Nanoplastics are the smallest microplastics, far narrower than a human hair. Very little is known about their composition, structure or how they break down in the environment.
Hazardous materials regulations make sure that the vehicles carrying them have the right labels.
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Nobody wants to see an accident involving flammable, corrosive or radioactive material. But understanding the rules put in place to prevent these accidents isn’t easy.
Certain chemicals in synthetic fabrics such as spandex, nylon and polyester can alter the skin microbiome.
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Ian Myles, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
From synthetic fabrics to car exhaust to wildfires, exposure to environmental pollutants push the skin microbiome to adapt in ways that reduce its ability to protect the skin.
PFAS are showing up in water systems across the U.S.
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Filtering out PFAS is only the first step. These ‘forever chemicals’ still have to be destroyed, and there are many questions about how to do that safely.
Scientists test drinking water for PFAS at an EPA lab in Cincinnati.
AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel
These chemicals are now found on almost every part of the planet, including in the bodies of a large percentage of the American public. An environmental health scientist explains the risks.
As suburbs encroach on farmland, residents’ risk of exposure to farm chemicals rises.
Carly Hyland
New research provides evidence for the first time that the primary chemical in Roundup is reaching people in nearby homes, and it isn’t just from the food they eat.
Canals carry PFAS into Miami’s Biscayne Bay.
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Scientists found PFAS hot spots in Miami’s Biscayne Bay where the chemicals are entering coastal waters and reaching the ocean. Water samples point to some specific sources.
Schools have more to manage than just their educational strategies.
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For students to learn in a safe, healthy environment, school administrators must deal with a myriad of potential environmental contaminants, from allergens to cockroaches.
Depleted uranium shells will equip M1A1 Abrams battle tanks, also from the U.S.
Lance Cpl. Julio McGraw, USMC/Flickr
Depleted uranium munitions are bad news for enemy tanks, but are not nuclear weapons, and studies have shown that they pose low risks of radiation or chemical exposure.
One symptom of arsenic poisoning is the growth of plaques on the skin called arsenical keratosis.
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Millions of people worldwide are exposed via soil and water to arsenic, whether naturally occurring or related to pollution. Chronic exposure is linked to the formation of cancer stem cells.
PFAS can be found in hundreds of water systems in the U.S.
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The drinking water systems serving over 70 million people may not meet newly proposed water quality standards. It could cost hundreds of billions of dollars to fix that.
A new federal regulation will set national limits on two ‘forever chemicals’ widely found in drinking water.
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The Biden administration is finalizing the first federal limits on two compounds, PFOA and PFOS, in drinking water. These so-called ‘forever chemicals’ have been linked to numerous health effects.
Pesticide use on school playing fields varies from state to state.
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Medicine works better when the treatments are tailored to fit each individual person’s biology and history. A first step is increasing diversity in clinical trials, but the end goal is precision medicine.
Active oil wells can often be found next door to homes, office buildings and even schools.
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The Los Angeles area has over 20,000 active, idle or abandoned oil wells. The city and county have voted to ban new ones after studies showed health problems in residents living nearby.
When fish like this netted cod are exposed to mercury, it accumulates in certain organs, including the lenses of their eyes.
Yvette Heimbrand
Roxanne Razavi, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry; Hadis Miraly, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and Karin Limburg, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
A new study shows that a time stamp can be put on mercury that accumulates in fish eyes, offering a window into their lifetime exposure.
An air scrubber in a classroom at the E.N. White School in Holyoke, Mass.
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A lot of federal money is now available for making school buildings healthier. Two environmental health experts explain how school districts can best use it.
Bad air pollution and extreme heat each raise health risks, but they’re worse combined.
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These chemicals are now present in water, soil and living organisms and can be found across almost every part of the planet – including 98% of the American public.
Stain-resistance can mean questionable chemicals in children’s clothes.
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Tests found PFAS in school uniforms, pillows, upholstered furniture and several other items that are often next to children’s skin and near their noses and mouths.
A burned ‘Caution: Children at play’ sign remained after a wildfire devastated the town of Berry Creek, Calif., in 2020.
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The author’s 9-year-old son will likely face about four times as many extreme events in his lifetime as older adults today. An international report explains the impacts already being felt.
Coal-fired power plants are a source of mercury that people can ingest by eating fish.
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The Biden administration is moving to revive mercury limits for coal-fired power plants. A scientist explains mercury’s health risks and the role power plants play.