From workplace gardens and honeybees to circadian lighting and toxin-free materials, human health is the next frontier in sustainable design. Read the full story at USGBC and learn how Harvard researchers are involved in making buildings healthier for people.
Flight Attendant Research on Harvard Gazette
The flight attendant research led by Dr. Eileen McNeely, funded by the Hoffman Pilot Program, is featured in the Harvard Gazette today: Health at 35,000 feet The health risks faced by flight attendants, who work outside standard health and safety protections, piqued the interest of researchers. Click HERE to read the full story.
Hoffman Program Report 2015-2016
A report summarizing our work in the first two years of the program is now available online. Check it out HERE!
The Continual Regrettable Substitution of Nail Polish Ingredients
Written by Anna Young, edited by Diana Ceballos “We only buy ‘safe,’ ‘non-toxic’ nail polishes for our salon. They’re all ‘6-Free,’” announced Tiffany, a nail salon employee in the Boston area. But the nail polishes are not non-toxic: every day Tiffany faces complex, and often subtle, toxic exposures. Unfortunately, as a manicurist in the primarily young, female, and Vietnamese nail salon workforce, Tiffany is continuously at risk of reproductive harms,…
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Video for Dr. Lowry’s Seminar
Watch the video online for Dr. Christopher Lowry’s seminar: Environmental Microbial Exposure and Mental Health (click HERE for more information on the seminar):
E-Recycling Poster at NIEHS Environmental Health Science FEST
On December 6th, visiting scholar Diana Ceballos and master student Anna Young presented a poster on our e-recycling work at the NIEHS Environmental Health Science FEST in Durham, NC. Check out the pdf version of the poster HERE!
Formal E-Recycling: The Complexity of Solving the E-waste Problem Worldwide
Written by Diana Ceballos and Zhao Dong, edited by Marcy Franck At seven o’clock each morning I wake up to my electric alarm clock. I turn on the radio, and then go into the kitchen to make coffee, pop some bread in the toaster and heat up some milk in the microwave. When I’m ready to head out, I put on my watch and check to make sure my cell phone and earphones are…
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Are “Green” Dry Cleaning Solvents Bad for Our Health?
by Diana Ceballos and Marcy Franck Sometimes chemicals we call “green” are better for the environment, but not always good for our health. Dr. Diana Ceballos, our Visiting Scientist with the Hoffman Program on Chemicals and Health, and some of her research colleagues, set out to better understand how chemicals commonly used in the dry cleaning industry impact health, especially as many shops are making the switch to products thought to be better…
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Video for Dr. Torben Sigsgaard’s Seminar
Watch the video online for Dr. Torben Sigsgaard’s seminar: Studies of Environmental Exposures in a Human Exposure Chamber (click HERE for more information on the seminar):
Are You Allergic to Your Job?
Written by Diana Ceballos, edited by Marcy Franck My interest in the connection between chemicals and health began when I was a high school student volunteering in a neighborhood that was built on top of an abandoned landfill in Medellin, Colombia. My position involved playing with and feeding neighborhood children, selling inexpensive used clothing, and teaching adults to read and write. It also allowed me to observe their deplorable life…