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Environmental health – Analysis and Comment

Firefighting foam left after a fire in Pennsylvania. These foams often contain PFAS chemicals that can contaminate water supplies. Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images

PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ are widespread and threaten human health – here’s a strategy for protecting the public

PFAS chemicals are toxic, widespread and persistent in the environment, and the federal government has been slow to regulate them. A scientist explains why evaluating them one by one isn’t working.
The same chronic illnesses associated with exposure to endocrine-disrupting compounds also increase risk of developing severe COVID-19. Engin Akyurt and Kai Dahms/Unsplash

How chemicals like PFAS can increase your risk of severe COVID-19

Endocrine-disrupting compounds are pervasive in modern life, from food packaging to shampoo. Research is connecting their effects on humans to risk of severe illness or death from the coronavirus.
Fresno, California and the surrounding San Joaquin Valley have some of the nation’s highest levels of fine particle air pollution. AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian

Fine-particle air pollution has decreased across the US, but poor and minority communities are still the most polluted

A new study shows that while fine particle air pollution has declined nationwide over the past 40 years, the health and environmental benefits haven’t been shared evenly.
A pump jack in the town of Signal Hill, California, which sits within the Long Beach Oil Field near the Port of Long Beach. Frederick J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Living near active oil and gas wells in California tied to low birth weight and smaller babies

A new study finds an association between living near active oil and gas wells in California and low birth-weight infants, adding to findings elsewhere on health risks from oil and gas production.
Johnnie Henry, president of the Navajo Nation’s Church Rock chapter house community center, hauls drinking water to neighbors in Gallup, N.M., May 7, 2020. AP Photo/Morgan Lee

Native American tribes’ pandemic response is hamstrung by many inequities

Many Native American tribes are reporting high COVID-19 infection rates. State and federal agencies are impeding tribes’ efforts to handle the pandemic themselves.
Sunlight, ventilation and relative humidity all affect the microbiome of indoor spaces. iStock / Getty Images Plus

Buildings have their own microbiomes – we’re striving to make them healthy places

We spend 90% of our lives indoors, and every building has its own indoor microbiome. Can we learn to manage them in ways that support helpful microbes and suppress harmful ones?
The first half of 2019 is the equal hottest on record and summer is set to be a scorcher. Chayathorn Lertpanyaroj/Shutterstock

How rising temperatures affect our health

Average temperatures in Australia are already high by international standards, but what happens when they continue to rise? How much heat can our bodies withstand?
International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985, is one example of doctors’ involvement on the political stage. Wellcome Images/Wikimedia Commons

How doctors convinced the world the planet was worth fighting for

Doctors have long taken up global issues, from nuclear war to ozone depletion and climate change, and helped shift the course of history.
Members of a ground crew In Phoenix wrapped wet towels around their necks to cool off when the temperature reached a record of 116°F. Matt York/AP Photo

3 dangers of rising temperatures that could affect your health now

Rising temperatures will not only hurt people in the future. Many are feeling the effects now. Those who work outdoors, those who have certain chronic conditions and the elderly are vulnerable.
These rats are in special cages for urine collection. Every year, millions of animals are used for testing chemicals that are used in industrial products. By unoL/shutterstock.com

AI more accurate than animal testing for spotting toxic chemicals

Testing new industrial chemicals is essential for public health and the environment. But animal testing is costly, and too many chemicals are left untested. A new AI tool may solve the problem.