Rachel Shaffer, PhD MPH

Nearly Half of Americans Are Breathing Unhealthy Air as Pollution Exposure Numbers Reach Decade High - Inside Climate News A new report from the American Lung Association notes a drastic decline in air quality and raises health alarms. Climate change and Trump administration actions, experts warn, will worsen the trend.

More Americans are breathing unhealthy air than any time in the past decade, and climate change is making the problem worse.

All Work is Sacred, but it Shouldn’t Come with a Death Sentence. You're Gonna Miss NIOSH When It's Gone

All Work is Sacred, but it Shouldn’t Come with a Death Sentence.

How Estrogen Keeps Lead—and Heart Attacks—in Check For over a century, coronary heart disease has ruled the global charts as the leading cause of death.

How Estrogen Keeps Lead—and Heart Attacks—in Check

Airborne Lead and Chlorine Levels Soared as L.A. Wildfires Raged The findings give new insight into the dangers of urban wildfires that burn plastics and other chemicals in homes and property.

www.nytimes.com/2025/01/20/c...

Air pollution and brain damage: what the science says Epidemiological studies have linked dirty air to dementia and other brain disorders. Now researchers are trying to determine how pollutants do their damage, and how much harm they cause.

“Study after study has shown that higher levels of air pollution are correlated with increased risks of dementia, as well as higher rates of depression, anxiety and psychosis.”

www.nature.com/articles/d41...

What wildfire smoke means for your health As wildfires rage in the Los Angeles area, air quality is deteriorating and health risks from air pollution mount. Here’s what to know about staying safe.

Which populations are most vulnerable to the health impacts of #wildfiresmoke? Prof Joel Kaufman spoke with @washingtonpost.com:

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

The Public Comment Project YouTube video by Public Comment Project

Preparing slides for a guest lecture that will include this great overview video on public comments from the Public Comment Project: youtu.be/Zx9tcHHR8eM?...

Ten years after her passing, Theo Colburn's legacy continues to grow Scientists reflect on her pioneering work.

Nice remembrance on the pioneer Theo Colburn from @ehnewsroom.bsky.social - www.ehn.org/remembering-...

TracMyAir Web Application for Researchers | US EPA The TracMyAir is a web application that predicts near real-time individual air pollution exposure and dose. The primary users for the web app are scientists conducting epidemiologic and field studies ...

This week, EPA released updates to TracMyAir, a research tool for predicting individual PM2.5 & ozone exposures based on indoor & outdoor concentrations www.epa.gov/air-research...

EPA Calls for Nominations of Peer Reviewers for Phthalates BBP, DBP, DEHP, DIBP, and DCHP | US EPA EPA is calling for nominations of ad hoc peer reviewers to assist the Agency's Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals with its review of the Agency's high-priority phthalates BBP, DBP, DEHP, DIBP, an...

EPA is looking for nominations of scientific and technical experts to serve as reviewers for upcoming #phthalates risk evaluations under #TSCA: www.epa.gov/chemicals-un...

OncoLogic™ - An Expert System to Evaluate the Carcinogenic Potential of Chemicals | US EPA OncoLogic used mechanism based approaches to evaluate cancer potential of untested chemicals based on their structural similarity to chemicals for which studies have been conducted.

Last week, EPA released updates to its OncoLogic modeling tool, which can be used to predict the likelihood that a chemical might cause cancer: www.epa.gov/tsca-screeni...

E.P.A. Bans Perc and T.C.E., Two Chemicals Used In Dry Cleaning The two solvents, known as Perc and TCE, cause kidney cancer and other ailments, and have been the subject of years of controversy.

BANNED: Two of the more notorious and toxic VOCs (volatile organic compounds)

TCE: used in cleaners, spot removers, lubricants and glue
(the chemical in John Travolta’s “A Civil Action”)

PCE: dry cleaners, auto paint, degreasers

www.nytimes.com/2024/12/09/c...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Sustainable funding for air quality initiatives. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar. Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Sustainable funding for air quality initiatives. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

According to @cleanairfund.bsky.social, Africa receives very limited 💰 for work on air pollution.

So, what does the funding landscape for #AirQuality projects in Africa look like?

Join us for a discussion!

🗓️: Wednesday, Dec 11
⏲️: 4-6 PM East Africa Time
Register🔗 bit.ly/3ZinUdF

EPA must address fluoridated water's risk to children's IQs, US judge rules A federal judge in California has ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen regulations for fluoride in drinking water, saying the compound poses an unreasonable potential risk to children at levels that are currently typical nationwide.

CA fluoride ruling: www.reuters.com/world/us/epa...

NTP monograph: ntp.niehs.nih.gov/publications...

Appreciate the attempt for a more “nuanced” discussion, but this piece completely misses the recent NTP monograph on fluoride (published in Aug 2024) & the recent court ruling in CA (Sept 2024).

Car tyres shed a quarter of all microplastics in the environment – urgent action is needed Tiny flakes of plastic, generated by the wear and tear of normal driving, eventually accumulate in the soil, in rivers and lakes, and even in our food.

28% of microplastics entering the environment annually are from tyres. Chemical additives like zinc oxide & 6PPD linked to fish die-offs and ecosystem disruption. Need for a global, targeted strategy theconversation.com/car-tyres-sh...

More than 400 chemicals in plastic products linked to breast cancer – study Exposure to these toxic compounds, found in everyday items, could be elevating cancer risk in young women

Use less plastic. Important research from the team at Silent Spring Institute. #plastics #breastcancer

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

EPA Finds Asbestos Rule Needed to Protect Workers, Consumers (1) Discontinued uses of asbestos and the disposal of products once made with the cancer-causing mineral have so much potential to harm the health of exposed people that the EPA must develop a rule to red...

EPA has finalized part 2 of the #TSCA risk evaluation for asbestos: news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

Inside the Plastic Industry’s Battle to Win Over Hearts and Minds Documents leaked from an industry group show how plastics companies are pushing back against a “tide of anti-plastic sentiment.”

Hirokol Tabuchi (NYT) landed 🔥 docs from the Nat'l Assoc. for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR) re: industry strategy to counter "the tide of anti-plastic sentiment." Read here: www.nytimes.com/2024/11/27/c... Meanwhile: huge industry turnout at #INC5 #plasticstreaty www.france24.com/en/live-news...