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Populations worldwide are exposed to a myriad of chemicals via drinking water, yet only a handful of chemicals have been thoroughly evaluated with regard to human exposures and health. Yale School of Public Health's Dr. Nicole Deziel discusses some of the core issues surrounding this pressing public health concern.

Yale epidemiologist Dr. Caroline Johnson discusses the role of PFAS, also known as 'forever chemicals,' in the development of cancer.

This Spotlight on Teaching focuses on Josh Warren, associate professor of biostatistics, who teaches Bayesian Statistics and its widespread applicability.

Dr. Krystal Pollitt is Associate Professor of Epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health. Her lab studies environmental exposure via the collection and analysis of complex environmental samples using mass spectrometry techniques. In addition to her research, Dr. Pollitt is an entrepreneur and, with her interdisciplinary team, has developed the FreshAir wristband, a wearable device that detects air pollution.

A new study published in the Lancet journal eBioMedicine reports a link between PFAS exposure and increased risk of thyroid cancer. YSPH Associate Professor Nicole Deziel comments on the findings.

PFAS chemicals are present in the drinking water in many, but not all, parts of Connecticut. And the state’s water companies are waiting for regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency that will force them to take action to treat their water if it test for too-high levels of PFAS.

A new federally-funded study in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology has found that compounds called phenols, and the synthetic chemicals PFAS, were linked to different kinds of cancer in white women and women of color. PFAS were linked to ovarian and uterine cancers mainly in white women, and phenols were linked more to breast cancer in non-white women. Phenols and PFAS are found in hundreds of daily consumer products. The researchers stated that the racial differences are particularly impactful because of racial disparities in exposure to these chemicals. Nicole Deziel, member of the Yale Cancer Center and associate professor of epidemiology (environmental sciences) at Yale School of Public Health, who is not associated with the study, said the findings “provided a lot of new information suggesting that exposure to PFAS could be associated with a variety of hormonally related cancers, particularly in women.”

Yale researchers identify diet-related metabolites associated with paraben concentrations in the urine of pregnant women. Parabens can disrupt endocrine activity in the body and they have been associated with changes in fertility in women.

The Office of Public Health Practice recently held its inaugural New Student Orientation Session, a schoolwide event intended to introduce students to some of the focus areas of the public health sector and provide them with important insights on working with community partners.