Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers are Health Hazards
Air and noise pollution generated by gas-powered leaf blowers (GLBs) pose multiple hazards to human health
sinaiexposomics
On the Origins of a Specious Argument about Autism, Part 2: Twins
Heritability is easy to understand, but it elevates correlation to causation. At the same time, heritability looks solely under the lamppost for genes versus environment and doesn’t consider other possibilities—like gene-environment interaction. To find gene-environment interactions, you have to look for them. If they are not measured, they will not be found, but they absolutely exist.
Mount Sinai Received $4.5 Million NIH Award to Launch a Pioneering Women’s Environmental Health Research Training Program
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has received a prestigious $4.5 million, five-year K12 award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to establish a pioneering program that will train the next generation of leaders in women’s health research.
13 Tips For A Healthy Halloween
Halloween is a fun time for kids: trick-or-treating, classroom parties, dressing up and costumes and more. But we understand safety is a concern for moms and dads, which is why we’ve come up with these 13 easy tips and tricks to make Halloween a safe and fun activity for all!
The Cartography of Human Health: How Place Tells the Story of Our Exposome
Most journeys go smoother when you use a map. It is more than a cliché to say life is a journey, and metaphors about life, journeys, and maps abound. We all have our own personal map of our life’s journey—which once drawn—reflects our personal exposome.
Back-To-School Tips
It’s time for the kids to head back to school. Here are some simple tips to encourage healthy habits and get them off to a great start!
PFAS Chemicals and Your Health
Exposure to PFAS is associated with numerous health outcomes, with children being especially vulnerable. Learn about PFAS exposures and how to protect yourself and your family from it.
“Forever Chemicals” Linked to Higher Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Exposure to a class of synthetic chemicals known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—often called “forever chemicals”—may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a new study led by Mount Sinai researchers.
Prenatal and Childhood Lead Exposure Linked to Faster Memory Decay in Children
A study led by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai shows that exposure to lead during pregnancy and early childhood may accelerate the rate at which children forget information—a critical marker of memory impairment that may have implications for learning and development.
Dr. Manasi Agrawal Named Director of Environmental Gastroenterology at Mount Sinai
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has announced the appointment of Dr. Manasi Agrawal as the inaugural Director of Environmental Gastroenterology in the Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology.
The Tao of Exposomics
What happens when everything you thought you knew suddenly no longer fits the world?
Gut Microbiome and Food Insecurity Linked to Cognitive Impairment
A new study led in part by Mount Sinai researchers has found a compelling link between the composition of the gut microbiome and the risk of cognitive impairment in adults, underscoring the role biology and social determinants—such as food insecurity— in brain health.
Santiago Exposome Symposium: September 25-27, 2025
The Second Latin American Exposome Symposium will be held in Santiago, Chile, September 25-27, 2025, focusing on the theme “Integrating Environmental Exposures into Aging, Alzheimer’s Disease, and ADRD Research.”
I Wanna Be Your Central Dogma: A Song of Gene-Environment Interaction
Biological theories of molecular biology have long neglected the exposome. It’s time to integrate environment and genetics into a unified theorem.
Protecting Your Family From Ticks
Ticks are very small 8-legged bugs that can transmit diseases to humans (tick-borne diseases). It’s important to protect yourself and your family from tick bites
Cardiorespiratory Effects of Wildfire Smoke Particles Can Persist for Months, Even After a Fire Has Ended
Exposure to lingering fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke can have health effects up to three months afterwards, well beyond the couple of days that previous studies have identified. The exposure can occur even after the fires have ended.
Artificial Turf Health Risks
Many turf products are available and some are even advertised as “green” or “ecofriendly”, but it can be difficult to assess their safety for use by children. Read this entry to learn what chemicals these products contain and understand what the potential health risks may be.
Ultra-processed Foods and Your Health
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) make up the vast majority of foods on grocery shelves. While convenient and low-cost, these foods often lack nutrients, and recent studies show that frequent consumption of UPFs may contribute to health risks.
“Smoke ’em if you got ’em”…Obsessively musing about addiction
We need a Human Exposome Project to catalyze exposome research and gene-environment interaction research—and we need it now. We need it to exponentially advance our understanding of biology. We need it to complete the human genome project—because with it, we will better understand the interactions between genes and environment.
Dr. Dania Valvi Appointed to Newly Created Public Health Role
The Department of Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is pleased to announce the appointment of Damaskini (Dania) Valvi, MD, MPH, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine and member of the Mount Sinai Institute for Exposomic Research, as Vice Chair for Research and Education and Director of Graduate Education in Public Health.