Dr. Ann Aschengrau and the study team of Project 1 have released a new study linking childhood exposure to tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in drinking water to increased likelihood of illicit drug use later in life.  The team's research is based on the Cape where PCE leached from the vinyl lining of drinking water pipes starting in the 1960s.  The Cape Cod Times covered the findings this past Friday.  The study is also available online in the journal Environmental Health.

The Boston University Superfund Research Program’s Community Engagement Core is collaborating with the Boston Museum of Science to present “Let’s Talk about Food Safety”, an interactive forum on October 5 to discuss the impacts of large-scale, globalized agriculture, and how those practices may affect our ability to protect the safety of our food sources.   The event will feature audience participation in a food contamination disaster scenario conducted by BUSRP investigators and staff.  The scenario will be followed by a discussion panel of food safety experts and scientists from industry, retail, and public health.

The event begins at 7pm at the Museum. Registration is free, but seating is limited. Advance registration is required.

This program is part of the Let's Talk About Food series at the Museum of Science, inviting visitors to find out how food influences our culture and shapes our health and environment.

The Orthopaedic Research Society has issued a press release on research findings by BU SRP's Jennifer Schlezinger and collaborator Louis Gerstenfeld. The press release, titled "Environmental Toxicant Causes Osteoporosis," describes how exposure to tributyltin, used commercially in wood preservatives, plastics, and pesticides, affects fat formation in bone.

Download the press release.

The Boston University Superfund Research Program is cosponsoring the annual community activism conference, Environmental Action 2011. The conference will take place at Bentley University in Waltham, MA on March 12, 2011. Community Engagement Core leader Madeleine Scammell will lead a workshop on community health studies.

The conference is organized by Toxics Action Center in partnership with ACE, Environment Massachusetts, Massachusetts Climate Action Network, Clean Water Action, MASSPIRG, and MLEV. Toxics Action Center and ACE are longtime partners of BU SRP's Community Engagement Core. 

Science for the Benefit of Environmental Health award recipient Harlee Strauss and BU SRP's Madeleine Scammell at Environmental Action 2010