PFASs found in some Massachusetts schools
Significant amounts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances—toxic chemicals known as PFASs—have been found in the drinking water of some schools in Massachusetts. High levels of the chemicals turned up in schools in Stow and several other communities after…
Overfishing, climate change linked with rising mercury levels in fish
Even as mercury levels in the oceans have fallen, levels in some fish—such as tuna, salmon, and swordfish—have increased due to overfishing and climate change, according to a new study. Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School…
Op-ed: Questioning the use of a toxic pesticide
The pesticide chlorpyrifos, a chemical cousin of nerve agents used in World War II, has been shown to impede brain development in children. But the Environmental Protection Agency under President Trump recently decided to reject an Obama-era plan…
Climate-driven disasters may stir up toxins
Disasters such as floods and fires, intensified by climate change in recent years, may be making people in the U.S. sick. These sorts of disasters can dislodge chemicals from the ground, from homes, and from industrial waste sites,…
Curbing the use of ‘forever’ chemicals
July 18, 2019 – Philippe Grandjean is an adjunct professor of environmental health at Harvard Chan School who studies per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs)—man-made chemicals used in products ranging from carpets to nonstick cookware to firefighting foams—and is co-director…
Dollar stores move to eliminate hazardous chemicals from products
Plastic products that contain hazardous chemicals linked with serious health problems are starting to be phased out at dollar stores. According to a May 24, 2019 article in National Geographic, one of the largest dollar store chains in…
Nurses’ Health Study 3 ramps up its recruiting efforts
May 10, 2019 – As nurses in the U.S. celebrate National Nurses Week (May 6-12, 2019), Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers want them to know that they can contribute valuable information to improve the health…
High 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. Researchers examined lead levels in the soil, sand, mulch, or rubber surfaces in 28 Boston playgrounds. They found that rubber…
Sludge used as fertilizer could be toxic; ban sought
Public health experts say that Maine should ban the use of municipal sludge as fertilizer after dangerous levels of toxic chemicals called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs, were found at a farm near Portland where the sludge…
At Second Annual Yerby Fellowship Symposium, postdocs present research
March 12, 2019 – The health of particular groups of people—including caregivers for children, patient care workers, and people exposed to chemicals at work—was the focus of the Yerby Postdoctoral Fellows who spoke at a recent symposium at…
