EHP: The Researcher's Perspective

We live in a time when investigators have overwhelming amounts of health-related data at their fingertips. In this podcast, Nicole Kleinstreuer explains how environmental health scientists are using machine learning to make sense of the information in those data—for example, predicting toxicological end points based on large curated data sets. But even as machine learning advances, researchers are working to set realistic expectations and performance thresholds for these new methods. Visit the podcast webpage to download the full transcript of this podcast. 

Methylmercury, the most toxic form of mercury, is found in seafood around the world, and it can cause severe health effects in people who are exposed to it. Governments are working to reduce the amount of mercury that finds its way into the environment. Dozens of countries have pledged to implement measures to reduce mercury pollution. In this podcast, Niladri Basu discusses his recent systematic review, which estimates global baseline mercury exposures. These estimates will help countries gauge the success of their control measures. Visit the podcast webpage to download the full transcript of this podcast.

Can living in green surroundings make you healthier and happier? It’s a tantalizing idea. In this podcast, guest Rachel Banay discusses her recent EHP study on depression in older women in relation to the amount of greenness near their homes. The study is part of a growing body of research that suggests there may, in fact, be health benefits associated with spending time in or near green spaces—although it is too soon to draw any firm conclusions about the nature and direction of the relationship, if it exists. Visit the podcast webpage to download the full transcript of this podcast. 

It would be nearly impossible using current methods to test all the chemicals in use for toxic effects. So how do we prioritize which ones to study? In this podcast, Martyn Smith describes how he and his colleagues are developing lists of “key characteristics” shared by toxicants that cause specific adverse health effects, such as cancer or male or female reproductive toxicity. Risk assessors can use this information to predict the toxicity of other chemicals in an organized, systematic way. This approach may be useful in prioritizing chemicals for more detailed evaluation. Visit the podcast webpage to download the full transcript of this podcast. 

For some people, the whoosh of wind turbines is the sound of clean energy. For others, it is the sound of an environmental exposure that could possibly cause adverse health effects. Wind turbine noise has been studied in relation to diabetes, hypertension, preterm birth, and more. In this podcast, Aslak Harbo Poulsen discusses his research on wind turbine noise in relation to two more outcomes: likelihood of filling prescriptions for sleeping pills or antidepressants, and risk of heart attack or stroke. Visit the podcast webpage to download a full transcript of this podcast. 

DuPont introduced GenX almost 10 years ago as a chemical substitute for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). Although GenX was intended to be less environmentally persistent than PFOA, it has turned out to be what is known as a “regrettable substitute,” whose effects may be as bad as or even worse than the chemical it replaced. In this podcast, guest Jane Hoppin discusses her work assessing exposures to GenX and related chemicals in people living in the Lower Cape Fear River Basin of North Carolina. Visit the podcast webpage to download the full transcript of this podcast.

Although obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes, certain environmental agents, such as arsenic, also appear to contribute to the disease. There is evidence that an individual’s risk of arsenic-related disease depends on how efficiently he or she metabolizes arsenic. But what if that individual is both obese and exposed to arsenic? In this podcast, guest Mirek Stýblo discusses his recent work exploring the role that diet plays not just in arsenic metabolism but also in the diabetogenic effects of arsenic. Visit the podcast webpage to download the full transcript of this podcast.

Several studies have reported links between asthma in children and the presence of phthalates in dust from the children’s homes. But the presence of a chemical is not the same thing as exposure, so Norway’s Environment and Childhood Asthma Study has taken the research a step farther by measuring phthalates in the urine of children with and without asthma. In this podcast Randi Bertelsen discusses her recently published findings. Visit the podcast webpage to download the full transcript of this podcast.

When you think about the health effects of air pollution, what comes to mind? Lung disease? Cancer? One health effect you might not immediately think of is low birth weight, a risk factor for a variety of other health problems later in life. Yet a growing body of evidence indicates that birth weight and other gestational outcomes can be influenced by a mother’s exposure to fine particulate matter air pollution. In this podcast Tracey Woodruff discusses new findings on this link from a global consortium of investigators who, between them, have analyzed more than 3 million births. Visit the podcast webpage to download the full transcript of this podcast.

Your bulges are busier than you may think…Many people see adipose tissue—fat—as nothing more than lumpy extra baggage. But fat serves several important functions in the body. It helps us store energy and endocrine hormones that can affect behavior, energy regulation, immune and vascular function—to name a few. It also protects against toxic effects of persistent organic pollutants, or POPs. In this podcast, Michele La Merrill talks with host Ashley Ahearn about the diverse ways that fat interacts with these chemicals as both a modulator and a target of POP toxicity. Visit the podcast webpage to download the full transcript of this podcast.