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 Emerging Threats
20 November 2009
Popular cigarette brands loaded with bacteria
Cigarettes are "widely contaminated" with bacteria known to be harmful to humans, a new study claims. And, according to the researchers, some of the organisms identified are resilient enough to survive the burning process...
15 September 2009
Showerheads delivering a pathogen payload
Analyzing 50 showerheads from around the US, researchers found that a third of them harbored slimy biofilms of Mycobacterium avium at more than 100 times the concentrations found in municipal water supplies. M. avium is linked to pulmonary disease and can cause serious conditions in people with compromised immune systems...
30 January 2009
New evidence for environmental chemicals impacting female fertility
Researchers have found the first evidence that chemicals used in everyday items such as food packaging, pesticides, clothing, upholstery, carpets and personal care products may be associated with infertility in women...
29 January 2009
Fresh concerns about BPA
Common assumptions about the controversial chemical bisphenol A (BPA) may be wrong, with new research showing that high levels of BPA remain in the body even after fasting for as long as 24 hours. This suggests that BPA exposure may come from non-food sources, or, that BPA is not rapidly metabolized, or both...
9 September 2008
Size matters! Nanosilver risks unknown, says industry watchdog
Widespread use of nanoscale silver in consumer products will challenge regulatory agencies to balance important potential benefits against the possibility of significant environmental risk, says a new report by industry watchdog The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies...
5 September 2008
Scientists create species-jumping hybrid prions
In research with profound implications for public health, scientists have created entirely new strains of infectious prions in the laboratory by simply mixing infectious prions from one species with the normal prion proteins of another species...
29 July 2008
9 Out Of 10 Americans Obese Or Overweight By 2030
Most adults in the United States will be overweight or obese by 2030, with related health care costs hitting nearly a trillion dollars, say the researchers involved in a new multi-institute study...
28 July 2008
Dementia In Developing World "Substantially Underestimated"
Health experts had previously estimated the prevalence of dementia in the developing world at between a quarter and a fifth of that recorded in developed nations, but these figures may have substantially underestimated the problem, suggests new research...
17 February 2008
Hormones Gone Wild
Hormones are essential for the regulation of tissue function, growth and development, metabolism and mood. Disruption to our hormonal system can have serious consequences, which is why scientists are becoming increasingly worried about the chemicals known as "endocrine disruptors" that are found in personal hygiene and cosmetic products...
15 February 2008
New Cell-Phone Cancer Link
An Israeli study has found that heavy cell phone users are subject to a higher risk of benign and malignant tumors of the salivary gland...
23 January 2008
Cell Phone Radiation Triggers Insomnia
Researchers in the United States and Sweden have found that cell phone use immediately prior to going to bed can disrupt sleep patterns...
21 November 2007
Call For Review Of "Safe" Lead Levels
A new study has found that even very small amounts of lead in children's blood - amounts well below the current federal standard - are associated with reduced IQ scores...
7 November 2007
Prof Pooh-Poohs Western World's Anti-Bacterial Crusade
An immunologist says society's infatuation with anti-bacterial products makes children and adults more likely to develop asthma and allergies - and perhaps even mental illnesses...
3 October 2007
Environmental Persistence Of Tamiflu Causes Concern
Researchers have found that Tamiflu persists through sewage treatment and its ongoing presence in bodies of water could allow influenza viruses to develop resistance to the drug...
6 September 2007
Ozone And Skin Oils Make For Unhealthy Airplanes
Chemical reactions between body oils and the ozone found in airplane cabins can lead to the formation of a whole range of unpleasant chemical byproducts...
3 August 2007
Global Food Trade A Target For Terrorists, Conference Told
Because the food industry is becoming an increasingly complex global network of supply chains, experts say the need for security collaboration between public and private trade partners has never been more pressing...
20 April 2007
Electronic Maladies
PCs, plasma screens, cell phones, laptops, wireless gadgets – we can't seem to get enough of them. And why not? They've reduced our workloads and dramatically increased our social networking capabilities. But could all this modern technology be adversely affecting our health?
15 December 2006
Obesity Could Bankrupt UK Health System
English doctors are concerned that if nothing is done, the rising prevalence of obesity could bankrupt the country's health system...
9 November 2006
Tattoo Inks A Toxic Brew
Dangerous chemicals - some carcinogenic - are being used in tattoo parlors as pigments...
30 October 2006
Pharmacologists Confirm Chemo's Brain Damaging Effects
A new study confirms that "chemobrain" is a real side-effect of chemotherapy treatment, causing a decline in memory and other cognitive functions...
13 April 2006
Can Computing Power Thwart Avian Flu?
Using a supercomputer, scientists at Los Alamos have made some predictions about how avian flu may spread in today’s environment of worldwide connectivity. The team used a large-scale, stochastic simulation model to predict what possible path a human-to-human transmissible version of the H5N1 virus might take. The simulation, using city, census and Department of Transportation travel data, shows how the virus would spread among a population of 281 million people over a period of 180 days...
20 March 2006
Big Problems From Small Avian Flu Mutations
Researchers say that only minor mutations are needed for the binding site preference of the avian H5N1 virus to switch from receptors in the intestinal tract of birds to the respiratory tract of humans...
27 January 2006
H5N1 Vaccine Proves 100 Percent Successful In Animal Tests
A bird flu vaccine created by genetically engineering a common cold virus has so far proven to be completely successful in tests on mice and chickens...
19 December 2005
25 Percent Of Prescribed Antibiotics Ineffective
Older antibiotics, such as penicillin and amoxicillin, are failing to the point that experts are advocating the routine use of newer agents, despite concerns over antibiotic resistance...
1 November 2005
Probiotics Touted As New Weapon Against Hospital Bugs
Surgeons should stop relying on antiseptic soap-scrubbing and wash their hands in yoghurt instead, says an expert on infectious diseases...
20 October 2005
Take A Chance With DNA Vaccine For Bird Flu, Say Chemists
Chemists in Britain say we should be tooling up now to produce a DNA vaccine for the H5N1 virus, even though DNA vaccines have not yet been proved effective or safe for human use...
17 October 2005
Doubts Over Effectiveness Of Tamiflu
A strain of avian influenza from an infected Vietnamese girl has been found to be resistant to the drug Tamiflu...
6 October 2005
Reconstructed 1918 Flu Could Yield Vaccine Clues
Researchers who reconstructed the Spanish influenza virus using a technique known as reverse genetics hope their work will lead to novel vaccines and treatments...
14 September 2005
Adenovirus Vaccine May Be Key To Beating Bird Flu
Traditional flu vaccines are slow to make and only effective against specific strains, so researchers are looking at new virus-based vaccines that could be mass-produced quickly and would provide broader protection...
26 August 2005
The Race To Understand Skin Cancer
The incidence of skin cancer among young adults has been steadily increasing over the past thirty years, but for researchers, the relationship between UV’s effects on DNA and the formation of skin cancers remains elusive. But fundamental research into how ultraviolet radiation affects our DNA may at last help us to understand how skin cancers form...
21 July 2005
Prevalence Of Antibiotic Resistance Surprises
People who have taken a prescription of antibiotics within the previous two months have double the chance of carrying antibiotic resistant bacteria...
31 December 2004
Antibiotic Misuse A Serious Concern
Scientists say life-threatening conditions such as meningitis and pneumonia may become untreatable if the spread of antibiotic resistance continues...
24 May 2004
Thousands In UK May Be Infected With Mad Cow Disease
Researchers in the UK testing stored tissue samples have proposed some frightening figures concerning the potential number of infected humans...
Related:
Diet
Environmental Factors
News From The Lab
Mental Health
Reproductive Health
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