Contamination News and Research

RSS

‘Like a Russian roulette’: US military firefighters grapple with unknowns of PFAS exposure

A U.S. military firefighter for 32 years, Kurt Rhodes trained and performed his duties with aqueous film forming foam, or AFFF — a highly effective fire suppressant that he never knew contained PFAS chemicals, now known to be harmful to human health.

7 Sep 2023

Yourgene Health launches MagBench Automated DNA Extraction Instrument and Kit for NIPT workflows

Yourgene Health plc (“Yourgene”), a leading international molecular diagnostics group, today launched the Yourgene® MagBench™ Automated DNA Extraction Instrument and Kit. MagBench solution is available to Sage™ customers across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.

From Yourgene Health 5 Sep 2023

Study explores microplastic content in urban grown lettuces

Researchers examined the level of microplastics among lettuces cultivated in urban gardens in Lisbon.

4 Sep 2023

Wild boars and Hepatitis E: Whats the zoonotic risk?

The prevalence of the Hepatitis E virus (HEV) in the Portuguese wild boar population.

4 Sep 2023

Mycotoxin contamination is still a serious food/feed safety issue

The updated and most recent evidence of the occurrence and co-occurrence of mycotoxins.

4 Sep 2023

Outbreak of piercing infections in Australia traced to contaminated aftercare solution

Researchers in New South Wales, Australia, used genomic sequencing to trace an outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections following ear piercings to a specific batch of aftercare solution. The study led to a recall of the product and improvements in manufacturing standards, successfully reducing the number of infections.

4 Sep 2023

Marijuana users have elevated levels of cadmium and lead in their blood and urine

Recent study reveals marijuana users have elevated levels of harmful metals like cadmium and lead in their blood and urine. The findings raise questions about the long-term health impacts and the need for stronger regulation on contaminants in cannabis products.

3 Sep 2023

Smartphone-based imaging reveals a breakthrough in identifying infected wounds

A recent study in "Frontiers in Medicine" evaluates the use of hyperspectral imaging (HSI) through a smartphone-based device to differentiate between infected and non-infected wounds. The study found that this portable approach offered 74% accuracy in wound assessment, including 100% sensitivity and 91% specificity in detecting infected wounds.

28 Aug 2023

New optical signature in magnetic beads could quickly detect contaminants in diagnostic tests

Getting results from a blood test can take anywhere from one day to a week, depending on what a test is targeting. The same goes for tests of water pollution and food contamination.

25 Aug 2023

Texas Heart Institute receives $2 million NIH grant to develop transplantable bioartificial hearts

The Texas Heart Institute recently received a five-year, $2 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to advance the technology supporting development of transplantable bioartificial hearts.

25 Aug 2023

New smartphone-based device can quickly identify infected wounds

It’s notoriously difficult for doctors to identify a wound that is becoming infected. Clinical signs and symptoms are imprecise and methods of identifying bacteria can be time-consuming and inaccessible, so a diagnosis can be subjective and dependent on clinician experience.

25 Aug 2023

Asian Americans have the highest PFAS exposure, study finds

Asian Americans have significantly higher exposure than other ethnic or racial groups to PFAS, a family of thousands of synthetic chemicals also known as "toxic forever" chemicals, Mount Sinai-led researchers report.

24 Aug 2023

The relationship between breast milk feeding and infants’ neurodevelopment via epigenetics

Researchers collated studies on the epigenetic advantages of breast milk feeding and neurodevelopment in infants.

22 Aug 2023

The effect of low dose rate exposure to ionising radiation on the risk of cancer

The effects of long-term exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation on cancer mortality.

21 Aug 2023

The CDC works to overhaul lab operations after covid test flop

In early February 2020, Kirsten St. George and her team at New York state's public health lab received a test developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to diagnose people infected with the new, rapidly spreading coronavirus.

21 Aug 2023

Big data and machine learning can help combat antimicrobial resistance in livestock

A new study suggests that using big data and machine learning in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance in livestock production methods could help inform interventions and offer protections against germs that are becoming resistant to antibiotics.

18 Aug 2023

Stratified sampling more effective than random sampling for detecting contaminants in infant formula

Producers of infant formula employ comprehensive food safety systems, including product testing to ensure those systems are working.

11 Aug 2023

Pioneering study links testicular cancer among military personnel to ‘forever chemicals’

Gary Flook served in the Air Force for 37 years, as a firefighter at the now-closed Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois and the former Grissom Air Force Base in Indiana, where he regularly trained with aqueous film forming foam, or AFFF — a frothy white fire retardant that is highly effective but now known to be toxic.

9 Aug 2023

New protein-based nano-switches could lead to faster, more accurate diagnostic tests

QUT researchers have developed a new approach for designing molecular ON-OFF switches based on proteins which can be used in a multitude of biotechnological, biomedical and bioengineering applications.

27 Jul 2023

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences leading the way to help labs comply with confidence for upcoming annex 1 regulation deadline

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences, a global leader in laboratory automation and innovation, continues its relentless commitment to providing laboratories of all sizes with individualized and tailored support to meet the evolving list of regional and global compliance requirements.

From Beckman Coulter Life Sciences 25 Jul 2023

Contamination News and Research

‘Like a Russian roulette’: US military firefighters grapple with unknowns of PFAS exposure

Yourgene Health launches MagBench Automated DNA Extraction Instrument and Kit for NIPT workflows

Study explores microplastic content in urban grown lettuces

Wild boars and Hepatitis E: Whats the zoonotic risk?

Mycotoxin contamination is still a serious food/feed safety issue

Outbreak of piercing infections in Australia traced to contaminated aftercare solution

Marijuana users have elevated levels of cadmium and lead in their blood and urine

Smartphone-based imaging reveals a breakthrough in identifying infected wounds

New optical signature in magnetic beads could quickly detect contaminants in diagnostic tests

Texas Heart Institute receives $2 million NIH grant to develop transplantable bioartificial hearts

New smartphone-based device can quickly identify infected wounds

Asian Americans have the highest PFAS exposure, study finds

The relationship between breast milk feeding and infants’ neurodevelopment via epigenetics

The effect of low dose rate exposure to ionising radiation on the risk of cancer

The CDC works to overhaul lab operations after covid test flop

Big data and machine learning can help combat antimicrobial resistance in livestock

Stratified sampling more effective than random sampling for detecting contaminants in infant formula

Pioneering study links testicular cancer among military personnel to ‘forever chemicals’

New protein-based nano-switches could lead to faster, more accurate diagnostic tests

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences leading the way to help labs comply with confidence for upcoming annex 1 regulation deadline

Discover how SciY empowers scientists

Why use light scattering to analyze proteins and viral vectors?

Changing the landscape of R&D to build clinical success from the ground up

Latest News