GCH Faculty

New study finds associations between use of skin care products and exposure to potential developmental toxicants

mthomp7 — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 13:15:40 +0000

New study finds associations between use of skin care products and exposure to potential developmental toxicants mthomp7 Wed, 09/04/2024 - 09:15

In This Story

Michael S. Bloom, PhD, MS, FACE

Use of skin care products is associated with exposure to phthalates and phthalate-replacement chemicals in young children, according to the new and first-of-its-kind study at ��AV's College of Public Health.

A new study led by primary investigator Michael S. Bloom, professor in the Department of Global and Community Health at George Mason’s College of Public Health, has found that use of skin care products including lotions, hair oils, hair conditioners, ointments, and sunscreen is associated with higher levels of phthalates in children’s urine. The associations depend in part upon the child’s racial and ethnic identity and their sex as assigned at birth. The study was co-authored by two George Mason Master of Public Health alumni, Juliana Clark and Kelly Garcia.

A new study led by primary investigator Michael S. Bloom has found that use of skin care products including lotions, hair oils, hair conditioners, ointments, and sunscreen is associated with higher levels of phthalates in children’s urine. Photo by Michelle Thompson/College of Public Health

“This is the first study to suggest that different skin care products used by young children may differentially increase exposure to endocrine-disrupting phthalates and phthalate replacements in young children,” said Bloom.

Phthalates and phthalate-replacement compounds are endocrine-disrupting chemicals, meaning they may interfere with the body’s hormones. Exposure to these chemicals in early childhood has been associated with neurodevelopmental, reproductive, and metabolic disease concerns in previous studies. Some of these chemicals are often used as carriers for the active ingredients in skin care products; others may be used in plastic packaging.

The study collected medical data from 630 children between the ages of 4 and 8 from 10 different sites across the United States, including a clinical examination and a urinalysis. The child’s parent or guardian was also asked to complete a survey within 24 hours prior to the child’s examination, which included questions regarding the child’s sociodemographic information (race/ethnic identity, sex assigned at birth, etc.). It also asked parents to list all the skin care products, including lotions, soaps, shampoos, oils, and cosmetics, that were applied to the child’s skin in the 24 hours prior to their examination, with as much specificity as possible regarding the product type and brand or generic name.

“We found associations between recent use of different skin care products and higher concentrations of phthalate and phthalate-replacement compounds,” said Bloom. “There were different relationships between the use of skin care products and the endocrine-disrupting chemicals in children depending on their racial and ethnic identities and their sex assigned at birth. We also found that distinct patterns of using multiple skin care products were predictive of higher concentrations of phthalates and phthalate replacements.”

While Bloom and his team say that further studies are necessary to confirm these findings, the results suggest that children in different racial and ethnic groups may experience different levels of risk for exposure to phthalates. In particular, they found the highest levels of phthalates and phthalate replacements in the urine of non-Hispanic Black participants. The differences may correlate to brand availability and preferences, methods and timing of product application, and/or the frequency of use by children with different racial and ethnic identities.

“The results can inform policies to address the use of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in skin care products that may be used on children and to help advise parents’ decisions about using products to limit their children’s exposure to potential developmental toxicants,” said Bloom.

“Impact of skin care products on phthalates and phthalate replacements in children: the ECHO-FGS” was published online in Environmental Health Perspectives in September 2024. This research was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH) Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) study.

Additional authors include: Juliana Clark, ��AV; John L. Pearce, Medical University of South Carolina; Pamela L. Ferguson, Medical University of South Carolina; Roger B. Newman, Medical University of South Carolina; James R. Roberts, Medical University of South Carolina; William A. Grobman, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; Anthony C. Sciscione, Christiana Care Health System; Daniel W. Skupski, New York Presbyterian Queens Hospital; Kelly E. Garcia, ��AV; John E. Vena, Medical University of South Carolina; Kelly J. Hunt, Medical University of South Carolina; the ECHO-FGS study group.

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Master of Public Health

Environmental Chemicals

Research

George Mason becomes new home for 400,000 biological specimens from Inova Health Systems

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 00:07:11 +0000

George Mason becomes new home for 400,000 biological specimens from Inova Health Systems Mary Cunningham Tue, 07/16/2024 - 20:07

��AV’s College of Public Health is the new home of 400,000 biological specimens through a partnership with Inova Health Systems. This repository of specimens, called a biobank, is an extensive collection of obstetrical and perinatal samples, along with follow-up health information, providing a rare and invaluable asset in public health and in the education of our future health, science, and technology care workforce.

“The biorepository creates opportunities for Mason to expand its collaborations with Inova, biotechnology partners, and other universities in Virginia, as well as unique educational opportunities,” said Melissa Perry, dean of the college.

Larry Maxwell, president of the Women’s Service Line at Inova Health System, said, “The investment by Inova Health System as well as additional support from the Fairfax County Government have created an unprecedented resource of placenta as well as blood specimens from mother, father, and baby [trios] corresponding to over 4,000 families. These biospecimens and corresponding data continue to support scientific research to better understand the obstetrical diseases that contribute to rising rates of maternal morbidity and mortality locally, regionally, and nationally.”

A range of specimens (e.g., saliva, urine, and blood) were collected with consent from an Inova cohort study that followed more than 4,000 women, their partners, and their children from pregnancy into early childhood to examine maternal health, pregnancy outcomes, and children’s growth and development.

Biobank program leads Carolyn Drews-Botsch and Michael S. Bloom. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

“The transfer of the biobank from Inova Health System to the College of Public Health serves as a testament to our strong public–private partnership, and underscores George Mason’s dedication to advancing health in pregnancy and early childhood,” said Alison Cuellar, College of Public Health associate dean for research. The biobank is housed at the university’s Science and Technology Campus in Manassas, Virginia.

The biobank offers an unprecedented opportunity for George Mason researchers to engage with and involve Virginia’s undergraduate and graduate students in health and public health science, to expand Virginia’s health, science, and technology workforce pipeline and enhance its diversity.

“The availability of such comprehensive and diverse datasets within a single biobank is rare, making it an attractive asset for collaboration and groundbreaking research endeavors,” said Michael S. Bloom, program lead of the College of Public Health Biobank and George Mason professor.

Space at the SciTech Campus for the biobank was renovated to hold the 11 tanks (called dewars) and freezers full of specimens. Photo by Evan Cantwell/Office of University Branding

Bloom and co-lead Carolyn Drews-Botsch started the work for the biobank transfer in 2021. Inova chose Bloom and Drews-Botsch after extensive vetting of their prior research experience, including involvement in large cohort studies, such as those from which these specimens are drawn. Space at the SciTech Campus for the biobank was renovated to hold the 11 tanks (called dewars) and freezers full of specimens. The containers are kept between -80 degrees C and -190 degrees C to maintain specimen integrity during long-term storage.

“These specimens will be vital for public health researchers who are looking to identify associations and factors that support healthy pregnancy and child health and ultimately benefit the public’s health,” said Drews-Botsch, a professor in the College of Public Health.

The professors expect the biobank to become a leading resource for collaborative projects once a research database is developed, with other researchers analyzing the data to answer important public health questions.

“By actively fostering these partnerships, George Mason can position itself as a leader in research around maternal health and early childhood and contribute to the advancement of public health on a larger scale,” Perry said.

Uncover more research at the College of Public Health

In This Story

Michael S. Bloom, PhD, MS, FACE

Carolyn Drews-Botsch, PhD, MPH

Alison Evans Cuellar, PhD, MBA

Melissa J. Perry, Sc.D., MHS

Topics

Maternal Child Health

College of Public Health Professor Carolyn Drews-Botsch receives Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to teach and research with the Royal College of Surgeons

Mary Cunningham — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 17:26:33 +0000

College of Public Health Professor Carolyn Drews-Botsch receives Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to teach and research with the Royal College of Surgeons Mary Cunningham Thu, 06/20/2024 - 13:26

In This Story

Carolyn Drews-Botsch, PhD, MPH

��AV professor Carolyn Drews-Botsch was recognized with the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award in Medical Sciences and will teach and conduct research with the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) during the fall of 2024.

Fulbright U.S. Scholars are faculty, researchers, administrators, and established professionals teaching or conducting research in affiliation with institutes abroad. Fulbright Scholars engage in cutting-edge research and expand their professional networks, often continuing research collaborations started abroad and laying the groundwork for forging future partnerships between institutions. Fulbright Scholars exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections, and work to address complex global challenges.

Drews-Botsch, a professor in George Mason's College of Public Health, will collaborate with the faculty at RCSI to on curriculum development its new online master’s program in population health, particularly in epidemiologic methods. She will also conduct research on the impact of amblyopia, colloquially known as “lazy eye,” on children’s lives and health.

Specifically, she will use longitudinal data sets from the U.S. and Ireland whether children with amblyopia get less physical activity and are more likely to become obese than other children. By using data from two countries, the results will be more generalizable to other populations.

“The Fulbright award will allow me to advance important research on amblyopia, which has far-reaching impact—beyond one’s vision,” said Drews-Botsch. “Reading speed, balance, coordination can be impacted—and the hypothesis is that this is causing an increase in obesity in children with this condition.”

More than 800 individuals teach or conduct research abroad through the highly competitive Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program annually. Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in more than 160 countries worldwide. 

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Fulbright

Fulbright Scholars

GCH Faculty

public health research

Research

New research describes the leisure motivations that underpin young U.S. adults' recreational cannabis use

Mary Cunningham — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 15:40:21 +0000

New research describes the leisure motivations that underpin young U.S. adults' recreational cannabis use Mary Cunningham Mon, 06/10/2024 - 11:40

In This Story

Iulia Fratila, PhD

As of 2024, 24 states including Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., have legalized the adult recreational use of cannabis. As laws change, citizens' perceptions of the drug and reasons for using the drug have also shifted. In 2020, 34.5% of adults aged 18–25 reported using cannabis in the previous 12 months, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Health experts seek to better understand the broader implications of legalization and individuals’ motivations and attitudes related to cannabis use.

Iulia Fratila, assistant professor in ��AV’s College of Public Health

New qualitative research by Iulia Fratila, assistant professor in ��AV’s College of Public Health, and Liza Berdychevsky, associate professor at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, describes in what ways young adults (aged 18–30) view cannabis as a recreational and leisure pursuit.

“Recreational cannabis legalization and liberalization is shifting across U.S. states. More holistic approaches to understanding perceptions of cannabis benefits and leisure motivations are scarce due to the longstanding criminalization of cannabis,” said Fratila, the principal investigator. “This research provides novel insights into cannabis users' leisure motivations of use and perceived benefits, which can be leveraged strategically in public health and drug education efforts in the societal transition from criminalization to normalization and commercialization trends concerning cannabis.”

Participants in Fratila and Berdychevsky’s study suggest cannabis can offer a leisure state of mind (e.g., experiencing flow, relaxation, and meditative state), as well as represent a leisure pursuit reserved for free time (e.g., using cannabis as a reward for free, post-obligations time outside of daily demands). Additionally, participants described how cannabis serves as a leisure activity itself (i.e., the act of getting high) and/or as an activity that accompanies other leisure pursuits and socialization (e.g., getting high and going to the movies), while providing pleasurable outcomes (e.g., feeling enjoyment, engaging in humor, enhancing senses).

“Participants discussed the ways that their recreational cannabis consumption represents a controlled and calculated risk-benefit leisure choice that is successfully managed for their overall well-being. Their narratives highlight that this perceived leisure pursuit does not necessarily interfere with their otherwise productive lives,” said Fratila.

These insights can inform harm reduction approaches to cannabis education that may be more effective considering the cannabis legalization and liberalization landscape. Health educators and health promoters can discuss cannabis risks and potential negative health outcomes while acknowledging the desired benefits cannabis users anticipate.

Fratila warns about the impacts of widespread legalization and the emerging recreational cannabis markets, which highlights another meaningful implication connected to the study findings. “Under prohibitory regulations, recreational cannabis use has been explicitly framed as deviant, criminal, harmful, life-wrecking, and void of any potentially desirable leisure qualities (e.g., pleasure, socialization). This study showcases the cannabis users’ understanding of cannabis as normative recreation and the anticipated leisure benefits,” said Fratila.

She further explained, “However, this is a cautionary tale because these desirable qualities may be easily exploited. More specifically, society may be facing a new conundrum with the commercialization of recreational cannabis as the switch from criminalization to commercialization overly simplifies and glamorizes the leisure meanings of cannabis for profitable gain.”

Public health experts and scholars will need to be at the front lines, in collaboration with other fields, to monitor how cannabis is repositioned and accommodated in a cannabis-friendly society, according to Fratila. Specifically, it will be important to spearhead effective health promotion efforts that minimize any related harms and maximize well-being.

This was a qualitative research project utilizing hermeneutic phenomenology, a research method to study how experiences affect everyday practices, and in-depth interviewing with 16 individuals (ages 18–30) living in the U.S. states with legalized recreational cannabis.

“Phenomenological Exploration of Young Adults’ Recreational Cannabis Use Experiences and Associated Leisure Meanings” was published in the Journal of Leisure Research in June 2024. This research was not funded.

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Should you be worried about ‘zombie deer’?

Mary Cunningham — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 17:28:05 +0000

Should you be worried about ‘zombie deer’? Mary Cunningham Wed, 03/20/2024 - 13:28

Attention Media: To speak to Amira Roess about chronic wasting disease, please contact Director of Marketing and Communications, Michelle Thompson at mthomp7@gmu.edu

��AV researcher Amira Roess discusses deer with chronic wasting disease, nicknamed "zombie deer," and what the risk to humans is.

Photo by Getty Images

Zombies have been found in a northern Maryland state park—zombie deer that is. The sick deer are not after human brains, but they could be harmful to humans who have contact with them.

We spoke with Amira Roess, professor of global health and epidemiology at ��AV's College of Public Health, to learn about zombie deer. Roess worked on deer-related illness while she was an epidemic intelligence service officer (i.e., an outbreak investigator) at the Centers for Disease Control. She is one of the principal investigators, along with Taylor M. Anderson of the College of Science on a study funded by the USDA examining the nature of human and deer contact in urban areas, specifically in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

What are zombie deer?

What is referred to as "zombie deer" are actually deer infected with chronic wasting disease (CWD), which is a prion disease. Deer with CWD can appear very unsteady, stumbling a lot, and are often very thin. They may also show other symptoms related to neurological damage.

Prions are proteins that cause other proteins to unfold. Some describe them as virus-like proteins. When they infect a person or an animal they cause severe neurological damage. This leads to serious symptoms that get worse over time including unsteadiness, loss of the ability to speak or walk or swallow, and weight loss.

How worried should people be about getting prion disease?

Fortunately, the risk of prion disease from deer appears low if humans limit their contact with deer, especially their blood and nervous tissue. But this means that we must be very careful and vigilant.

Why haven’t we heard of prions before?

You may not remember hearing the word "prion,” but you might remember hearing about a prion called bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), which was commonly called “mad cow disease” by many. That experience showed the world just how deadly prion diseases can be for humans.

During the BSE outbreak in England in the 1990s, humans became infected after eating beef products that had come from cattle infected with prions. Infected people lost their ability to walk, talk, and had very agonizing slow deaths that could only be diagnosed after death upon autopsy. That was the largest prion outbreak ever documented. What is very concerning is that in the U.S. when we test deer for chronic wasting disease, we increasingly find it.

Are you worried about outbreaks?

I am concerned that it is a matter of time before we find prion disease among people whose only exposure was through direct contact with deer. In the case of BSE, it was hypothesized that many infected individuals had first gotten exposed 10 or more years prior to their deaths. We believe that during those 10 or more years the prion slowly caused damage and went undetected until the damage got so extensive, that symptoms appeared.

How can we reduce our risk of contracting CWD?

Deer are wildlife, and as with all wildlife, we need to limit our contact with them. In many parts of the U.S., white-tailed deer are becoming habituated or accustomed to humans. They know that we generally don't hurt them, and increasingly we do things like feed them. But remember, deer are not pets—they have not evolved to be in such close contact with humans. They are still wildlife and deserve our respect and distance.

Do not approach deer and train your pets not to approach them either. If you have children or take care of children, make sure to teach them to be respectful of wildlife and to never approach deer or other wildlife. This is especially important if the animal appears hurt, sick, or disoriented. In that case, call 311 or your local wildlife office immediately to get a professional involved to help the animal.

Is there a group that is more at risk for chronic wasting disease?

Deer hunters are at an increased risk because of their close contact with the blood and nervous tissue of deer that they have hunted. Numerous educational resources about how to protect yourself from the risk of prions and other pathogens when hunting are now available. The best advice is to use personal protective equipment (PPE). If a deer appears sick, do not hunt it. Hunters can access information from their local games departments and in the USDA chronic wasting disease website.

Are there other animals that carry prions?

So far there have been reports of prion disease in humans, sheep, goats, cattle, mink, cats, and lemurs, among other mammals. Our knowledge about which other animals can be infected is limited by the fact that we don't have active surveillance for prion disease and most other diseases. What we know is very limited and confined to our experiences with cattle, deer, and other animals that have been found infected because of symptoms. Prions can remain in the environment for long periods of time, and they are very difficult to destroy.

What can we do to protect deer?

Remember that all wildlife deserve our respect and deserve to be left alone. Do not feed deer or other wildlife and remove all food sources (such as trash) to protect deer, raccoons, squirrels, birds and other animals.

When people approach an injured or sick animal, we often cause stress to the animal which then can make the animal sicker. If a deer looks sick, you should exercise extreme caution and not approach it. Instead, call 311 and report the deer so that it can be tested.

Studies have found that wildlife are losing their fear of humans, and this is linked to an increase in illness in these animals and also in people. Remember that wildlife carry numerous diseases that can harm people, including deer ticks that spread Lyme disease, and raccoons, coyotes, and foxes that spread rabies.

To speak to Amira Roess about chronic wasting disease, please contact Michelle Thompson at mthomp7@gmu.edu

Amira Roess is a professor of global health and epidemiology at ��AV's College of Public Health, Department of Global and Community Health. She is an epidemiologist with expertise in infectious diseases epidemiology, multidisciplinary and multi-species field research and evaluating interventions to reduce the transmission and impact of infectious diseases. Roess currently oversees several longitudinal studies to understand emergence and transmission of zoonotic infectious diseases globally, including the emergence and transmission of Campylobacter (with support from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation), MERS-CoV (with support from the US National Science Foundation), and the development of the microbiome during the first year of life. She studies links between food animal production and emerging infectious and zoonotic disease emergence globally, and mHealth (especially apps) technology integration and evaluations to reduce the impact of infectious diseases outbreaks, promote health care and health reduce disparities.

Some of her deer-related work appears in these journal articles:

More resources about chronic wasting disease can be found here:

In This Story

Amira Roess, PhD, MPH

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Strengthening global partnerships: Professor Amira Roess collaborates with international researchers to strengthen pathogen discovery

Mary Cunningham — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 22:06:19 +0000

Strengthening global partnerships: Professor Amira Roess collaborates with international researchers to strengthen pathogen discovery Mary Cunningham Fri, 01/26/2024 - 17:06

In This Story

Amira Roess, PhD, MPH

Since the first trade routes were established thousands of years ago, pathogens traveled along them spreading infectious diseases from once-isolated parts of the world. Today, global interconnectedness continues to rapidly spread infectious diseases across the world, transcending state, national, and continental boundaries. Consequently, the importance of understanding and preventing the transmission of pathogens relies on global cooperation and necessitates collaborative efforts among researchers.

Amira Roess, ��AV professor of public health, has been collaborating with colleagues in Bangladesh since 2002 on topics such as the impact of antibiotic use in animals on human health and the burden of pneumococcus, once a leading cause of neonatal infectious disease deaths in low-and-middle-income countries and once a leading cause of pneumonia in the United States. Pneumococcus infections have significantly decreased due to the introduction of vaccines globally.

Drs. Nicol Janecko, Senjuti Saha, and Amira Roess

In 2018, colleagues from the United Kingdom joined the U.S.-Bangladesh collaboration when the team, led by Roess, received a $1.2 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. With the grant, the team studied campylobacter, the leading bacterial cause of diarrheal diseases in the U.S. and Europe, which causes an estimated 400 million infections per year globally.

“Collaboration across countries is critical to learn about and reduce the spread of infectious diseases. Universities play a crucial role in maintaining long-term global collaborations that withstand the constant changes in political alliances between nations,” said Roess. “Studying rapidly emerging infectious diseases requires that scientists from across the world work together and share data and technology. By uniting our efforts, we can protect each other against the spread of diseases, creating a global shield that transcends borders and protects the health and well-being of all."

In 2023, Nicol Janecko from the Quadram Institute in the United Kingdom and Roess received a £50,000 Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council United States Partnering Award to expand existing collaboration between researchers in the UK and the U.S. In January 2024, Janecko and Senjuti Saha visited Mason’s SciTech campus to share their knowledge and learn from other Mason researchers focused on discovering more about the transmission of infectious diseases.

Saha and Janecko spoke with Mason faculty and student researchers about “Applying metagenomics to understanding complex transmission dynamics of zoonotic pathogens.” Saha spoke about the Child Health Research Foundation’s research and outreach on meningitis in Bangladesh and Janecko shared research about campylobacter.

Saha and Janecko also met with Mason students and faculty who have common research interests, including Professor Ginny Espina, Professor Iosif Vaisman, Mason’s Institute for Biohealth innovation Executive Director Amy Adams, Professor Patrick Gillevet, and Associate Professor Aarthi Narayanan. The visiting researchers also toured Mason’s Biomedical Research Laboratory, Mason’s MicroBiome Analysis Center, Mason's Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, and Mason’s other public health laboratory facilities.

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Endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in menstrual products including tampons, pads, and liners

Mary Cunningham — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 16:18:54 +0000

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in menstrual products including tampons, pads, and liners Mary Cunningham Fri, 12/15/2023 - 11:18

In This Story

Anna Pollack, PhD, MPH

Joanna Marroquin, a Mason PhD in Public Health student

The average menstruator will use more than 11,000 tampons or sanitary pads in their lifetime. Vaginal and vulvar tissue that touch pads and tampons is highly permeable. Through this permeable tissue chemicals are absorbed without being metabolized, which makes endocrine-disrupting chemicals potentially dangerous when found in menstrual products. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals can interfere with human hormones and cause medical issues, including gynecological conditions such as endometriosis and uterine fibroids.

��AV researchers Joanna Marroquin, a PhD in Public Health student, and Anna Pollack, an associate professor in the College of Public Health, reviewed studies conducted since 2103 that measured chemicals in menstrual products and that measured human biomarkers of chemical exposure and determined that endocrine-disrupting chemicals were found in menstrual products including tampons, pads, and liners.

“Identifying chemicals in menstrual products that menstruators regularly use is important because exposure through these products can impact menstruators’ reproductive health,” said Marroquin, the paper’s first author.

Associate Professor Anna Pollack

The study found that menstrual products contain a variety of endocrine-disrupting chemicals including phthalates, volatile organic compounds, parabens, environmental phenols, fragrance chemicals, dioxins and dioxin-like compounds.

This issue is even more relevant thanks to the Robin Danielson Menstrual Product and Intimate Care Product Safety Act of 2023, which was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in October 2023. The Act would establish a program of research regarding the risks posed by the presence of dioxins, phthalates, pesticides, chemical fragrances, and other components in menstrual products and intimate care products.

This literature reviewed 15 papers published between 2013 and 2023 that tested menstrual products in the United States, Japan, and South Korea. The researchers note that there are few publications available that measure chemicals in menstrual products.

Additionally, though forever chemicals (PFAS) have been found in menstrual underwear, there is a lack of peer-reviewed research on menstrual underwear and other newly-popular-in-the-U.S. products such as menstrual cups and discs.

Chemicals in menstrual products: A systematic review was published in BJOG, an international journal of obstetrics and gynecology in September 2023. Additional authors include Marianthi-Anna Kiomourtzoglou from Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University and Alexandra Scranton from Women's Voices for the Earth.

The research was supported by Pollack's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences R01ES31079 award.

Topics

Women's Reproductive Health

Endocrine disrupting chemicals

Iulia Fratila, PhD

mthomp7 — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 20:19:49 +0000

Iulia Fratila, PhD mthomp7 Tue, 09/05/2023 - 16:19

Assistant Professor, Global and Community Health

Contact Information

Email: ifratila@gmu.edu

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Biography

Dr. Iulia Fratila is an assistant professor in the Department of Global and Community Health. Fratila’s research interests have practical and scholarly contributions related to health promotion, health education (e.g., drug education, sexual health education) and leisure and health studies. She is a knowledgeable scholar on the role of leisure and recreation in health and well-being with a life course approach.

Fratila is a passionate educator that seeks to prepare students for their professional careers in public and community health. Specifically, Dr. Fratila emphasizes evidence-based decision making and developing student research skills. Additionally, Fratila prioritizes creating and teaching inclusivity in the classroom. Her teaching repertoire includes classes such as social determinants of health, public health, ethics in health sciences, and research methods.

Before coming to Mason, Fratila was a faculty member in the Department of Health Sciences at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA.

Publications

Berdychevsky, L. & Fratila, I. (2023). Young adults’ acceptance of later-life sexuality is predicted by their general sexual attitudes and viewing sex as leisure. Leisure Sciences, DOI: 10.1080/01490400.2023.2273382
Fratila, I., & Berdychevsky, L. (2021). Aiming ‘high’ in college: The meanings of recreational drug consumption in/as leisure and existential authenticity. Leisure Sciences, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2021.1957728
Clary, L. K., Habbal, M., Smith, C. D. & Fratila, I. (2021). The green sheep: Exploring the perceived risks and benefits of cannabis among young veterans. Cannabis, 4(2), 31- 46. https://doi.org/10.26828/cannabis/2021.02.003
Fratila, I., & Berdychevsky, L. (2020). Understanding drugs as leisure through the (de)differentiation lens and the dialectic of Logos- and Eros-modernity. Leisure Studies, 40(4), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2020.1843694

Professional Affiliations/Memberships

Book Review editor – International Journal of the Sociology of Leisure
Associate editor – Leisure Sciences Journal

Degrees

PhD, Recreation, Sport, and Tourism, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
MBA, Business (Concentration in Sport and Entertainment Management), University of South Florida
BS, Recreation Management, Western Michigan University

What to know about air quality alerts

Mary Cunningham — Thu, 08 Jun 2023 18:59:19 +0000

What to know about air quality alerts Mary Cunningham Thu, 06/08/2023 - 14:59

In This Story

Amira Roess, PhD, MPH

Air quality alerts are currently raised higher than usual along the eastern United States due to traveling smoke from Canadian wildfires. Epidemiologist and professor in Mason’s College of Public Health Amira Roess discusses what you need to know about air quality alerts and how it affects your health.

Why are wildfires in Canada affecting the air in northern Virginia?

The wildfires that are raging in Northeast Canada approximately 800 miles from those of us in the DMV (D.C.-Maryland-Virginia) are generating tremendous amounts of smoke and pollutants. Satellite imagery shows smoke blanketing our area and many other parts of the United States.

These fires are the worst that Canada has seen and are being fueled by a lingering high-pressure system over Canada for weeks now that has led to high temperatures and low precipitation. In addition to the high-pressure system, there is another low-pressure system in the northeast. Together these two systems are creating something like a pathway for smoke to move along over parts of the U.S.

How do I know what the air quality is?

There are many weather apps that now include air quality. The air quality scale most in use in the U.S. ranges from 0 to 300 and colors are assigned to the different ranges. The colors to look out for are:

Orange (101-150) is considered unhealthy for some populations and individuals who are vulnerable should avoid being outdoors.
Red is considered unhealthy (151-200) for all individuals, and everyone should limit their time outdoors, avoid strenuous activity, and wear a good quality N95 or K95 mask.
Purple (201-300) is considered very unhealthy for all groups and, in addition to the precautions taken under a red alert, everyone should stay indoors when purple alerts are issued.
Maroon (301) is considered hazardous, and we rarely see this.

Due to the smoke that is being generated by the Canadian wildfires currently, we are seeing red and purple alerts during much of the day. You can learn more about what these alerts mean from the U.S. Air Quality Index.

What can you do to protect yourself?

When air quality is suboptimal (orange), certain individuals should avoid being outdoors. Those with underlying conditions, especially respiratory and heart conditions, the elderly and young children should avoid being outdoors because they are at risk for the worst health impacts from poor air quality. When air quality is poor (red) or very poor (purple), which is what we are seeing right now, then all individuals should avoid being outdoors.

If you must be outdoors when air quality is poor or very poor, limit your time and you should wear an N95 or a KN95 mask. Remember that we want to make sure we use clean masks. These masks cannot be washed and once they are wet or dirty, they are a lot less effective, so discard them. Wearing scarves or bandanas is not at all effective at protecting you. It's very important to limit your time outdoors.

If you have pets that need to go out, take them out for short bathroom breaks only. Do not take them on long walks or have them do any strenuous activities. Remember that pets cannot wear masks as this can cause them to panic and can hinder their breathing. Late in the evening air quality tends to improve.

If you start to develop respiratory or other symptoms due to spending time outdoors, you should contact a health care provider immediately.

In addition to not going outside, what can you do to stay safe on a red or purple air quality day?

Limit how much outdoor air comes into your home.

Keep your doors and windows closed while air quality is poor or very poor.

When you are home, you can do small things to keep the indoor air quality good, such as not lighting candles and not using gas stoves, if you can avoid it.

Make sure your HVAC system is working efficiently. This means making sure that you change the filters as the manufacturer recommends and that you stick to your HVAC service schedule.

If you have neighbors or loved ones that are immune compromised or in the vulnerable groups mentioned above, check up on them and help them avoid being outdoors. You can do small things like taking their garbage out or walking their pets.

Are we going to see more of these situations?

In general, as we've seen a shift towards higher temperatures in our hemisphere, we are going to see more wildfires and other climate change-related disasters.

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Professor receives nearly $500,000 National Institutes of Health grant to study children born with congenital eye disease

Mary Cunningham — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 17:34:21 +0000

Professor receives nearly $500,000 National Institutes of Health grant to study children born with congenital eye disease Mary Cunningham Mon, 03/27/2023 - 13:34

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Carolyn Drews-Botsch, PhD, MPH

Chair of the Department of Global and Community Health Carolyn Drews-Botsch continues her study of unilateral congenital cataracts by studying the risks and benefits of prolonged patching in preschool-aged children.

Children with unilateral congenital cataracts (UCC) are born with cloudy or opaque vision in one eye that, if left untreated, can result in blindness. The condition is treated, as it is in adults, by removing the lens. Glasses, contacts, or implanting an artificial lens are needed to replace the focusing power of the natural lens. Occlusion therapy, also known as patching, is when the child wears a patch covering one eye and it is needed to strengthen the eye after treatment. However, even with the best treatment, about half of these children will remain legally blind in the treated eye. Further, it can be difficult for parents to get children to wear the patch consistently for the required amount of time.

With a $457,00 (directs and indirects) National Institutes of Health R21 grant, Carolyn Drews-Botsch, professor and chair of the Department of Global and Community Health, is studying the effects and benefits of patching in preschool aged children.

“The ultimate goal is to advise parents and health care providers about how to improve visual acuity and how long to continue patching if a child is born with a unilateral congenital cataract,” said Drews-Botsch. “Even with patching, a high proportion of children do not develop usable vision in the treated eye. Therefore, the usefulness of extended patching in eyes destined to have poor vision is unclear, and the costs of therapy need to be weighed against possible benefits.”

Currently, children treated for UCC are advised to patch the unaffected eye for 50% of waking hours throughout the first 5-6 years of life and often into the elementary school years. Adherence to this guideline can be difficult for parents and children, and there are few evidence-based tools to help families. Additionally, vision improvement is not a guarantee with patching, so it could ultimately negatively affect the child. Even with early surgery and consistent patching, relatively few children develop adequate vision by the time they enter school.

The project, “Secondary Analyses of data from the Infant Aphakia Treatment Study: Patching in Children with Unilateral Congenital Cataracts and Poor Visual Acuity,” leverages unique secondary data collected in the Infant Aphakia Treatment Study (IATS). Researchers will provide guidance on how to establish patching habits that may improve outcomes, and conduct cost and benefits analysis of patching in the latter part of preschool. Researchers will determine whether it is possible to accurately identify children who will ultimately have little usable vision in their affected eye using information collected in the first four years of life and if prolonged patching in children who ultimately will not see well impacts their quality of life.

The IATS is a randomized controlled trial designed to compare two treatments for UCC: leaving children without a lens in their eye (aphakic) so that they need to wear glasses or a contact lens versus implanting an artificial lens (pseudophakic) at the time of cataract surgery. The primary study is one of the largest currently available cohorts of children treated for UCC and has provided important evidence about outcomes in these children prior to school entry.

Drews-Botsch and fellow researchers Scott Lambert from Stanford University, Marianne Celano and George Cotsonis from Emory University, and Genie Hartmann from Akron Children’s Hospital have worked with the IATS for over 15 years. Assistant Professor in the Department of Global and Community Health Jaffer Zaidi is new to the team.

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Professor receives nearly $500,000 National Institutes of Health grant to study children born with congenital eye disease

In This Story

Chair of the Department of Global and Community Health Carolyn Drews-Botsch continues her study of unilateral congenital cataracts by studying the risks and benefits of prolonged patching in preschool-aged children.

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