Every year about 2,000 new chemicals are submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for safety approval. Figuring out how a chemical might affect human health involves lab studies that can cost millions of dollars and take years to complete. Now a team of researchers at the EPA is working on a way to make the safety testing process more efficient and less expensive. In this podcast, Robert Kavlock describes the EPA ToxCast™ project, which uses existing toxicity knowledge as a blueprint for broad-scale chemical assessment. Kavlock is director of the EPA National Center for Computational Toxicology and coauthor of "In Vitro Screening of Environmental Chemicals for Targeted Testing Prioritization: The ToxCast Project." Visit the podcast webpage to download a full transcript of this podcast. 

Toxicity Forecast, with Robert Kavlock

In this original podcast series, researchers from across the environmental health sciences offer insights into the motivation and vision driving their work. They also explore the implications of their findings for human health.

Natural Sciences

Science & Medicine

Science

We live in a time when investigators have overwhelming amounts of health-related data at their fingertips. In this podcast, Nicole Kleinstreuer explains how environmental health scientists are using machine learning to make sense of the information in those data—for example, predicting toxicological end points based on large curated data sets. But even as machine learning advances, researchers are working to set realistic expectations and performance thresholds for these new methods. Visit the podcast webpage to download the full transcript of this podcast. 

The Art of the Algorithm: Machine Learning in Environmental Health Research, with Nicole Kleinstreuer

Methylmercury, the most toxic form of mercury, is found in seafood around the world, and it can cause severe health effects in people who are exposed to it. Governments are working to reduce the amount of mercury that finds its way into the environment. Dozens of countries have pledged to implement measures to reduce mercury pollution. In this podcast, Niladri Basu discusses his recent systematic review, which estimates global baseline mercury exposures. These estimates will help countries gauge the success of their control measures. Visit the podcast webpage to download the full transcript of this podcast.

The Global Burden of Mercury Exposure, with Niladri Basu

Can living in green surroundings make you healthier and happier? It’s a tantalizing idea. In this podcast, guest Rachel Banay discusses her recent EHP study on depression in older women in relation to the amount of greenness near their homes. The study is part of a growing body of research that suggests there may, in fact, be health benefits associated with spending time in or near green spaces—although it is too soon to draw any firm conclusions about the nature and direction of the relationship, if it exists. Visit the podcast webpage to download the full transcript of this podcast. 

Green and Serene? Exploring the Relationship between Vegetation and Mental Health, with Rachel Banay

It would be nearly impossible using current methods to test all the chemicals in use for toxic effects. So how do we prioritize which ones to study? In this podcast, Martyn Smith describes how he and his colleagues are developing lists of “key characteristics” shared by toxicants that cause specific adverse health effects, such as cancer or male or female reproductive toxicity. Risk assessors can use this information to predict the toxicity of other chemicals in an organized, systematic way. This approach may be useful in prioritizing chemicals for more detailed evaluation. Visit the podcast webpage to download the full transcript of this podcast. 

Key Characteristics: A New Approach to Identifying Potential Toxicants, with Martyn Smith

For some people, the whoosh of wind turbines is the sound of clean energy. For others, it is the sound of an environmental exposure that could possibly cause adverse health effects. Wind turbine noise has been studied in relation to diabetes, hypertension, preterm birth, and more. In this podcast, Aslak Harbo Poulsen discusses his research on wind turbine noise in relation to two more outcomes: likelihood of filling prescriptions for sleeping pills or antidepressants, and risk of heart attack or stroke. Visit the podcast webpage to download a full transcript of this podcast. 

Toxicity Forecast, with Robert Kavlock

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