Homemade cosmetics, touted on TikTok, may pose health risks
Homemade makeup products such as lip gloss are widely featured on TikTok videos, but just because they’re handmade doesn’t mean they’re safe, according to experts.
Why phthalates should be restricted or banned from consumer products
Russ Hauser discusses a paper he co-authored that outlines the health dangers of chemicals called ortho-phthalates and calls for their elimination in consumer products.
Texas storm offers glimpse of how climate change threatens public health
In the wake of extreme weather that led to prolonged power outages and water shortages in Texas, Yerby Fellow Renee Salas discussed the health challenges posed by climate change and the complexities of responding to a disaster in…
Firefighters’ protective clothing may contain toxic chemicals
The clothing that firefighters wear to protect themselves from fire and other hazards may contain toxic compounds called perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs, according to a new study.
PFAS exposure linked with worse COVID-19 outcomes
People who had elevated blood levels of a toxic chemical called perfluorobutanoic acid had an increased risk of a more severe course of COVID-19 than those who did not have elevated levels, according to a new study led…
A primer on the ‘encyclopedia of carcinogens’
At the Cutter lecture, Elisabete Weiderpass, director of the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, discussed the agency's evaluations of data on potentially cancer-causing agents.
We're better off when we can breathe easy
Until the COVID-19 pandemic, most of us didn't think about indoor air very much, if at all. But healthy buildings expert Joseph Allen has been studying indoor air for years. He says that since we spend 90% of…
Healthier furnishings could reduce toxic dust indoors
Dust in buildings with older furniture is more likely to contain traces of toxic compounds called PFASs than dust in buildings with newer furniture, according to a new study from Harvard Chan School.
Some Black hair products may harm users’ health
Hair products sometimes used by Black women may contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals linked with serious health issues.
Exposure to phthalates before pregnancy could increase preterm birth risk
Exposure to the class of chemicals known as phthalates, which are found in a wide array of products from perfume to kids’ toys, was associated with preterm birth in new research led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of…