Subscribe
A new UC Berkeley study adds to the health concerns over flame retardants widely used in foam upholstered furniture. Researchers have found that children exposed to PBDEs in the womb and in early childhood had poorer attention, IQ and fine motor skills.
Tag: environmental health
Study links air pollution to low birthweight babies
February 6, 2013:
Pregnant women exposed to poor air quality are more likely to give birth to low birthweight babies, according to a study published today and described in the San Francisco Chronicle. UC Berkeley researchers and study co-authors Rachel Morello-Frosch and Bill Jesdale analyzed 1.7 million of the 3 million births in the study.
Study finds elevated levels of formaldehyde, other contaminants, in day care centers
October 25, 2012:
A study of 40 child-care facilities in California found that most had levels of formaldehyde and a few other contaminants that exceeded exposure guidelines. The study by UC Berkeley researchers is the first to provide a detailed analysis of environmental contaminants and exposures for children in day care centers.
BPA linked to thyroid hormone changes in pregnant women, newborns
October 4, 2012:
A new UC Berkeley study adds to growing concerns about the health effects of bisphenol A (BPA), a compound commonly found in the lining of tin cans, hard plastics and certain store receipts. Researchers have linked prenatal exposure to BPA to changes in thyroid hormone levels in pregnant women and newborn boys.
Wood smoke from cooking fires linked to pneumonia, cognitive impacts
November 10, 2011:
UC Berkeley-led researchers have found a dramatic one-third reduction in severe pneumonia diagnoses among children in homes with smoke-reducing chimneys on their cookstoves. Reducing wood smoke could have a major impact on the burden of pneumonia, the leading cause of child mortality in the world, the researchers said. A separate pilot study also found a link between prenatal maternal exposure to woodsmoke and poorer performance in markers for IQ among school-aged children.
Flame retardants linked to lower birthweight babies
August 30, 2011:
A new study led by UC Berkeley researchers links prenatal exposure to flame retardant chemicals commonly found in homes to lower birthweight babies. For every tenfold increase in levels of PBDEs in a mother’s blood during pregnancy, there was a corresponding drop of 115 grams in her baby’s birthweight, the study found.
Toxic flame retardants found in many foam baby products
May 18, 2011:
A new study has found that many baby products, including nursing pillows, changing pads and strollers, contain levels of flame retardant that could expose infants to more of these chemicals than the government recommends as safe.
Prenatal pesticide exposure tied to lower IQ in children
April 20, 2011:
A new UC Berkeley study has found that prenatal exposure to organophosphate pesticides – widely used on food crops – is related to lower intelligence scores in children. Every tenfold increase in measures of organophosphates detected during a mother’s pregnancy corresponded to a 5.5 point drop in overall IQ scores in children at age 7, the researchers found.
Radiation fears unfounded, campus expert says
March 17, 2011:
Epidemiologist Kirk Smith discusses the danger to the U.S. from radiation released by Japan’s troubled nuclear reactors.
Tick population plummets in absence of lizard hosts
February 15, 2011:
The Western fence lizard’s reputation for helping to reduce the threat of Lyme disease is in jeopardy. A new study led by UC Berkeley researchers found that areas where the lizard had been removed saw a subsequent drop in the population of the ticks that transmit Lyme disease. The decline in tick numbers seems to suggest a decreased risk of human exposure to Lyme disease when the lizard is gone.
