Articles

The potential monetary benefits of reclaiming hazardous waste sites in the Campania region: an economic evaluation

Evaluating the economic benefit of reducing negative health outcomes resulting from waste management is of pivotal importance for designing an effective waste policy that takes into account the health conseque...

Authors: Carla Guerriero and John Cairns

Respiratory symptoms in children living near busy roads and their relationship to vehicular traffic: results of an Italian multicenter study (SIDRIA 2)

Epidemiological studies have provided evidence that exposure to vehicular traffic increases the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and may exacerbate pre-existing asthma in children. Self-reported exposure to ...

Authors: Enrica Migliore, Giovanna Berti, Claudia Galassi, Neil Pearce, Francesco Forastiere, Roberto Calabrese, Lucio Armenio, Annibale Biggeri, Luigi Bisanti, Massimiliano Bugiani, Ennio Cadum, Elisabetta Chellini, Valerio Dell'Orco, Gabriele Giannella, Piersante Sestini, Giuseppe Corbo…

Particulate air pollution and chronic ischemic heart disease in the eastern United States: a county level ecological study using satellite aerosol data

There are several known factors that cause ischemic heart disease. However, the part played by air pollution still remains something of a mystery. Recent attention has focused on the chronic effect of particul...

Authors: Zhiyong Hu and K Ranga Rao

Air pollution and emergency department visits for cardiac and respiratory conditions: a multi-city time-series analysis

Relatively few studies have been conducted of the association between air pollution and emergency department (ED) visits, and most of these have been based on a small number of visits, for a limited number of ...

Authors: David M Stieb, Mieczyslaw Szyszkowicz, Brian H Rowe and Judith A Leech

Effect of dioxins on regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase gene expression by aryl hydrocarbon receptor: a neurotoxicology study

Dioxins and related compounds are suspected of causing neurological disruption. Epidemiological studies indicated that exposure to these compounds caused neurodevelopmental disturbances such as learning disabi...

Authors: Eiichi Akahoshi, Seiko Yoshimura, Saeko Uruno and Mitsuko Ishihara-Sugano

Feasibility of a cohort study on health risks caused by occupational exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields

The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility of performing a cohort study on health risks from occupational exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) in Germany.

Authors: Jürgen Breckenkamp, Gabriele Berg-Beckhoff, Eva Münster, Joachim Schüz, Brigitte Schlehofer, Jürgen Wahrendorf and Maria Blettner

Between-airport heterogeneity in air toxics emissions associated with individual cancer risk thresholds and population risks

Airports represent a complex source type of increasing importance contributing to air toxics risks. Comprehensive atmospheric dispersion models are beyond the scope of many applications, so it would be valuabl...

Authors: Ying Zhou and Jonathan I Levy

Dealing with uncertainties in environmental burden of disease assessment

Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) combine the number of people affected by disease or mortality in a population and the duration and severity of their condition into one number. The environmental burden o...

Authors: Anne B Knol, Arthur C Petersen, Jeroen P van der Sluijs and Erik Lebret

Placental biomarkers of phthalate effects on mRNA transcription: application in epidemiologic research

CYP19 and PPARγ are two genes expressed in the placental trophoblast that are important to placental function and are disrupted by phthalate exposure in other cell types. Measurement of the mRNA of these two g...

Authors: Jennifer J Adibi, Russ Hauser, Paige L Williams, Robin M Whyatt, Harshwardhan M Thaker, Heather Nelson, Robert Herrick and Hari K Bhat

Mobile and cordless telephones, serum transthyretin and the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier: a cross-sectional study

Whether low-intensity radiofrequency radiation damages the blood-brain barrier has long been debated, but little or no consideration has been given to the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier. In this cross-secti...

Authors: Fredrik Söderqvist, Michael Carlberg and Lennart Hardell

Longitudinal trends in organophosphate incidents reported to the National Pesticide Information Center, 1995–2007

Regulatory decisions to phase-out the availability and use of common organophosphate pesticides among the general public were announced in 2000 and continued through 2004. Based on revised risk assessments, ch...

Authors: David L Stone, Daniel L Sudakin and Jeffrey J Jenkins

Does traffic exhaust contribute to the development of asthma and allergic sensitization in children: findings from recent cohort studies

The aim of this review was to assess the evidence from recent prospective studies that long-term traffic pollution could contribute to the development of asthma-like symptoms and allergic sensitization in chil...

Authors: Lennart Bråbäck and Bertil Forsberg

Assessing the distribution of volatile organic compounds using land use regression in Sarnia, "Chemical Valley", Ontario, Canada

Land use regression (LUR) modelling is proposed as a promising approach to meet some of the challenges of assessing the intra-urban spatial variability of ambient air pollutants in urban and industrial setting...

Authors: Dominic Odwa Atari and Isaac N Luginaah

Association of blood lead concentrations with mortality in older women: a prospective cohort study

Blood lead concentrations have been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular, cancer, and all-cause mortality in adults in general population and occupational cohorts. We aimed to determine the associa...

Authors: Naila Khalil, John W Wilson, Evelyn O Talbott, Lisa A Morrow, Marc C Hochberg, Teresa A Hillier, Susan B Muldoon, Steven R Cummings and Jane A Cauley

Spatial analysis of air pollution and childhood asthma in Hamilton, Canada: comparing exposure methods in sensitive subgroups

Variations in air pollution exposure within a community may be associated with asthma prevalence. However, studies conducted to date have produced inconsistent results, possibly due to errors in measurement of...

Authors: Talar Sahsuvaroglu, Michael Jerrett, Malcolm R Sears, Rob McConnell, Norm Finkelstein, Altaf Arain, Bruce Newbold and Rick Burnett

Investigation into pedestrian exposure to near-vehicle exhaust emissions

Inhalation of diesel particulate matter (DPM) is known to have a negative impact on human health. Consequently, there are regulations and standards that limit the maximum concentrations to which persons may be...

Authors: Neil A Buzzard, Nigel N Clark and Steven E Guffey

Prenatal chlorpyrifos exposure alters motor behavior and ultrasonic vocalization in cd-1 mouse pups

Chlorpyrifos (CPF) is a non-persistent organophosphate (OP) largely used as pesticide. Studies from animal models indicate that CPF is a developmental neurotoxicant able to target immature central nervous syst...

Authors: Aldina Venerosi, Laura Ricceri, Maria Luisa Scattoni and Gemma Calamandrei

Characterization of occupational exposures to cleaning products used for common cleaning tasks-a pilot study of hospital cleaners

In recent years, cleaning has been identified as an occupational risk because of an increased incidence of reported respiratory effects, such as asthma and asthma-like symptoms among cleaning workers. Due to t...

Authors: Anila Bello, Margaret M Quinn, Melissa J Perry and Donald K Milton

A hazardous substance exposure prevention rating method for intervention needs assessment and effectiveness evaluation: the Small Business Exposure Index

This paper describes the refinement and adaptation to small business of a previously developed method for systematically prioritizing needs for intervention on hazardous substance exposures in manufacturing wo...

Authors: Anthony D LaMontagne, Anne M Stoddard, Cora Roelofs, Grace Sembajwe, Amy L Sapp and Glorian Sorensen

A systematic review of US state environmental legislation and regulation with regards to the prevention of neurodevelopmental disabilities and asthma

While much attention is focused on national policies intended to protect human health from environmental hazards, states can also prevent environmentally mediated disease through legislation and regulation. Ho...

Authors: Lauren Zajac, Eli Sprecher, Philip J Landrigan and Leonardo Trasande

Applicability of non-invasively collected matrices for human biomonitoring

With its inclusion under Action 3 in the Environment and Health Action Plan 2004–2010 of the European Commission, human biomonitoring is currently receiving an increasing amount of attention from the scientifi...

Authors: Roel Smolders, Karl-Werner Schramm, Marc Nickmilder and Greet Schoeters

Health impact assessment of particulate pollution in Tallinn using fine spatial resolution and modeling techniques

Health impact assessments (HIA) use information on exposure, baseline mortality/morbidity and exposure-response functions from epidemiological studies in order to quantify the health impacts of existing situat...

Authors: Hans Orru, Erik Teinemaa, Taavi Lai, Tanel Tamm, Marko Kaasik, Veljo Kimmel, Kati Kangur, Eda Merisalu and Bertil Forsberg

Toxic ignorance and right-to-know in biomonitoring results communication: a survey of scientists and study participants

Exposure assessment has shifted from pollutant monitoring in air, soil, and water toward personal exposure measurements and biomonitoring. This trend along with the paucity of health effect data for many of th...

Authors: Rachel Morello-Frosch, Julia Green Brody, Phil Brown, Rebecca Gasior Altman, Ruthann A Rudel and Carla Pérez

Determination of no-observed effect level (NOEL)-biomarker equivalents to interpret biomonitoring data for organophosphorus pesticides in children

Environmental exposure to organophosphorus pesticides has been characterized in various populations, but interpretation of these data from a health risk perspective remains an issue. The current paper proposes...

Authors: Mathieu Valcke and Michèle Bouchard

Participant experiences in a breastmilk biomonitoring study: A qualitative assessment

Biomonitoring studies can provide information about individual and population-wide exposure. However they must be designed in a way that protects the rights and welfare of participants. This descriptive qualit...

Authors: Nerissa Wu, Michael D McClean, Phil Brown, Ann Aschengrau and Thomas F Webster

Spatial analysis of bladder, kidney, and pancreatic cancer on upper Cape Cod: an application of generalized additive models to case-control data

In 1988, elevated cancer incidence in upper Cape Cod, Massachusetts prompted a large epidemiological study of nine cancers to investigate possible environmental risk factors. Positive associations were observe...

Authors: Verónica Vieira, Thomas Webster, Janice Weinberg and Ann Aschengrau

Mercury from chlor-alkali plants: measured concentrations in food product sugar

Mercury cell chlor-alkali products are used to produce thousands of other products including food ingredients such as citric acid, sodium benzoate, and high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is use...

Authors: Renee Dufault, Blaise LeBlanc, Roseanne Schnoll, Charles Cornett, Laura Schweitzer, David Wallinga, Jane Hightower, Lyn Patrick and Walter J Lukiw

Gender and respiratory findings in workers occupationally exposed to organic aerosols: A meta analysis of 12 cross-sectional studies

Gender related differences in respiratory disease have been documented. The aim of this study was to investigate gender related differences in respiratory findings by occupation. We analyzed data from 12 of ou...

Authors: E Neil Schachter, Eugenija Zuskin, Erin L Moshier, James Godbold, Jadranka Mustajbegovic, Jasna Pucarin-Cvetkovic and Angelo Chiarelli

Immune cell counts and risks of respiratory infections among infants exposed pre- and postnatally to organochlorine compounds: a prospective study

Early-life chemical exposure may influence immune system development, subsequently affecting child health. We investigated immunomodulatory potentials of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and p,p'-DDE in infants.

Authors: Anders Glynn, Ann Thuvander, Marie Aune, Anders Johannisson, Per Ola Darnerud, Gunnar Ronquist and Sven Cnattingius

A framework for integrated environmental health impact assessment of systemic risks

Traditional methods of risk assessment have provided good service in support of policy, mainly in relation to standard setting and regulation of hazardous chemicals or practices. In recent years, however, it h...

Authors: David J Briggs

The effects of socioeconomic status and indices of physical environment on reduced birth weight and preterm births in Eastern Massachusetts

Air pollution and social characteristics have been shown to affect indicators of health. While use of spatial methods to estimate exposure to air pollution has increased the power to detect effects, questions ...

Authors: Ariana Zeka, Steve J Melly and Joel Schwartz

Semen quality in Peruvian pesticide applicators: association between urinary organophosphate metabolites and semen parameters

Organophosphates are broad class of chemicals widely used as pesticides throughout the world. We performed a cross-sectional study of associations between dialkylphosphate metabolites of organophosphates and s...

Authors: Sandra Yucra, Manuel Gasco, Julio Rubio and Gustavo F Gonzales

Facing the Challenge of Data Transfer from Animal Models to Humans: the Case of Persistent Organohalogens

A well-documented fact for a group of persistent, bioaccumulating organohalogens contaminants, namely polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), is that appropriate regulation was delayed, on average, up to 50 years. S...

Authors: Alexander Suvorov and Larissa Takser

Systematic review of worldwide variations of the prevalence of wheezing symptoms in children

Considerable variation in the prevalence of childhood asthma and its symptoms (wheezing) has been observed in previous studies and there is evidence that the prevalence has been increasing over time.

Authors: Swatee P Patel, Marjo-Riitta Järvelin and Mark P Little

Linking the oceans to public health: current efforts and future directions

We review the major linkages between the oceans and public health, focusing on exposures and potential health effects due to anthropogenic and natural factors including: harmful algal blooms, microbes, and che...

Authors: Hauke L Kite-Powell, Lora E Fleming, Lorraine C Backer, Elaine M Faustman, Porter Hoagland, Ami Tsuchiya, Lisa R Younglove, Bruce A Wilcox and Rebecca J Gast

Environmental controls, oceanography and population dynamics of pathogens and harmful algal blooms: connecting sources to human exposure

Coupled physical-biological models are capable of linking the complex interactions between environmental factors and physical hydrodynamics to simulate the growth, toxicity and transport of infectious pathogen...

Authors: Julianne Dyble, Paul Bienfang, Eva Dusek, Gary Hitchcock, Fred Holland, Ed Laws, James Lerczak, Dennis J McGillicuddy Jr, Peter Minnett, Stephanie K Moore, Charles O'Kelly, Helena Solo-Gabriele and John D Wang

Impacts of climate variability and future climate change on harmful algal blooms and human health

Anthropogenically-derived increases in atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations have been implicated in recent climate change, and are projected to substantially impact the climate on a global scale in the fu...

Authors: Stephanie K Moore, Vera L Trainer, Nathan J Mantua, Micaela S Parker, Edward A Laws, Lorraine C Backer and Lora E Fleming

The coastal environment and human health: microbial indicators, pathogens, sentinels and reservoirs

Innovative research relating oceans and human health is advancing our understanding of disease-causing organisms in coastal ecosystems. Novel techniques are elucidating the loading, transport and fate of patho...

Authors: Jill R Stewart, Rebecca J Gast, Roger S Fujioka, Helena M Solo-Gabriele, J Scott Meschke, Linda A Amaral-Zettler, Erika del Castillo, Martin F Polz, Tracy K Collier, Mark S Strom, Christopher D Sinigalliano, Peter DR Moeller and A Fredrick Holland

Centers for Oceans and Human Health: a unified approach to the challenge of harmful algal blooms

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are one focus of the national research initiatives on Oceans and Human Health (OHH) at NIEHS, NOAA and NSF. All of the OHH Centers, from the east coast to Hawaii, include one or mor...

Authors: Deana L Erdner, Julianne Dyble, Michael L Parsons, Richard C Stevens, Katherine A Hubbard, Michele L Wrabel, Stephanie K Moore, Kathi A Lefebvre, Donald M Anderson, Paul Bienfang, Robert R Bidigare, Micaela S Parker, Peter Moeller, Larry E Brand and Vera L Trainer

Centers for Oceans and Human Health: contributions to an emerging discipline

Authors: Edward A Laws, Lora E Fleming and John J Stegeman

Health effects of ambient air pollution – recent research development and contemporary methodological challenges

Exposure to high levels of air pollution can cause a variety of adverse health outcomes. Air quality in developed countries has been generally improved over the last three decades. However, many recent epidemi...

Authors: Cizao Ren and Shilu Tong

Concentrations versus amounts of biomarkers in urine: a comparison of approaches to assess pyrethroid exposure

Assessment of human exposure to non-persistent pesticides such as pyrethroids is often based on urinary biomarker measurements. Urinary metabolite levels of these pesticides are usually reported in volume-weig...

Authors: Marie-Chantale Fortin, Gaétan Carrier and Michèle Bouchard

Exposure to mobile telecommunication networks assessed using personal dosimetry and well-being in children and adolescents: the German MobilEe-study

Despite the increase of mobile phone use in the last decade and the growing concern whether mobile telecommunication networks adversely affect health and well-being, only few studies have been published that f...

Authors: Silke Thomas, Anja Kühnlein, Sabine Heinrich, Georg Praml, Rüdiger von Kries and Katja Radon

Feeding mice with diets containing mercury-contaminated fish flesh from French Guiana: a model for the mercurial intoxication of the Wayana Amerindians

In 2005, 84% of Wayana Amerindians living in the upper marshes of the Maroni River in French Guiana presented a hair mercury concentration exceeding the limit set up by the World Health Organization (10 μg/g)....

Authors: Jean-Paul Bourdineaud, Nadège Bellance, Giovani Bénard, Daniel Brèthes, Masatake Fujimura, Patrice Gonzalez, Aline Marighetto, Régine Maury-Brachet, Cécile Mormède, Vanessa Pédron, Jean-Nicolas Philippin, Rodrigue Rossignol, William Rostène, Masumi Sawada and Muriel Laclau

Mercury immune toxicity in harbour seals: links to in vitro toxicity

Mercury is known to bioaccumulate and to magnify in marine mammals, which is a cause of great concern in terms of their general health. In particular, the immune system is known to be susceptible to long-term ...

Authors: Krishna Das, Ursula Siebert, Audrey Gillet, Aurélie Dupont, Carole Di-Poï, Sonja Fonfara, Gabriel Mazzucchelli, Edwin De Pauw and Marie-Claire De Pauw-Gillet

Risk for non Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the vicinity of French municipal solid waste incinerators

Dioxin emissions from municipal solid waste incinerators are one of the major sources of dioxins and therefore are an exposure source of public concern. There is growing epidemiologic evidence of an increased ...

Authors: Jean-François Viel, Côme Daniau, Sarah Goria, Pascal Fabre, Perrine de Crouy-Chanel, Erik-André Sauleau and Pascal Empereur-Bissonnet

Potential developmental neurotoxicity of pesticides used in Europe

Pesticides used in agriculture are designed to protect crops against unwanted species, such as weeds, insects, and fungus. Many compounds target the nervous system of insect pests. Because of the similarity in...

Authors: Marina Bjørling-Poulsen, Helle Raun Andersen and Philippe Grandjean

Spatial variations in the incidence of breast cancer and potential risks associated with soil dioxin contamination in Midland, Saginaw, and Bay Counties, Michigan, USA

High levels of dioxins in soil and higher-than-average body burdens of dioxins in local residents have been found in the city of Midland and the Tittabawassee River floodplain in Michigan. The objective of thi...

Authors: Dajun Dai and Tonny J Oyana

Particulate air pollution and survival in a COPD cohort

Several studies have shown cross-sectional associations between long term exposure to particulate air pollution and survival in general population or convenience cohorts. Less is known about susceptibility, or...

Authors: Antonella Zanobetti, Marie-Abele C Bind and Joel Schwartz

Association of clinical findings in Yusho patients with serum concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls, polychlorinated quarterphenyls and 2,3,4,7,8-pentachlorodibenzofuran more than 30 years after the poisoning event

The Yusho poisoning incident, which was caused by rice bran oil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated quarterphenyls (PCQs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) generated by ...

Authors: Yoshiyuki Kanagawa, Shinya Matsumoto, Soichi Koike, Bunichi Tajima, Noriko Fukiwake, Satoko Shibata, Hiroshi Uchi, Masutaka Furue and Tomoaki Imamura