Department of Environmental Health
We’re leading the global charge to understand and solve the world’s most pressing environmental health challenges. Learn how we can make an impact together.
665 Huntington Avenue, Building 1, Room 1301
Boston, MA 02115
News
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Health risks of widely used chemicals may be underestimated
A group of chemicals known as perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs—used in everything from carpets to nonstick cookware to firefighting foams—may pose much greater health risks than previously thought. A recent…
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Documenting health risks at 35,000 feet
While flight attendants are healthier overall than the general population—they have lower rates of smoking and maintain healthier weights—they have higher rates of certain diseases and conditions, including female reproductive cancers, sleep disorders, and depression.
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Harmful chemicals removed from products often replaced with something as bad or worse
The harmful, hormone-disrupting chemical BPA, or bisphenol-A, has been removed from baby bottles and other plastic products—but that doesn’t mean consumers should rest easy, according to Joseph Allen, assistant professor…
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Exposure to phthalates may raise risk of pregnancy loss, gestational diabetes
November 8, 2016 – In recent years, a growing body of evidence has suggested that phthalates—synthetic chemicals used in scores of products ranging from vinyl flooring to food packaging to…
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Muscle-building supplements linked to testicular cancer
Men who take muscle-building supplements may be at increased risk of testicular cancer, according to a new study, which included researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Those…
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Air pollution may trigger anxiety symptoms
Recent exposure to air pollution raises the risk for anxiety symptoms, according to a new study by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and colleagues. The study…
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A call for reducing fluoride levels in drinking water
March 10, 2015 — Controversy over fluoride levels in drinking water in Massachusetts has made headlines in recent months as Cambridge, Gloucester, Newburyport, and other towns in Massachusetts relook at…
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Landmark air pollution study turns 20
January 7, 2014 — Last month marked the 20th anniversary of the publication of Harvard School of Public Health’s groundbreaking Six Cities study, which—by revealing a strong link between air…
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Deadly occupation, forged report
[Fall 2013 Centennial issue] In the early 1920s, workers at U.S. Radium Corporation’s luminous watch dial factory were mysteriously falling ill and dying. Eager to halt a mounting scandal, company…
