In the Media

California has the strictest chemical regulations of any state, and its policies are more stringent than federal chemical laws. This study is the first one assessing whether those regulations have resulted in lower levels of toxic exposures.

For this study, researchers tracked health data from a long-term study of more than 98,000 California teachers, comparing cases of heart disease with exposure to arsenic in drinking water.

The study is the first to demonstrate exposure-response relationships at concentrations under the current regulatory threshold of 10 micrograms per liter (µg/L).

Researchers found counties with more fracking wells that use chemicals that target certain hormones had higher amounts of preterm births and low birth weights. 

Over the course of six years, middle and high school students and some college undergraduates collected 3,070 samples of drinking water from their homes or the homes of community members. About 24% of the samples exceeded New Hampshire’s arsenic standard of 5 parts per billion.

Consumer products were consistently identified as one of the main sources of lead exposure  in investigations of children with elevated blood levels across four U.S. jurisdictions. 

Researchers found airplane noise appears to disrupt people’s sleep-wake cycles, leading them to fall asleep and wake up at irregular hours.

Researchers analyzed brain development data from 10,000 people ages 9 to 11 in one year. The more days the children were exposed to unsafe levels of fine particulate matter, the more likely they were to experience depression, anxiety and other symptoms up to a year later. 

The study looked at the impact of wildfire smoke when it hangs in the air for days and how it impacts the mental health of youth in late childhood and early adolescent development stages.

Mercury contamination on Grassy Narrows dates back to the 1960s and '70s. A 2023 study published in EHP found youth from Grassy Narrows are three times more likely to attempt suicide than those from other First Nations in Canada.

A new study links the recent use of personal care products like lotions, ointments and hair conditioners to higher levels of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in young children.

A growing body of research indicates that aging pipes and wastewater systems, combined with heavy rain events made more common with climate change, can boost a person's risk of becoming ill from waterborne pathogens.

New data from a study published in EHP showed parabens, phenols, and their mixture in beauty products could be associated with increased risk of hypertension during pregnancy. 

Phenols and parabens in sunscreen, makeup, and other personal care products could increase a pregnant woman’s risk of high blood pressure by 57%, particularly at 24 to 28 weeks of gestation.

Following the COVID-19 emergency, sustained action on respiratory pathogens is needed. Authors of a recent EHP commentary explain the largest barrier to reducing the risk of airborne transmisson of diseases is the implementation of interventions. 

Humidity affects our body's ability to cool, but what role does it play in heat-related deaths and illnesses? A recent paper pointed out the disconnect between the two camps of researchers studying this question.

Research published in Environmental Health Perspectives looked at a little studied exposure pathway for PFAS—Pesticides used in both agricultural and residential pest control, including pet flea treatments.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are used widely nationwide on staple foods—such as corn, wheat, kale, spinach, apples and strawberries— contaminating waterways and potentially harming human health.

Researchers investigated the association between midlife residential greenness and cognitive decline later in life, considering the effects of apolipoprotein E (APOE)-ɛ4 status, socioeconomic status, and rural/urban residency.

A 2022 study published in EHP calculated annual losses from reduced pollination in Nepal amounted to as much as $250 per capita.