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  • 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…

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  • Environmental Toxins and Damage to the Immune System: Transgenerational Effects

    December 5, 2019 /

    By Roberta Attanasio A few decades ago, the hypothesis of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD), also called “Barker’s hypothesis,” stimulated interest in the fetal origins of adult disorders—as soon as it was formulated. 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…

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    Do Sunscreen Products Harm the Coastal Marine Ecosystem?

    August 30, 2013

    Food-Borne Parasites: The “Top Ten” List

    July 1, 2014

    Lipstick and Heavy Metals

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  • 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,…

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    Cooking and Indoor Air Pollution

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    Asthma in Children: Effects of Exposure to Diesel Exhaust Particles

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    Arctic Pollution

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  • 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…

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    Genetically Modified Crops: Caterpillars versus Aphids

    November 17, 2013

    Large Animal Extinctions and Soil Fertility

    August 13, 2013

    The Great Global Die-Off: Frogs and Lymphocytes

    October 28, 2013
  • 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…

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    The Great Global Die-Off: Frogs and Lymphocytes

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    Large Animal Extinctions and Soil Fertility

    August 13, 2013

    Sustainability in Action: Christmas Trees Provide Habitat for Coho Salmon

    December 29, 2013
  • 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…

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    Soils Are Threatened: Can We Halt The Problem?

    December 4, 2015

    Minute 319: The Delta of the Colorado River Gets a New Life

    March 19, 2014

    Genetically Modified Crops: Caterpillars versus Aphids

    November 17, 2013
  • 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…

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    Soils Are Threatened: Can We Halt The Problem?

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    Genetically Modified Crops: Caterpillars versus Aphids

    November 17, 2013

    Quality Water, Quality Life: Aquatic Health and Contaminants in the Midcoast Oregon Salmon Watersheds

    June 8, 2015
  • 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…

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    Global Threats: Soil and Topsoil Erosion and Degradation

    August 9, 2014

    Carbon Dioxide Fertilization Effect and Greening of Deserts

    July 13, 2013

    Change of Mind: The Influence of Hurricanes

    September 21, 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. …

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    Climate Change Arguments? Use Flowchart Help!

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    Clean Air: The Effects of U.S. Power Plant Carbon Standards on Human Health

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  • 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…

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    The Great Global Die-Off: Frogs and Lymphocytes

    October 28, 2013

    Wasting Syndrome and Starfish Die-Off

    February 9, 2014

    Air Pollution: The Most Widespread Environmental Carcinogen

    October 19, 2013
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