Health Perspect Research Articles

Bushfires in Australia: a serious health emergency under climate change

Bushfires in Australia: a serious health emergency under climate change

High Burden of Clonal Hematopoiesis in First Responders Exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster

High Burden of Clonal Hematopoiesis in First Responders Exposed to the World Trade Center Disaster

Pollution linked to in vitro fertilization failure

Breathing dirty air takes a toll on heart and lung health—and researchers are learning that its damaging effects extend to other organs. Over the past decade, scientists have even linked exposure to road pollution to reproductive problems such as infertility and miscarriage. Now, a new study concludes that women with higher exposures to car and truck fumes are more likely to experience failure of in vitro fertilization (IVF). And those failures occur early, during the formation of embryos (Environ. Health Perspect. 2019, DOI: 10.1289/EHP4601). Infertility affects over 10% of women worldwide. This dispiriting reproductive outcome has now caught the eye of environmental health researchers. Scientists worry about pollutants generated by traffic because they are known to cause inflammation and disrupt hormones—both of which might affect fertility. Although researchers have established links between traffic pollution and difficulty conceiving, few studies have drilled down into the effects of specific contamin...

The effect and burden modification of heating on adult asthma hospitalizations in Shijiazhuang: a time-series analysis

BackgroundPrevious studies have found associations between asthma morbidity and air pollution especially in young population, (PLoS One 12:e0180522, 2017; Can J Public Health 103:4-8, 2012; Environ Health Perspect 118:449-57, 2010; Am J Respir Crit Care Med 182:307-16, 2010; J Allergy Clin Immunol 104:717-22, 2008; J Allergy Clin Immunol 104:717-22, 1999; Environ Res 111:1137-47, 2011) but most of them were conducted in areas with relatively low air pollutant level. Moreover, very few studies have investigated the effect and burden modification of heating season during which the ambient air pollution level is significantly different from that during non-heating season in north China.ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the effect and burden modification of heating on short-term associations between adult asthma hospitalizations and ambient air pollution in the north China city of Shijiazhuang.MethodsGeneralized additive models combined with penalized distributed lag nonlinear models were used to model associations between daily asthma hospitalizations and ambient air pollutants from 1 January 2013 to 16 December 2016 in Shijiazhuang city, adjusting for long-term and seasonality trend, day of week, statutory holiday, daily mean air pressure and temperature. Attributable risks were calculated to evaluate the burden of asthma hospitalizations due to air pollutants exposure. The effect of pollutants on hospitalization and the attributable measures were estimated in heating and non-heating season separately and the comparisons between the two seasons were conducted.ResultsAll pollutants demonstrated positive and significant impacts on asthma hospitalizations both in heating season and non-heating season, except for O3 in heating season where a negative association was observed. However, the differences of the pollutant-specific effects between the two seasons were not significant. SO2 and NO2 exposure were associated with the heaviest burden among all pollutants in heating season; meanwhile, PM10 and PM2.5 were associated with the heaviest burden in heating season.ConclusionsIn conclusion, we found evidence of the effect of ambient air pollutants on asthma hospitalizations in Shijiazhuang. The central heating period could modify the effects in terms of attributable risks. The disease burden modification of heating should be taken into consideration when planning intervention measures to reduce the risk of asthma hospitalization.

Air pollution may impair children’s memory

Air pollution kills more people than any other environmental cause. The deadly effects include stroke, heart disease, and lung cancer. But the tiny toxic particles in dirty air could also be dimming our wits, according to an emerging field of research. Now a new study links early-life exposure to haze with impaired memory and poor control of attention by boys and girls (Environ. Health Perspect. 2019, DOI: 10.1289/EHP3169). When people burn wood and fossil fuels like gasoline and coal, the fuels generate a smoky haze full of particles made of hundreds of chemicals. The smallest are known as PM2.5, which includes airborne particles less than 2.5 µm in diameter. When people breathe in a lungful of dirty air, these particles can enter the bloodstream and wreak havoc in organs and cells by promoting inflammation and damaging DNA. Lab animals exposed to PM2.5 develop inflammation in the brain, but it hasn’t

Uncovering wildfires’ health hazards

Wildfire seasons in the US continue to get longer, and the fires themselves are getting larger and more intense, in large part because of climate change. This trend will continue to fill the air with smoke, particularly in the western US. Epidemiologists are rushing to understand the possible public health impacts of breathing this smoke. One major open question is whether the fine particulate matter carried in wildfire smoke affects health differently than the particles released from other sources, such as vehicle tailpipes. The first large-scale study of the issue suggests that different health effects may occur, finding that wildfire smoke caused more hospitalizations due to asthma, wheezing, and bronchitis than other sources of particulate pollution (Environ. Health Perspect. 2019, DOI: 10.1289/ehp3860). Exposure to particulate matter smaller than 2.5 µm in diameter (PM2.5) can cause cardiovascular and respiratory problems, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. The effects of PM2.5

Nature Therapy: An Essential Prescription for Health

Nature Therapy: An Essential Prescription for Health

Meningococcal strain evolution, dusty dry air and respiratory tract infections: An explosive relationship.

Meningococcal strain evolution, dusty dry air and respiratory tract infections: An explosive relationship.

Social-behavioral/ecological risk assessment for Lyme disease in southern Québec, Canada.

Social-behavioral/ecological risk assessment for Lyme disease in southern Québec, Canada.

Application of the key characteristics of carcinogens in cancer hazard identification.

Smith et al. (Env. Health Perspect. 124: 713, 2016) identified 10 key characteristics (KCs), one or more of which are commonly exhibited by established human carcinogens. The KCs reflect the properties of a cancer-causing agent, such as ‘is genotoxic,’ ‘is immunosuppressive’ or ‘modulates receptor-mediated effects,’ and are distinct from the hallmarks of cancer, which are the properties of tumors. To assess feasibility and limitations of applying the KCs to diverse agents, methods and results of mechanistic data evaluations were compiled from eight recent IARC Monograph meetings. A systematic search, screening and evaluation procedure identified a broad literature encompassing multiple KCs for most (12/16) IARC Group 1 or 2A carcinogens identified in these meetings. Five carcinogens are genotoxic and induce oxidative stress, of which pentachlorophenol, hydrazine and malathion also showed additional KCs. Four others, including welding fumes, are immunosuppressive. The overall evaluation was upgraded to Group 2A based on mechanistic data for only two agents, tetrabromobisphenol A and tetrachloroazobenzene. Both carcinogens modulate receptor-mediated effects in combination with other KCs. Fewer studies were identified for Group 2B or 3 agents, with the vast majority (17/18) showing only one or no KCs. Thus, an objective approach to identify and evaluate mechanistic studies pertinent to cancer revealed strong evidence for multiple KCs for most Group 1 or 2A carcinogens but also identified opportunities for improvement. Further development and mapping of toxicological and biomarker endpoints and pathways relevant to the KCs can advance the systematic search and evaluation of mechanistic data in carcinogen hazard identification.

Large-scale study finds no glyphosate-cancer connection

The latest data from a long-term study of the health of tens of thousands of people licensed to apply pesticides show no evidence of a link between exposure to the herbicide glyphosate and cancer (J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 2017, DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djx233). The data come at a critical time for Monsanto, maker of the widely used glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup. The company is being sued by hundreds of Roundup users who claim that exposure to the product caused them to get non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The study involves more than 54,000 pesticide applicators from North Carolina and Iowa who enrolled between 1993 and 1997. Initial data from the study were published in 2004 and documented 2,088 cancers through 2001 (Environ. Health Perspect. 2004, DOI: 10.1289/ehp.7340). The latest report finds 7,290 cancer cases through 2013 in Iowa and through 2012 in North Carolina. Neither study found any statistically significant associations between cancer and exposure to

Development and pilot testing of a model to translate risk assessment data for Great Lakes Native American communities using mobile technology

ABSTRACTThe Chippewa Ottowa Resource Authority monitors fish contaminants in Anishinaabe (Great Lake Native American) tribal fisheries. A software program (app) was programmed to translate and operationalize these data for the first time in an interactive, personalized, and culturally tailored format. This article reports the process for creation, and preliminary community reception, of interactive fish consumption advisory using software that can be accessed via mobile phones and/or the internet. Response data to previous advisories guided the app presentation and aesthetics. The app “Gigiigoo'inaan’ [Our Fish] presents personalized recommendations based on back-end calculated reference doses as well as a novel risk/benefit quantification originally presented by Ginsberg et al. (Human Ecol Risk Assess, Vol. 21, 2015, pp. 810–39) and Ginsberg and Toal (Environ Health Perspect, Vol. 117, 2009, pp. 267–75) to characterize nutritional benefits. The partnering organization, Inter-Tribal Council of Michigan recruited focus groups to pilot test the app for usability, influence on dietary behavior, and cultural appropriateness. The general concept of the app and the presentation of the data were deemed culturally acceptable and pleasing to the participants. The results suggest that risk-benefit data is valuable to end-users but meal frequency recommendations, typically based on federal guidelines, should also be clearly communicated. How these guidelines are selected and presented will likely impact the reception and adoption of consumption advice.

In Memoriam: Herbert L. Needleman

In Memoriam: Herbert L. Needleman

Preventing deaths from pesticide self-poisoning-learning from Sri Lanka's success.

Preventing deaths from pesticide self-poisoning-learning from Sri Lanka's success.

Toll-like receptor 4 in glial inflammatory responses to air pollution in vitro and in vivo

BackgroundExposure to traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) is associated with accelerated cognitive aging and higher dementia risk in human populations. Rodent brains respond to TRAP with activation of astrocytes and microglia, increased inflammatory cytokines, and neurite atrophy. A role for Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) was suggested in mouse TLR4-knockouts, which had attenuated lung macrophage responses to air pollution.MethodsTo further analyze these mechanisms, we examined mixed glial cultures (astrocytes and microglia) for RNA responses to nanoscale particulate matter (nPM; diameter <0.2 μm), a well-characterized nanoscale particulate matter subfraction of TRAP collected from a local freeway (Morgan et al. Environ Health Perspect 2011; 119,1003–1009, 2011). The nPM was compared with responses to the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a classic TLR4 ligand, using Affymetrix whole genome microarray in rats. Expression patterns were analyzed by significance analysis of microarrays (SAM) for fold change and by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify modules of shared responses between nPM and LPS. Finally, we examined TLR4 activation in hippocampal tissue from mice chronically exposed to nPM.ResultsSAM and WGCNA analyses showed strong activation of TLR4 and NF-κB by both nPM and LPS. TLR4 siRNA attenuated TNFα and other inflammatory responses to nPM in vitro, via the MyD88-dependent pathway. In vivo, mice chronically exposed to nPM showed increased TLR4, MyD88, TNFα, and TNFR2 RNA, and decreased NF-κB and TRAF6 RNA TLR4 and NF-κB responses in the hippocampus.ConclusionsThese results show TLR4 activation is integral in brain inflammatory responses to air pollution, and warrant further study of TLR4 in accelerated cognitive aging by air pollution.

Way to Go: Identifying Routes for Walkers and Cyclists to Avoid Air Pollutants.

Way to Go: Identifying Routes for Walkers and Cyclists to Avoid Air Pollutants.

The Forest and the Trees: How Population-Level Health Protections Sometimes Fail the Individual

The Forest and the Trees: How Population-Level Health Protections Sometimes Fail the Individual

Retraction: "A Case-Cohort Study of Cadmium Body Burden and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in American Women".

Vol. 125, No. 4 RetractionOpen AccessRetraction: “A Case-Cohort Study of Cadmium Body Burden and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in American Women”is retraction ofRetracted: A Case-Cohort Study of Cadmium Body Burden and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in American Women Megan E. Romano, Daniel A. Enquobahrie, Christopher D. Simpson, Harvey Checkoway, and Michelle A. Williams Megan E. Romano Search for more papers by this author , Daniel A. Enquobahrie Search for more papers by this author , Christopher D. Simpson Search for more papers by this author , Harvey Checkoway Search for more papers by this author , and Michelle A. Williams Search for more papers by this author Published:1 April 2017https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1818Cited by:1AboutSectionsPDF ToolsDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InReddit Environ Health Perspect 123(10):993–998 (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1408282This article is being retracted at the request of the authors because of inadvertent errors in the statistical code that resulted in the exclusion of 12 gestational diabetes mellitus cases with urinary cadmium below the limit of detection. The coding errors do not impact any other published studies of this population.In Table 1, the corrected geometric mean for the gestational diabetes mellitus cases was 0.33 μg/g Cr [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.30, 0.37].In Table 2, the magnitude of the effect estimates reported was attenuated and the p-trend was no longer statistically significant, such that the odds ratios for gestational diabetes mellitus with increasing urinary cadmium tertile were 1.12 (95% CI: 0.64, 1.98) for middle versus low tertile and 1.34 (95% CI: 0.78, 2.29) for high versus low tertile; p-trend = 0.28.The magnitude of the effect estimates reported in Table 3 and the effect estimates for additional sensitivity analyses reported in the original manuscript were also generally attenuated.The authors regret any inconvenience to the scientific community.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited by Romano M, Gallagher L, Jackson B, Baker E and Karagas M (2019) Maternal urinary cadmium, glucose intolerance and gestational diabetes in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study, Environmental Research, 10.1016/j.envres.2019.108733, 179, (108733), Online publication date: 1-Dec-2019. Related articlesRetracted: A Case-Cohort Study of Cadmium Body Burden and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus in American Women24 February 2015Environmental Health Perspectives Vol. 125, No. 4 April 2017Metrics About Article Metrics Publication History Originally published31 March 2017Published in print1 April 2017 Financial disclosuresPDF download License information EHP is an open-access journal published with support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health. All content is public domain unless otherwise noted. Note to readers with disabilities EHP strives to ensure that all journal content is accessible to all readers. However, some figures and Supplemental Material published in EHP articles may not conform to 508 standards due to the complexity of the information being presented. If you need assistance accessing journal content, please contact [email protected]. Our staff will work with you to assess and meet your accessibility needs within 3 working days.

Health Risk Assessment of Dietary Cadmium Intake: Do Current Guidelines Indicate How Much is Safe?

Background:Cadmium (Cd), a food-chain contaminant, is a significant health hazard. The kidney is one of the primary sites of injury after chronic Cd exposure. Kidney-based risk assessment establishes the urinary Cd threshold at 5.24 μg/g creatinine, and tolerable dietary intake of Cd at 62 μg/day per 70-kg person. However, cohort studies show that dietary Cd intake below a threshold limit and that tolerable levels may increase the risk of death from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.Objective:We evaluated if the current tolerable dietary Cd intake guideline and urinary Cd threshold limit provide sufficient health protection.Discussion:Staple foods constitute 40–60% of total dietary Cd intake by average consumers. Diets high in shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, spinach, and offal add to dietary Cd sources. Modeling studies predict the current tolerable dietary intake corresponding to urinary Cd of 0.70–1.85 μg/g creatinine in men and 0.95–3.07 μg/g creatinine in women. Urinary Cd levels of < 1 μg/g creatinine were associated with progressive kidney dysfunction and peripheral vascular disease. A urinary Cd of 0.37 μg/g creatinine was associated with breast cancer, whereas dietary Cd of 16–31.5 μg/day was associated with 25–94% increase in risk of estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer.Conclusion:Modeling shows that dietary intake levels for Cd exceed the levels associated with kidney damage and many other adverse outcomes. Thus, the threshold level of urinary Cd should be re-evaluated. A more restrictive dietary intake guideline would afford enhanced health protection from this pervasive toxic metal.Citation:Satarug S, Vesey DA, Gobe GC. 2017. Health risk assessment of dietary cadmium intake: do current guidelines indicate how much is safe? Environ Health Perspect 125:284–288; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP108

Hot Days in Early Pregnancy: A Potential Risk Factor for Congenital Heart Defects

Hot Days in Early Pregnancy: A Potential Risk Factor for Congenital Heart Defects