The Global Fool

environment, science & stories

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Policy and Guidelines
  • Earth Song by Michael Jackson
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Editorial Policy and Guidelines
  • Earth Song by Michael Jackson

Emaho Strategies — Science Communication and Content Strategy Consulting

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Dive in!

Subscribe to The Global Fool newsletter!

We promise we’ll never spam! Take a look at our Privacy Policy for more info.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

  • Allergies in Young Children: Effects of Exposure to Multiple Air Pollutants During Prenatal and Early Life

    December 10, 2019 /

    By Roberta Attanasio The frequency of allergies in children keeps rising rapidly worldwide, but it’s not clear why. However, it is acknowledged that developing even one type of allergy early in life is almost like turning on a switch—it can start children on a path to more. “The progression of skin allergies to asthma and allergic rhinitis is called the allergic or atopic march. Atopic dermatitis is an itchy, inflammatory skin allergy that, before 1960, affected fewer than 3% of children; by the 2000s it had increased to around 20%. A child with atopic dermatitis is more likely to develop other allergic conditions or symptoms. For example, about 70% of…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    The European Seafloor: More Litter Than We Thought

    May 1, 2014

    “The Throwaway Society Cannot Be Contained – It Has Gone Global”

    May 8, 2013

    2013 World Day to Combat Desertification: Today, June 17

    June 17, 2013
  • Environmental Toxins and Damage to the Immune System: Transgenerational Effects

    December 5, 2019 /

    By Roberta Attanasio The hypothesis of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD), also called “Barker’s hypothesis”, was formulated a few decades ago and stimulated interest in the fetal origins of adult disorders. Subsequent research by Mohan Manikkam and Michael Skinner helped establish the principle of transgenerational toxicity by showing that the effects of toxic chemicals can extend even to the third generation of offspring. Indeed, it is now clear that early life development is a critical and unique window of vulnerability during which environmental exposures influence cellular programming in ways that shape health and disease later in life. While most research on the transgenerational effects of environmental chemicals…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Arsenic Contamination of Drinking Water in India Impairs Kala-Azar Treatment

    October 30, 2013

    750 Miles of Smog

    December 14, 2013

    Global Education

    May 12, 2013
  • Childhood Asthma and Traffic-Related Air Pollution

    October 15, 2019 /

    By Roberta Attanasio “I explain it to people like you are breathing through a coffee stirrer straw, and you just can’t get enough breath. The attacks can happen so quickly and out of nowhere, so I feel like I’m really not in control of my own body. Not being able to breathe in and out the way my body is designed to do is quite scary” says one of the 19 million adults who currently have asthma in the US. Asthma is a chronic disorder that causes swelling and inflammation in the lungs—the airways narrow and produce extra mucus, making breathing difficult and causing coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing,…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Double Blue: Blue Economy and Blue Growth

    July 21, 2014

    Small Predator Diversity Plays a Significant Role in the Spread of Infectious Diseases

    March 23, 2015

    Toxic Hot Spots: A Global Health Threat

    May 11, 2013
  • As coal mining declines, community mental health problems linger

    August 2, 2016 /

    By Roberta Attanasio The U.S. coal industry is in rapid decline, a shift marked not only by the bankruptcy of many mine operators in coal-rich Appalachia but also by a legacy of potential environmental and social disasters. As mines close, states, the federal government and taxpayers are left wondering about the costs of cleaning up the abandoned land, especially at mountaintop removal sites, the most destructive type of mining. As coal companies go bankrupt, this has left states concerned taxpayers may have to pick up the environmental cleanup costs. But there are also societal costs related to mountaintop removal mining’s impact on health and mental health. As an immunologist, I…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Arsenic in Drinking Water: Increased Risk of Respiratory Infections and Lung Damage Following Fetal Exposure

    September 29, 2013

    Anthropogens: Inducers of Chronic Inflammation and Degenerative Diseases

    September 7, 2013

    The European Barberry: A Plant That Makes Complex Decisions

    March 5, 2014
  • Farmed Salmon Develop Ear Deformities All Around the World

    May 31, 2016 /

    By Roberta Attanasio Salmon farming is the fastest growing food production system in the world—accounting for 70 percent (2.4 million metric tons) of the market. Increasing demand is leading to the gradual development of responsible practices to minimize its negative impacts on the environment. Indeed, salmon farming is known to pollute the oceans, use toxic pesticides to control the spread of sea lice, foster diseases caused by viruses and bacteria, allow escapees, and deplete the stocks of forage fish—depending on the production region, 1.5 – 8 kilograms of wild fish are needed to produce one kilogram of farmed salmon. However, despite the development of the open and transparent production practices…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Ozone, Plants and Heat Waves: Team Players in Adverse Health Effects

    July 23, 2013

    The $11 Trillion Reward

    August 7, 2013

    TB Unmasked: Healthcare Workers and the Global Tuberculosis Epidemic

    March 21, 2015
  • Salmon Farming: The Chilean Massive Die-Off

    May 21, 2016 /

    By Roberta Attanasio Salmon farming—the fastest growing food production system in the world—is going through hard times in Chile, the world’s second-largest salmon producer after Norway. Last year, Chile exported $4.5 billion of farmed salmon, but now a deadly algal bloom is killing millions of farmed fish. A few months ago, an estimated 40,000 tons of salmon died in the Los Lagos region, which is known as the Switzerland of the Southern Hemisphere’s—the snow-capped peaks of the Andes Mountains tower over deep mountain lakes and green farming valleys, creating a fairy-tale landscape. Unlike Switzerland, the fairy-tale landscape extends down to the coast and its beaches, which became covered with dead…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Tuberculosis in China: A Success Story for a Global Problem

    March 22, 2014

    The Space Age

    May 3, 2013

    The unborn baby: Healthy pregnant mothers exposed to air pollution from road traffic inhale toxic particles that may end up in the placenta

    September 28, 2020
  • Pharmaceuticals in Drinking Water?

    April 25, 2016 /

    By Roberta Attanasio The problem of contaminated tap water in the U.S. goes well beyond Flint—and also beyond lead. There are many more toxic chemicals in our drinking water that we like to believe. Communities in New York, New Hampshire and Vermont recently found elevated levels of PFOA, a suspected carcinogen, in their water supplies. PFOA, or perfluorooctanoic acid, is a synthetic perfluoroalkyl chemical used to manufacture nonstick pan coatings and water-resistant clothing. And, even more recent is the finding that water discharged from Burlington’s wastewater treatment plant into Lake Champlain—the source of drinking water for tens of thousands of people in the Burlington area—contains concentrations of pharmaceuticals high enough to reflect…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    “The Throwaway Society Cannot Be Contained – It Has Gone Global”

    May 8, 2013

    Paradoxical Thinking May Lead to Conflict Resolution

    August 4, 2014

    Embarrassing Facebook Posts May Cause Anguish

    December 10, 2013
  • Climate Change, Parasite Infections, and Immune Responses

    March 6, 2016 /

    By Roberta Attanasio Global climate change noticeably impacts human health—safe drinking water, sufficient food, and secure shelter are threatened by rising sea levels and severe weather events. Heat waves dramatically increase death rates not only from heat strokes, but also from complications arising from cardiovascular, respiratory, and cerebrovascular diseases. Although global warming may bring some localized benefits, such as fewer winter deaths in temperate climates and increased food production in certain areas, the overall health effects of a changing climate are likely to be overwhelmingly negative. For example, climate warming is predicted to increase the transmission of parasite infections. Now, results from a recent study show that host immunity can…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Global Pollution: Top Ten Toxic Threats in 2013

    November 5, 2013

    From Old to Young: Rejuvenating Effects of Fasting on the Immune System

    June 7, 2014

    Arsenic Contamination of Drinking Water in India Impairs Kala-Azar Treatment

    October 30, 2013
  • Soils Are Threatened: Can We Halt The Problem?

    December 4, 2015 /

    By Roberta Attanasio Today, December 4, 2015, is World Soil Day — a day to connect people with soils, and raise awareness of their critical importance in our lives. Soils — the reservoir for at least a quarter of global biodiversity — have been neglected for too long. We fail to connect soil with our food, water, climate, and life. The maintenance or enhancement of global soil resources is essential to meet the world’s need for food, water, and energy security. Soil loss is an unfolding global disaster that will have catastrophic effects on world food production, according to scientists from the University of Sheffield’s Grantham Centre for Sustainable Futures. …

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Facebook: High Connection and Low Well-Being

    August 15, 2013

    Childhood Asthma and Traffic-Related Air Pollution

    October 15, 2019

    In Honor of Earth Day: Planet Ocean

    April 22, 2013
  • Nature, Health, and Things in Between

    November 7, 2015 /

    By Roberta Attanasio A decade ago, Richard Louv — author of the bestsellers Last Child in the Woods and The Nature Principle — coined the term “nature-deficit disorder” to describe the increasing disconnection between children and the natural world. Such disconnection negatively affects health and spiritual well-being. The concept, which was later extended to adults, provides the basis for a working framework to reshape our lives. Louv argues that by tapping into the restorative powers of nature, we can boost mental acuity and creativity; promote health and wellness; build smarter and more sustainable businesses, communities, and economies; and ultimately strengthen human bonds. Although results from several studies point out the deleterious health…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Lipstick and Heavy Metals

    June 3, 2013

    Arctic Pollution

    May 15, 2013

    Arsenic in Chickens: Finding More of What Is Already Known

    July 7, 2013
123

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Dive in!

Subscribe to The Global Fool newsletter!

We promise we’ll never spam! Take a look at our Privacy Policy for more info.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Do you like The Global Fool? Like us on Facebook!

A blog by Emaho Strategies 225 Parkway 575 # 1291 Woodstock, Georgia 30188-9998
The Global Fool 2013 - 2021 ©