From Green Right Now Reports

An emerging body of evidence suggests that the changing global climate is already affecting infectious disease transmission patterns. At a symposium today at the 58th annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Washington D.C., experts reported that such changes are expected to have a profound impact on global public health.

“There is concrete evidence that the global climate is changing, and these changes are expected to greatly impact human health as surface temperatures rise, agricultural belts shift, and extreme weather events become more commonplace,” Mary H. Hayden, Ph.D. of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., said in a statement. “Although most scientists agree that climate change is underway, the role it plays in infectious disease transmission is still in contention. The evidence presented today suggests that climate change will exacerbate the challenges of controlling infectious diseases in the developing world.”

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Green Right Now Reports

European researchers have found more evidence that the emotional benefits of dark chocolate are real and not just wishful thinking

They are reporting in a study published in the Journal of Proteome Research what we’ve all been hoping they (or someone) would — that eating dark chocolate regularly, albeit in small amounts, lowers stress levels.

More precisely, the study found that volunteer subjects who ate dark chocolate every day for two weeks had fewer stress-reaction hormones and chemicals in their bodies. The researchers verified this by testing the urine of these young, healthy test volunteers.

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By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now

Man-made chemicals that have long made life easier for everyone from cooks to clothiers are getting another round of scientific scrutiny. They may be related to unhealthy levels of cholesterol, a study released Monday suggests.

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Green Right Now Reports

Exposure to nanotubes may affect the outer lining of the lungs, according to a study by a collaboration of scientists studying the potential health effects of nanotubes on human health.

Responding the the fast growth in the use of nanotubes in hundreds of consumer products, researchers at North Carolina State University, the Hamner Institute for Health Sciences and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences decided to take a look at what happens when mice inhale nanotubes.

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By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now
The Mediterranean diet or style of eating is not just for cultivating healthy arteries anymore. Now researchers say it may reduce the risk of depression.
A dietary pattern of eating plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains, fish and olive oil appears to help people fend off clinical depression, according [...]

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By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

Squint and you can’t see them. Try a standard microscope. They’re still not there.

And yet, they’re everywhere. Nanoparticles are in hundreds, if not thousands, of consumer products, from sunscreen to child car seats to sports socks.

So the EPA has decided to take a closer look at these eensy particles, to investigate their potential to harm humans and the environment.

Nanos, which are about 1/100,000 of the width of a human hair and have been aggregating in consumer goods faster than E coli at a feed lot, have raised concerns among environmentalists, public health officials and others. These guardians of the environment want to know more about how nanos act in water. air and soil, and also whether they can invade and damage human tissue.

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By John DeFore
Green Right Now

Environmentally-sensitive lifestyles and luxury goods would not, to many of us, seem to go together very well. People who own billion-dollar yachts, for instance, aren’t exactly worrying about their carbon footprint.

But plenty of purveyors of high-end goods hope to fight that assumption. Gathering a few steps from Central Park at Manhattan’s Rouge Tomate restaurant Tuesday, a few dozen companies argued that you can have your lush life and save the planet, too.

Fashion models and a celebrity or two mingled with backpack-toting journalists at the event, but (no offense to the models) the sexiest guest never came in the front door: A Tesla Roadster was parked out front, inviting slack-jawed lust from passersby, right in front of a more modest would-be world-changer, the single-seat NmG from Myers Motors.

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By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

Calling the fight against cancer “one of the most notorious public health failures of the 20th century” four leading cancer and environmental experts called on Congress and the Obama Administration this week to acknowledge the role environmental carcinogens play in triggering cancer and dedicate more money to cancer prevention.

In a letter to Congressional leaders, the national medical and scientific experts said they were concerned that prevention has received little attention in the Obama Cancer Plan. They noted that health care costs could not be brought under control without a better plan to fight the disease that claims 1,500 American lives daily and costs $89 billion a year to diagnose and treat. (Costs rise to $219 billion annually, when lost productivity and premature death costs are factored in).

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By Laura Elizabeth May
Green Right Now

BestinBeauty.com is an information site and store all rolled into one. Co-founder Tara Lee founded the site after spending twelve years in the entertainment business, where she was shocked by the levels of toxic chemicals in make-up and beauty products.

The company recently launched a campaign Labels for Life, in order to raise awareness about toxic chemicals in makeup. The campaign’s slogan is a phrase designed to help you read labels when shopping for make-up. “Pretty products for healthy people minus

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By Chris Reinolds
Green Right Now

A new cancer study from India suggests that fluoride is a contributing factor to osteosarcoma, or bone cancer – but just how much fluoride intake causes the uncommon disease is not clear.

Fluoride in Americans’ tap water has spurred controversy since its introduction in 1945. Anti-fluoride activists say the risks are too high to add “medication” to the water, while government officials cite scientific studies that prove fewer cavities and no serious risk.

In Europe, most countries refuse to treat their water with fluoride with the exception of the United Kingdom. According to the British Medical Journal, fluoridation was introduced in 1963, and the Department of Health reports that rates of dental decay have been reduced 70 percent. But experts remain divided over epidemiological research that has suggested that water fluoridation might be linked to osteoporosis, dental fluorosis, irritable bowel syndrome, and other health problems.

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By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

You’d expect a book with “Zen Cleansing” in the title to emphasize pure and simple ingredients that clean and soothe.

What you might not realize is just how affordable, and effective, these ingredients can be. In Clean Body: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing Yourself, author Michael DeJong asks us to use just five common household products for our zen cleansing: Salt, vinegar, olive oil, baking soda and lemon juice. He mixes and matches and mashes these ingredients into formulas (or gives directions on how to use them individually) to wash our face, tamp down blemishes, shampoo and condition hair, smooth rough skin spots fight dandruff and even defeat head lice.

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By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

We hear every day about dangerous chemicals in household products that are linked to cancer, infertility, autism and other diseases – yet many Americans may not realize just how many of these harmful substances they’ve actually ingested in the course of everyday living.

The answer? About 48. That’s according a study by the Environmental Working Group and Rachel’s Network, in which five leading minority women environmentalists from different parts of the country volunteered to have their blood tested for toxins. The results, say EWG experts, show that regulation of chemicals in the U.S. is weak and “antiquated” and needs a major overhaul.

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