Embattled head of US environment agency resigns
Embattled head of US environment agency resigns, Published online: 05 July 2018; doi:10.1038/d41586-018-05661-5Scott Pruitt provoked controversy over his policies at the Environmental Protection Agency. (Source: Nature AOP)
Source: Nature AOP - July 5, 2018 Category: Research Authors: Jeff Tollefson Source Type: research
Environmental health surveillance in a future European health information system
ConclusionsThere is potential to use HBM based information in a number of public health policies, and this would help to align reporting to international commitments. Environmental health surveillance based on HBM and HBM-based indicators, is an excellent tool to inform public health policies about risks from environmental chemicals, and the EU health information system would benefit from additional HBM-based indicators for monitoring exposure burden from environmental chemicals. Considerable efforts are needed to align and establish routine data collections and to develop a surveillance system and indicators which may inf...
Source: Archives of Public Health - June 28, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research
US environment agency pushes to limit its use of non-public data
US environment agency pushes to limit its use of non-public data, Published online: 24 April 2018; doi:10.1038/d41586-018-04968-7Critics say the US Environmental Protection Agency's plan would hamstring public health and environmental protections. (Source: Nature AOP)
Source: Nature AOP - April 24, 2018 Category: Research Authors: Jeff Tollefson Source Type: research
New and emerging risks of chemical carcinogens: detection and prevention
Cancer is a major cause of death worldwide and there are many efforts to tackle it. Occupational cancer is a cancer caused fully or partially by exposure to a cancer-causing agent at work. It has been estimated that 8% of all cancers are caused by exposures to carcinogens in the workplace. Using the cancer incidence numbers in the EU-27, this means that there are about 122000 new cancer cases in the EU each year caused by occupational exposure [1]. This number is very likely to be an underestimate because of the long latency of cancer, and difficulties in establishing a causal relationship between occupational exposure and...
Source: Occupational Medicine - March 27, 2018 Category: Respiratory Medicine Source Type: research
A study of particulate emissions during 23 major industrial fires: Implications for human health.
Abstract
Public exposure to significantly elevated levels of particulate matter (PM) as a result of major fires at industrial sites is a worldwide problem. Our paper describes how the United Kingdom developed its Air Quality in Major Incidents (AQinMI) service to provide fire emission plume concentration data for use by managers at the time of the incident and to allow an informed public health response. It is one of the first civilian services of its type anywhere in the world. Based on the involvement of several of the authors in the AQinMI service, we describe the service's function, detail the nature o...
Source: Environment International - March 16, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Griffiths SD, Chappell P, Entwistle JA, Kelly FJ, Deary ME Tags: Environ Int Source Type: research
Biomonitoring of polychlorinated biphenyls in Bavaria/Germany-long-term observations and standardization.
Abstract
In the 1980s, it was demonstrated that semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) accumulate in plant leaves. Plants are at the base of the food chain, and therefore a starting point for transfer of PCBs to animals and related human exposure. For two decades, the Environment Agency of the German federal state of Bavaria (LfU) has been operating long-term monitoring stations to measure the impact of organic air pollutants. Standardized ryegrass, curly kale, and spruce needles are used as bioindicators for the atmospheric entries of PCBs into vegetation. From the e...
Source: Environmental Science and Pollution Research International - December 29, 2017 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Weber R, Gonser S, Köhler J, Körner W, Herold C, Haag R, Krapp M, Peichl L Tags: Environ Sci Pollut Res Int Source Type: research
Modelling migration of substances from polymers into drinking water. Part 1 - Diffusion coefficient estimations
Publication date: February 2018 Source:Polymer Testing, Volume 65 Author(s): P.V. Mercea, A. Kalisch, M. Ulrich, H. Benz, O.G. Piringer, V. Toşa, R. Schuster, S. Aranyi, P. Sejersen In a first part of this work the permeation through and diffusion/migration from high density polyethylene, polybutylene, polypropylene and cross linked polyethylene films was investigated experimentally with three different methods to determine diffusion coefficients in these polyolefins for a series of additives, their degradation products and other organic substances in the 20–60 °C temperature range. The experimental methods...
Source: Polymer Testing - December 2, 2017 Category: Chemistry Source Type: research
IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1415: OMI and Ground-Based In-Situ Tropospheric Nitrogen Dioxide Observations over Several Important European Cities during 2005 –2014
IJERPH, Vol. 14, Pages 1415: OMI and Ground-Based In-Situ Tropospheric Nitrogen Dioxide Observations over Several Important European Cities during 2005–2014
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph14111415
Authors:
Spiru Paraschiv
Daniel-Eduard Constantin
Simona-Lizica Paraschiv
Mirela Voiculescu
In this work we present the evolution of tropospheric nitrogen dioxide (NO2) content over several important European cities during 2005–2014 using space observations and ground-based in-situ measurements. The NO2 content was derived using the daily observations provide...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - November 20, 2017 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Spiru Paraschiv Daniel-Eduard Constantin Simona-Lizica Paraschiv Mirela Voiculescu Tags: Article Source Type: research
Grant recipients can still give objective advice
Nature 551, 7679 (2017). doi:10.1038/551142a
The US environment agency should not ban researchers it funds from its advisory boards. (Source: Nature)
Source: Nature - November 8, 2017 Category: Research Tags: Editorial Source Type: research
US environment agency bars scientists it funds from serving on its advisory boards
Nature 551, 7679 (2017). http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/nature.2017.22929
Author: Jeff Tollefson
The US Environmental Protection Agency says the policy will address potential conflicts of interest, but scientists raise alarms. (Source: Nature)
Source: Nature - October 31, 2017 Category: Research Authors: Jeff Tollefson Tags: News Source Type: research
A hierarchical testing strategy for micropollutants in drinking water regarding their potential endocrine-disrupting effects-towards health-related indicator values.
Abstract
In Germany, micropollutants that (may) occur in drinking water are assessed by means of the health-related indicator value (HRIV concept), developed by the German Federal Environment Agency. This concept offers five threshold values (≤ 0.01 to ≤ 3 μg l(-1)) depending on availability and completeness of data regarding genotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and germ cell-damaging potential. However, the HRIV concept is yet lacking integration of endocrine disruptors as one of the most prominent toxicological concerns in water bodies, including drinking water. Thresholds and proposed bioassays hence u...
Source: Environmental Science and Pollution Research International - September 21, 2017 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Kuckelkorn J, Redelstein R, Heide T, Kunze J, Maletz S, Waldmann P, Grummt T, Seiler TB, Hollert H Tags: Environ Sci Pollut Res Int Source Type: research
Assessment of shipping emissions on four ports of Portugal.
Abstract
In the last few years, ship emissions have attracted growing attention in the scientific community. The main reason is the constant increase of marine emissions over the last twenty years due to the intensification of port traffic. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate ship emissions (PM10, PM2.5, NOx, SO2, CO, CO2, N2O CH4, NMVOC, and HC) through the activity-based methodology in four of the main ports of Portugal (Leixões, Setúbal, Sines and Viana do Castelo) during 2013 and 2014. The analysis was performed according to ship types (bulk carrier, container, general cargo, passenger, Ro-Ro cargo, t...
Source: Environmental Pollution - September 13, 2017 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Nunes RAO, Alvim-Ferraz MCM, Martins FG, Sousa SIV Tags: Environ Pollut Source Type: research
Exposure to Road, Railway, and Aircraft Noise and Arterial Stiffness in the SAPALDIA Study: Annual Average Noise Levels and Temporal Noise Characteristics
Conclusions:
Long-term exposure to railway noise, particularly in an intermittent nighttime noise environment, and to nighttime noise events, mainly related to road noise, may affect arterial stiffness, a major determinant of cardiovascular disease. Ascertaining noise exposure characteristics beyond average noise levels may be relevant to better understand noise-related health effects. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP1136
Received: 23 September 2016
Revised: 20 March 2017
Accepted: 31 March 2017
Published: 07 September 2017
Address correspondence to M. Foraster, Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Dept. of Epidemi...
Source: EHP Research - September 7, 2017 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Daniil Lyalko Tags: Research Source Type: research
A Human Mixture Risk Assessment for Neurodevelopmental Toxicity Associated with Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers Used as Flame Retardants
Conclusions:
Our estimates corroborate reports from several recent epidemiological studies of associations between PBDE exposures and neurobehavioral outcomes, and they support the inclusion of BDE-209 in the persistent organic pollutant (POP) convention as well as the need for strategies to reduce exposures to PBDE mixtures, including maximum residue limits for PBDEs in food and measures for limiting the release of PBDEs from consumer waste. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP826
Received: 18 July 2016
Revised: 06 May 2017
Accepted: 09 May 2017
Published: 23 August 2017
Address correspondence to A. Kortenkamp, Brunel Univer...
Source: EHP Research - August 23, 2017 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Daniil Lyalko Tags: Research Source Type: research
Analysis of Temporal Variability in the Short-term Effects of Ambient Air Pollutants on Nonaccidental Mortality in Rome, Italy (1998 –2014)
Conclusions:
Mean concentrations of air pollutants have decreased over the last two decades in Rome, but effect estimates for a fixed increment in each exposure were generally consistent. These findings suggest that there has been little or no change in the overall toxicity of the air pollution mixture over time. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP19
Received: 23 February 2016
Revised: 07 November 2016
Accepted: 07 November 2016
Published: 28 June 2017
Address correspondence to M. Renzi, Department of Epidemiology, Lazio Region Health Service/ASL Roma 1, via Cristoforo Colombo 112, 00147 Rome, Italy. Telephone: 39-06-9972218...
Source: EHP Research - June 28, 2017 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Daniil Lyalko Tags: Research Source Type: research
