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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 large, multi-lab endeavor has identified the most common byproducts formed during drinking water disinfection and developed methods to study and understand their health impacts.
Scientists identified more than 100 chemical byproducts and measured the levels of 75 of the most harmful and highly regulated ones. It was the first time many of the chemicals had ever been detected. 3 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...
Advanced wastewater treatments can reduce the endocrine disrupting effects of the effluent on fish, according to a study that pinpoints the most effective methods.
Conventional sewage treatment does not usually remove all of these compounds. Fish are then exposed when the estrogens are released into waterways. 16 August 2010. More...
Children exposed to PCBs in their first years of life are less likely to be protected from diseases by vaccinations, according to a new study.
Exposure to PCBs is strongly associated with lower antibody levels. The results may help understand why effectiveness of vaccines varies so much among children. 6 August 2010. More...
Brief exposure to low levels of bisphenol A during pregnancy may contribute to diabetic symptoms in the mother and her sons - but not daughters - finds a study with mice.
BPA, which acts like estrogen and can interfere with normal hormone activity, caused changes in the mothers that resembled gestational diabetes. This study adds to a growing body of research evidence that, when taken together, suggests BPA causes health problems in animals and quite possibly in humans. 1 July 2010. More...
Eating vegetables rich in nitrogen in the same meal with fish increases risks for liver cancer, finds a laboratory study.
The increased risk – though marginal – occurs when substances in the fish and the vegetables form a cancer-causing agent in the acidic environment of the stomach. The chemical is called N-nitrosodimethylamine or NMDA. NMDA is a strong cancer-causing agent in animals and is listed as a probable human carcinogen. 30 June 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...
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...
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...
Rats exposed to bisphenol A (BPA) early in life develop symptoms resembling polycystic ovarian syndrome, a leading cause of infertility in women.
This animal study is among the first to show that early exposure to BPA can cause symptoms similar to PCOS in adulthood. The levels of BPA used in the experiments were high compared to current estimates of human exposure. 15 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...
Newborn mice fed genistein-enriched soy formula during the first five days of life developed abnormalities of the ovary, uterus and thymus gland that were estrogen related and persisted into adulthood.
As adults, the mice had fewer reproductive cycles in a month than the untreated mice. The findings show that eating genistein right after birth causes short and long-term changes and raises concerns for health effects on human infants fed soy-based formula during their early months. 2 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...
Chronic stress coupled with breathing traffic-related particulate air pollution leads to severe respiratory problems in rats.
The animal study found that higher exposures to traffic-related air pollution were associated with a rapid, shallow breathing pattern only among chronically stressed rats. The results are consistent with human studies that report stronger health effects of air pollution among those who experience higher levels of social stressors, such as exposure to violence. 18 May 2010. More...
A mixture of two common substances often found in food – bisphenol A and the soy phytoestrogen genistein – caused more serious developmental problems in rat embryos than would be expected from either one alone.
While BPA and genistein each inhibited some aspects of the embryos' growth, the combined exposures caused more severe problems. Together, they caused malformations and defects in the rats' central nervous system, including the brain. 14 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...
Experts send a mixed message to consumers when it comes to eating fish: it's good for your heart health but beware of the methylmercury.
A new way of organizing and ranking the pollutant's levels in fish and shellfish may help consumers navigate this apparent contradiction. Of the top five selling fish in the United States, only one-- tuna-- has above average mercury content. 26 April 2010. More...
Despite having phased out the use of organochlorine pesticides in the 1990’s, the chemicals continue to be detected in sewage sludge in Australia.
As in many countries, the sewage sludge - the solid part of processed sewage - is often recycled and used to fertilize crops. This suggests the banned pesticides are still present in agricultural areas of Australia. 23 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...
Scientists have figured out how bisphenol A (BPA) alters an important gene that guides how the uterus develops in people and rodents. Rather than causing mutations, the chemical affects the gene's on/off markers - what is called an epigenetic change.
BPA-exposed female mice had 25 percent higher activity from the Hoxa10 gene in their reproductive tract than the unexposed mice. The changes remained even after exposure stopped, suggesting they are permanent. 14 April 2010. More...
A study in people adds to the growing evidence and concern that mercury can alter the immune system in ways that may promote autoimmune diseases such as arthritis and lupus.
This is the first time mercury has been shown to affect in people the immune signaling proteins that are responsible for inducing inflammation. The results support recent animal studies that find similar changes to rodent immune systems after mercury exposure. 13 April 2010. More...
A new study in mice shows that exposure to an allergen through breast milk can actively program a pup's immune system to prevent asthma later in life.
The research suggests that a mom's exposure to allergens during breastfeeding can help protect her baby from reacting to those allergens later in life. 5 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...
Meticulous research identifies for the first time how two main types of uranium – enriched and depleted – damage a cell's DNA by different methods.
The manner - either by radiation or by its chemical properties as a metal - depends upon whether the uranium is processed or depleted. Both types of uranium may carry a health risk because they both affect DNA in ways that can lead to cancer. 16 March 2010. More...
Certain types of PCBs can affect the way a brain chemical responsible for halting signals sends its chemical messages from nerve to nerve, according to research conducted on frog egg cells
These results further tease apart PCBs' complex effects on brain chemicals and better explain how these interactions can result in abnormal brain function. 10 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...
New research suggests that exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) during gestation and lactation lowers male fertility in adulthood and that the effect may persist for at least three generations.
The rat study tested relatively low levels of BPA chosen to fall within the range of human exposure. It is the first to indicate that BPA might have transgenerational effects on male reproductive health. 9 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 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...
Exposure during development to the active ingredient of many birth control pills caused infertility in adult male rates.
More than 50 million women worldwide take contraceptive pills. Of those, 3 to 4 percent may take them into the second trimester of pregnancy. Doses sufficient to cause effects were higher compared to birth control pills. 15 January 2010. More...
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