PLANET EARTH

Learn about environmental factors and conditions that affect human health, what is being done nationally and internationally to mitigate those problems, and how you and your family can lower the risks to your health from environmental hazards.

Does Sunscreen Really Protect Your Skin?


Sunscreen is supposed to let you get enough sunshine for good health while shielding you from harmful rays that can cause sunburn and skin cancer. Does your sunscreen offer the protection you need, or leave you exposed to UV radiation and harmful chemicals?

Life is Short: Life Expectancy Declines for American Women
Life expectancy for American women is declining for the first time since the Spanish influenza epidemic in 1918, according to a new study. Life expectancy is going down or failing to improve for nearly 1 in 5 U.S. women. Smoking and obesity are seen as major causes for the loss of life expectancy among American women.



Smoking Expected to Kill 1 Million People Annually in India by 2010
Smoking kills 900,000 people every year in India, and unless corrective action is taken soon that number will increase to 1 million smoking-related deaths annually by 2010 and beyond, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine and conducted by scientists from India, Canada and the UK. According to the World Health Organization, smoking-related deaths are increasing worldwide, with the majority occurring in developing nations.
Reusing Plastic Bottles Can Pose Serious Health Hazards
Reduce, reuse and recycle is the mantra of environmentalists everywhere, but reusing plastic bottles can do more harm than good by releasing toxic chemicals that may cause a host of serious health problems. Learn the dangers of reusing plastic bottles as well as some safe alternatives.
Malnutrition, Pollution and Population Growth Spur Increase of Deadly Diseases
Global pollution combined with population growth is leading to widespread malnutrition and making billions of people more susceptible to a range of infectious diseases--from measles and influenza to malaria--according to researchers at Cornell University. Malnutrition currently kills 6 million children annually, and affects 57 percent of the world's people.
How Safe is Tap Water?
Bottled water companies would have you believe that tap water is unsafe to drink, but many experts say that most tap water is actually pretty safe--especially compared to the alternatives. How safe is tap water?
Are You Getting the Right Amount of Fluoride for Good Dental Health?
Are you getting enough--or too much--fluoride for good dental health? While the right amount of fluoride can prevent tooth decay, too much can lead to serious health issues, including eczema, osteoporosis, and even bone cancer.
Cleaning Up the Environment Could Save 13 Million Lives Annually, Report Shows
Reducing environmental risks worldwide could save 13 million lives every year, according to the World Health Organization. An analysis of health conditions in 192 countries showed that every nation in the world is affected by environmental risks that lead to a variety of health problems that could be prevented.
Tropical Rainforests: Nature’s Medicine Cabinet
Tropical rainforest plants have produced thousands of lifesaving drugs, yet the potential of rainforest medicinals has only barely been tapped. Rainforest lands are disappearing at an alarming rate, due to development and deforestation, but preserving rainforests may be a life and death issue for untold numbers of people--now and in the future.
9/11 Terrorist Attack Left Rescue Workers with Chronic Health Problems
The largest study ever conducted of 9/11 rescue and recovery workers show widespread, persistent and, in many cases, chronic problems that are unlikely to improve, according to doctors at Mount Sinai Medical Center.
Global Warming May Kill Billions This Century
Writing in The Independent newspaper, James Lovelock warns that the world has already passed the point of no return with global warming, and that climate change will kill billions of people in this century as the Earth reaches a “coma'' state from which it may not recover for 100,000 years.
Common Household Chemicals Linked to Cancer
Fluorinated polymers may not be a household name, but they show up in a lot of household products—from microwave popcorn bags and fast-food wrappers to stain-free carpets and windshield washer fluid. Unfortunately, they are also showing up in the blood of human beings all over the world after degrading to become a group of toxic chemicals called perfluorocarboxylates (PFCAs).
Environmental Protection is Essential to Long-Term Economic Growth
On his first day in office, the new head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) called on all nations to put the environment at the heart of their economic policies. "Care for the environment is often portrayed as detrimental to economic growth. We hope to lay that myth to rest in the 21st century.”
Poverty and Environment - Poverty & the Environment
Consider this central paradox of U.S. environmentalism: In much of popular and political culture, the movement is dismissed as the pet cause of white, well-off Americans -- people who can afford to buy organic arugula, vacation in Lake Tahoe, and worry about the fate of the Pacific pocket mouse. And yet, the population most affected by environmental problems is the poor.