Posts tagged as:

science wednesday

High Air Pollution Linked to Increase in School Absences

January 20, 2010

On Monday, Mike Lee with the Star-Telegram reported about a new study that shows a link between high air pollution and an increase in school absences at 39 school districts in Texas. As the mother of a child with asthma, and one that lives in Phoenix, which has some nasty air pollution in the winter [...]

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Science Wednesday – Are Fewer Antibiotics the Answer to MRSA?

January 6, 2010

There are two main types of MRSA – hospital acquired (HA-MRSA) and community acquired (CA-MRSA). Community acquired MRSA cases are on the rise across the nation. Just a few years ago, entire schools would be put on alert if a student had a confirmed MRSA infection but now they are somewhat commonplace. On the other [...]

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They Might Be Giants – Here Comes Science CD Review

September 23, 2009

A few weeks ago, we received the new CD from They Might Be Giants – Here Comes Science. After listening to it for several weeks, I have to say that it is honestly our favorite kids-themed CD. Alexander is working on a review of the DVD but I wanted to post a Raising Them Green [...]

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Another Possible Effect of Climate Change – An Increase in Domestic Dengue Fever Cases

July 15, 2009

Studies have shown that two species of mosquito capable of carrying dengue fever have been found in 28 states and Washington, D.C. The counties that these mosquitoes have been found in contain more than 173 million people. Could climate change be what is allowing these mosquitoes to travel farther away from their typical tropical areas? [...]

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Car Pollution May Increase Premature Delivery and Preeclampsia Rates

July 1, 2009

I suffered from preeclampsia with my first pregnancy, thankfully the symptoms didn’t present until I was 37 weeks pregnant and already dilated. However, during the 48 hours (or so) that I dealt with the symptoms, I was miserable. At that time, I only knew of a handful of women (both in person and via online [...]

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Coal’s Impact on Birth Defect Rates in China

June 24, 2009

Coal is huge, both here in the United States and abroad. Today, I was participating in a live discussion with Van Jones, the White House Special Advisor for Green Jobs. During the discussion, Jones mentioned that 50% of the power used in buildings in the U.S. comes from coal-fired power plants. The coal industry, and [...]

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Why You Should Avoid Phthalates

June 17, 2009

Phthalates are nasty! According to the Environmental Working Group: Phthalates, called “plasticizers,” are a group of industrial chemicals used to make plastics like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) more flexible or resilient and also as solvents. Phthalates are nearly ubiquitous in modern society, found in, among other things, toys, food packaging, hoses, raincoats, shower curtains, vinyl flooring, [...]

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Global Warming May Lead to More Underweight Newborns

June 10, 2009

Global warming (or climate change, whichever phrase you prefer) is not without controversy. There are those who claim that we are on the verge of catastrophe and those who claim that the whole concept is just a myth. There are a variety of concerns about the effect that global warming will have on both the [...]

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France Bans Mobile Phone Use in Primary Schools

June 3, 2009

This week’s Science Wednesday post focuses on cell phone use among children.

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Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Targets Johnson & Johnson

May 27, 2009

Last month, I reported about an effort by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to require the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate the safety of children’s bath products. The article discussed a study commissioned by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics to test for the presence of 1.4-dioxane and formaldehyde in these products. These two [...]