Articles

Modeled exposure to tetrachloroethylene-contaminated drinking water and the risk of placenta-related stillbirths: a case-control study from Massachusetts and Rhode Island

Residents of Massachusetts and Rhode Island were exposed to tetrachloroethylene (PCE)-contaminated drinking water from 1968 through the early 1990s when the solvent was used to apply a vinyl liner to drinking ...

Authors: Ann Aschengrau, Lisa G. Gallagher, Michael Winter, Lindsey J. Butler, M. Patricia Fabian and Veronica M. Vieira

Overweight modifies the association between long-term ambient air pollution and prehypertension in Chinese adults: the 33 Communities Chinese Health Study

Research regarding the interaction of ambient air pollution and overweight on prehypertension is scarce. We aimed to test whether overweight modifies the association between long-term exposure to ambient air p...

Authors: Bo-Yi Yang, Zhengmin Min Qian, Michael G. Vaughn, Steven W. Howard, John Phillip Pemberton, Huimin Ma, Duo-Hong Chen, Li-Wen Hu, Xiao-Wen Zeng, Chuan Zhang, Yan-Peng Tian, Min Nian, Xiang Xiao and Guang-Hui Dong

Cancer prevalence among flight attendants compared to the general population

Flight attendants are an understudied occupational group, despite undergoing a wide range of adverse job-related exposures, including to known carcinogens. In our study, we aimed to characterize the prevalence...

Authors: Eileen McNeely, Irina Mordukhovich, Steven Staffa, Samuel Tideman, Sara Gale and Brent Coull

Associations between mixtures of urinary phthalate metabolites with gestational age at delivery: a time to event analysis using summative phthalate risk scores

Preterm birth is a significant public health concern and exposure to phthalates has been shown to be associated with an increased odds of preterm birth. Even modest reductions in gestational age at delivery co...

Authors: Jonathan Boss, Jingyi Zhai, Max T. Aung, Kelly K. Ferguson, Lauren E. Johns, Thomas F. McElrath, John D. Meeker and Bhramar Mukherjee

Trimester-specific phthalate concentrations and glucose levels among women from a fertility clinic

Subfertile women are at increased risk of glucose intolerance in pregnancy. Based on epidemiologic studies, exposure to certain phthalates is associated with diabetes, elevated glucose, and increased insulin r...

Authors: Tamarra M. James-Todd, Yu-Han Chiu, Carmen Messerlian, Lidia Mínguez-Alarcón, Jennifer B. Ford, Myra Keller, John Petrozza, Paige L. Williams, Xiaoyun Ye, Antonia M. Calafat and Russ Hauser

Mortality effects of heat waves vary by age and area: a multi-area study in China

Many studies have reported an increased mortality risk from heat waves comparing with non-heat wave days. However, how much the mortality rate change with the heat intensity―vulnerability curve―is still unknow...

Authors: Lingyan Zhang, Zhao Zhang, Tao Ye, Maigeng Zhou, Chenzhi Wang, Peng Yin and Bin Hou

Applying methods of the global burden of diseases, injuries, and risk factors study to developmental neurotoxicants: a commentary

The purpose of this commentary is to consider whether the methods of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) can provide accurate estimates of the impact of developmental neurotox...

Authors: David C. Bellinger

The Ramazzini Institute 13-week study on glyphosate-based herbicides at human-equivalent dose in Sprague Dawley rats: study design and first in-life endpoints evaluation

Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are the most widely used pesticides worldwide, and glyphosate is the active ingredient of such herbicides, including the formulation known as Roundup. The massive and increas...

Authors: Simona Panzacchi, Daniele Mandrioli, Fabiana Manservisi, Luciano Bua, Laura Falcioni, Marcella Spinaci, Giovanna Galeati, Giovanni Dinelli, Rossella Miglio, Alberto Mantovani, Stefano Lorenzetti, Jianzhong Hu, Jia Chen, Melissa J. Perry, Philip J. Landrigan and Fiorella Belpoggi

The need for independent research on the health effects of glyphosate-based herbicides

Glyphosate, formulated as Roundup, is the world’s most widely used herbicide. Glyphosate is used extensively on genetically modified (GM) food crops designed to tolerate the herbicide, and global use is increa...

Authors: Philip J. Landrigan and Fiorella Belpoggi

The Ramazzini Institute 13-week pilot study on glyphosate and Roundup administered at human-equivalent dose to Sprague Dawley rats: effects on the microbiome

Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) are broad-spectrum herbicides that act on the shikimate pathway in bacteria, fungi, and plants. The possible effects of GBHs on human health are the subject of an intense pub...

Authors: Qixing Mao, Fabiana Manservisi, Simona Panzacchi, Daniele Mandrioli, Ilaria Menghetti, Andrea Vornoli, Luciano Bua, Laura Falcioni, Corina Lesseur, Jia Chen, Fiorella Belpoggi and Jianzhong Hu

Reporting to parents on children’s exposures to asthma triggers in low-income and public housing, an interview-based case study of ethics, environmental literacy, individual action, and public health benefits

Emerging evidence about the effects of endocrine disruptors on asthma symptoms suggests new opportunities to reduce asthma by changing personal environments. Right-to-know ethics supports returning personal re...

Authors: Laura J. Perovich, Jennifer Liss Ohayon, Elicia Mayuri Cousins, Rachel Morello-Frosch, Phil Brown, Gary Adamkiewicz and Julia Green Brody

High-resolution mapping of traffic related air pollution with Google street view cars and incidence of cardiovascular events within neighborhoods in Oakland, CA

Some studies have linked long-term exposure to traffic related air pollutants (TRAP) with adverse cardiovascular health outcomes; however, previous studies have not linked highly variable concentrations of TRA...

Authors: Stacey E. Alexeeff, Ananya Roy, Jun Shan, Xi Liu, Kyle Messier, Joshua S. Apte, Christopher Portier, Stephen Sidney and Stephen K. Van Den Eeden

Association between air pollution and suicide: a time series analysis in four Colombian cities

Recent epidemiological studies have suggested that air pollution could be associated with suicide. However, other studies have criticized these results for being analytically weak and not taking into account p...

Authors: Julián Alfredo Fernández-Niño, Claudia Iveth Astudillo-García, Laura Andrea Rodríguez-Villamizar and Víctor Alfonso Florez-Garcia

Combined effect of silica dust exposure and cigarette smoking on total and cause-specific mortality in iron miners: a cohort study

Both cigarette smoking and long-term exposure to crystalline silica dust were reported to be associated with increased mortality. However, the combined effect of both factors has not been well evaluated.

Authors: Hanpeng Lai, Yuewei Liu, Min Zhou, Tingming Shi, Yun Zhou, Shaofan Weng and Weihong Chen

Heat/mortality sensitivities in Los Angeles during winter: a unique phenomenon in the United States

Extreme heat is often associated with elevated levels of human mortality, particularly across the mid-latitudes. Los Angeles, CA exhibits a unique, highly variable winter climate, with brief periods of intense...

Authors: Adam J. Kalkstein, Laurence S. Kalkstein, Jennifer K. Vanos, David P. Eisenman and P. Grady Dixon

Increase in fertility following coal and oil power plant retirements in California

Few studies have explored the relationship between air pollution and fertility. We used a natural experiment in California when coal and oil power plants retired to estimate associations with nearby fertility ...

Authors: Joan A. Casey, Alison Gemmill, Deborah Karasek, Elizabeth L. Ogburn, Dana E. Goin and Rachel Morello-Frosch

Genomic characterization of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in radiation-exposed Chornobyl cleanup workers

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) was the predominant leukemia in a recent study of Chornobyl cleanup workers from Ukraine exposed to radiation (UR-CLL). Radiation risks of CLL significantly increased with in...

Authors: Juhi Ojha, Iryna Dyagil, Stuart C. Finch, Robert F. Reiss, Adam J. de Smith, Semira Gonseth, Mi Zhou, Helen M. Hansen, Amy L. Sherborne, Jean Nakamura, Paige M. Bracci, Nataliya Gudzenko, Maureen Hatch, Nataliya Babkina, Mark P. Little, Vadim V. Chumak…

Rationale for Environmental Hygiene towards global protection of fetuses and young children from adverse lifestyle factors

The regulatory management of chemicals and toxicants in the EU addresses hundreds of different chemicals and health hazards individually, one by one. An issue is that, so far, the possible interactions among c...

Authors: Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, Anne-Simone Parent, Jos C. S. Kleinjans, Tim S. Nawrot, Greet Schoeters and Nicolas Van Larebeke

Cardiorespiratory health effects of gaseous ambient air pollution exposure in low and middle income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Lack of research on the effects of gaseous pollutants (nitrogen oxides [NO_x], sulfur dioxide [SO₂], carbon monoxide [CO] and ozone [O₃]) in the ambient environment on health outcomes from within low and middle in...

Authors: Katherine Newell, Christiana Kartsonaki, Kin Bong Hubert Lam and Om Kurmi

Emerging trends in geospatial artificial intelligence (geoAI): potential applications for environmental epidemiology

Geospatial artificial intelligence (geoAI) is an emerging scientific discipline that combines innovations in spatial science, artificial intelligence methods in machine learning (e.g., deep learning), data min...

Authors: Trang VoPham, Jaime E. Hart, Francine Laden and Yao-Yi Chiang

Association of neighborhood greenness with self-perceived stress, depression and anxiety symptoms in older U.S adults

Neighborhood environment, such as green vegetation, has been shown to play a role in coping with stress and mental ill health. Yet, epidemiological evidence of the association between greenness and mental heal...

Authors: Vivian C. Pun, Justin Manjourides and Helen H. Suh

Susceptibility to short-term ozone exposure and cardiovascular and respiratory mortality by previous hospitalizations

Ozone (O₃) has been associated with cardiorespiratory mortality although few studies have explored susceptible populations based on prior disease.

Authors: Auriba Raza, Marcus Dahlquist, Tomas Lind and Petter L. S. Ljungman

Does precautionary information about electromagnetic fields trigger nocebo responses? An experimental risk communication study

Regarding electromagnetic fields from mobile communication technologies, empirical studies have shown that precautionary information given to lay recipients increases their risk perceptions, i.e. the belief th...

Authors: Christoph Boehmert, Adam Verrender, Mario Pauli and Peter Wiedemann

Relationships between aeroallergen levels and hospital admissions for asthma in the Brussels-Capital Region: a daily time series analysis

Outdoor pollen grain and fungal spore concentrations have been associated with severe asthma exacerbations at the population level. The specific impact of each taxon and the concomitant effect of air pollution...

Authors: Ariane Guilbert, Bianca Cox, Nicolas Bruffaerts, Lucie Hoebeke, Ann Packeu, Marijke Hendrickx, Koen De Cremer, Sandrine Bladt, Olivier Brasseur and An Van Nieuwenhuyse

Early life swimming pool exposure and asthma onset in children – a case-control study

Trichloramine exposure in indoor swimming pools has been suggested to cause asthma in children. We aimed to investigate the risk of asthma onset among children in relation to individual trichloramine exposure.

Authors: Martin Andersson, Helena Backman, Gunnar Nordberg, Annika Hagenbjörk, Linnea Hedman, Kåre Eriksson, Bertil Forsberg and Eva Rönmark

Longitudinal associations of long-term exposure to ultrafine particles with blood pressure and systemic inflammation in Puerto Rican adults

Few longitudinal studies have examined the association between ultrafine particulate matter (UFP, particles < 0.1 μm aerodynamic diameter) exposure and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. We used data f...

Authors: Laura Corlin, Mark Woodin, Jaime E. Hart, Matthew C. Simon, David M. Gute, Joanna Stowell, Katherine L. Tucker, John L. Durant and Doug Brugge

Childhood and adolescent phenol and phthalate exposure and the age of menarche in Latina girls

The age of menarche has been associated with metabolic and cardiovascular disease, as well as cancer risk. The decline in menarcheal age over the past century may be partially attributable to increased exposur...

Authors: Alexandra M. Binder, Camila Corvalan, Antonia M. Calafat, Xiaoyun Ye, Verónica Mericq, Ana Pereira and Karin B. Michels

Cholinesterase research outreach project (CROP): point of care cholinesterase measurement in an Australian agricultural community

Australian farmers are routinely exposed to a wide variety of agrichemicals, including herbicides and insecticides. Organophosphate (OP) insecticides are widely used for agricultural production, horticulture a...

Authors: Jacqueline Cotton, John Edwards, Muhammad Aziz Rahman and Susan Brumby

The effect of industry-related air pollution on lung function and respiratory symptoms in school children

Heavy industry emits many potentially hazardous pollutants into the air which can affect health. However, the effects of air pollution from heavy industry on lung function and respiratory symptoms have been in...

Authors: Arnold D. Bergstra, Bert Brunekreef and Alex Burdorf

Occupational exposure to asphalt mixture during road paving is related to increased mitochondria DNA copy number: a cross-sectional study

Asphalt workers are exposed to polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from hot mix asphalt via both inhalation and dermal absorption. The use of crumb rubber modified (CRM) asphalt may result in higher exposure to P...

Authors: Yiyi Xu, Christian H. Lindh, Bo A. G. Jönsson, Karin Broberg and Maria Albin

Exposure to hazardous air pollutants and risk of incident breast cancer in the Nurses’ Health Study II

Findings from a recent prospective cohort study in California suggested increased risk of breast cancer associated with higher exposure to certain carcinogenic and estrogen-disrupting hazardous air pollutants ...

Authors: Jaime E. Hart, Kimberly A. Bertrand, Natalie DuPre, Peter James, Verónica M. Vieira, Trang VoPham, Maggie R. Mittleman, Rulla M. Tamimi and Francine Laden

Childhood fish oil supplementation modifies associations between traffic related air pollution and allergic sensitisation

Studies of potential adverse effects of traffic related air pollution (TRAP) on allergic disease have had mixed findings. Nutritional studies to examine whether fish oil supplementation may protect against dev...

Authors: Anna L. Hansell, Ioannis Bakolis, Christine T. Cowie, Elena G. Belousova, Kitty Ng, Christina Weber-Chrysochoou, Warwick J. Britton, Stephen R. Leeder, Euan R. Tovey, Karen L. Webb, Brett G. Toelle and Guy B. Marks

Exploring the endocrine activity of air pollutants associated with unconventional oil and gas extraction

In the last decade unconventional oil and gas (UOG) extraction has rapidly proliferated throughout the United States (US) and the world. This occurred largely because of the development of directional drilling...

Authors: Ashley L. Bolden, Kim Schultz, Katherine E. Pelch and Carol F. Kwiatkowski

Glyphosate exposure in pregnancy and shortened gestational length: a prospective Indiana birth cohort study

Glyphosate (GLY) is the most heavily used herbicide worldwide but the extent of exposure in human pregnancy remains unknown. Its residues are found in the environment, major crops, and food items that humans, ...

Authors: S. Parvez, R. R. Gerona, C. Proctor, M. Friesen, J. L. Ashby, J. L. Reiter, Z. Lui and P. D. Winchester

Correction to: Early-life exposure to PM2.5 and risk of acute asthma clinical encounters among children in Massachusetts: a case-crossover analysis

After publication of the article [1], it was brought to our attention that a number in Table 1 is incorrect.

Authors: Roxana Khalili, Scott M. Bartell, Xuefei Hu, Yang Liu, Howard H. Chang, Candice Belanoff, Matthew J. Strickland and Verónica M. Vieira

Early life Triclosan exposure and child adiposity at 8 Years of age: a prospective cohort study

Triclosan is an antimicrobial agent that may affect the gut microbiome and endocrine system to influence adiposity. However, little data from prospective studies examining prenatal and childhood exposures exis...

Authors: Geetika Kalloo, Antonia M. Calafat, Aimin Chen, Kimberly Yolton, Bruce P. Lanphear and Joseph M. Braun

Prenatal exposure to TCDD and atopic conditions in the Seveso second generation: a prospective cohort study

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is a toxic environmental contaminant that can bioaccumulate in humans, cross the placenta, and cause immunological effects in children, including altering their risk of ...

Authors: Morgan Ye, Marcella Warner, Paolo Mocarelli, Paolo Brambilla and Brenda Eskenazi

Short-term effects of ambient fine particulate matter pollution on hospital visits for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Beijing, China

Little is known about the effect of ambient fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in China. The objective of this study was to explore the short-term effects of PM_2.5 on ...

Authors: Yaohua Tian, Xiao Xiang, Juan Juan, Jing Song, Yaying Cao, Chao Huang, Man Li and Yonghua Hu

Early-life exposure to PM_2.5 and risk of acute asthma clinical encounters among children in Massachusetts: a case-crossover analysis

Associations between ambient particulate matter < 2.5 μm (PM_2.5) and asthma morbidity have been suggested in previous epidemiologic studies but results are inconsistent for areas with lower PM_2.5 levels. We estim...

Authors: Roxana Khalili, Scott M. Bartell, Xuefei Hu, Yang Liu, Howard H. Chang, Candice Belanoff, Matthew J. Strickland and Verónica M. Vieira

Cumulative exposure to environmental pollutants during early pregnancy and reduced fetal growth: the Project Viva cohort

Reduced fetal growth is associated with perinatal and later morbidity. Prenatal exposure to environmental pollutants is linked to reduced fetal growth at birth, but the impact of concomitant exposure to multip...

Authors: Lisa B. Rokoff, Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman, Brent A. Coull, Andres Cardenas, Antonia M. Calafat, Xiaoyun Ye, Alexandros Gryparis, Joel Schwartz, Sharon K. Sagiv, Diane R. Gold, Emily Oken and Abby F. Fleisch

Transgenerational effects of polychlorinated biphenyls: 1. Development and physiology across 3 generations of rats

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic environmental contaminants and known endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Previous studies demonstrated that developmental exposure to the weakly estro...

Authors: Jan A. Mennigen, Lindsay M. Thompson, Mandee Bell, Marlen Tellez Santos and Andrea C. Gore

In-utero exposure to phenols and phthalates and the intelligence quotient of boys at 5 years

There are concerns that developmental exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals such as phenolic compounds and phthalates could affect child cognitive function. Epidemiological studies tackling this question ...

Authors: Dorothy Nakiwala, Hugo Peyre, Barbara Heude, Jonathan Y. Bernard, Rémi Béranger, Rémy Slama and Claire Philippat

Letter to editor: Blood pressure, hypertension and lead exposure

A significant association of office diastolic blood pressure with low-level blood lead exposure was reported in a Brazilian adult population. However, caution should be taken to interpret these results. The mu...

Authors: Wen-Yi Yang and Jan A. Staessen

Efficacy of N,N‘bis-(2-mercaptoethyl) isophthalamide on mercury intoxication: a randomized controlled trial

Chronic mercury intoxication is a severe health issue and occurs especially in gold mining communities. Common chelators used for improving mercury elimination are not everywhere available and challenged by po...

Authors: Paul Schutzmeier, Augusto Focil Baquerizo, Wilson Castillo-Tandazo, Nicholas Focil and Stephan Bose-O’Reilly

Respiratory health effects of exposure to low levels of airborne endotoxin – a systematic review

Elevated endotoxin levels have been measured in ambient air around livestock farms, which is a cause of concern for neighbouring residents. There is clear evidence that occupational exposure to high concentrat...

Authors: Azadèh Farokhi, Dick Heederik and Lidwien A. M. Smit

A review of the experimental evidence on the toxicokinetics of carbon monoxide: the potential role of pathophysiology among susceptible groups

Acute high level carbon monoxide (CO) exposure can cause immediate cardio-respiratory arrest in anyone, but the effects of lower level exposures in susceptible persons are less well known. The percentage of CO...

Authors: Prabjit Barn, Luisa Giles, Marie-Eve Héroux and Tom Kosatsky

Bisphenol a increases risk for presumed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Hispanic adolescents in NHANES 2003–2010

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a ubiquitous chemical and recognized endocrine disruptor associated with obesity and related disorders. We explored the association between BPA levels and suspected non-alcoholic fatty liv...

Authors: Sofia G. Verstraete, Janet M. Wojcicki, Emily R. Perito and Philip Rosenthal

Can profiles of poly- and Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in human serum provide information on major exposure sources?

Humans are exposed to poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) from diverse sources and this has been associated with negative health impacts. Advances in analytical methods have enabled routine detection o...

Authors: Xindi C. Hu, Clifton Dassuncao, Xianming Zhang, Philippe Grandjean, Pál Weihe, Glenys M. Webster, Flemming Nielsen and Elsie M. Sunderland

Further analysis of the relationship between atmospheric lead emissions and aggressive crime: an ecological study

Authors: Mark Patrick Taylor, Miriam K. Forbes, Brian Opeskin, Nick Parr and Bruce P. Lanphear

Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants and child overweight/obesity at 5-year follow-up: a prospective cohort study

Prenatal exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs), may influence offspring weight gain. More prospective epidemiological studies are needed to compliment the growing body of evidence from animal studies.

Authors: Hilde B. Lauritzen, Tricia L. Larose, Torbjørn Øien, Torkjel M. Sandanger, Jon Ø. Odland, Margot van de Bor and Geir W. Jacobsen