Contamination News and Research

RSS

Scientists examine eons-old water for microorganisms

Researchers from the University of Delaware and the University of California at Riverside have thawed ice estimated to be at least a million years old from above Lake Vostok, an ancient lake that lies hidden more than two miles beneath the frozen surface of Antarctica.

27 Nov 2007

Brain pattern associated with genetic risk of obsessive compulsive disorder

Cambridge researchers have discovered that individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and their close family members have distinctive patterns in their brain structure.

27 Nov 2007

The missing grey cells that turn people into obsessives

Scientists in the UK have discovered new evidence as to why obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) runs in families.

26 Nov 2007

FDA boosts Food Emergency Response Network

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) today announced the award of three lab grants, designed to boost the food screening capabilities and spot radioactive material in food, resulting from deliberate or accidental contamination.

19 Nov 2007

Latest US food scare - 3.3 million pounds of frozen meat pizza products!

The latest food recall in the United States involves approximately 3.3 million pounds of frozen meat pizza products which are suspected of being contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

4 Nov 2007

Alexander Litvinenko poisoning caused limited public concern

The fatal poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko with radioactive polonium-210 in London in 2006 caused limited public concern about potential health risks, according to a study published on bmj.com.

2 Nov 2007

Children would need different medical care in wake of dirty bomb

If terrorists were to attack with a dirty bomb, medical authorities should be prepared to treat children differently than adults because their developing bodies would absorb and respond to the radiation exposure in distinct ways, according to a new study from the University of Rochester Medical Center.

31 Oct 2007

Pre-op antibiotics prevent infection for wisdom teeth surger

Patients who have their wisdom teeth pulled and do not take antibiotics before surgery are twice as likely to get an infection after the surgery than those who take a single dose of antibiotics shortly before surgery, says Eastman Dental Center researchersYan-Fang Ren, DDS, PhD, MPH and Hans Malmstrom, DDS.

30 Oct 2007

Smoked salmon dip recalled because of Listeria contamination

The Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. has alerted retailers and the public over food suspected of being contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

30 Oct 2007

Tests find lead in more products

Lead hazards in consumer products aren’t limited to the millions of toys recalled so far this year, according to test results and a four-month investigation published in the December issue of Consumer Reports magazine.

29 Oct 2007

Firing clay in unvented kilns could be a significant source of dioxins

The results came out of follow-up interviews with subjects who participated in the University of Michigan Dioxin Exposure Study, which measured dioxin levels in residents in Midland and the Tittabawassee River flood plain between Midland and Saginaw.

24 Oct 2007

Contamination from depleted uranium found in urine 20 years later

Inhaled depleted uranium (DU) oxide aerosols are recognised as a distinct human health hazard and DU has been suggested to be responsible in part for illness in both military and civilian populations that may have been exposed.

24 Oct 2007

Surge in E. coli food contamination recalls prompts aggressive action

As a result of the increasing numbers of food recalls this year involving food contaminated with E. coli, the U.S. Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) says it will expand tests and recall infected meat more rapidly.

24 Oct 2007

Arsenic exposure during pregnancy linked to low-birth-weight infants

Bangladeshi women exposed to high levels of arsenic during pregnancy are at increased risk of having a low-birth-weight infant, reports a study in the October Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine , official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

15 Oct 2007

Mouse mammary tumor virus might be involved in causing human breast cancer

Mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) - which causes mammary cancer in mice - can replicate and spread in human cells, research published this week shows.

10 Oct 2007

Salmonella outbreak traced to all Banquet and store brand pot pie products

The Pennsylvania Department of Health today is emphasizing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) advisory for consumers not to eat Banquet brand and store brand frozen, not-ready-to-eat pot pie products due to possible Salmonella contamination.

10 Oct 2007

Folic acid supplements dramatically lower blood arsenic levels in those exposed to contaminated water

A new study conducted in Bangladesh finds that folic acid supplements can dramatically lower blood arsenic levels in individuals chronically exposed to arsenic-contaminated drinking water.

10 Oct 2007

Brookhaven microgrid allows simultaneous study of multiple variables

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a method for correlating the results of microscopic imaging techniques in a way that could lead to improved understanding, diagnosis, and possibly treatment of a variety of disease conditions, including Alzheimer's disease. The Laboratory has filed a U.S. provisional patent application for the invention.

10 Oct 2007