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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.
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...
Chemical byproducts produced by a fungus effectively killed almost three-quarters of adult mosquitoes tested from three disease-carrying species, showing there are viable alternatives to conventional insecticides.
Mosquito control is a vital public health tool, especially in tropical regions where malaria is endemic. This particular fungus' metabolite could be a promising alternative to some of the synthetic pesticides used to control mosquito populations. 29 June 2010. More...
Researchers have determined that exposure to low levels of mercury can encourage clotting of red blood cells, a dangerous condition called thrombosis that contributes to cardiovascular disease.
The research shows that red blood cells, when dying after exposure to mercury, release proteins that encourage blood cells and platelets to clot and clump together inside vessels. The increased clots can worsen existing cardiovascular disease and raise its risk in others. 23 June 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...
Research shows for the first time that plastic nanoparticles can cross the human placenta, possibly exposing the developing fetus to the tiny materials that are increasingly used in medicines, vaccines and personal care products.
The results confirm that smaller sizes of the manufactured materials are able to cross the placenta at a time toward the end of pregnancy when the membrane barrier between mom and fetus is thinner. The growing brain and other organs may be exposed to the particles that have unknown health effects. 29 March 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 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 study that surveyed members of a West Virginia community finds that higher exposures to anti-stick chemicals released from a nearby factory may be linked to low birth weight and early birth in babies born to women who live in the area.
Data were collected as part of a survey of more than 69,000 people living close to a chemical plant located in the Mid-Ohio Valley in West Virginia. 7 December 2009. More...
Chemicals used to control mice and other rodents are being found in the livers of wild owls and causing some to die.
Seventy percent of all owls tested had at least one rodenticide in their body; 41 percent of the owls had more than one. Levels of the chemicals in 15 percent of the owls were above those believed to be lethal (0.2 parts per million). 23 November 2009. More...
A mother's contribution of pollutants to her offspring is more important to the survival of a young turtle than its exposure through food, according to a new wildlife study that compared the long-term effects of PCBs from both sources.
The results show for the first time that it is exposure from the mother, and not diet, that has more serious consequences for survival of these turtles. Additionally, the most severe effect --death-- was only seen after an 8-month delay. 3 September 2009. More...
Scientists report that a number of Roundup formulations tested at very dilute concentrations can alter hormone actions and cause human liver cells to die within 24 hours of treatment.
The key factor affecting how dangerous the different formulations were lay in their "inert ingredients" ... chemicals usually protected by trade secrets clauses. 18 August 2009. More...
A new study in Mexico finds that women with higher exposure to phthalates during their third trimester of pregnancy were up to four times as likely to have their babies early.
This is the first human study to investigate associations between exposure to phthalates and preterm birth rates. Early births are of concern because they are associated with long-term health problems and are the leading cause of neonatal mortality in the United States, accounting for more than one third of infant deaths. 3 August 2009. More...
Women who are having difficulty conceiving may want to cut back on their soy consumption after a mouse study reveals that dietary exposure to genistein, a compound found in soy foods, can reduce the odds of a successful pregnancy in multiple ways.
The results reveal how natural compounds like genistein may have both risks – it can act as an endocrine disurptor to affect female reproduction – and benefits - such as protecting the heart. 28 July 2009. More...
A new study with mice links arsenic exposure to reduced immune response.
The results suggest those people most exposed to arsenic through their drinking water may be more susceptible to illness and possibly death when infected with the H1N1 swine flu virus. 17 July 2009. More...
In mice, short-term exposure to fine air particles reduces responsiveness of specialized neurons that regulate cardiac rhythm. Scientists believe that this reduced activity may be responsible for the cardiovascular disease associated with air pollution.
Fine particulate matter known as PM2.5 is a mixture of particles that are smaller than 2.5 micrometers (about one third of the diameter of a human hair). PM2.5 is a product of combustion and is released into the environment by forest fires and by gasses emitted by power plants, factories and automobiles. 7 July 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...
Our morning cereal may be setting us up for a fungus invasion that lowers the protective actions of the intestines, leading to illness or intestinal problems.
A new research study describes how one of these toxins can damage the intestinal tract by changing its defensive protein layer. These changes weakened the intestinal barrier and allowed more bacteria to cross through the intestinal wall. 4 May 2009. More...
Dogs are more likely to develop cancer if they live near Naples, Italy in places where illegal waste disposal commonly occurs and people have a high rate of cancer deaths.
Other studies from the Naples region document high rates of people dying from cancer, especially in an area northeast of Naples called the “triangle of death." 20 April 2009. More...
Atlantic salmon exposed to short springtime bursts of acidic runoff water are less able to migrate to the ocean because of important changes in their ability to balance salt.
This is the first study to show that health effects occur in streams with only brief periods of acidification. The decline in water quality occurs when the salmon are at a critical period in their development and may contribute to the continued decline of this endangered species. 6 April 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 report a difference in breast cancer risk between minority and white women exposed to PCBs between the 1930s and late 1970s while on the job at manufacturing plants that made electrical capacitors.
In non-white women, as exposure to PCBs increased, so did their risk for breast cancer onset. White women working in the same plants had no relationship between PCB exposures and breast cancer onset, a finding that is consistent with previous studies. 2 April 2009. More...
A salmon study reveals that certain pesticide mixtures are more toxic than the sum of their individual components would suggest.
The impact of pesticides on population declines may be more important than previously thought. 27 March 2009. More...
Lead poisoning may be the reason a globally threatened species of vulture is frequently found dead in the wild.
Researchers examined 20 dead birds found in the the demilitarized zone in Korea and found very high levels of lead. The authors suggest that the birds may pick up the poisonous lead during their migration by feeding on animals that are contaminated with the heavy metal. 4 March 2009. More...
Researchers report that very minute quantities of the hormone found in the birth control pill alter sperm development in rainbow trout by changing the number of chromosomes, which can lead to lower survival and long-term health problems in the offspring.
This error is called aneuploidy. For people, aneuploidy is the biggest known cause of spontaneous miscarriage and the number one cause of congenital birth defects. 17 February 2009. More...
People living close to highways, large roads or other sources of high levels of traffic-related air pollution die earlier than those farther away, finds a study conducted in Toronto, Ontario.
People with higher exposure to pollution from traffic were 20 percent more likely to die at any given time than those with low levels of exposure. The greatest risk appears to be death from heart disease. People with high exposure to traffic pollution showed a 40 percent increased risk of cardiovascular mortality. 3 February 2009. More...
A soy protein, genistein, long known to affect fertility, can change how pregnancies start and progress in female mice treated with it as newborns.
The changes make it harder for fertilized eggs to implant and grow, possibly contributing to infertility. The effects were observed at levels comparable to those experienced by human infants feeding on soy formula. 26 January 2009. More...
Catching a ride on nanoparticles is a newly discovered way for harmful substances to get inside living cells.
While health effects in people are not yet known, the cell injury reported in this new study from Europe raises concern for workers who make the nanoparticles and consumers who use them. 7 January 2009. More...
Eating mercury contaminated seafood increases the risk of heart disease in men, reports a unique study that examined whalers on the Faroe Islands.
The researchers found a clearly significant correlation of increased blood pressure and arterial thickness with higher mercury levels found in their bodies. 5 January 2009. More...
Widely-used pollutants called organotins can harm cells - and even kill them - by interfering with their ability to take apart unwanted proteins.
The chemical tie to and block the activity of a key cell molecule, called the proteasome, making it dysfunctional. Organotins are used in PVC plastics and as anti-fungal agents in textiles and agricultural pesticides. 15 December 2008. More...
A modern day 'canary in a coal mine' unfolds as thousands of birds “dropping from the sky” alert authorities to lead-tainted drinking water and people.
Residents of a seaside community in Australia had unusually high concentrations of a unique and toxic form of lead that was discovered after thousands of local birds died. 1 December 2008. More...
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