Wayne State professor awarded Lou Guillette Jr. Outstanding Young Investigator Award

Christopher Kassotis, Ph.D., assistant professor of pharmacology in Wayne State University’s School of Medicine and the Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, has been chosen to receive the 2024 Lou Guillette Jr. Outstanding Young Investigator Award from the Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies (HEEDS) organization.

Imaging the invisible: advanced tech targets microplastics in living organisms

Plastic pollution, particularly the presence of microplastics in living organisms, poses a growing threat to ecosystems and human health. This groundbreaking study introduces mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) as a cutting-edge method for detecting and quantifying microplastics in biological samples, offering critical insights into their distribution and potential impacts.

UAlbany Study: Joint Effects of Thunderstorms and Power Outages Increase Respiratory-Related Emergency Department Visits

A new study led by UAlbany researchers is among the first to examine the joint effects of thunderstorms and power outages on respiratory-related emergency department visits in New York State.

Sizing up microplastics: nanofiltration uncovers environmental bioactivity

A new study reveals the bioactivity of microplastics in Lake Ontario using cutting-edge nanomembrane filtering technology. Researchers found all samples contained microplastics ranging between 8 and 20 µm. The study highlights varying bioactivity levels, such as aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activity and IL-6 levels, indicating potential health risks.

ATS Urges Do-Over on House of Representatives FY25 Interior & Environment Appropriations Bill

American Thoracic Society Environmental Health Policy Committee Chair Alison Lee, MD, strongly opposes proposed FY25 cuts that would jeopardize the health of all Americans: “Clean air, clean water and a healthy environment are essential to the health of all Americans. That is why I am calling on Congress to scrap the current FY25 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill and start over.

NIH funds critical center in Detroit to lead efforts to investigate and mitigate health impacts of community-voiced chemical and non-chemical stressors

Wayne State University received a $5.2 million P30 environmental health sciences core center grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in support of the “Center for Urban Responses to Environmental Stressors” that is a collaborative hub focused on community-engaged research and environmental health equity in Detroit and throughout the region.

Tracking Down Toxic Metals From Tobacco Smoke

Homes and public places where people smoke may have high levels of harmful trace metals from cigarettes, even after smoking stops, Berkeley Lab researchers have found. These metals include cadmium, arsenic, and chromium, and the levels may be above safety limits set by California.

EARLY-LIFE AIRBORNE LEAD EXPOSURE ASSOCIATED WITH LOWER IQ AND SELF-CONTROL IN NIH STUDY

Children who lived in areas with higher levels of airborne lead in their first five years of life appeared to have slightly lower IQs and less self-control, with boys showing more sensitivity to lead exposure, according to a new study from the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) Program.

WVU to help STEM graduates invest in Mountain State’s environmental health

To foster a continuing interest in STEM fields, West Virginia University is collaborating with other state universities to establish One Health West Virginia, a network connecting research mentors with postbaccalaureate mentees who will acquire training and experience to pursue STEM-based careers and address environmental health issues in the state.

Electrifying vehicles in Chicago would save lives, reduce pollution inequities

If the Chicago region replaced 30% of all on-road combustion-engine vehicles — including motorcycles, passenger cars and trucks, buses, refuse trucks and short- and long-haul trucks — with electric versions, it would annually save more than 1,000 lives and over $10 billion, according to a new Northwestern University study.

A Thermal Processable, Self-Healing, and Fully Bio-based Starch Plastic

Researchers have proposed a novel strategy for the development of sustainable and degradable bioplastics. This starch plastics, which possess integrated advantages including superior flexibility, excellent thermal processability, waterproof capability, solvent resistance, and self-healing ability, demonstrate immense potential as a viable substitute to petroleum-based plastics.

New research establishes enduring connection between racial segregation, childhood blood lead levels

Living in a racially segregated neighborhood puts Black children at a higher risk of having elevated blood lead levels, and this association has persisted over more than two decades, according to new research from the Children’s Environmental Health Initiative, which is led by University of Illinois Chicago Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda.

Mount Sinai Researchers Find Asian Americans to Have Significantly Higher Exposure to “Toxic Forever” Chemicals

Asian Americans have significantly higher exposure than other ethnic or racial groups to PFAS, a family of thousands of synthetic chemicals also known as “toxic forever” chemicals, Mount Sinai-led researchers report.

Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health Earns $8.6 Million Grant to Protect Workers

The Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (RMCOEH), a partnership between the University of Utah and Weber State University and one of the nation’s leading centers focused on the health and safety of workers and their environment, was recently awarded an $8.6 million grant that will allow it to further a mission that touches tens of thousands of people each year in Utah and across the West.

Ohio train derailment, clean-up resulted in high levels of some gases, study shows

A freight train carrying industrial chemicals derailed near East Palestine, Ohio, in February 2023. Researchers have been assessing the local air quality. Now, in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters, they report that some gases, including acrolein, reached levels that could be hazardous.

Environmental Health Expert Available to Comment on PFAS

On July 5, the U.S. Geological Survey released findings that suggest at least 45% of the nation’s tap water could be contaminated with PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals.” Now, as many Americans express their concern, one environmental health expert…

University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center Achieves Environmental Goals

University Hospitals (UH) Cleveland Medical Center is interested in sustainability with two primary goals: to raise sustainability and climate change awareness among employees through educational events, and to set manageable sustainability and net zero emissions goals that lead to a broader impact on health and the environment.

Cannabis use in adolescent years may create reproductive complications in women, according to a UC Irvine study

In a new study, University of California, Irvine researchers found that exposure to the compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a component of cannabis, at a young age could lead to depleted ovarian follicles and matured eggs in adulthood by nearly 50 percent.

Residents Could Be Exposed to Cancer-Causing Substances in Wake of Train Explosion

Days after a train carrying vinyl chloride derailed and exploded near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, a controlled burn of toxic chemicals was ignited to prevent a much more dangerous explosion. In the aftermath of the cleanup, three additional toxic chemicals have been discovered…

UNC Researchers Tackle the E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use–associated Lung Injury (EVALI) Epidemic

Although doctors and researchers sympathize with smokers wanting to quit smoking, scientists are discovering that vaping might not be a healthier alternative to smoking, especially in adolescents. E-cigarette products have recently been linked to a new, serious lung condition known as E-cigarette or Vaping Product Use-associated Lung Injury, or EVALI, which primarily affects youth and young adults. In 2019, the illness was declared an epidemic by the CDC.

EPA grant to Wayne State to evaluate chemical mixture health risks

There are hidden metabolic health impacts in things that most people encounter every day. From surface cleaners to silicone wristbands, from fracking fluids to wastewater — even household dust — these diverse environmental mixtures have a potential to disrupt human health. A grant from the EPA to Wayne State University will evaluate the risks of chemical mixtures on health.

Today: ANA2022 Media Roundtable to Spotlight Latest in Neuro Research

As the American Neurological Association’s 147th Annual Meeting wraps up today, October 25, the ANA is holding a Media Roundtable at 11 a.m. U.S. Central for reporters to access the latest developments in neurology and neuroscience.

Physicians call on health care organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

In a new commentary published in Annals of Internal Medicine, authors from Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Beth Israel Lahey Health, Tufts University of School of Medicine and Case Western Reserve University offer strategies for healthcare organizations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and outline potential strategy tradeoffs to consider toward this goal. They say health care has a moral imperative to reduce its emissions and environmental footprint and force transformation across all other sectors it touches.