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.

  • Children exposed to air pollution are more likely to develop disease later in life

    March 1, 2021 /

    By Roberta Attanasio We have known for quite some time that the first years of life represent a unique “window of vulnerability”—exposures to environmental chemicals at this time influence cellular programming in ways that shape health and disease in later years. For example, recent research shows that there is a significant association between multiple prenatal and early life exposures to indoor pollutants and the degree of allergic sensitivity in 2-year old children. In other words, babies exposed to air pollution during prenatal life and for the first several moths after birth, up to 2 years of age, are at higher risk of developing allergic sensitivity. Now, results from a study published…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Autism and Air Pollution Go Together

    June 18, 2013

    Air Pollution: The Most Widespread Environmental Carcinogen

    October 19, 2013

    Benzene, Leukemia and Lymphoma

    August 5, 2013
  • Wildfires and fireworks may pollute the air inside your home

    February 24, 2021 /

    By Roberta Attanasio 4o years ago an article published in The New York Times highlighted the threat of indoor air pollution: “The air you breathe in your home or office may be hazardous to your health – more dangerous, in fact, than the outdoor air in the most polluted of cities. This is especially so during the cold months, when windows and doors are kept tightly shut and homes, schools and office buildings are made as airtight as possible to conserve energy.” While at the time awareness of the problem was still limited, we now know—on the basis of scientific evidence— that the air within homes and other buildings can be…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    J.M.W. Turner’s Sunsets: A Guide to Air Pollution

    March 27, 2014

    Asthma in Children: Effects of Exposure to Diesel Exhaust Particles

    October 12, 2013

    Prenatal Exposure to Air Pollutants: Links to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

    April 11, 2015
  • 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 /

    By Roberta Attanasio According to a recently published study, carbon and metal particles from road traffic, once inhaled, reach one of the many places where we would rather not find them—the unborn baby’s life support system, best known as placenta. Lead author Jonathan Grigg said: “Our study for the first time shows that inhaled carbon particulate matter in air pollution, travels in the blood stream, and is taken up by important cells in the placenta.” For the study, researchers analyzed placentas from 15 healthy non-smoking women, donated after the birth of their children. All women delivered healthy babies. However, they lived in an environment that exposed them to high levels…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Toxic Hot Spots: A Global Health Threat

    May 11, 2013

    What is Carbon Farming?

    August 8, 2013

    Doing Your Bit: Ten Simple Ways to Help Reduce Air Pollution

    August 11, 2013
  • 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…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Sustainability in Action: Family Farming

    November 28, 2013

    The Global Travels of Chikungunya Virus: Is it Coming to You?

    March 30, 2015

    Double Blue: Blue Economy and Blue Growth

    July 21, 2014
  • 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

    Children exposed to air pollution are more likely to develop disease later in life

    March 1, 2021

    Fine Particulate Matter: The Global Toll

    October 18, 2013

    Asthma in Children: Effects of Exposure to Diesel Exhaust Particles

    October 12, 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

    Genetically Modified Crops: Caterpillars versus Aphids

    November 17, 2013

    Reduction of Livestock Gas Emissions May Be Within Reach

    October 2, 2013

    Electronic Waste: A Global, Interactive Map

    December 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…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Reduction of Livestock Gas Emissions May Be Within Reach

    October 2, 2013

    Do Sea Turtles Eat Plastic Marine Debris? Yes!

    August 10, 2013

    Wasting Syndrome and Starfish Die-Off

    February 9, 2014
  • Global Threats: Children’s Exposure to Toxic Pesticides

    May 17, 2015 /

    By Roberta Attanasio In 2012, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a policy statement to outline the harmful effects of pesticides in children, and to make recommendations on how to reduce exposure. According to the statement, prenatal and early childhood exposure to pesticides is associated with pediatric cancers, decreased cognitive function, and behavioral problems. In addition, the statement pointed out that recognizing and reducing children’s exposure to pesticides requires improved medical training, public health tracking, and regulatory approaches, and made recommendations on specific actions that should be taken to decrease such exposure. Despite the recognition of the dangers associated with pesticide use, and the AAP recommendations on limiting children’s…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

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

    June 7, 2014

    Global Threats: The Spread of Crop Pests

    September 2, 2013

    Food Waste Harms Climate, Water, Land and Biodiversity

    September 14, 2013
  • Neonicotinoid Pesticides: Bad for Bees, Bad for Many Other Species

    May 6, 2015 /

    By Roberta Attanasio Do neonicotinoid pesticides harm bees? According to scientific evidence, the answer is “yes”. Indeed, scientific evidence for the toxic effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on bees is accumulating at an increasing pace. And, on the basis of scientific evidence, the European Commission banned in 2013 the use of three neonicotinoids — clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam — on flowering plants. The ban was motivated by findings from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA); these findings were based on the evaluation of the scientific studies available at the time. Now, a report from the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC) emphasizes that bees are not the only species affected by…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Electronic Waste: A Global, Interactive Map

    December 17, 2013

    Global Reforestation: How Likely Is It?

    October 15, 2013

    Reduction of Livestock Gas Emissions May Be Within Reach

    October 2, 2013
  • Clean Air: The Effects of U.S. Power Plant Carbon Standards on Human Health

    May 4, 2015 /

    By Roberta Attanasio A little more than a year ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that in 2012 around 7 million people died — accounting for one in eight of total global deaths — as a result of exposure to air pollution. These estimates more than doubled the previous ones, and confirmed that air pollution is now the world’s largest single environmental health risk. The WHO concluded that reducing air pollution globally could save millions of lives. But, what policy changes would be most effective at saving lives? The answer comes from a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change (May 4, 2015.) The study, (US power plant…

    Read More

    You May Also Like

    Wildfires and fireworks may pollute the air inside your home

    February 24, 2021

    Arctic Pollution

    May 15, 2013

    Prenatal Exposure to Air Pollutants: Links to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

    April 11, 2015
12345

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.

RECENT POSTS

  • What is nature?
    March 3, 2021
  • Children exposed to air pollution are more likely to develop disease later in life
    March 1, 2021
  • Is women’s menstrual cycle linked to that of the Moon? A new study may provide answers
    February 27, 2021
  • Wildfires and fireworks may pollute the air inside your home
    February 24, 2021
  • Did you hear about Science Moms?
    February 22, 2021
  • It’s time to stop our war on nature
    February 18, 2021
  • A Brighter World in 2021: It Begins Within
    January 29, 2021
  • To help the environment, turn your camera off during virtual meetings
    January 18, 2021

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 ©