Montrealers Are Feeding Fish Prozac; Research Shows Influence on Brain Activity While Long-Term Consequences Are Unclear

ScienceDaily for January 22, 2011 reported on pollution of water in Montreal.

Sauvé was quick to point out that there is no immediate danger to humans. "The amount of anti-depressants being released into our river works out to roughly the equivalent of a grain of salt in an Olympic-size swimming pool," he said. "That's not enough to affect people, should they are brave enough to go fishing out there -- I'd be more worried about the trace metals! Nevertheless, we are seeing an impact on the river's ecosystem, which should concern cities everywhere." Further research by other teams will look at exactly what the consequences might be.

Oceanic 'Garbage Patch' Not Nearly as Big as Portrayed in Media

ScienceDaily for January 5, 2011 reported on discarded plastics in the oceans.

"The amount of plastic out there isn't trivial," White said. "But using the highest concentrations ever reported by scientists produces a patch that is a small fraction of the state of Texas, not twice the size."

New Approaches Needed to Gauge Safety of Nanotech-Based Pesticides, Researchers Urge

ScienceDaily for November 3, 2010 reported on nanotech-based pesticides.

Nanotechnology is about to emerge in the world of pesticides and pest control, and a range of new approaches are needed to understand the implications for public health, ensure that this is done safely, maximize the potential benefits and prevent possible risks, researchers say in a new report.

Scented Consumer Products Shown to Emit Many Unlisted Chemicals

ScienceDaily for October 26, 2010 reported on chemicals given off by scented products.

Manufacturers are not required to disclose any ingredients in cleaning supplies, air fresheners or laundry products, all of which are regulated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Neither these nor personal care products, which are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, are required to list ingredients used in fragrances, even though a single "fragrance" in a product can be a mixture of up to several hundred ingredients, Steinemann said.

So That’s Why We’re Allergic to Sun Creams

ScienceDaily for October 10, 2010 reported on the effect of UV on sun creams.

"We know that sun creams pass through the skin into our bodies, but we don't know what effects they have on us," says Isabella Karlsson, doctoral student at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Gothenburg's Faculty of Science. "Many of them actually break down in the presence of sunlight. We therefore wanted to look at what can happen to the chemical sun protection agents when exposed to UV rays, and how the degradation products that form affect the skin."

Fattening Pollutants? Chemicals in Mother’s Blood Contribute to Child’s Obesity, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily for October 6, 2010 reported on chemicals in mother's blood and the child's obesity.

Babies whose mothers had relatively high levels of the chemical DDE in their blood were more likely to both grow rapidly during their first 6 months and to have a high body mass index (BMI) by 14 months, according to a team of scientists based in Barcelona, Spain. DDE, an endocrine disruptor, is a by-product of the pesticide DDT.

Strong Link Between Diabetes and Air Pollution Found in National U.S. Study

ScienceDaily for September 30, 2010 reported on diabetes and air pollution.

A national epidemiologic study finds a strong, consistent correlation between adult diabetes and particulate air pollution that persists after adjustment for other risk factors like obesity and ethnicity, report researchers from Children's Hospital Boston. The relationship was seen even at exposure levels below the current EPA safety limit.

BPA and Testosterone Levels: First Evidence for Small Changes in Men

ScienceDaily for August 26, 2010 reported on BPA and Testosterone levels in men.

Researchers analysed data from the InCHIANTI study, an Italian population sample. The team measured the amount of BPA excreted per day in urine samples. 715 adults aged between 20 and 74 years were studied. The study aimed to measure the daily BPA loads excreted by adults, and to examine statistical associations between the amount of BPA exposure and serum estrogen and testosterone concentrations.

Do cleaning products cause breast cancer?

World Science for July 20, 2010  reported on cleaning products and breast cancer.

En­vi­ron­men­tal Health asked more than 1500 wom­en about their clean­ing prod­uct us­age, and found a high­er breast can­cer rate among wom­en who re­ported us­ing more air fresh­en­ers and prod­ucts for mold and mil­dew con­trol.

Recreational Pool Disinfectants Linked to Health Problems

ScienceDaily for July 22, 2010 reported on disinfectants added to swimming pools and health problems.

However, Michael Plewa, U of I professor of genetics, said negative outcomes can occur when disinfection byproducts form reactions with organic matter in pool water.

Widely Used Chemicals Linked to ADHD in Children

ScienceDaily for July 20, 2010 reported a link between chemicals and ADHD.

A new study led by a team of Boston University School of Public Health researchers suggests a link between polyfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs), industrial compounds which are widely used in many consumer products, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.

Do Cleaning Products Cause Breast Cancer?

ScienceDaily for July 21, 2010 reported on a link between cleaning products and breast cancer.

Julia Brody, from the Silent Spring Institute, USA, worked with a team of researchers to carry out telephone interviews with 787 women diagnosed with breast cancer and 721 comparison women. She said, "Women who reported the highest combined cleaning product use had a doubled risk of breast cancer compared to those with the lowest reported use. Use of air fresheners and products for mold and mildew control were associated with increased risk. To our knowledge, this is the first published report on cleaning product use and risk of breast cancer."