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Experts sound alarm about the dangers of industrial chemicals on children’s health

In a Review published in The Lancet Neurology, two of the world’s leading experts on the link between environment and children’s health are sounding the alarm on the dangers of industrial chemicals. They are calling on countries to transform their chemical risk-assessment procedures in order to protect children from everyday toxins that may be causing a global “silent epidemic” of brain development disorders.

18 Feb 2014

Study describes new, cost-effective method for screening chemicals for potential environmental impact

Every year waste treatment facilities in the United States process more than eight million tons of semi-solid sewage called biosolids -- about half of which is recycled into fertilizer and spread on crop land.

17 Feb 2014

Study shows how pesticides may contribute to development of Parkinson's disease

New research shows how pesticides may increase the risk of Parkinson's disease and that people with certain gene variants may be more susceptible to the disease. The research is published in the February 4, 2014, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

4 Feb 2014

Controlling fast food consumption could reverse epidemic of obesity

Governments could slow - and even reverse - the growing epidemic of obesity by taking measures to counter fast food consumption, according to a study published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization today.

3 Feb 2014

Researchers discover devastating pest in India for saving up to $309 million

Virginia Tech researchers who first discovered a devastating pest in India and devised a natural way to combat it have now put an economic value on their counterattack: up to $309 million the first year and more than $1 billion over five years.

27 Jan 2014

Artificial sweetener sucralose has biological effects

The artificial sweetener sucralose is a biologically active compound according to an extensive review published by Taylor & Francis in the recent issue of Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B: Critical Reviews. "Sucralose, A Synthetic Organochlorine Sweetener: Overview Of Biological Issues" authored by Susan S. Schiffman, PhD, an internationally known sweetener researcher and Kristina I. Rother, MD, MHSc, of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), summarizes the biological properties of sucralose based on hundreds of archival, peer-reviewed scientific journal publications.

13 Dec 2013

Researchers see links between high levels of perfluorinated compounds in blood and diabetes

Perfluorinated compounds are environmental toxins that are found in fire extinguishing foam and water-repellent textiles and, for example. In a new study, a research team led from Uppsala University has seen links between high levels of perfluorinated compounds in the blood and diabetes.

12 Dec 2013

Biosimulation and epilepsy treatments: an interview with Dr. Serge Bischoff, CEO of Rhenovia and RHENEPI program director

The need for biosimulation is primarily to do with the very high attrition rate in drug development and especially in the development of drugs for the central nervous system.

10 Dec 2013

TSRI scientists discover natural mechanism that cells use to protect mitochondria

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a natural mechanism that cells use to protect mitochondria, the tiny but essential "power plants" that provide chemical energy for cells throughout the body. Damage to mitochondria is thought to be a significant factor in common neurodegenerative disorders, cancer and even the aging process. The TSRI researchers' discovery could lead to new methods for protecting mitochondria from such damage, thereby improving human health.

4 Dec 2013

Mutation in alpha-synuclein gene causes increased vulnerability to pesticides, leading to Parkinson's

A team of researchers has brought new clarity to the picture of how gene-environmental interactions can kill nerve cells that make dopamine. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that sends messages to the part of the brain that controls movement and coordination.

27 Nov 2013

New Vortik technology has potential in pharmaceutical industry

The new Vortik technology allows different liquids to be mixed at the point of spray without altering the spray characteristics – opening up the possibility of new applications in agriculture, consumer and industrial products, and healthcare.

8 Nov 2013

Two organochlorine pesticides associated with increased risk of endometriosis

A Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center-led study has found that two organochlorine pesticides are associated with an increased risk of endometriosis, a condition that affects up to 10 percent of reproductive-age women.

5 Nov 2013

New all-natural technology can eliminate molds and pesticides in cannabis products

As medical marijuana states crack down on pesticides, molds and other adulterants in cannabis products, Neutra Corp. is helping to develop new technology to keep patients safe from potentially harmful contamination.

30 Oct 2013

Common birth defect in male infants weakly linked to commercial pesticides

A study of several hundred chemicals used in commercial pesticides has found only weak evidence that any of them are associated with a common birth defect in male infants.

30 Oct 2013

Selenium in plants causes mortality and delays development in honey bee, say researchers

Traditionally, honey bee research has focused on environmental stressors such as pesticides, pathogens and diseases. Now a research team led by entomologists at the University of California, Riverside has published a study that focuses on an anthropogenic pollutant: selenium (Se).

4 Oct 2013

Use of intensive pesticide in banana plantations leads to contamination

Shoppers spend over -10 billion on bananas annually and now this demand is being linked to the contamination of Central America's crocodilians. New research, published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, analyses blood samples from spectacled caiman in Costa Rica and finds that intensive pesticide use in plantations leads to contaminated species in protected conservation areas.

19 Sep 2013

T-rays are ideal for detecting early signs of melanoma

The technology that peeks underneath clothing at airport security screening check points has great potential for looking underneath human skin to diagnose cancer at its earliest and most treatable stages, a scientist said here today.

12 Sep 2013

New book debunks popular myths on how to prevent cancer

Award-winning science journalist George Johnson debunks popular assumptions about how to prevent cancer.

7 Sep 2013

Scientists develop new way to detect threatening nanoparticles in food

Over the last few years, the use of nanomaterials for water treatment, food packaging, pesticides, cosmetics and other industries has increased. For example, farmers have used silver nanoparticles as a pesticide because of their capability to suppress the growth of harmful organisms. However, a growing concern is that these particles could pose a potential health risk to humans and the environment.

23 Aug 2013

New Dartmouth study finds many people unnecessarily fear low amounts of chemicals in their food

When it comes to what's for dinner - or breakfast and lunch for that matter-- many people suffer from chemophobia, an irrational fear of natural and synthetic chemicals that pose no risk to our health, a Dartmouth study finds.

16 Aug 2013