Current Environmental Health Reports This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Microplastics in Seafood and the Implications for Human Health
We describe evidence regarding human exposure to microplastics via seafood and discuss potential health effects.Recent FindingsShellfish and other animals consumed whole pose particular concern for human exposure. If there is toxicity, it is likely dependent on dose, polymer type, size, surface chemistry, and hydrophobicity.SummaryHuman activity has led to microplastic contamination throughout the marine environment. As a result of widespread contamination, microplastics are ingested by many species of wildlife including fish and shellfish. Because microplastics are associated with chemicals from manufacturing and that sor...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - September 1, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Correction to: Environmental Noise Exposure and Neurodevelopmental and Mental Health Problems in Children: a Systematic Review
The first author ’s name should should be “Fariba Zare Sakhvidi”. (Source: Current Environmental Health Reports)
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - September 1, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Microplastics in Seafood and the Implications for Human Health
We describe evidence regarding human exposure to microplastics via seafood and discuss potential health effects.Recent FindingsShellfish and other animals consumed whole pose particular concern for human exposure. If there is toxicity, it is likely dependent on dose, polymer type, size, surface chemistry, and hydrophobicity.SummaryHuman activity has led to microplastic contamination throughout the marine environment. As a result of widespread contamination, microplastics are ingested by many species of wildlife including fish and shellfish. Because microplastics are associated with chemicals from manufacturing and that sor...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - August 16, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Integrating -Omics Approaches into Human Population-Based Studies of Prenatal and Early-Life Exposures
We present the study design and methodological suggestions for population-based studies that integrate molecular -omics data and highlight recent studies that have used such data to examine the potential impacts of prenatal environmental exposures on fetal health.Recent FindingsEpidemiologic studies have observed numerous relationships between prenatal exposures (smoking, toxic metals, endocrine disruptors) and fetal and early-life molecular profiles, though such investigations have so far been dominated by epigenomic association studies. However, recent transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic studies have demonstrated ...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - July 27, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Correction to: Environmental Noise Exposure and Neurodevelopmental and Mental Health Problems in Children: a Systematic Review
The first author ’s name should should be “Fariba Zare Sakhvidi”. (Source: Current Environmental Health Reports)
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - July 27, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

DNA Methylation Age —Environmental Influences, Health Impacts, and Its Role in Environmental Epidemiology
AbstractPurpose of ReviewDNA methylation-based aging biomarkers are valuable tools for evaluating the aging process from a molecular perspective. These epigenetic aging biomarkers can be evaluated across the lifespan and are tissue specific. This review examines the literature relating environmental exposures to DNA methylation-based aging biomarkers and also the literature evaluating these biomarkers as predictors of health outcomes.Recent FindingsMultiple studies evaluated the association between air pollution and DNA methylation age and consistently observed that higher exposures are associated with elevated DNA methyla...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - July 26, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Bayesian Correction for Exposure Misclassification and Evolution of Evidence in Two Studies of the Association Between Maternal Occupational Exposure to Asthmagens and Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder
AbstractPurpose of ReviewInference in epidemiologic studies is plagued by exposure misclassification. Several methods exist to correct for misclassification error. One approach is to use point estimates for the sensitivity (Sn) and specificity (Sp) of the tool used for exposure assessment. Unfortunately, we typically do not know the Sn and Sp with certainty. Bayesian methods for exposure misclassification correction allow us to model this uncertainty via distributions for Sn and Sp. These methods have been applied in epidemiologic literature, but are not considered a mainstream approach, especially in occupational epidemio...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - July 20, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Environmental Noise Exposure and Neurodevelopmental and Mental Health Problems in Children: a Systematic Review
AbstractPurpose of ReviewWe systematically summarized and evaluated evidence on association between traffic noise exposure and indicators of neurodevelopmental and mental health problems.Recent FindingsTwelve studies on 10 unique populations were reviewed. Different outcomes, mostly measured by the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and its subscales, were reported. Overall bias in each study was acceptable, but the quality of evidence for specific outcomes was “low” to “very low,” according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system.SummaryData supporting the harmful...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - July 16, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

The Effects of Air Pollution on the Brain: a Review of Studies Interfacing Environmental Epidemiology and Neuroimaging
AbstractPurpose of ReviewAn emerging body of evidence has raised concern regarding the potentially harmful effects of inhaled pollutants on the central nervous system during the last decade. In the general population, traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) exposure has been associated with adverse effects on cognitive, behavior, and psychomotor development in children, and with cognitive decline and higher risk of dementia in the elderly. Recently, studies have interfaced environmental epidemiology with magnetic resonance imaging to investigate in vivo the effects of TRAP on the human brain. The aim of this systematic review...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - July 14, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Why Regulators Lost Track and Control of Pesticide Risks: Lessons From the Case of Glyphosate-Based Herbicides and Genetically Engineered-Crop Technology
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThe approval of genetically engineered (GE) crops in the late 1990s triggered dramatic changes in corn, soybean, and cotton pest management systems, as well as complex, novel regulatory challenges. Lessons learned are reviewed and solutions described.Recent FindingsGovernment-imposed resistance management provisions can work and adapt to changing circumstances, but within the private sector, pressures to gain and hold market share have thus far trumped the widely recognized need for resistance management. Risks arising from the use of formulated pesticides often exceed by a wide margin those in reg...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - July 12, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Extreme Precipitation, Public Health Emergencies, and Safe Drinking Water in the USA
AbstractPurpose of ReviewThis review examines the effectiveness of drinking water regulations to inform public health during extreme precipitation events. This paper estimates the vulnerability of specific populations to flooding in their public water system, reviews the literature linking precipitation to waterborne outbreaks, examines the role that Safe Drinking Water Act and Public Notification (PN) Rule have in public health emergencies, and reviews the effectiveness of the PN Rule during the 2017 Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.Recent FindingsPublic water systems in large metropolitan areas have substantial portions of...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - June 1, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

A Meta-analysis of Arsenic Exposure and Lung Function: Is There Evidence of Restrictive or Obstructive Lung Disease?
AbstractPurpose of ReviewHundreds of millions of people worldwide are exposed to arsenic via contaminated water. The goal of this study was to identify whether arsenic-associated lung function deficits resemble obstructive- or restrictive-like lung disease, in order to help illuminate a mechanistic pathway and identify at-risk populations.Recent FindingsWe recently published a qualitative systematic review outlining the body of research on arsenic and non-malignant respiratory outcomes. Evidence from several populations, at different life stages, and at different levels of exposure showed consistent associations of arsenic...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - June 1, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Breastfeeding as a Predictor of Serum Concentrations of Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances in Reproductive-Aged Women and Young Children: A Rapid Systematic Review
AbstractPurpose of reviewPer- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) are synthetic chemicals widely detected in human serum, and at low levels in breast milk. We conducted a rapid systematic review on breastfeeding practices and serum concentrations of PFASs —specifically PFOS and PFOA—among reproductive-aged women and young children using the Navigation Guide systematic review methodology.Recent findingsWe included 14 studies examining associations between breastfeeding and PFASs in infants/toddlers or pregnant/postnatal women. Breastfeeding was significantly associated with lower PFASs exposure among women and ...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - June 1, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment and Infectious Disease Transmission Modeling of Waterborne Enteric Pathogens
AbstractPurpose of ReviewWaterborne enteric pathogens remain a global health threat. Increasingly, quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) and infectious disease transmission modeling (IDTM) are used to assess waterborne pathogen risks and evaluate mitigation. These modeling efforts, however, have largely been conducted independently for different purposes and in different settings. In this review, we examine the settings where each modeling strategy is employed.Recent FindingsQMRA research has focused on food contamination and recreational water in high-income countries (HICs) and drinking water and wastewater in lo...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - June 1, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research

The Fate of Synthetic and Endogenous Hormones Used in the US Beef and Dairy Industries and the Potential for Human Exposure
AbstractPurpose of ReviewGrowth-enhancing chemicals used by the beef and dairy industries may be bioavailable to humans via milk, meat, and other environmental matrices. This review evaluates the potential for environmental transport and bioavailability of the active chemical to humans.Recent FindingsBovine somatostatin is detectable in milk; however, there is no evidence that the protein persists in the environment nor that it is active in humans. In contrast, steroids are transported through milk and meat to humans where they may exert biological activity. Furthermore, environmental matrices such as raw water and dust ma...
Source: Current Environmental Health Reports - June 1, 2018 Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research