Health
Getting the fluoride out
February 7, 2012 2:54 am | by Miles O'Brien and Marsha Walton | News | CommentsIn the United States, fluoride is often added to drinking water and toothpaste to help strengthen teeth. But too much naturally occurring fluoride can cause fluorosis, a darkening of the teeth and sometimes debilitating skeletal effects. Efforts are underway to use aluminum-coated bone char to filter water in Africa, but overcoming local stigmas is a challenge.
New regression models to predict service life of wastewater pipelines
January 23, 2012 11:50 am | News | CommentsCivil engineers at Syracuse University have developed various statistical prediction models using data obtained from the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati, Ohio, to generate deterioration models for wastewater pipes. The models, when adapted to a given system, is intended to facilitate a proactive approach to pipeline replacements and maintenance.
Beijing releases pollution data; U.S. figures higher
January 23, 2012 4:21 am | by Louise Watt, Associated Press | News | CommentsCaving to public pressure, Beijing environmental authorities started releasing more detailed air quality data Saturday that may better reflect how bad the Chinese capital's air pollution is. But one expert says measurements from the first day were low compared with data U.S. officials have been collecting for years.
Scientists pause research with lab-bred bird flu
January 23, 2012 2:19 am | by Lauran Neergaard, AP Medical Writer | News | CommentsAfter two laboratories reported created new, easier-to-spread version of the deadly bird flu viruses, research was temporarily halted on Jan. 20. The pause comes as fierce debate intensifies over how to handle this high-risk research.
Carbon dioxide is 'driving fish crazy'
January 20, 2012 12:29 pm | News | CommentsAn international scientific team has found that rising human carbon dioxide emissions may be affecting the brains and central nervous system of sea fishes. This unusual conclusion was brought about by the first evidence obtained that high carbon dioxide levels in sea water disrupts a key brain receptor in fish, caused detrimental changes in behavior.
Low radiation doses might not be proportional to risk
December 21, 2011 11:48 am | by Lynn Yarris | News | CommentsThrough a combination of time-lapse live imaging and mathematical modeling of a special line of human breast cells, researchers have found evidence to suggest that for low dose levels of ionizing radiation, cancer risks may not be directly proportional to dose. This contradicts the standard model for predicting biological damage from ionizing radiation
Wastewater system generates energy, produces drinking water
December 1, 2011 9:34 am | News | CommentsA Michigan State University researcher is using a $1.92 million Department of Defense grant to develop a portable wastewater treatment system that could improve the military's efficiency. The solar-bio-nano project also will generate energy and produce drinking water, providing a potential blueprint for future municipal/agricultural wasterwater treatment systems.
Ionized plasmas used as cheap sterilizers for developing world
November 15, 2011 4:20 am | News | CommentsUniversity of California, Berkeley, scientists have shown that ionized plasmas like those in neon lights and plasma TVs not only can sterilize water, but make it antimicrobial—able to kill bacteria—for as long as a week after treatment.
Even the cleanest wastewater contributes to “super bacteria”
November 15, 2011 4:09 am | News | CommentsA new University of Minnesota study has revealed that the release of treated municipal wastewater—even wastewater treated by the highest-quality treatment technology—can have a significant effect on the quantities of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, often referred to as "super bacteria", in surface waters.
AirClean publishes SEFA test results for Silconazyne
November 11, 2011 9:03 am | News | CommentsDuctless fume hood and chemical workstation manufacturer AirClean Systems has recently published independently-verified results of SEFA 9-2010 “Filter Efficiency and Adsorption Capacity” testing on Silconazyne bonded carbon filtration.
Study: carbon nanotubes have no toxic effects on green algae
November 8, 2011 3:52 am | News | CommentsResearchers at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology have revealed that carbon nanotubes can inhibit the growth of green algae by reducing the amount of space and light supplied to the plant. But the nanomaterial, they say, does not affect the plant lethally.
Talk of treaty ban on mercury concerns scientists
October 21, 2011 8:20 am | by Maria Cheng, AP Medical Writer | News | CommentsAt the end of October, the United Nations Environment Programme, or UNEP, will conduct the third of five meetings to hammer out a treaty that may involve the comprehensive ban on mercury. The problem, says many health experts, is that a proposed ban might include thiomersal, a mercury compound used to prevent contamination and extend the shelf life of vaccines.
Research collaboration to track Marcellus Shale water quality
October 11, 2011 1:09 pm | News | CommentsLed by Penn State University researchers, the new Marcellus Shale Research Network will consolidate and routinely update water data being collected by watershed groups, government agencies, industry stakeholders and universities as a searchable database.
Study says natural processes can limit arsenic poisoning
October 11, 2011 12:42 pm | News | CommentsMany people in Bangladesh and other parts of Asia have been poisoned by drinking groundwater laced with arsenic leaching from sediments. New understanding of this naturally-occurring process may help others wells, including those in the United States.
Study: Gates project spared 100K Indians from HIV
October 11, 2011 5:40 am | by Margie Mason, AP Medical Writer | News | CommentsA new study suggests that an estimated 100,000 people in India may have escaped HIV infection over five years thanks to one of the world's biggest prevention programs. Though the true impact of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Avahan project is uncertain, its an encouraging sign that targeting high-risk groups remains vital even as more donors focus on treatment.
How foreign insects, diseases get into the United States
October 10, 2011 12:42 pm | by Tracie Cone, Associated Press | News | CommentsDozens of foreign insects and plant diseases slipped undetected into the United States in the years after 9/11, when authorities were so focused on preventing another attack that they overlooked a pest explosion that threatened the quality of the nation's food supply.
Chemical makers say BPA no longer used in bottles
October 10, 2011 4:06 am | by Matthew Perrone, AP Health Writer | News | CommentsMakers of the controversial chemical bisphenol-A have asked federal regulators to phase out rules that allow its use in baby bottles and sippy cups, saying those products haven't contained the plastic-hardening ingredient for two years.
Researchers to build a dust library
October 6, 2011 5:46 am | News | CommentsDust is dust, right? After identifying 63 unique dust particles from their own laboratory, researchers at Ohio State University can definitively say that not all dust is created equal. Quartz is a common component, but organic matter is also prevalent. The findings and testing method could improve environmental and health-related testing.
Nitrogen in the soil can clean the air
August 19, 2011 7:58 am | News | CommentsIn large amounts, nitrogen-rich fertilizer is often maligned as harmful to the environment, but researchers in Germany have recently found out that this material indirectly strengthens the self-cleaning capacity of the atmosphere by producing hydroxyl radicals that oxidize pollutants. These pollutants can then be washed out of a collection device.
Software predicted virus risk in California epidemic
August 12, 2011 7:14 am | News | CommentsA computer model of the spread of West Nile virus was able to predict areas where human cases would be concentrated, especially around Sacramento in 2005. The success of the model, say researchers, depended on its focus on biological factors and on a high volume of reports from members of the public.
Ancient crop effective in protecting against 21st century hazard
August 10, 2011 5:24 am | News | CommentsFlax has been part of human history for well over 30,000 years. Now, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have discovered that it might have a new use for the 21st century: protecting healthy tissues and organs from the harmful effects of radiation.
Hang out at the water cooler, live longer
August 5, 2011 7:52 am | News | CommentsCompanies like Google and Zappos.com are famous for their "work hard, play hard" attitudes and friendly work environments, but are their employees healthier too? According to a Tel Aviv University researcher, a positive relationship with your co-workers has long-term health benefits.
Study: Better desalination tech would help solve water shortage
August 4, 2011 1:23 pm | News | CommentsA new Yale University study argues that seawater desalination should play an important role in helping combat worldwide fresh water shortages once conservation, reuse and other methods have been exhausted. The study also provides insights into how desalination technology can be made more affordable and energy efficient.
Lab-quality assays delivered by credit card-sized chip
August 2, 2011 9:37 am | News | CommentsA biomedical engineering professor at Columbia University has spent that last four years testing his mobile microfluidic chip, or mChip, on hundreds of patients. The inexpensive chip requires a tiny finger prick of blood, and in less than 15 minutes delivers quantitative assays.
CANARY in the computer protects water from terrorism, contaminants
July 25, 2011 6:29 am | News | CommentsAfter earning an R&D 100 Award in 2010 for its continuous water quality analysis software system, aptly dubbed CANARY, Sandia National Laboratories reports that a number of cities from Cincinnati to Singapore are now using it, and they believe the free software could benefit a great many more utilities.
