Environmental Health Sciences

IN THE NEWS: Plastic Is Probably Harming Your Health--Here's How

John Meeker Quoted in Salon

Plastic is commonly used in a multitude of items due to its convenience and cost. As a result, many people don’t often evaluate the potential health risk that it presents. In a statement published earlier this year by the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks, 14 emerging health and environmental issues were identified. Near the top of that list was plastic.

Departments Collaborate on Panel Discussing Future Climate Change and Health

Collaboration and Leadership from Trish Koman and Dean Bowman

The Michigan Center on Lifestage Environmental Exposures and Disease recently sponsored its annual “Climate Change and Health: What the Science Says and What We Can Do” forum in collaboration with the Environmental Health Sciences department of the School of Public Health and the School for Environment and Sustainability of the University of Michigan.

IN THE NEWS: Which Blare Project: Noisy New York Ponders Switch to Gentler Sirens

Rick Neitzel Quoted in the Guardian

New Yorkers are accustomed to hearing the rapid, pulsating “wail” and “yelp” sirens that echo around town. But for those who live near fire stations, police stations and hospitals, the sirens can seem like torture. Now a fresh campaign is under way to introduce softer, two-tone, European-style sirens.

IN THE NEWS: Sung Kyun Park Talks PFAS, Disparate Impacts on Different Populations

According to new research, the chemical pollutant PFAS — or polyfluorolalkyl substances — can cause different kinds of chemical mutations depending on a person's race. PFAS have been used for decades in industrial and consumer products, such as cookware, grease-proof food packaging, and fire-retardant materials.

IN THE NEWS: Lead Could Be Fueling America's High Blood Pressure Epidemic

New Research from Sung Kyun Park

There's one possible reason so many Americans, especially those living in inner cities, have high blood pressure: lead exposure. That's according to new research led by Sung Kyun Park, associate professor of Epidemiology and Environmental Health Sciences.

The Power of Quantitative Data: How Numbers Illuminate Policy Problems and Solutions

In the 1950s, most cars didn’t come with seatbelts standard. Now, your car won’t let you drive across the parking lot without dinging until you buckle up. Just how important is empirical data in evaluating public health risks and shaping public policy?