health benefit – it may slow formation of the amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Results from a newly published laboratory study show the compound may slow the development of protein clumps – called amyloid fibrils. The fibrils – made of beta-amyloid protein – ultimately aggregate into the distinctive plaques commonly found in Alzheimer’s patients. 6 November 2009. More...
People who eat wild game shot by hunters have significantly higher levels of lead circulating in their blood than those who do not, report researchers from the CDC.
The results agree with a handful of other studies that have found the lead from the bullets used to kill game such as deer and elk can leach into the meat and then into the people who eat it. 28 September 2009. More...
Exposure to low to moderate levels of lead before birth and as a child can permanently change the brain's structure in a way that may alter if and how it transmits messages, a new study finds.
More differences in the nerve cells and the thickness of their coverings were found in adults who had higher lead exposure during development and as children. Some areas of the brain developed less robust nerve pathways and other parts had thicker or thinner coverings. 2 September 2009. More...
A recent study links higher blood lead levels with high blood pressure in pregnant women, suggesting that lead exposure may increase the risk of developing hypertension during pregnancy.
All of the women in the study had blood levels below the level considered 'acceptable' by most health agencies, providing additional support for the need to lower the threshold. 10 August 2009. More...
A study of young children in India has found that higher blood lead levels are associated with a suite of behavioral and thinking problems that can alter attention, abstract thinking and appropriate behavior.
This study is one of the first to pinpoint specific childhood behaviors and cognitive skills affected by lead exposure, most notably anxiety, social problems and overall executive function (planning, problem solving, behavior control). The study found no "safe" level. 4 August 2009. More...
A study with rats suggests that radioactive uranium inhaled by soldiers on the battlefield and by workers in factories may bypass the brain's protective barrier by following nerves from the nose directly to the brain.
This study provides yet another example of how some substances can use the olfactory system to bypass the brain's protective blood barrier and go directly to the brain. Titanium nanoparticles and the metals manganese, nickel, and thallium use the same route. 31 July 2009. More...
Chemicals heavily used in everyday products can end up in dust and increase people's exposure to the contaminants, reports a study by Belgium researchers who calculated exposure to bisphenol A, an antibacterial agent and a flame retardant through dust.
The researchers conclude that exposure to BPA, tetrabromobisphenol-A and triclosan from dust contributes to less than 10 percent of average total daily exposure. Diet and direct contact with personal care products are the the greatest contributors. 15 July 2009. More...
Scorpion venom can change the way rats grow and develop if they are exposed to the neurotoxins before birth.
Scorpion stings are a public health problem in Brazil. This is one of a few studies to date to examine if scorpion venom poses a unique threat to developing offspring. The study clearly shows that baby rats are developmentally altered in many ways if their moms are "stung" while pregnant. 15 July 2009. More...
Researchers report that women with higher DDE blood concentrations were 2.5 times more likely to have high thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).
Increased concentrations of the long-lived pesticide residue were also associated with reduced thyroxine (T4) levels. Potential effects of chemicals on thyroid function during pregnancy are of concern because thyroid hormones play a crucial role in fetal brain development. 14 July 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...
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