health effects

A recent look at what is known about the health effects of drinking water reveals that most supposed benefits are not backed by solid evidence.

The findings indicate that most people do not need to worry about drinking their recommended 8 glasses of 8 ounces of water per day.

The editorial is published in the June 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Concerns about the health effects of chemical pollutants in the environment, trace amounts of drugs in drinking water, cough syrups in children, contaminants in food -- it's all on the agenda for this week's toxicology convention in Seattle.

The health effects of one strain of schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease common in developing countries, are seven to 46 times greater than previously estimated, according to new Brown University research.

The study findings, which appear in the journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, may have major implications for global health policy.

In his research, NOAA scientist Nat Scholz examines how pesticides that run off the land and mix in rivers and streams combine to have a greater than expected toxic effect on the salmon nervous system.

These pesticides are widely used in the United States and their occurrence as mixtures in the food supply for humans may also pose an unexpected risk for people.