Environmental Health Sciences Center

02/28/2025

Candles and Indoor Air Quality: What You Need to Know 🕯️💨

Did you know that some candles can release smoke and chemicals into your home’s air? Choosing the right type and following a few simple steps can help reduce indoor air pollution.

✅ Opt for unscented candles – even those labeled ‘natural’ or made with essential oils can release harmful compounds.
✅ Trim the wick to 1/8 inch before lighting to minimize smoke.
✅ Use a large glass holder to keep the wick steady and reduce uneven burning.
✅ Ventilate your space by opening a window or running a fan.
✅ Consider battery-operated candles for an even cleaner option.

Learn more about safe candle choices and reducing smoke in your home:
https://ehsc.oregonstate.edu/resources/infographics?slide=choosing-the-best-candle

02/21/2025

Breathe easier this winter: Simple ways to improve indoor air quality

With windows closed and heaters running, indoor air pollution can build up. Keep your home’s air cleaner with these simple steps:

🏠 Indoor tips:
✔ Change furnace and AC filters regularly.
✔ Use ventilation when cooking or burning wood.
✔ Run AC or air purifiers on poor air quality days.

🌿 Outdoor air still matters! Check air quality reports and limit exposure to vehicle fumes when possible.

🔥 Wildfire smoke: While not a winter concern for many, it’s always good to be prepared. Learn how to protect yourself year-round.

See our full list of air quality tips in the infographic: Breathe easier this winter: Simple ways to improve indoor air quality

With windows closed and heaters running, indoor air pollution can build up. Keep your home’s air cleaner with these simple steps:

🏠 Indoor tips:
✔ Change furnace and AC filters regularly.
✔ Use ventilation when cooking or burning wood.
✔ Run AC or air purifiers on poor air quality days.

🌿 Outdoor air still matters! Check air quality reports and limit exposure to vehicle fumes when possible.

🔥 Wildfire smoke: While not a winter concern for many, it’s always good to be prepared. Learn how to protect yourself year-round.

See our full list of air quality tips in the infographic: https://ehsc.oregonstate.edu/resources/infographics?slide=reducing-exposure-to-air-pollution

01/06/2025

Gracias por su interés pero tenemos suficientes participantes para los grupos focales.

¿Interesado/a en la salud ambiental?

Estamos invitando a miembros de comunidades de todo Estados Unidos a participar en un grupo focal en línea de 90 minutos por Zoom. Los participantes discutirán cómo prefieren recibir información sobre exposiciones ambientales que pueden impactar su salud. Cada participantes recibirá una tarjeta de regalo de $75.

¿Quién?: Adultos mayores de 18 años (no se requiere conocimiento previo). ¿Qué?: Una discusión facilitada de 90 minutos con 6-12 personas.

01/06/2025

Thank you for your interest but we have enough participants for the focus groups.

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡?

We're inviting community members from across the U.S. to join a 90-minute online focus group on Zoom. Participants will discuss how they prefer to receive information about environmental exposures that may impact health. Participants will receive a $75 gift card.

Who: Adults 18+ (no prior knowledge required)
What: A 90-minute facilitated discussion with 6–12 people

Learn more and sign up here:

12/23/2024

🎙️ OSU Research in the Spotlight 🎙️
Dr. Kim Anderson, EHSC Core Leader and Director of the Food Safety and Environmental Stewardship Program, was featured on OPB’s Think Out Loud! She shared how her team developed passive sampling wristbands to measure individual chemical exposures and their applications in global studies.

Learn about this innovative tool and how it’s shaping environmental health research. 🌍

📻 Listen now on OPB Think Out Loud: https://www.opb.org/article/2024/12/12/osu-invented-bracelets-help-measure-chemicals-and-pollutants/

A new study found that over the course of five days, participants working in office spaces to plastic recycling were exposed to at least 14 chemicals. We'll hear from an OSU professor to learn more about chemical exposures.

12/16/2024

🎙️ Dr. Lisa Truong interviewed on Adverse Reactions Podcast 🎙️

Did you know zebrafish can help us understand the long-term impacts of environmental chemicals?

Dr. Lisa Truong from the Oregon State University Superfund Research Center joined the Society of Toxicology's Adverse Reactions podcast to discuss her groundbreaking research on PAHs and PFAS toxicity, behavioral effects across generations, and innovative approaches to high-throughput toxicology.

Listen to the episode here: https://www.adversereactionspodcast.com/1756958/episodes/15951606-pipping-the-scales-with-zebrafish

Fish on treadmills? Lisa Truong, PhD, MBA, Oregon State University, discusses the unique ways that they test exposure effects using zebrafish. Co-hosts Anne Chappelle, PhD, and David Faulkner, PhD, also ask her about the benefits of having an MBA ...

11/25/2024

🔬 How Do We Test for Environmental Contaminants? 🔬

Ever wonder how researchers identify harmful substances in our environment? Our infographic, "Testing for Environmental Contaminants," illustrates the scientific process behind analyzing water, soil, and air for potential toxins.

Read the infographic, and see how these techniques have been used in researching the Portland Harbor Superfund Site:
https://ehsc.oregonstate.edu/our-research/research-highlights/portland-harbor-chemical-analysis

Explore Oregon State University's research at Portland Harbor:
https://superfund.oregonstate.edu/portland-harbor

The Portland Harbor Community Coalition, and organization composed of communities impacted by the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, is concerned about unregulated chemicals that might be present in the Portland Harbor. They were seeking research expertise in non-target chemical analysis of ambient wat...

11/18/2024

🎥 Understanding the Portland Harbor Chemical Analysis Project 🎥

Learn more about the Portland Harbor Chemical Analysis project through this video. It explains the potential forchemical contamination and toxicity at this Superfund site, as well as the collaborative efforts to address environmental health risks in the region. The 2024 update is now available, providing additional context for this ongoing research.

📺 Watch the video on the project webpage:
https://ehsc.oregonstate.edu/our-research/research-highlights/portland-harbor-chemical-analysis

For more on the site’s history and management efforts:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ab89faf239624854a5b9c7723f1c43da

Explore Oregon State University's research at Portland Harbor:
https://superfund.oregonstate.edu/portland-harbor

Connecting to the Willamette River

11/11/2024

📄 Portland Harbor Superfund Site: 2024 Update Released 📄
The latest update on the Portland Harbor Chemical Analysis project is now available. This report provides new insights into potential chemical contamination and toxicity, and our ongoing, collaborative efforts to understand environmental health risks at the Portland Harbor Superfund site.

📘 Read the full report here:https://ehsc.oregonstate.edu/our-research/research-highlights/portland-harbor-chemical-analysis?slide=phss-non-target-report-2024

More information about the history and management efforts of the site:
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ab89faf239624854a5b9c7723f1c43da

More information about Oregon State University's research at Portland Harbor
https://superfund.oregonstate.edu/portland-harbor

The Portland Harbor Community Coalition, and organization composed of communities impacted by the Portland Harbor Superfund Site, is concerned about unregulated chemicals that might be present in the Portland Harbor. They were seeking research expertise in non-target chemical analysis of ambient wat...

11/04/2024

🌊 Is the Willamette River Clean? 🌊
A recent article from The Oregonian explores the ongoing challenges in understanding the health of the Willamette River. The piece highlights the important work of Dr. Manuel Garcia-Jaramillo in studying the river’s water quality and uncovering areas that still need attention.

Read the article here:
https://www.oregonlive.com/environment/2024/10/is-the-willamette-river-clean-theres-still-a-lot-we-dont-know.html?gift=65daa428-c867-4316-adcb-c40ee0a1b08f

Read more about Dr. Garcia-Jaramillo's work on our website:
https://ehsc.oregonstate.edu/our-research/research-highlights/portland-harbor-chemical-analysis

10/21/2024

🥦 OSU Researcher Emily Ho on the Health Benefits of Broccoli 🥦

Dr. Emily Ho, leader of the TRSC support core, discusses the significant health benefits of broccoli in this New York Times article. Learn more about the science behind this nutrient-rich vegetable and its potential impact on human health.

Read the full article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/14/well/eat/broccoli-health-benefits-reci

Read more about Dr. Ho's work at the EHSC on our website:
https://ehsc.oregonstate.edu/trsc

The dinnertime standard is a nutritional multitasker.

10/14/2024

⚠️ Radon Levels and Children's Health Risk ⚠️
New research from Dr. Matthew Bozigar reveals that even radon levels below the EPA guideline could increase the risk of cancer in children. This study highlights the importance of understanding radon exposure in homes and its potential impact on health.

Dr. Bozigar is an EHSC center member and an environmental epidemiologist at the OSU College of Health. He was recently interviewed by OPB Think Out Loud, you can listen to the interview here:

https://www.opb.org/article/2024/10/07/radon-childhood-leukemia-osu-study/

A new study led by researchers at Oregon State University found a link between exposure to radon and childhood leukemia, including at levels well below guidelines established by the EPA for exposure to the invisible, odorless gas.

09/27/2024

Congratulations to Dr. Diana Rohlman, leader of our Community Engagement Core! Dr Rohlman has been funded to participate in a larger federal government push to better communicate research results back to the people and communities that participated.

Read more about it in the NIEHS newsletter:

NIH kicked off program aimed at studying how to responsibly report back research results to environmental health study participants.

09/23/2024

The EPA is proposing to add the JH Baxter site in Eugene to the Superfund cleanup list to address long-standing contamination concerns. Learn more from the EPA's official announcement:
https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-proposes-adding-jh-baxter-site-west-eugene-superfund-cleanup-list

For more information on our work with the West Eugene Air Quality Collaboration, visit our JH Baxter resource page:
https://ehsc.oregonstate.edu/our-research/research-highlights/west-eugene-air-quality-collaboration

EPA News Release: EPA proposes adding JH Baxter site in West Eugene to Superfund cleanup list

09/19/2024

Congratulations to center member Jordan Smith! Dr. Smith is co-author on a publication recently featured in a scientific highlight by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The focus of the study is infant exposure to wood smoke, and you can read the highlight here:

https://www.pnnl.gov/publications/understanding-metabolism-wood-smoke-pollutants-implications-early-life-exposure-pahs

09/16/2024

🔥🌲 Tips for Reducing Wildfire Smoke Exposure 🌲🔥

The Oregon State University Extension Service shares helpful advice on how to limit your exposure to wildfire smoke, both indoors and outdoors. Stay informed and protect your health during wildfire season!

Read the guide here:
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/em9379-s

Wildfire smoke can damage your lungs, heart, eyes, nose, throat and immune system. It can enter homes and contaminate indoor air. Protect yourself by staying inside and reducing indoor air pollution.

09/10/2024

💧 Join Our Oregon Tap Water Study! 💧

OSU researchers are looking for participants in a state-wide research study identifying and measuring contaminants in tap water across Oregon. 🌍

If you live in Oregon, and are aged 18 or older, you can join our study. We will ask every participant to collect and mail in 3 samples of drinking water from your household faucet. Participants that complete and return their water samples will be offered a $25 electronic gift card.To sign up, visit our study page at https://bit.ly/3YM1kvr

08/26/2024

Wildfire season is upon us, and the OSU Extension Service offers many resources to help you stay safe.

Learn more about protecting yourself from wildfire smoke: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/em9404-s-d

Discover how we can work together to reduce wildfire impacts: https://extension.oregonstate.edu/collection/fire-aware-fire-prepared

You can also follow OSU Extension on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ExtensionOSU/

Stay safe, stay informed, and take action to protect your health!