Category: press

Before You Light Your Fireplace, Use These Tips to Make it Safer for Your Lungs

Experts explain how to enjoy your fireplace safely this winter and protect yourself from indoor air pollutants.

Healthy Housing Best Practice Policy Brief

This policy brief builds on the learnings from Penn Center for Public Health’s October 17, 2025, Healthy Housing Symposium. It outlines evidence-informed recommendations and practices to reduce the risks and burdens of unhealthy housing and to expand access to healthy homes.

Consumer Reports Tested 41 Baby Formulas for Lead and Arsenic

Consumer Reports tested 41 types of powdered formula for a number of toxic chemicals, including arsenic, lead, BPA, acrylamide, and PFAS. We looked at established formulas , newer startups, popular store brands, and imported brands.

PRCCEH 2025 Year in Review

Thank you for another great year at Philadelphia Regional Center for Children’s Environmental Health. We appreciate all our wonderful members, partners, and collaborators. Please enjoy this infographic of the year that was!

Researchers create ‘digital monument’ to site of 2019 South Philly refinery explosion

A new website details over a century of a tumultuous, industrial history at the facility, which has since been demolished by its new owners.

New MCH Center of Excellence at Drexel Dornsife Will Expand Maternal and Child Health Training Programs

The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) program at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health is proud to be named a Center of Excellence in Maternal and Child Health Education, Science and Practice. Drexel’s program was selected by the Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau (HRSA MCHB) as one of only 13 MCH Centers of Excellence in the United States.

Philadelphia scientists will receive more than $6 million in funding from NIH’s new autism research center

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University research teams were among 13 funded nationally.

Philly and two other PA cities ranked among worst places to live for people with asthma

The 2025 U.S. Asthma Capitals report identifies cities with high rates of asthma-related emergency room visits and deaths.

Deeply Rooted models effective community-academic partnership to advance health and environmental justice in Philadelphia

Deeply Rooted has planted over 1,000 trees, greened over 1,000 vacant lots, and funded 79 community grants.

The health risks from plastics almost nobody knows about

Phthalates, chemicals found in plastics, are linked to an array of problems, especially in pregnancy

Study finds children’s health broadly declining in the U.S.

Using data from 2007 to 2023, researchers from Penn Medicine and CHOP found measures like mental health and obesity, as well as infant and child mortality rose.

Eco-nesting: how to protect your baby from hidden toxic chemicals

“Eco-nesting” is a growing trend that approaches nesting with a focus on avoiding the many everyday products that contain chemicals known to hurt babies’ and pregnant people’s health.

HUD Modifies Blood Lead Level Threshold for Children

HUD published a notice modifying its elevated blood lead level (EBLL) threshold under its Lead Safe Housing Rule.

Mitigating the Neurotoxic Effects of Lead Exposure

A new study by Thomas Jefferson University neuroscientist Jay Schneider, PhD, suggests that the toxic effects of lead can be mitigated by attentive maternal care and an enriched environment in an animal model.

Wildfire and Children’s Health Resources

The President’s Task Force on Children’s Environmental Health and Safety recently released a this list of publicly available wildfire and health resources to assist families and communities in protecting children’s health during and after such events.

Department of Health Alerts Pennsylvanians About Recall of Children’s Jewelry Set Due to Lead and Cadmium Levels

The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) is alerting parents and caregivers about the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall of Yaomiao Children’s Jewelry Sets. Lead and cadmium levels that exceed federal safety standards have been found in the jewelry sets.

PRCCEH 2024 Year in Review

PRCCEH looks back at 2024!

Climate crisis meets nursing know-how

How nurses at Penn are innovating public health care for a changing world.

A large-scale research study of health, wealth, and greening

Drs. Eugenia South and Atheendar Venkataramani teamed up to secure a nearly $10 million grant to study whether certain environmental and financial interventions in specific Philadelphia neighborhoods could move the needle on Black health disparities.

Inquirer: PRCCEH Co-Director receives $11M from NIH to study dementia causes

Center Co-Director Dr. Aimin Chen was featured in a Philadelphia Inquirer article focused on his new grant funding from NIH.

Marilyn Howarth is PEPH Grantee of the Month

Marilyn Howarth, M.D., brings expertise in clinical medicine, communication engagement, and research translation to her work with the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology at the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Regional Center for Children’s Environmental Health Center, both NIEHS-funded programs.

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