Shelly L Miller, PhD

The effect of air pollution exposure on menstrual cycle health using self-reported data from a mobile health app: a prospective, observational study These findings suggest that PM2·5 exposure affects menstrual cycle outcomes. More research is needed to better elucidate the biological mechanisms through which PM2·5 affects the menstrual cycle.

The effect of air pollution exposure on menstrual cycle health using self-reported data from a mobile health app: a prospective, observational study - The Lancet Planetary Health. We need more info on women's health. Great study @priyankadesouza.bsky.social! www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Are Sleeping Children Exposed to Plasticizers, Flame Retardants, and UV-Filters from Their Mattresses? Our research found that children aged 1–4 years are being exposed to elevated levels of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) in their sleeping microenvironment (SME). We detected 21 SVOCs in four classes (ortho-phthalates, organophosphate esters, benzophenones, and salicylates) in 16 new children’s mattresses. One mattress exceeded the Canadian regulatory limit of 0.1% (by weight) for children’s mattresses for di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), while five had >0.1% diisobutyl phthalate (DiBP), di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), and diisononyl phthalate (DiNP), which are regulated in children’s toys but not in mattresses. One mattress contained high levels of tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), which has been prohibited from use in Canada since 2014. Five mattresses had from 1 to 3% of several organophosphate esters. No consistent trend was found between the number or concentrations of SVOCs in mattress covers and their polymer type, e.g., rigid polyvinyl chloride vs flexible polypropylene-polyethylene, identified using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Twelve out of 45 SVOCs measured were emitted from eight mattresses tested at room temperature, rising to 20 detected at body temperature, and 21 were detected at body temperature and when body weight was applied. Given the likelihood of exposure, these results show the need for stricter regulations of all harmful chemicals in children’s mattresses and improved oversight by manufacturers to minimize the use of harmful chemicals, especially when they are not needed.

Are Sleeping Children Exposed to Plasticizers, Flame Retardants, and UV-Filters from Their Mattresses? | Environmental Science & Technology. THE ANSWER IS YES. pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Flame Retardant Exposure in Vehicles Is Influenced by Use in Seat Foam and Temperature Flame retardants (FRs) are added to vehicles to meet flammability standards, such as US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard FMVSS 302. However, an understanding of which FRs are being used, sources in the vehicle, and implications for human exposure is lacking. US participants (n = 101) owning a vehicle of model year 2015 or newer hung a silicone passive sampler on their rearview mirror for 7 days. Fifty-one of 101 participants collected a foam sample from a vehicle seat. Organophosphate esters (OPEs) were the most frequently detected FR class in the passive samplers. Among these, tris(1-chloro-isopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP) had a 99% detection frequency and was measured at levels ranging from 0.2 to 11,600 ng/g of sampler. TCIPP was also the dominant FR detected in the vehicle seat foam. Sampler FR concentrations were significantly correlated with average ambient temperature and were 2–5 times higher in the summer compared to winter. The presence of TCIPP in foam resulted in ∼4 times higher median air sampler concentrations in winter and ∼9 times higher in summer. These results suggest that FRs used in vehicle interiors, such as in seat foam, are a source of OPE exposure, which is increased in warmer temperatures.

Flame Retardant Exposure in Vehicles Is Influenced by Use in Seat Foam and Temperature | Environmental Science & Technology. Researchers found cancer-causing flame retardants in all 101 cars from 22 brands that were tested! pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Why Are There Cancer-Causing Chemicals In Our Cars? Car manufacturers add harmful flame retardants to seat foam and other materials to meet an outdated federal flammability standard with no proven fire-safety benefit.

Flame retardants in your car. 😱https://www.forbes.com/sites/arleneblum/2025/05/15/why-are-there-cancer-causing-chemicals-in-our-cars/

It's getting hot...Be aware and be safe! See 5-day NOAA forecasts and details on max heat index probabilities & maps at www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/heat_index_M....
For example, next Tuesday:

Impressive!! Such important data. You rock @patriciafabian.bsky.social

Effect of household air pollution on the gut microbiome and virome of adult women living in Uganda | Environmental Health Perspectives | Vol. 0, No. 0 Background: Emerging observational studies suggest air pollution can influence the gut microbiome. However, this association is often highly confounded by factors such as diet and poverty. The gut vir...

When people in rural Uganda were given solar instead of kerosene lights, they breathed better, especially women. The gut’s microbiome changed, too, after air got cleaner and was linked to better breathing health. From @hsph.harvard.edu ehp.niehs.nih.gov/doi/10.1289/...

NIOSH helps engineers design safety in environments to protect workers & emergency responders during routine work and emergencies

NIOSH solutions in crises&emergencies
*Ebola: PPE design & isolation room specs
*COVID-19: ventilation/filtration upgrades & N95 standards
*Measles: Airborne isolation room engineering/HVAC changes to reduce disease transmission
*Anthrax: Mail facility/lab controls & decontamination techniques

NIOSH research drives safer engineering! Especially in occupational settings like factories
✅ Quieter machines (hearing protection)
✅ Built-in controls (silica rules, milling dust)
✅ Healthier building air (IAQ)

Worker safety agency NIOSH lays off most remaining staff Laid-off employees ranged from those working in firefighter health programs, to those approving new respirators.

THE entire NIOSH engineering group has been fired among most ALL of NIOSH. It is devastating. www.cbsnews.com/news/worker-...

Two people in yellow, high-visibility vests use hand-held tools to sample soil in a yard.

After the Marshall Fire in 2024, CIRES scientists mobilized quickly to capture critical data about air quality and the environment. CIRES graduate students collected soil samples near burned homes in Louisville, CO. #FieldworkFriday

📸: Katie Weeman/CIRES (2017 - 2023)

Impacts from the University of Colorado Boulder’s research is extraordinary www.colorado.edu/research. Sadly actions from the federal government have resulted in 49 grants to date being canceled, including EPA grants on wildfire smoke exposure and mitigation. www.colorado.edu/researchinno....

Apolitical Science

"There is an old saying: facts do not need you to believe them to be true...we must reaffirm that our work is not contingent on ideology but on the immutable laws of nature..." Apolitical Science | Environmental Science & Technology pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Formaldehyde and acetaldehyde were associated with off-gassing from building materials and household activities. Indoor air pollution was related to housing characteristics, occupant behaviors, the conditions of the indoor environment, and outdoor sources.

Gas stoves were significantly associated with higher NO2 concentrations in the home, especially in the winter. Gas stoves were also associated with a 43% increase in the peak (max) CO levels in the winter. Gas clothes dryers were also associated with higher NO2 indoors, as was oil and gas heating.

344 homes in Canada were studied from 2005-2010. A quarter of the homes had gas stoves. Bottom line is that air pollution in homes with gas appliances was worse.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

And, just like that, the top journal in the field of Environmental Health, published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, a part of the NIH, goes dark...

Incorporating Cooking Emissions To Better Simulate the Impact of Zero-Emission Vehicle Adoption on Ozone Pollution in Los Angeles Despite decades of emission control measures aimed at improving air quality, Los Angeles (LA) continues to experience severe ozone pollution during the summertime. We incorporate cooking volatile orga...

Incorporating Cooking Emissions To Better Simulate the Impact of Zero-Emission Vehicle Adoption on Ozone Pollution in Los Angeles | Environmental Science & Technology pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Particle Transport and Building Ventilation Limit Indoor Air Cleaner Performance during Wildfire Smoke Events Portable air cleaners (PACs) are often recommended to mitigate indoor particulate matter levels during wildfire smoke events. These devices can remove smoke particles by using mechanical filters or m...

New paper from #CASAchem, by @chemdelphine.bsky.social's group:

Particle Transport and Building Ventilation Limit Indoor Air Cleaner Performance during Wildfire Smoke Events.
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Obama Calls for Universities to Stand Up to Trump Administration Threats As the Trump administration threatens universities, the former president suggested schools shouldn’t be intimidated. But he also offered a critique of campus culture, saying it had too often shut out ...

Finally
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/u...

So happy to be there!!

Global Endeavors to Address the Health Effects of Urban Air Pollution

I just re-read this editorial we wrote in ES&T and want to remind us all that destroying the EPA will result in increasing death and illness (again) due to the pollution of one of our most important public good - the air we breathe pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

Satellite Observations of Atmospheric Ammonia Inequalities Associated with Industrialized Swine Facilities in Eastern North Carolina Industrialized swine facilities adversely affect the health and well-being of Eastern North Carolina residents in the U.S. and are an issue of environmental racism. Concentrated animal feeding operati...

Satellite observations show evidence of atmospheric ammonia Inequalities (highest concentrations for American Indians>Hispanics/Latinos>Black/African Americans>whites) associated w/ industrialized swine facilities in Eastern North Carolina | ES&T @amgcarlton.bsky.social pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

Thanks @karencdannemiller.bsky.social for this review on indoor bioaerosols and asthma. It summarizes the latest info on allergens, fungi, bacteria, and viruses, that have been associated w/ adverse outcomes and mitigation options. doi.org/10.1016/j.ja...

HOME | The White House Effect Film THE WHITE HOUSE EFFECT is a feature documentary that explores the gripping drama that unfolded inside the George H.W. Bush White House after scientists warned the country for the first time that globa...

I just watched this incredible movie at #BIFF. Hearbreaking we missed our chance to reduce CO2 emissions in the 80s under Bush. 👏🏻 to Hanson, Schneider, Wirth, Gore, Reilly … for their leadership and science. Collective action is needed to address our #climatecrisis. www.thewhitehouseeffect.com

You will be great. OFA has a lot of support for our academic leaders. Lean in to that.

Well at least you won’t be emitting NO2 while cooking

😳