Chemicals linked with severe respiratory disease found in common e-cigarette flavors
For immediate release: December 8, 2015 Boston, MA – Diacetyl, a flavoring chemical linked to cases of severe respiratory disease, was found in more than 75% of flavored electronic cigarettes and refill liquids tested by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan…
COPD heightens deadly lung cancer risk in smokers
Smokers who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) may face nearly twice the risk of getting small cell lung cancer (SCLC)—the deadliest form of lung cancer—than smokers who don’t have COPD, according to a large worldwide study led…
A bench scientist with a passion for the environment
May 21, 2015 – On a Friday afternoon in May, Peter Wagner was about to give his dissertation defense. Quan Lu, associate professor of environmental genetics and pathophysiology—introducing Peter before a group of about 50 of his fellow…
Cystic fibrosis and arsenic poisoning linked to same damaged protein
A new Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health co-authored study provides further evidence linking both arsenic poisoning and the chronic respiratory disease cystic fibrosis (CF) to damage in the CFTR protein. An examination of arsenic-exposed patients in…
The DNA of public health
[Fall 2013 Centennial issue] When at first nothing may seem more removed from the broad, humanistic canvas of public health than research on genetics, studies of the molecular mechanisms of disease occupy a central place at Harvard School…
Deadly environments
[Fall 2013 Centennial issue] On a October afternoon in 1948, daylight barely trickled into the storefronts of Donora, Pennsylvania. Stagnant weather had trapped a noxious black cloud of emissions from nearby steel and zinc plants above the town,…
Keeping workers safe from health hazards on the job
September 16, 2013 -- Harvard School of Public Health’s Education and Research Center (ERC) for Occupational Safety and Health has been awarded a five-year, $1.8 million per year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National…
New research explores role of genetics in smoking and lung cancer
May 15, 2012 In 2008, three different studies found that certain genetic variants associated with nicotine dependence and smoking were also associated with lung cancer. The findings raised a question: Were the variants linked with lung cancer only…
Researchers shed light on what triggers tumors in lung cancer
October 12, 2011 -- For decades cigarette smoking has been considered a risk factor for lung cancer, but exactly how tobacco use causes tumors to grow in the lungs is not fully understood. A new study led by…
The Triangle Factory fire and workplace safety regulations
On the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in New York City, Elkan Blout Professor of Environmental Genetics David Christiani talks about how the tragedy mobilized government officials and the public to strengthen workplace safety regulations. He also…
