07 | February | 2010 | Environmental Public Health Today

Whey too much: Greek yogurt’s dark side.

Greek yogurt is a booming $2 billion a year industry — and it's producing millions of pounds of waste that industry insiders are scrambling to figure out what to do with.

House passes another bill authorizing Keystone XL.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday that would speed construction of the Keystone XL pipeline - a largely symbolic measure with probably no chance of clearing the Democratic Senate and overcoming a presidential veto.

Plastic food packaging could cause high blood pressure in children.

Chemicals found in common plastics could cause high blood pressure in children, according to a new study. Flooring, plastic cups, beach balls and plastic packaging contain phthalates that are causing a rise in cases of juvenile high blood pressure, the scientists claim.

Interactive: Chemical that sparked deadly Texas explosion found across US.

A new map shows ammonium nitrate facilities in 29 states according to federally required reports intended to help residents and first responders understand chemical risks in their communities.

Overhaul of chemical safety law gets bipartisan support in Senate.

In a rare display of bipartisanship on Capitol Hill, a group of key senators unveiled legislation Wednesday that would require chemical companies to provide more health and safety information about their products and give regulators more power to force harmful compounds off the market.

Research on microbes points to new tools for conservation.

Improvements in DNA technology now make it possible for biologists to identify every living organism in and around a species. Scientists say this could have profound implications for everything from protecting amphibians from a deadly fungus to reintroducing species into the wild.

Frog, toad and salamander populations plummeting, US survey finds.

Frogs, toads and salamanders continue to vanish from the American landscape at an alarming pace, with seven species facing 50 percent drops in their numbers within seven years if the current rate of decline continues, according to new government research.

Did my faulty breast implants kill my darling daughter?

As experts warn leaking implants may harm babies, mothers are terrified they have paid a terrible price for their vanity.

Montreal's boil-water warning inflames an already simmering city.

In an extraordinary warning, 1.3 million residents in and around Montreal were told their tap water was unsafe to drink, further eroding the public’s trust in the stewardship of a city mired in infrastructure woes and corruption scandals.

How two college pals are growing a solution to our reliance on plastic.

Six years ago, Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre were college friends with a bright idea: using mushrooms and agricultural byproducts to create an alternative to plastic. Now, they’re growing a business that could change almost everything about how we live.

House proposes 'devastating' cuts to Interior, EPA accounts in fiscal 2014.

House appropriators proposed allocating $24.3 billion to the subcommittee that funds the Interior Department, Forest Service and U.S. EPA for next fiscal year, a level that would likely require significant cuts to a host of conservation programs, clean water grants, and climate change work.

US Senate panel approves tighter oversight of compounding pharmacies.

Public health and consumer advocacy groups are attacking Senate legislation designed to tighten oversight of specialized pharmacies such as the one at the center of this past fall’s deadly meningitis outbreak, saying it does not adequately address health risks.

Running shoes leave large carbon footprint, study shows.

Runners tread more heavily on the earth than they may have ever imagined, especially it seems if they are wearing a pair of Chinese-made men's size nine Asics gel Kayanos, according to a team of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Oklahoma tornado damage could top $2 billion.

The tornado that tore through an Oklahoma City suburb destroyed or damaged as many as 13,000 homes and may have caused $2 billion in overall damage, officials said Wednesday.

New rules for disposing of old thermostats in California.

California took an aggressive step on Wednesday to ensure that mercury-laden thermostats in homes and businesses do not wind up in landfills and pollute the environment.

In China, food scares put Mao's self-sufficiency goal at risk.

The discovery of dangerous levels of toxic cadmium in rice sold in the southern city of Guangzhou, the latest in a series of food scandals, has piled more pressure on China to clean up its food chain - possibly at the expense of Mao Zedong's cherished goal of self-sufficiency.

What's in your green tea?

A new report by an independent laboratory shows that green tea can vary widely from one cup to the next. Some bottled varieties appear to be little more than sugar water and some green tea leaves, particularly those from China, are contaminated with lead, though the metal does not appear to leach out during the brewing process.

'Universal' flu vaccine effective in animals.

Under the microscope, they look like simple jacks, with eight spikes jutting out of a central ball. But these protein nanoparticles are science's latest weapon against influenza: a new breed of flu vaccine that provides better and broader protection than commercially available ones -- at least in animal tests.

Scientists worry about bird flu's potential to mutate.

The H7N9 bird flu appears to be evolving, and could be only a few mutations away from a form that could be passed easily from person to person, according to a new report.

Hunt for 400 as measles outbreak threatens to spread.

A measles outbreak in the mining hub of Moranbah could spread nationwide, with authorities chasing 400 people potentially exposed to the virus who may have flown or driven out of the north Queensland community.

West Nile Virus for Outdoors People

Posted on Sunday, 7 February 2010 by louisesaw

This presentation is prepared for people who like to spend time outdoors. Whether you like to hike, fish, camp or boat, this presentation is designed to help you better understand West Nile Virus and the steps you can take to protect yourself from the disease. Click here to view the presentation. Please feel free to leave comments below.

Louise Saw

PUBH 6145-2

Walden University

Filed under: PUBH 6165/8165 EH Service-based learning activities | 3 Comments »

The Importance and Impact of Recycling in Poudre School District

Posted on Sunday, 7 February 2010 by Jody Latimer

Hello and Welcome to my slide presentation. My name is Jody Latimer, and I am student in a Master’s of Public Health program through Walden University. My presentation is focusing on increasing recycling compliance in the Poudre School District (PSD), with a specific target audience as the staff members, and a secondary audience being the student population of PSD. Stakeholders may include, but are not limited to the Poudre School District Board of Education, the District’s Utility Management Department, and the tax-payers of Larimer County, Colorado whom may be affected by the programs implementation at the Poudre School District. APP9LatimerJ

Walden University

PUBH 6165-2

Instructor: Rebecca Heick

Winter 2010

Filed under: PUBH 6165/8165 EH Service-based learning activities | 9 Comments »

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Research – articles & reviews

Lead poisoning in Nigeria came from contact with dust, soil.

Kids poisoned by lead in Nigeria’s gold-processing villages were primarily exposed by breathing dust or coming in contact with contaminated soil, according to a new study by U.S. scientists.

Greener neighborhood, bigger babies.

Pregnant women living in areas with more plants and trees gave birth to slightly heavier babies with slightly larger heads, reports a new study from Spain.

Flame retardants may slightly affect toddlers' mental development.

Flame retardants in first breast milk may have a small effect on mental development of toddlers, reports a new study from Spain.

Traffic noise increases risk of diabetes.

Noise from busy roads and highways can raise the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, possibly by interrupting sleep and increasing stress, according to a large study from Denmark.

BPA levels in minority communities linked to ethnicity, season, chemical exposures.

A new study provides deeper insight into how bisphenol A exposures differ among minority populations in New York City.

Born sooner and smaller; PFOS affects fetal growth in the womb.

Babies with higher PFOS exposures in the womb are born smaller and sooner, reports a new study from Taiwan.

BPA levels in fetal livers higher than adult exposures.

A new study shows bisphenol A can cross the placenta and get into the developing livers of fetuses.

Solar cell maximizes energy output with fewer materials.

A more efficient and unobtrusive solar cell could be made with fewer materials and less energy, according to University of Michigan research.

Firemaster 550 an obesogen; linked to weight gain, early puberty, anxiety in rats.

Rats exposed to the common flame retardant Firemaster 550 before birth and while nursing gained weight earlier and were obese as adults.

Secondhand smoke during pregnancy alters children's behavior.

Mothers who breathe secondhand smoke are twice as likely to have children with attention and aggression problems, a study from China reports.

Tributyltin promotes obesity in mice generations.

Prenatal exposure to the pesticide tributyltin increased obesity in mice for several generations by permanently changing how fat cells develop, mature and store fat, according to a new study.

Porous material could purify bioethanol with less w.

Chemists have debuted a unique, porous material they say separates ethanol from contaminants that lower its performance.

BPA is associated with slower growth before birth.

Bisphenol A at levels commonly found in people may slow fetal growth, according to a Dutch study.

Baby mice exposed to air particles seek instant rewards, a behavior linked to addiction.

Baby mice that breathed tiny particles found in urban air were more impatient when they grew up than mice that breathed filtered air.

Promising battery technology packs more performance.

A new type of lithium battery brings researchers a step closer to a more powerful, stable and longer lasting battery that could power the cars and personal electronics of the future.

Cadmium and lead linked to hearing loss in U.S. adults.

Low levels of lead and cadmium may contribute to hearing loss, according to a large study of U.S. adults.

Flame-retardants may affect a child's attention, IQ.

Exposure to flame retardants during pregnancy or early childhood may lead to children with poorer attention, motor skills and IQ scores.

Shorter fibers key to safer carbon nanotubes.

A chemical redesign of carbon nanotubes has reduced their harmful effects on lungs, an issue that has hindered their widespread use.

Mom's pesticide exposure raises risk of infant leukemia.

A mother's exposure to pesticides before, during and after pregnancy may increase the risk of infant leukemia diagnosed before the age of 2, found a study from Brazil.

Fish swim slower if parents exposed to flame retardant.

Young zebrafish exposed to flame retardants through their mothers swam up to 60 percent slower and had reduced gene expression important for nervous system development.

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