CLF identifies and funds research needs that will answer specific questions and fill important gaps in what is known about the complex interactions among diet, health, food production and the environment.
2004
Triclocarban (TCC): a cancer-suspected agent in personal care products
Rolf Halden PE, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Health Engineering
Triclocarban (3,4,4’-trichlorocarbanilide; TCC) is a polychlorinated aromatic compound of considerable human toxicity and a precursor of the known mutagen and carcinogen 4-chloroaniline. Given these characteristics, one may be surprised to learn that the chemical is added at concentrations as high as 15,000 ppm (1.5% by weight) to soap bars and many cosmetics for its antimicrobial properties. Despite the long-term mass production of TCC, there is very little information available regarding its fate in the environment and associated human health risks. The goal of this project is to investigate the environmental fate of TCC and human exposure to the biocide. Specifically, the fate of TCC in wastewater processes and the presence of the toxin and its chlorinated aromatic daughter products in human milk and blood sera will be investigated. Raising public awareness for the presence and behavior of this persistent biocide in the environment is a first and important step in preventing adverse ecological and human health effects.
 2002
Assessing the Impact of a Swine Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO) on Air and Water Quality of a Maryland Community
Kellogg Schwab, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Health Sciences
Tim Buckley, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Health Sciences
Amy Chapin, MPH, Doctoral Student, Department of Environmental Health Sciences
This project addressed the need for environmental exposure monitoring data to establish an association between air and water emissions from swine facilities and reported health symptoms residents living nearby. Analyses of both air and water quality were done to help understand the multiple exposures experienced by neighbors of large-scale swine facilities. Testing was in a community in western Maryland.
Triclosan Exposure Assessment Study
Rolf Halden PE, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Health Engineering
Daniel Paul, Summer Research Assistant
The purpose of this study was to develop an analytical tool to detect the presence of triclosan in the environment. Triclosan is a broad-spectrum biocide used widely in cosmetic products and kitchen items including: soaps, lotions, toothpaste, mouthwash, dishwasher detergents, etc. Triclosan potentially can persist in the environment, promote drug resistance, function as an endocrine disrupter, may contain toxic dioxins, and can react to form additional dioxins de novo upon incineration or irradiation. The new analytical tool is being applied to study the environmental fate and behavior of triclosan and its bioaccumulation in the food chain.
Community Health Risks of Agricultural Antibiotic use in the Poultry Industry
Ellen K. Silbergeld, PhD,Professor, Environmental Health Sciences.
The goal of this community based project was to investigate the risks of exposure to and health outcomes associated with drug resistant bacteria in poultry workers and growers, as well as their household members, in communities within the poultry growing region of Delmarva. This is the first study of its type in the United States, focusing on nonfood pathways of human exposure to drug resistant bacteria originating from agricultural uses. Our first goal was to document that these populations are being exposed to this risk and to demonstrate convincingly that the source of exposure is related to poultry production. Our next set of studies are focused on health status and biomarkers of health risks in exposed populations. The project builds upon a successful pilot study, conducted with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) funding, which was presented at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases at the CDC in February 2002.
The Nutrition Transition in China: Impact on Chronic Disease Risks
Benjamin Caballero, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of International Health,
Director, Center for Human Nutrition, JHSPH
In collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine
Dr. Gonghuan Yang, Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. CHEN Chunming, Consultant
Dr. LIU YouXue, Project Director
The purpose of this study was to compare nutrition patterns and disease outcomes in rural and urban areas. This was part of the third cycle of a nutrition survey in China that collects population, demographic, and household food intake information. CLF funded an additional survey at three surveillance sites – an urban, transition, and rural sites for a total of 6000 individuals. In April 2004 the 50 data collectors spent one week in Shanghai for training special methods: anthropometry, body composition estimates by impedance, blood drawing for glucose tolerance tests, insulin sensitivity, and homocysteine levels. On April 17, 2004 an abstract of this study was presented at the Experimental Biology Conference in Washington D.C. The abstract won a first place award for "Best Original Research". Chesapeake Bay Health Indicators Project: Establishing a Framework for Environmental Public Health Indicators
Tom Burke, PhD, Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management; Co-Director, Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute
Kristen Chossek Malecki, MPH, Doctoral Student, Department of Health Policy and Management; Project Director
This research was first step in an ongoing attempt to create a "Public Health Report Card" for the Bay, similar to the annual State of the Bay report by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Such a report allows further discussions on preservation and utilization of the Bay to be based on solid data regarding not only the ecological health of the Bay, but also the important connections with the health of the human public. The goal was to propose a set of water quality indicators that are feasible in Maryland and are adequate to protect the public’s health when swimming, consuming fish and during other water use around the Bay. Currently collected data on watersheds is inadequate to protect the public's health. This project defined an initial set of indicators that will include volatile organics, heavy metals and PCB in fish tissue, trihalomethane and nitrates in drinking water as well as the standard fecal coliform testing on the quality of beaches.
THE HEALTH OF THE BAY: HEALTH OF PEOPLE conference, hosted by CLF in November 1998, set the stage for this project. The papers presented at the conference were published in Environmental Research, and are available at CLF Publications. CLF hosted a scientific panel discussion on this research at the Restore America's Estuaries Innaugural Conference SAVING OUR COASTAL HERITAGE, April 2003.
Cardiovascular Effects of Meat Consumption
Thomas Erlinger, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
This paper reviewed the scientific literature for data on meat consumption and cardiovascular risk and helped identify directions of future research into the health effects of meat consumption. Both an abstract and the full text of this paper can be found on the CLF Publications page.
2000
Environmental and Public Health Impacts of Intensive Livestock Operations in the Wake of Flooding from Hurricane Floyd
Thaddeus K. Graczyk MSc, PhD, Associate Research Professor, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Steve Wing PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina
The coastal plain of North Carolina has a high concentration of industrial animal hog production facilities. Massive flooding from Hurricane Floyd caused overflow of liquid manure from many of these facilities. This research project investigated the public health and environmental impacts of livestock operations in the areas of North Carolina flooded during Hurricane Floyd.
Vegetarian 'Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension' (DASH) Diet Menu Development
Larry Appel, MD, MPH, Professor, Departments of Medicine, Epidemiology and International Health
The goal of this research was to develop vegetarian diet menus for a vegetarian version of the DASH diet. The 'Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension' (DASH) diet demonstrated that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy products and reduced in saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol can substantially lower blood pressure. However, the DASH diet does include meats from a variety of sources. The menus developed for a vegetarian version of the DASH diet could be used in a clinical trial comparing the effects of the two diets on hypertension and cardiovascular disease markers. This would test whether the vegetarian diet provides additional health benefits beyond that of the DASH diet (i.e., additional blood pressure reduction, improved lipid profiles, and/or other improved health indices.) |
