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Many U.S. underground natural gas storage wells at risk for leaks
More than one in five of the 15,000 active underground natural gas storage wells in the U.S. appear to be at risk for serious leaks due to obsolete well designs, according to a study by Harvard T.H. Chan…
Projected health benefits of Mass. carbon fee-and-rebate bill explored
Two Massachusetts bills that would put a fee on greenhouse gas emissions —except for their use in generating electricity — and provide rebates to residents and employers could potentially save hundreds of lives and generate an estimated $2.9…
Student team’s environmental surveillance system wins $10,000 innovation grant
May 4, 2017 – A real-time environmental hazard detection and notification software platform that pools data from social media and other data sources to spot brewing environmental crises and alert the public and authorities to take action netted a…
Report links welding fumes with risk of cancer
More priority needs to be given to protecting the world’s estimated 111 million welders and other workers from exposure to potentially toxic welding fumes, according to David Christiani, Elkan Blout Professor of Environmental Genetics at Harvard T.H. Chan…
Air pollution within legal limits may increase risk of early death
March 29, 2017 – Current limits on fine particulate matter in the air set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may not be sufficient to protect elderly people from the risk of premature death from air pollution,…
Climate change may reverse gains in child survival
Children are especially vulnerable to the consequences of climate change—including reductions in the nutritional quality of staple crops, increases in asthma and heart disease due to air pollution, and the expanded geographical range of insects that carry disease.…
Firefighters’ workplace cancer risk explored
Researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute are taking a new approach to studying cancer risk among firefighters. They have partnered with the Boston Fire Department to conduct a novel exposure assessment…
Putting a human face on climate change
December 22, 2016 – Focusing on the potential health impacts of climate change—such as malnutrition, an increase in infectious and chronic diseases, and more deaths from heat waves and cold snaps—may be the best way to communicate its dangers, according…
Declining mercury levels in tuna a positive development
Elsie Sunderland, associate professor of environmental science and engineering in the Department of Environmental Health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, was quoted in a November 30, 2016 Bloomberg article about a reported decline in mercury…
Climate talks should consider ‘immediate’ health burden of air pollution
Air pollution is not only causing long-term damage to the planet and human health, but it is already killing millions of people worldwide. In an editorial published November 14, 2016 in STAT, David Hunter, Vincent L. Gregory Professor…