Monthly updates

April 2012

UPCOMING EVENTS

Risk Science Unplugged presents Just Unplug and Drive, May 18 2012
2pm - 3pm Live at UM School of Public Health 1415 Washington Heights, Rm 3755 Ann Arbor and also webcast. Further details on Risk Science Unplugged events at:
http://www.sph.umich.edu/riskcenter/unplugged/transportation/index.htm

University of Michigan Risk Science Center Annual Meeting
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., May 30 2012
University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Rm 1680 Ann Arbor, MI
Open to all, but registration required.
For further details and to register please visit our website

RECENT ACTIVITIES

Andrew Maynard and Di Bowman are co-authors with Steffan Foss Hansen, Anders Baun and John Tickner on a chapter in the just-released "Late Lessons from Early Warnings 2012". This is a follow up to a 2002 report which was extremely influential and it is likely that the 2012 edition, which has been expanded and updated, will be similarly influential as we move forward. The chapter addresses the safe development and use of nanotechnology-enabled products. More details of the report, which is to be published shortly, can be found at:
http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/late-lessons-2012

Nil Basu, Howard Hu and Jerome Nriagu were amongst 117 scientists and researchers who were signatories to a letter calling on Michigan's congressional delegation to support the Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS) recently filed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. [link]

Dr. Dong-Ha Nam, Postdoctoral Fellow in Nil Basu's lab, accepted a tenure-track Faculty position at Chonnam National University in S. Korea

PUBLICATIONS

Steffen Foss Hansen, Andrew Maynard, Anders Baun, Joel A. Tickner and Diana M. Bowman. Nanotechnology - Early Lessons from Late Warnings. In: Late Lessons 2012, published by the European Environment Agency [to be published soon at http://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/late-lessons-2012]

Wang Y, Goodrich JM, Werner R, Gillespie B, Basu N, Franzblau A., "Agreement between clinical screening procedures for neuropathy in the feet."
Muscle Nerve. 2012 May;45(5):653-8. doi: 10.1002/mus.23238.
PMID:22499091[PubMed - in process] [link]

Goodrich JM, Wang Y, Gillespie B, Werner R, Franzblau A, Basu N., "Methylmercury and elemental mercury differentially associate with blood pressure among dental professionals."
Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2012 Apr 9. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:22494934 [link]

Goodrich, J., Basu, N. 2012. "Variants of glutathione s-transferase pi 1 exhibit differential enzymatic activity and heavy metal inhibition." In Press (Toxicol In Vitro). [link]

Depew, D., Basu, N., Burgess, N.M., Campbell, L.M., Devlin, E.W., Drevnick, P., Hammerschmidt, C., Murphy, C.A., Sandheinrich, M.B., Wiener, J.G. 2012. "Toxicity of dietary methylmercury to fish: Derivation of ecologically meaningful threshold concentrations." In Press (Environ Toxiocol Chem).

Sonne, C., Letcher, R.J., Bechshoft, T.O., Riget, F., Muir, D.C.G., Leifsson, P.S., Born, E.W., Hyldstrup, L., Basu, N., Kirkegaard, M., Dietz, R. 2012. "Biomonitoring polar bear health in Greenland: A messenger for global pollution and climate warning." Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica. 54(Suppl 1): S15. [link]

Zanobetti A, O'Neill MS, Gronlund CJ, Schwartz JD., "Summer temperature variability and long-term survival among elderly people with chronic disease."
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2012 Apr 9. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:22493259 [link]

Gidengil C, Lieu TA, Payne K, Rusinak D, Messonnier M, Prosser LA., "Parental and societal values for the risks and benefits of childhood combination vaccines."
Vaccine. 2012 Mar 23. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:22449423 [link]

Prosser LA, Grosse SD, Kemper AR, Tarini BA, Perrin JM.,"Decision analysis, economic evaluation, and newborn screening: challenges and opportunities."
Genet Med. 2012 Apr 5. doi: 10.1038/gim.2012.24. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:22481131 [link]

Saenz GC, Rao D, Underwood A, Belapure SA, Campagna SR, Sun Z, Tammariello S, Rickard AH., "Autoinducer-2 Influences Interactions amongst Pioneer Colonizing Streptococci in Oral Biofilms."
Microbiology. 2012 Apr 5. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:22493304 [link]

Gidengil CA, Parker AM, Zikmund-Fisher BJ., "Trends in risk perceptions and vaccination intentions: a longitudinal study of the first year of the H1N1 pandemic."
Am J Public Health. 2012 Apr;102(4):672-9. Epub 2012 Feb 16.
PMID:22397349 [link]

PRESENTATIONS

Rick Neitzel gave a talk on exposures and hearing loss risk associated with urban life "Recreational Noise Exposure: When Fun is Hazardous to Your Hearing!" at a session during the annual AudiologyNow! conference.
Boston, MA Mar 29

Andrew Maynard presented "The New Science of Sophisticated Materials: Nanomaterials and Beyond" as part of Harvard Environmental Health Nano lecture series
Boston, MA Apr 13

Brian Zikmund-Fisher gave a one day short course on risk communication to the "Pro*Doc Adaptivity in Communication & Health" doctoral program participants in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Neuchâtel, Switzerland, Apr 23

Brian Zikmund-Fisher gave a seminar at ETH Zurich's Intitute for Environmental Decisions entitled " A Taxonomy of Appropriate Levels of Precision in Risk Communication"
Zurich, Switzerland, Apr 24

Brian Zikmund-Fisher is giving a keynote speech at this year's Donaghue Foundation Conference: Evaluating Risk: How perception shapes our health.
Farmington, CT, May 3

Diana Bowman is presenting at the 2nd Annual Collaborative Conference Addressing the Developments and Advancements of Nanotechnology and Nanomanufacturing in New England and the United States: "Destination Nano: Concept to Commercialization".
Boston, MA, May 15-16

RSC IN THE MEDIA

Pink Slime
Chemical and Engineering News

Michigan scientists support federal rules limiting mercury emissions
NPR Radio

Noise pollution takes a toll on health
Minnesota Public Radio

10 foods with more ammonia than pink slime
Grist

THE RISK SCIENCE BLOG

Risk Science Center Fellows 2012: Introducing Lindsay Weir

Pink Slime and ammonia consumption - the numbers

Mind the Science Gap: Using banana peels to remove metals from polluted water: an aPEELING option

HazCom 2012: The new system for communicating about workplace chemicals

Swedish pancakes and Nordic risks - Rick Neitzel settles into a Summer in Sweden

Risk Science Center goes European

March 2012

UPCOMING EVENTS

Andrew Maynard, Di Bowman, Pascale Lerouil and Ahleah Rohr Daniel will be engaging school groups in an exploration of social and ethical aspects of nanotechnology as part of Nanodays 2012 at the University of Michigan Lurie Nanofabrication Facility, on March 31 2012.

Risk Science Unplugged presents Just Unplug and Drive, May 18 2012
2pm - 3pm Live at UM School of Public Health 1415 Washington Heights, Rm 1680 Ann Arbor and also webcast. Further details on Risk Science Unplugged events at:
http://www.sph.umich.edu/riskcenter/unplugged/transportation/index.htm

Brian Zikmund-Fisher is giving a keynote at this year's Donaghue Foundation Conference: Evaluating Risk: How perception shapes our health.
May 3 2012 Farmington, CT

University of Michigan Risk Science Center Annual Meeting
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., May 30 2012
University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI
For further details and to register please visit our website

RECENT ACTIVITIES

Diana Bowman participated in a one-day NSF funded workshop that examined potential solutions to the so-called regulatory "Pacing problem", in which emerging technologies such as nanotechnologies and synthetic biology are being brought to market faster than traditional models of government regulation can keep pace with.
Mar 6, Phoenix, Arizona

New research projects: Water Quality Impacts on Public Health.
The Graham Sustainability Institute and the Center for Global Health are co-sponsoring two research projects that address water-quality impacts on public health, one in Ghana and the other in Peru. Each of the projects, which are called integrated assessments, will receive $350,000 over the next three years. The research teams include Niladri Basu, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the School of Public Health; Elisha Renne, professor in the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies and the Department of Anthropology; Tom Robbins, professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the School of Public Health; Mark Wilson, professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the School of Public Health; Chuanwu Xi, assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at the School of Public Health; Manuel Valdivieso, clinical professor of internal medicine at the Medical School; and Lu Wang, assistant professor in the Department of Biostatistics at the School of Public Health. [Link]

PUBLICATIONS

Song L, Wu J, Xi C., "Biofilms on environmental surfaces: Evaluation of the disinfection efficacy of a novel steam vapor system."
Am J Infect Control. 2012 Mar 12. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:22418602 [link]

Maynard, A. D., A. Grobe and O. Renn (2012). Responsible innovation, Global Governance, and Emerging Technologies. in: Can Emerging Technologies Make a Difference in Development? Eds. R. A. Parker and R. P. Applebaum. New York, Routledge: 168-187. [link]

PRESENTATIONS

The video for Risk Science Unplugged presents A World of Surprises with speculative designer James King is now available online.

Dingsheng Li gave a poster presentation based on his 2010 Risk Science Center fellowship research.
Li, D.; Emond, C.; Johanson, G.; Jolliet, O. (2012). PBPK
Modeling of Polyacrylamide Nanoparticle Biodistribution in Rats [poster presentations].
Society of Toxicology 51st Annual Meeting, Mar 11-15; San Francisco, CA.

Brian Zikmund-Fisher presented as part of an NCI-organized national webinar on risk calculators: "Making Risk Calculator Outputs Meaningful for Patients." Webinar presentation on Communication Science and Online Risk Assessment Tools.
Hosted by the Behavioral Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, Mar 22

Andrew Maynard gave a workshop on Communicating Complex Science to Non-specialists Using Social Media at the University of Michigan School of Public Health Environmental Health Sciences 125th Anniversary, March 23. He gave a TED-style presentation on nanotechnology, titled "Think Small". For further details see http://www.sph.umich.edu/ehs/ehs_125_anniversary_index.html

Diana Bowman presented at the International Symposium on Assesing the Economic Impact of Nanotechnology.
Mar 28, Washington DC

RSC IN THE MEDIA

Scientists developing poison pill for Asian carp
Chicago Tribune

Nano Quadrotors - a game-changing technology innovation, but can we handle it?
IEET

World Economic Forum: Top Emerging Technologies Trends
IEET

University of Michigan Researchers to Study Health Outcomes and Economics of Newborn Screening
Bradenton Herald

NISE Net Vignettes: Andrew Maynard - Importance of Nanotechnoloy Education
YouTube

Nuclear experts available to discuss Fukushima one year later
UM News Service

SPH students creating science blogs in social media course
UM Record Update

Michigan Co-authored Study Examines Trends in Risk Perceptions and Vaccination Intentions
ASPH Friday Letter # 1714

Michigan Students Start Public Health Blog
ASPH Friday Letter # 1717

Michigan Dean Philbert and Faculty Meet with Director of China CDC in Beijing
ASPH Friday Letter # 1717

Michigan's Dean Philbert Receives 2012 Society of Toxicology Public Communications Award
ASPH Friday Letter # 1717

Michigan Faculty Receives $2.5 Million Grant to Study Newborn Screening
ASPH Friday Letter # 1717

THE RISK SCIENCE BLOG

Mind the Science Gap: Oil and Water...and Dirt

Mind the Science Gap: What's that smell? Worker exposures in nail salons

Mind the Science Gap: It Came from the Black (Manure) Lagoon!

What Do Artificial Wombs Mean for Women?

Mind the Science Gap: One Flu Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Egg Freezing: Taking a Closer Look at the Experimental Label

Mind the Science Gap: Stress: Shrinking Your Brain and Risking Your Health

Drama Over Red Meat and Death: A Case Study in Academic Complexity

Risk Science Center Fellows 2012: Introducing Natalie Sampson

Just Temperature

February 2012

UPCOMING EVENTS

Risk Science Unplugged presents A World Of Surprises, with speculative designer James King. March 14, 2012 2pm - 3pm Live at UM School of Public Health 1415 Washington Heights, Rm 1680 Ann Arbor and also webcast. Further details on Risk Science Unplugged events at:
http://www.sph.umich.edu/riskcenter/unplugged/awos/index.htm

Andrew Maynard is giving a workshop on Communicating Complex Science to Non-specialists Using Social Media at the University of Michigan School of Public Health Environmental Health Sciences 125th Anniversary, March 23. He will also be giving a short presentation on nanotechnology, titled "Think Small". For further details see http://www.sph.umich.edu/ehs/ehs_125_anniversary_index.html

Andrew Maynard and other risk science center members will be engaging school groups in an exploration of social and ethical aspects of nanotechnology as part of Nanodays 2012 at the University of Michigan Lurie Nanofabrication Facility, on March 31 2012.

Risk Science Unplugged presents Just Unplug and Drive, May 18th
2pm - 3pm Live at UM School of Public Health 1415 Washington Heights, Rm 1680 Ann Arbor and also webcast. Further details on Risk Science Unplugged events at:
http://www.sph.umich.edu/riskcenter/unplugged/transportation/index.htm

Brian Zikmund-Fisher is giving a keynote at this year's Donaghue Foundation Conference: Evaluating Risk: How perception shapes our health.
May 3, Farmington, CT

University of Michigan Risk Science Center Annual Meeting
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., May 30 2012
University of Michigan School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor 48109
For further details and to register please visit our website

RECENT ACTIVITIES

Risk Science Center member Shobita Parthasarathy's first book, which has influenced legal and policy debates about genetic testing and patenting, has been released in paperback by MIT Press. Building Genetic Medicine: Breast Cancer, Technology, and the Comparative Politics of Health Care compares the development of genetic testing for breast and ovarian cancer in the United States and the United Kingdom. It demonstrates how national approaches to health care, to patient advocacy, and to commercializing scientific work led to different understandings of risk and disease, the rights and responsibilities of users, and even the role of the test itself in the two countries.

Mind The Science Gap - an innovative course teaching public health students to communicate complex science through social media - comes to and end for this semester in March. The student blog posts can be read and commented on at Mindthesciencegap.org. Andrew Maynard will be offering the course again this fall.

PUBLICATIONS

Courtney A. Gidengil, Andrew M. Parker, Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher
"Trends in Risk Perceptions and Vaccination Intentions: A Longitudinal Study of the First Year of the H1N1 Pandemic"
American Journal of Public Health: [Posted online Feb 16]

Nam DH, Yates D, Ardapple P, Evers DC, Schmerfeld J, Basu N.
"Elevated mercury exposure and neurochemical alterations in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) from a site with historical mercury contamination."
Ecotoxicology. 2012 Feb 14. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:22331394 [link]

White-Newsome JL, Sánchez BN, Jolliet O, Zhang Z, Parker EA, Timothy Dvonch J, O'Neill MS.
"Climate change and health: Indoor heat exposure in vulnerable populations."
Environ Res. 2012 Jan;112:20-7. Epub 2011 Nov 8.
PMID:22071034 [link]

Kimmel AD, Daniels N, Betancourt TS, Wood R, Prosser LA., "Decision maker priorities for providing antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected South Africans: a qualitative assessment."
AIDS Care. 2012 Feb 3. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:22304657 [link]

Afeiche M, Peterson KE, Sánchez BN, Schnaas L, Cantonwine D, Ettinger AS, Solano-González M, Hernández-Avila M, Hu H, Téllez-Rojo MM., "Windows of Lead Exposure Sensitivity, Attained Height, and Body Mass Index at 48 Months."
J Pediatr. 2012 Jan 25. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:22284921 [link]

Nam DH, Yates D, Ardapple P, Evers DC, Schmerfeld J, Basu N., "Elevated mercury exposure and neurochemical alterations in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) from a site with historical mercury contamination."
Ecotoxicology. 2012 Feb 14. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID:22331394 [link]

PRESENTATIONS

Diana Bowman delivered a keynote address to the US Department of Agriculture's Mini-symposium on Public Perception, Acceptance, Education and Outreach of Nanotechnology in Food and Agriculture, Feb 2-4, Orlando

Olivier Jolliet presented "U.S. Consumption & Asian Pollution? Revealing the Connection through LCA and Environmental Modeling" at the Sustainable Systems Forum, Erb Institute for Sustainable Enterprise, Feb 1, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI

Andrew Maynard was invited to talk with the Environmental Defense Fund Scientific Advisory Committee on technology innovation and horizon scanning, Feb 9, Sausalito CA.

Rick Neitzel presented "The 85-3 campaign", at the National Hearing Conservation Association 37th Annual meeting, Feb 23-25, New Orleans, LA

RSC IN THE MEDIA

How To Innovate While Protecting Public Safety?
New Haven Independent, Jan 26

Michigan Announces Recipients of 2012 Risk Science Fellowships
ASPH Friday Letter, Feb 10

Michigan's Hu appointed to National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council
ASPH Friday Letter, Feb 10

Public interest in pandemic flu vaccine faded over time
UM News Service, Feb 16

Nanotech: Balancing real risk, political risk and the risk of hype
PJ Lifestyle, Feb 17

Risky starts and stops predict teen crashes
Fox News, Feb 21

THE RISK SCIENCE BLOG

National Academy publishes new nanomaterials risk research strategy

Infrasounds, Annoyance and Anecdotes: The Debate over Wind Turbine Safety

Planned Parenthood (lowercase): The Cure for Poverty

Mind the Science Gap: The Science Influencing the CDC Panel Recommendation for the HPV Vaccine for Boys

Mind the Science Gap: Why Don't More Kids Get Flu Shots?

RSC Member Shobita Parthasarathy's Influential Book Now Out In Paperback

Mind the Scienge Gap: Beach Bums! Gastrointestinal Distress from Sand?

Risk Science Center updates are emailed on the last Thursday of each month.
Follow the Center on Twitter at @umrsc, and on the web at umriskcenter.org and umrscblogs.org.