If you’ve ever driven along I-5 through the California Central Valley, you likely detected an acrid stench that permeates the air. The noxious odor comes from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations…

The earliest weeks of pregnancy are a period of remarkable development. In a matter of weeks, the foundations of the brain, spinal cord, heart, and other major organs begin to take shape. That rapid…

Investigating climate change impacts on reproductive health reveals a minefield of urgent questions: How do heat and pollution affect fetal development? What role do endocrine-disrupting chemicals, su...

Are mothers' lives at risk due to smoke exposure? Are pregnancy outcomes? Should IVF be delayed? Is sperm affected? CG spoke with Amy Padula, a professor at UC San Francisco and the Acting Director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, about these and other potential impacts.

Tire particles might seem tasty, if you’re a fish—but a new study shows how this pervasive microplastic can affect growth and behavior in marine species.

The fluid that surrounds a baby during pregnancy does more than cushion and protect. Amniotic fluid reflects what a developing fetus is exposed to in the womb, offering a direct snapshot of both fetal metabolic processes and the prenatal environment. Yet despite its importance, scientists have rarely studied it for environmental chemicals. In our new study, … Continue reading Everyday chemicals detected in the womb

A new study from UC San Francisco, published yesterday in Environmental Science & Technology, provides clues to how PFAS may contribute to pregnancy complications and adverse developmental outcomes. Forever chemicals such as PFOA and other PFAS contaminate drinking water supplies across the United States, are detected in the blood of nearly all pregnant women, and … Continue reading New clues on how PFAS may disrupt placental function

The following is a guest blog from Project TENDR. Action is urgently needed to safeguard children’s developing brains from microplastics and plastic-related chemicals say scientists and health professionals from across the U.S. who are part of Project TENDR, a coalition working to protect children from toxic chemicals that can contribute to problems with learning, attention, and … Continue reading Plastic chemicals and microplastic exposures must be reduced to protect children’s brains

Extreme heat is now one of the deadliest weather-related public health threats in the United States, contributing to thousands of emergency department visits and preventable deaths each year. Longer h...

The public health expert and Berkeley professor will unite scholars across campus to address crucial environmental challenges.

As wildfire seasons grow longer and more intense across the United States, a major new study reveals important findings about how smoke exposure affects pregnant women and their babies. The growing th...

As wildfire seasons grow longer and more intense across the United States, a major new study reveals important findings about how smoke exposure affects pregnant women and their babies. The growing th...

On March 11th, Dr. Amy Padula spoke at the Central Valley Air Quality Coalition‘s 23rd Annual Clean Air Action Day rally at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The following is her full speech...

Babies are exposed to many more 'forever chemicals' before they're born than previously thought, new research suggests, as the potential harms of these substances continue to be investigated.

Pregnancy depends on a healthy placenta, but how environmental chemicals affect placental development is still poorly understood. Growing evidence suggests that exposure to common pesticides may increase the risk of pregnancy complications. In our new study examining pregnancy risks from pesticides, one pesticide stood out: naled. You might not have heard of naled – an … Continue reading Common pesticides may disrupt placental health

Scientists and health advocates say proposed changes to a key US chemicals safety law would upend protections for children and other vulnerable populations suffering from toxic exposures, while indust...

Environmental scientist Tasha Stoiber reveals some simple ways to limit contact with PFAS.

Documents obtained by Hunterbrook show Indorama exposed thousands to carcinogens, violated environmental permits, and concealed toxic leaks from regulators.

PRHE announced earlier in February that Dr. Amy Padula, a leading PRHE researcher who was named one of 20 Pioneers under 40 in Environmental Health by the Collaborative on Health and the Environment and received a NIEHS Outstanding New Environmental Scientist R01 Award for her work on wildfire smoke and preterm birth, will serve as … Continue reading Announcing new PRHE interim director Amy Padula

As early as 2021, government officials were alerted to the presence of potentially dangerous chemicals known as PFAS in pants used by wildland firefighters, according to emails obtained by ProPublica.

They already face the highest rates of asthma-related mortality in the nation. Dirtier air will make that worse.

Industry-backed lawmakers are pushing changes to safety law that would block lawsuits and weaken protections against toxic exposures.

The chemicals are widely used for crowd control, but their long-term health risks are poorly understood.

PFAS make pans nonstick, clothes waterproof and furniture stain resistant. They're so ubiquitous, they're even inside of us. Now, researchers are looking for more insights in firefighters' blood.

To the extent that people think about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at all, they likely think of an institution that works to safeguard our health and well-being, and that of our environment. So, The New York Times made quite a splash recently when it reported that the agency had adopted a new policy under which it would stop considering the health benefits of two of the most harmful and pervasive air pollutants: fine particulate matter and ozone.

Former Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Dean Michelle A. Williams on the EPA’s incorrect and morally wrong decision.

Fears of exposure to radiation from the Hunters Point Shipyard prompted the Department of Public Health to open the clinic.

People who are exposed to certain forever chemicals may be at greater risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new research.

In a policy reversal under Trump, the EPA will no longer consider human lives saved when setting air pollution guidelines. Instead, it will measure the cost to the industry.

Plastic pollution could double its harm to human health in the coming decades if current production trends continue, according to a new study that links rising risks directly to the manufacture of new plastics.

Just over 60 years ago, scientist and conservationist Rachel Carson warned that modern societies were contaminating the ecosystems they depend on with “dangerous and even lethal materials”.

Tracey J. Woodruff, PhD, MPH, the former EPA scientist and Alison S. Carlson Endowed Professor who has led the UC San Francisco Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment (PRHE) since 2007, is leaving for Stanford University, where she will launch a new research and policy group focused on toxic chemicals. She will be departing PRHE … Continue reading Leadership change announced at PRHE

But at a hearing on potential changes to the Toxic Substances Control Act, they disagreed on how to speed the process

Major sources include plastic pellets, personal care products, paint and resins, synthetic textiles and the breakdown of larger plastics like bags and containers.

"Climate change isn’t just a rising bar on a graph. Parents have lost children. Houses have been washed away. Global warming is a humanitarian crisis, as much as it is a scientific one, and far more than it is an economic one."

Average Americans could experience significant hits to their health and their pocketbooks.