Sarah Howard Coordinator of CHE’s Diabetes and Obesity Spectrum Working Group The first prospective study on diabetes in relation to BPA or phthalates has just been published (ahead of print), in Environmental Health Perspectives. The results suggest that BPA and phthalate exposures may be associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes among middle-aged women, […]
Sarah Howard Coordinator of the CHE Diabetes-Obesity Spectrum Working Group If you saw the news on Friday the 13th of April, you may have seen mention of a new study on phthalates and diabetes (see WebMD, the Huffington Post and Fox News. The actual study is on PubMed, with a statement by lead author Dr. Monica […]
written by Elise Miller, MEd Director NOTE: While CHE primarily highlights emerging environmental health science, we also occasionally bring attention to how this new research is being applied (or not) to decision-making in the marketplace and regulatory policies. Every day new mountains are being born—not because of shifting plate tectonics but due to electronic waste, […]
written by Nancy Hepp, MS Research and Communications Specialist Phthalates Phthalates are a group of chemicals used to soften and increase the flexibility of plastic and vinyl; some are also used in cosmetics and personal care products. Six phthalates are currently banned from use in many products for children due to evidence of reproductive and […]
written by Elise Miller, EdM Director When many of us think of air pollution, images often come to mind of smoke stacks and diesel trucks spewing dirty fumes or thick brown smog enveloping cities. We think of people coughing or wearing masks on their faces to breathe, kids being rushed to emergency rooms for asthma […]
written by Nancy Hepp, MS Research and Communications Specialist This week’s column focuses on issues that don’t generally get a lot of press: environment and aging, chemicals in our clothing, and noise. EPA Fact Sheets on Environment and Aging These fact sheets provide advice to either individuals or caregivers about environmental hazards including carbon monoxide […]
written by Elise Miller, EdM Director This past week something rather remarkable happened: First, the New York Times published two major investigative pieces on the pervasive exploitation and occupational health hazards experienced by workers in the nail salon industry. And then the really astonishing part—Governor Cuomo of New York issued emergency measures two days later to combat […]
We present CHE’s picks of the most important environmental health stories from the last quarter of 2014. Air pollution and autism A growing body of evidence implicates air toxics as potential contributors to autism spectrum disorders, with four studies published in rapid succession this quarter: Environmental chemical exposures and autism spectrum disorders: a review of […]
written by Sarah Howard CHE Diabetes-Obesity Spectrum Working Group Coordinator A review article on prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupters and obesity was just published. Overall, it found that, “For certain EDCs, early life exposure may be associated with weight homeostasis later in life, however not necessarily in an obesogenic direction.” The review includes both human and […]
written by Ted Schettler, MD, MPH Science Director for CHE and the Science and Environmental Health Network Phthalates are a family of chemicals used in many consumer products, mainly as softeners of plastics and sometimes as solvents. As a result, human exposures are ubiquitous. In recent years, many laboratory and epidemiologic studies have shown that […]
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