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Sentinel Bottlenose Dolphins: Exposure to Toxic Chemicals
By Roberta Attanasio Bottlenose dolphins – the playful, intelligent and sleek swimmers frequently seen in warm and shallow waters along coastlines – are important biological indicators or sentinels. As coastal dwellers, they are exposed to pollutants deriving from human activities and, as predators at the top of the food web, they can help evaluate the overall health status of their ecosystems. In 2011, two teams of researchers published results from their studies on bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncates) as indicators of persistent organic pollutants in coastal ecosystems. Persistent organic pollutants are toxic chemicals recognized as a global threat to human health and the environment. Because they can be transported by wind…
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Air Pollution: The Most Widespread Environmental Carcinogen
By Roberta Attanasio Exposure to outdoor air pollution causes lung cancer in humans – this is the conclusion drawn by leading experts after thoroughly reviewing the latest available scientific literature. The same experts evaluated particulate matter separately and reached a similar conclusion. Therefore, particulate matter is now classified as carcinogenic to humans. These conclusions apply to all regions of the world as they are based on findings from large epidemiologic studies that include millions of people living in different continents. The experts were convened by the IARC Monographs Programme. IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) is the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization (WHO). The IARC Monographs…
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Childhood Poverty: Effects on the Immune System
By Roberta Attanasio Redness, heat, swelling, pain – these are the four well known signs of the inflammatory response. Although a bit uncomfortable, these signs let us know that our immune system is working hard to get rid of microorganisms or other harmful agents while repairing tissue damage. Once the job is done, the immune system goes back to its steady-state, ready to fight again whenever the need arises. However, the inflammatory response itself can sometimes be damaging. One type of damaging response leads to the development of degenerative diseases, as for example diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. This type of response – chronic inflammation – may be triggered by…
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Arsenic in Drinking Water: Increased Risk of Respiratory Infections and Lung Damage Following Fetal Exposure
By Roberta Attanasio Odorless and tasteless, arsenic lurks everywhere – in rice and in chicken breasts, in apple juice and in drinking water. It’s all around, but not in amounts sufficient to cause acute (short-term) poisoning. On the other hand, chronic (long-term) exposure to lower arsenic doses occurs way too often, and may lead to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancers and other human disorders. Contamination of drinking water by arsenic is a global health threat. Presence of arsenic in groundwater is largely the result of minerals dissolving from weathered rocks and soils. In addition, arsenic enters the drinking water supply because of runoff from orchards, electronics production waste or other industrial…
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Maternal Antibodies, Brain Development and Autism
By Roberta Attanasio The world of autism is a diverse one — autism and autism spectrum disorder are general terms for a group of complex and extremely heterogenous life-long neurodevelopmental conditions. Autism is also one of medicine’s greatest challenges. The current general consensus is that autism has multiple causes, and these causes can be as varied as the types of autism, which are not very well defined, yet. It is almost certain, though, that autism has its roots in very early brain development, development that can be influenced by a variety of factors. In a subset of childrem with autism, one of these factors may involve production of antibodies by…
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Anthropogens: Inducers of Chronic Inflammation and Degenerative Diseases
By Roberta Attanasio Injuries and infections are facts of life, and we need to deal with them. Thus, it’s not surprising we have developed efficient and magnificent sets of mechanisms that defend us from whatever is perceived as a danger, for example micro-organisms and irritant substances. Inflammation (or inflammatory response) is one of these sets of mechanisms, and not only — inflammation is our first line of defense, as well as the process that leads to repair of the damaged tissue. When the need arises, the inflammatory response stages a battle that results in the classical four signs of inflammation — swelling, redness, heat and pain — with the final…
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Global Threats: The Spread of Crop Pests
By Roberta Attanasio One of the major global threats to food security is the current spread of crop pests, unintentionally moved by human activity across world regions at unprecedented rates. Crop pests include viroids, viruses, bacteria, oomycetes, fungi, nematodes, and insects. In the past, this spread was limited by physical barriers such as mountains, seas and deserts. However, such natural limits are now bypassed because of the rapid increase in international and intercontinental agricultural trade. To date, more than 12,000 alien species have been documented in Europe by DAISIE (Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventory for Europe), a unique three-year research project involving more than 100 European scientists and funded by…
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Nanotechnology: Lycurgus Cup and Sensors
By Roberta Attanasio Nanotechnology is technology based on extremely small structures, the so-called nanostructures. How small are nanostructures? We’re talking nanoscale – about 1 to 100 nanometers. One nanometer is a billionth of a meter (there are 25,400,000 nanometers in one inch). These are the dimensions of atoms and molecules and, therefore, nanotechnology involves the manipulation of atoms and molecules. How, then, is nanotechnology different from molecular biology (sometimes called the nanoscience of living things), physics, or chemistry? The distinction can be blurred. However, when considering nanotechnology and nanostructures, it is important to take into account that nanostructures are man-made and exhibit special size-dependent properties, in other words properties resulting…
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What Are Endocrine Disruptors?
By Roberta Attanasio According to the International Programme on Chemical Safety, World Health Organization (WHO) (2002), an endocrine disruptor is an exogenous substance or mixture that alters function(s) of the endocrine system and consequently causes adverse health effects in an intact organism, or its progeny, or (sub) populations. This year, a group of experts convened by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and WHO defined the growing impact of hormone disruptors on human health problems a “global threat“. What is the endocrine system? The endocrine system is one of the communication systems of our body and is found in all mammals, birds, fish, and many other types of living organisms. It’s made up of…
