In northern Greece, cash-strapped farmers are turning to cut-price illegal pesticides smuggled by organized crime networks, despite growing evidence of health and environmental risks. The counterfeit agricultural chemicals are being distributed across Europe's farmland.
A major international meta-analysis found that both short- and long-term exposure to common air pollutants — particularly fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide — are significantly associated with an increased risk of death by suicide, suicide attempts, and suicidal ideation.
A new study published in Frontiers in Environmental Health reveals that while overall prenatal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) decreased between 2003 and 2019, wildfire smoke's contribution to prenatal PM2.5 exposure more than doubled during this period, making it the dominant source of unhealthy air pollution for pregnant women in the United States.
A study found that young non-smokers with healthier diets had higher rates of lung cancer, raising questions about whether pesticide exposure from conventionally grown produce could play a role.
New research analyzing patients from Kite Pharma's Yescarta clinical trials has identified inherited genetic signatures that can predict which patients are at higher risk for toxic side effects from CAR-T cell therapy, potentially enabling better patient selection and monitoring for this cancer immunotherapy.
Health officials across North Dakota, Florida, Massachusetts, California, and Northern Ireland have issued warnings about harmful blue-green algae blooms in lakes and rivers, with at least one dog death reported in California's Eel River. The outbreaks are linked to hot weather, low water levels, and water quality issues.
New research published in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology found that all 18 tested stuffed toys released at least one type of PFAS into artificial saliva under conditions simulating children mouthing the toys, with PFHxA being the primary compound detected.
Analysis of human brain tissue shows microplastics and nanoplastics are present in both tumor and healthy samples, confirming their ability to cross into the brain, though their concentrations, distribution, and direct health effects remain uncertain and require further study.
Extract from seeds of the moringa plant can effectively bind and remove microplastics from water, matching or even outperforming conventional chemical treatments, offering a low cost natural solution for cleaner drinking water, especially in small or resource limited communities.
Following the EPA/HHS announcement, PolitiFact published an expert-backed guide on how microplastics enter the body through food, water, and air, which organs they accumulate in, and what the science says about health risks — drawing on interviews with leading researchers and synthesizing the current state of evidence.
Scientists face a fundamental paradox: microplastics are contaminating the very labs, equipment, and clothing used to study them. Without standardized protocols to separate real environmental samples from lab contamination, experts warn the credibility of the entire field of microplastics research is at stake.
The Environmental Protection Agency has designated microplastics as a potential drinking water contaminant requiring study, marking a significant regulatory step seen as appealing to the MAHA movement's focus on environmental health concerns.
University of Michigan researchers found that standard lab gloves shed soap-like particles that closely mimic microplastics under spectroscopy, generating thousands of false positives per sample. The finding suggests years of microplastic measurements may be significantly overestimated, demanding new lab protocols across the field. Published in Analytical Methods.
New research suggests a widely consumed food may help remove harmful microplastics from the body by binding to particles or aiding their excretion, pointing to a potential dietary approach to reducing long-term exposure and related health risks.
States are implementing plans for a $50 billion congressional fund intended to improve rural health care, but the funding structure may paradoxically incentivize rural hospitals to reduce services or close facilities in some states.
