The September 2014 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives features interviews with a number of Society of Toxicology (SOT) members.
SOT Member Research
Earlier this year, the National Institute of Health outlined its plans to address the issue of reproducibility in science, while the May 2014 issue of Toxicological Sciences featured an editorial by Editor–in–Chief Gary Miller on the topic. That “excellent editorial” was recently the focus of an editorial in Particle and Fibre Toxicology, which supported Dr. Miller’s stance that “Toxicology just is not toxicology without reproducibility.” The authors, including the journal’s Editor-in-Chief Flemming R. Cassee, outlined five practical points to consider in ensuring reproducibility related to particle toxicology. Two of these points were (1) be specific and (2) write the hypothesis in advance of running the experiment.
SOT Members in the News
Howard Mielke tells The Huffington Post that even small amounts of lead can be dangerous to children’s development. Who is responsible, though, for making sure our schools, preschools, and daycares are lead free? The Huffington Post article explores these questions and answers.
The September 2014 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives features an article on research into the association between metals exposure and DNA hydroxymethylation. Rebecca Fry is interviewed in the article, providing perspective from a scientist not involved in the research being discussed, while Wan-yee Tang was one of the researchers on the new study. As Dr. Fry says in the piece, “This study paves the way for subsequent research that could examine these biomarkers in the context of gene–specific and functional changes.”
Air pollution is the focus of another Environmental Health Perspectives article and research. In a review of 18 epidemiological studies, Paulo Saldiva and colleagues found that each 10-μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 exposure is associated with a nine percent increase in lung cancer risk.
The September issue of Environmental Health Perspectives also features an article on e-cigarettes and the scientific questions that remain about their short– and long–term effects on public health. For the article, EHP spoke with Prue Talbot and others about what is known and still being discovered about e-cigarettes.
In an interview with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Tim Shafer discusses his work developing high-throughput screening methods to more rapidly discover potential harm from a wide variety of chemicals. His lab is particularly focused on creating tests on neurotoxicity and developmental neurotoxicity.
Science and Public Health News
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