Health, Microbes, and More
We love plastic, and use plastics in basically everything. However, with time and wear and tear, plastics are worn down, and little plastic microparticles are released into the air. These microplastics are less than 5 mm (millimeters) long - about the size of a sesame seed or less. Studies are finding them everywhere, including our drinking ...continue reading "Microplastics Are Found Even In Arctic Snow"
There has been a lot of discussion recently about whether older adults form new neurons in the brain. Neurons are specialized cells transmitting nerve impulses in the brain - they are nerve cells. In other words, if elderly people form new neurons in the brain, then this is excellent news for brain function. This means we can look ...continue reading "New Neurons Form In the Brains Of Older Adults"
There's a microbial, particulate, and chemical cloud surrounding each one of us that is like the one around Pig Pen in the Peanuts comics. It's called the exposome. Researchers from the Stanford University of Medicine found that we each have our own distinct personal cloud - which is everything we're exposed to both indoors and ...continue reading "There Is A Personal Cloud Around Each Person"
New research published in The Lancet estimates that lead exposure results in about 400,000 deaths every year in the USA - which includes about 250,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease. The study looked at "historical exposure" to lead, which means they looked at a person's lead exposure years ago (which could have been from many sources, such as breathing lead ...continue reading "Even Low Level Lead Exposure Is Linked to Later Health Problems"
The words and phrases science-based, evidence-based, fetus, and vulnerable are all important words in science and medicine, and are frequently used on this site when I post about new health studies. Medical treatment is based on science, and it is evidence-based (that's why studies are done - to test hypotheses, and to see what the evidence ...continue reading "Fetus, Science, Evidence"
You may not think of your clothes as pollutants, but tiny plastic fibers from synthetic textiles (microfibers) are big contributors to water pollution. Clothes and fabrics made with synthetic fibers are using plastic fibers (e.g. polyester, nylon, acrylic, fleece and athletic clothing). When they are washed, they break apart in the washing machine, and so ...continue reading "Our Clothes Are Shedding Microfibers And Polluting the Water"
Once again a study (this time a review and meta-analysis of other studies) found an alarming and steep decline in sperm counts in men from Western countries over a 40 year period. This steep decline for both sperm concentration (SC) and total sperm count (TSC) is for men in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. ...continue reading "Steep Decline In Sperm Counts In Western Men"
How many people know this? That wallpaper could have fungi (mold) living on it, and this fungi can release toxins (mycotoxins) that can pollute the air and sicken people when people inhale the toxins. The releasing of toxins from the fungi (mold) into the air is called aerosolization - and when this indoor air pollution ...continue reading "Are Fungi Growing On Your Wallpaper?"
This is a thought-provoking study that looked at environmental quality and cancer incidence in counties throughout the US. The researchers found that the more polluted the county, the higher the cancer incidence. An increase in cancer rates was associated with poorer air quality and the "built environment" (such as major highways). They correctly point out that ...continue reading "Living In More Polluted Counties Linked To Higher Cancer Rates"
Another large study has found negative health effects from living close to high-traffic roadways - this time a higher risk of dementia. The closer to the heavy traffic road, the higher the risk - with the highest risk in people living less than 50 meters (164 feet) from a high-traffic roadway, especially in major urban ...continue reading "Living Close To Heavy Traffic And Dementia Risk"