Dioxin News and Research

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Penn State investigator receives $7.3 million grant for research on cellular protein

A faculty member in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has received a $7.3 million grant for innovative research on a cellular protein that could be a target for enhancing immune function in response to a variety of diseases and environmental toxins.

15 Sep 2017

AHR plays role in modulating the body's innate immune response to viral infections

A receptor, first known for its role in mediating the harmful effects of the environmental pollutant dioxin in our body, is now understood to play other important roles in modulating the innate immune response.

1 Jul 2016

Excessive AhR signaling helps explain dioxin-induced abnormal behavioral alterations in mice

Dioxins are environmental pollutants that stay in the body for long periods of time because they can accumulate in fat tissue. They are mainly by-products of combustion and industrial processes.

15 Jun 2016

Latest and final review of health problems related to Agent Orange exposure during Vietnam War

The latest and final in a series of congressionally mandated biennial reviews of the evidence of health problems that may be linked to exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides used during the Vietnam War changed the categorization of health outcomes for bladder cancer, hypothyroidism, and spina bifida and clarified the breadth of the previous finding for Parkinson's disease.

11 Mar 2016

Agent Orange exposure raises MGUS risk

The risk of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance is significantly higher in individuals exposed than those not exposed to Agent Orange, shows a study of US Air Force personnel.

9 Sep 2015

Environmental factors promote genetic mutations, have underappreciated effect on disease, evolution

Washington State University researchers say environmental factors are having an underappreciated effect on the course of disease and evolution by prompting genetic mutations through epigenetics, a process by which genes are turned on and off independent of an organism's DNA sequence.

3 Aug 2015

Research: Fetuses more vulnerable to some pollutants that penetrate into feto-maternal system

Toxic environmental contaminants are increasingly known to cause a number of severe health problems, in particular on fetuses, including heart failure, low cognitive ability, delayed development, and neurobehavioral disorders.

27 Jun 2015

Environmental experts gather at EPA forum to discuss sediment removal plan for Passaic River

Environmental cleanup experts gathered at NJIT this week for an all-day public forum on a $1.7 billion proposal by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to dredge toxic sediment from an eight-mile stretch of the lower Passaic River.

27 Jul 2014

Toxicologists reveal new methods for estimating infants' exposure to POPs

Toxicologists are revealing new methods and models for estimating infants' exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) today at the Society of Toxicology (SOT) 53rd Annual Meeting and ToxExpo in Phoenix, Ariz.

26 Mar 2014

Veterans with exposure to Agent Orange may be at higher risk for skin cancer

Vietnam War veterans with prior exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange may be at higher risk for certain types of skin cancer, suggests a report in the February issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery-, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

29 Jan 2014

Researchers present research outcomes on food risk and benefit communication created by FoodRisC

Consumers in Europe are often overwhelmed with the vast amounts of food risk and benefit information presented to them, some of which can be perceived as conflicting or confusing.

13 Sep 2013

Research shows food contaminants are responsible for metabolic changes in obese mice

In order to get a better understanding of these effects, researchers from the Inserm cardiovascular, metabolism, diabetology and nutrition unit introduced a "cocktail" of contaminants mixed with low doses of dioxin, PCB, bisphenol A and phtalates into the feeding of mice that had already been rendered obese by a high-fat diet.

28 Jun 2013

Exposure to Agent Orange may increase risk of developing lethal forms of prostate cancer

A new analysis has found a link between exposure to Agent Orange and lethal forms of prostate cancer among US Veterans. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings suggest that Agent Orange exposure history should be incorporated into prostate screening decisions for Veterans.

13 May 2013

Organic pollutants increase nephropathy risk in diabetes

Individuals with diabetes may reduce their risk for developing nephropathy if they minimize their exposure to persistent organic pollutants, suggest researchers.

29 Apr 2013

Researchers analyze more than 60 brands of cheese available in supermarkets for pollutants

Researchers at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain) have analysed more than 60 brands of cheese commonly available in supermarkets. The concentration of organochloride contaminants in the majority of the samples was lower than levels set by European legislation, but in a few cases it was higher.

20 Feb 2013

Preschool children particularly vulnerable to food-borne toxins

In a sobering study published in the journal Environmental Health, researchers at UC Davis and UCLA measured food-borne toxin exposure in children and adults by pinpointing foods with high levels of toxic compounds and determining how much of these foods were consumed.

14 Nov 2012

Consuming fish with environmental pollutants can increase risk of cardiovascular diseases

Eat fish, but avoid fish with the most pollutants. This is the conclusion drawn by a group of researchers at Umeå University in Sweden after having weighed the risks of mercury content against the advantages of healthful fatty acids. The work was done as part of an international collaborative effort.

24 Sep 2012

Study shows how PCBs could add to autism risk

New research from UC Davis and Washington State University shows that PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, launch a cellular chain of events that leads to an overabundance of dendrites - the filament-like projections that conduct electrochemical signals between neurons - and disrupts normal patterns of neuronal connections in the brain.

26 Apr 2012

Negative effects of environmental toxicants can pass across generations

A Washington State University researcher has demonstrated that a variety of environmental toxicants can have negative effects on not just an exposed animal but the next three generations of its offspring.

3 Mar 2012

Clear link between male subfertility and lower risk of prostate cancer

Involuntary childlessness owing to reduced fertility is a concern for many men. However, these men do have one advantage - they run a significantly lower risk of suffering from prostate cancer. Researchers are interested in whether this phenomenon could be used in the fight against cancer.

2 Feb 2012