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Ozone, Plants and Heat Waves: Team Players in Adverse Health Effects
By The Editors Ozone, the principal component of the mixture of air pollutants known as “smog“, is produced from the action of sunlight on air contaminants from automobile exhausts and other sources. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) “Ozone in the air we breathe can harm our health—typically on hot, sunny days when ozone can reach unhealthy levels. Even relatively low levels of ozone can cause health effects. Breathing ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and congestion. It can worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. Ground level ozone also can reduce lung function and inflame the linings of the lungs. Repeated…
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The Global Threat of Substandard and Falsified Medicines
By The Editors Treatment with poor quality medicines — substandard and falsified (fake) medicines — is a significant cause of harm to human populations worldwide. According to a report released on February 13, 2013, by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies “Falsified and substandard medicines provide little protection from disease and, worse, can expose consumers to major harm. Bad drugs pose potential threats around the world, but the nature of the risk varies by country, with higher risk in countries with minimal or non-existent regulatory oversight. While developed countries are not immune, – negligent production at a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy killed 44 people from September 2012 to January…
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The Worldwide Obesity Epidemic: Links to Bisphenol A
By The Editors In a previous post, we discussed globesity – the escalating global epidemic of overweight and obesity – and said that controlling globesity requires a variety of approaches, including the understanding of the association between obesity and exposure to environmental pollutants. There are many widespread environmental pollutants that may be contributing to the development of obesity. One of these pollutants is bisphenol A (BPA). In 2012, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicated that urine BPA is associated with obesity in children and adolescents. Now, results from a study published in the scientific journal PLOS One show that high levels of exposure to BPA…
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Autism and Air Pollution Go Together
By The Editors Autism, a severe developmental disorder that begins within the first three years after conception, is considered a global concern. The causes of autism are not well understood. Now, results from a study published online today, June 18, in the scientific journal “Environmental Health Perspectives” show that women exposed to air pollutants during pregnancy are up to twice as likely to have an autistic child than those living in areas with low air pollution. What is autism? The American Psychiatric Association defines autism as a disorder characterized by deficits in social interactions and communication skills, as well as the presence of stereotypic and repetitive behaviors. According to the Autism Research Institute “Most autistic children…
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Lipstick and Heavy Metals
By The Editors Cosmetics are all around us. They have been used for thousands of years. Are they safe? Without discussing the general/global issue of cosmetics safety, we want to bring up something about one of the most used cosmetics worldwide: lipsticks. Although in the last century lipstick use was most prevalent in the Western world, its use is now a global phenomenon. And now, it seems lipsticks contain a potentially unhealthy dose of toxic heavy metals. What are heavy metals? They are high atomic weight elements that exhibit, at room temperature, the properties of a metallic substance. Minute amounts of some heavy metals, including cobalt, copper, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, strontium,…
