Recent Publications and News
Associations between Aircraft Noise Exposure and Self-Reported Sleep Duration and Quality in the United States-Based Prospective Nurses’ Health Study Cohort
Sleep disruption is linked with chronic disease, and aircraft noise can disrupt sleep. However, there are few investigations of aircraft noise and sleep in large cohorts.
Read More Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: Tamarra James-Todd on the Hidden Toxins in Black Hair Care
But with products filled with unpronounceable chemicals like linalool methylparaben and methylisothiazolinone, one might begin to wonder: What exactly are Black women putting in their hair, and what does it mean for their health?
Read More Climate, Pollution, and Children’s Health
This instructional video focuses on five key ways in which fossil fuels, air pollution, and climate change are creating a long-lasting negative impact on infant and children’s health: extreme heat, climate-intensified events, changes in air quality, disruptions in food and water supply, and changes in vector ecology.
Watch HereGut epithelial barrier damage caused by dishwasher detergents and rinse aids
The increased prevalence of many chronic inflammatory diseases linked to gut epithelial barrier leakiness has prompted us to investigate the role of extensive use of dishwasher detergents, among other factors.
Read MoreEffects of Desert Dust and Sandstorms on Human Health: A Scoping Review
Desert dust and sandstorms are recurring environmental phenomena that are reported to produce serious health risks worldwide. This scoping review was conducted to identify the most likely health effects of desert dust and sandstorms and the methods used to characterize desert dust exposure from the existing epidemiological literature
Read MorePhysical Activity, Air Pollution Exposure, and Lung Function Interactions Among Adults with COPD
Although physical activity is strongly encouraged for patients with chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it is unknown if physical activity affects daily exposure to air pollution, or whether it attenuates or exacerbates effects of pollution on the airways among adults with COPD
Read Moreobstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), it is unknown if physical activity affects daily exposure to air pollution, or whether it attenuates or exacerbates effects of pollution on the airways among adults with COPD
Indoor air is full of flu and COVID viruses. Will countries clean it up?
The current pandemic has focused attention to the importance of healthy indoor air and could spur lasting improvements to the air we breathe.
Read MoreAssociations between long term air pollution exposure and first hospital admission for kidney and total urinary system diseases in the US Medicare population: nationwide longitudinal cohort study
Recently, air pollution has been suggested as a potential risk factor for low glomerular filtration rate and kidney disease. Inhaled air pollution can cause oxidative stress and DNA damage to kidney tissue, and cardiovascular and endocrine toxicities related to air pollution, such as disturbances in the autonomic nervous and circulatory systems and pulmonary inflammatory disease, have also been suggested as biological mechanisms linking air pollution exposure and kidney disease.
Read MoreHormone receptor activities of complex mixtures of known and suspect chemicals in personal silicone wristband samplers worn in office buildings
Humans are exposed to increasingly complex mixtures of hormone-disrupting chemicals from a variety of sources, yet, traditional research methods only evaluate a small number of chemicals at a time. We aimed to advance novel methods to investigate exposures to complex chemical mixtures
Read MoreUse of personal care products during pregnancy and birth outcomes – A pilot study
Prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) from personal care products may be associated with birth outcomes including preterm birth and low birth weight.
Read MorePesticide exposure and asthma morbidity in children residing in urban, multi-family housing
Children are potentially more susceptible to the adverse effects of pesticides due to more sensitive organ systems and lower capacity to metabolize and eliminate chemicals compared to adults. The health risks are particularly concerning children with asthma, living in low-income neighborhoods in multi-family housing because of their impaired respiratory health, and factors associated with low-income, multi-family environments.
Read MorePesticide residue intake from fruits and vegetables and alterations in the serum metabolome of women undergoing infertility treatment
Pesticide exposure is linked to a myriad of negative health effects; however, the mechanisms underlying these associations are less clear. We utilized metabolomics to describe the alterations in the serum metabolome associated with high and low pesticide residue intake from fruits and vegetables (FVs), the most common route of exposure in humans.
Read MoreLifestyle interventions to reduce endocrine-disrupting phthalate and phenol exposures among reproductive age men and women: A review and future steps
Non-persistent endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), including phthalates and phenols, are ubiquitous in both the environment and human body. A growing body of epidemiologic studies have identified concerning links between EDCs and adverse reproductive and developmental health effects.
Read MoreCancer risks from cosmic radiation exposure in flight: A review
Aircrew (consisting of flight attendants, pilots, or flight engineers/navigators) are exposed to cosmic ionizing radiation (CIR) at flight altitude, which originates from solar activity and galactic sources. These exposures accumulate over time and are considerably higher for aircrew compared to the general population, and even higher compared to U.S. radiation workers
Read MoreWe live in an environment that is 'toxic' to reproductive health
Dr. Carmen Messerlian, a professor of reproduction epidemiology at Harvard, discusses the plummeting sperm count among men around the world.
Read MoreHigh Lead Levels Found in Rubber Playground Surfaces
Rubber surface material on playgrounds may be exposing children to unsafe lead levels, according to a recent study conducted by researchers in the Department of Environmental Health and Department of Global Health and Population.
Read MoreMore Harvard Resources
- Center for Nanotechnology and Nanotoxicology
- John B. Little Center for Radiation Sciences
- Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE)
- Harvard Center for Work, Health, and Wellbeing