Experts: Heat, wind making allergy season much worse Allergy season has been in full force throughout Southern Arizona, but is what we’re experiencing normal? Experts say: sort of.

Do your allergies feel worse? SWEHSC researcher Dr. Tara Carr shares what might be making them so bad:

You've been hearing us talk about it and now it's finally open! Register for the National PFAS Conference before it sells out! research.arizona.edu/pfas-2026/national-pfas-...

Last weekend we had a great time at the Tucson Children's Museum Desert Discovery Day! Kids got to test a vinegar and baking soda drain cleaner on a dummy drain while we gave guardians handouts on toxic ingredients to avoid in every day household cleaners. Thanks for having us!

Tucson community: your voice matters! Pima County is accepting public comments on a proposed air quality permit for Pratt & Whitney Engine Services on S. Alvernon Way. Attend the virtual hearing on April 29 at 3pm or submit written comments by May 24. Draft permit & full documents at pima.gov/454

Our Toxic Detectives summer camp has a few slots still open! Register your middle school child today to make sure they have a spot. Register here: uarizona.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e9csHkdkSPnS...

The National PFAS Conference Is Coming to Tucson. Here’s How U of A Is Leading Research on These Problematic Chemicals

Did you hear we're co-hosting the National PFAS Conference? We're grateful for all the on-campus support to get the event together, such as from the Udall Center. Check it out:

New RAND Study Shows U.S. Poison Centers Save the Nation Billions Each Year

The AZ Poison Control Center provides an essential service to our community:

Interested in reducing household pesticide exposure? We developed these infographics with Melissa Furlong, PhD, for both urban and agricultural environments: swehsc.pharmacy.arizona.edu/community/environmental-...

How to Reduce Your Exposure to Pesticides (Gift Article) Scientists still don’t fully understand the health risks of the chemicals. Here’s how they recommend protecting yourself.

The New York Times released a write up on the pesticide exposure research done by SWEHSC member Melissa Furlong, PhD. Read it here:

SWEHSC member Dr. Mona Arora and Sofia Forier-Montes of the CEC were grateful to be part of the AZ Convening for Advancing Sustainability Education. Thanks to the team from ASU for such an interactive event! We learned a lot from AZ educators and hope to continue collaborating.

Thanks to CHET-SE for inviting us to speak to their students! Doug Cromey of the SWEHSC Microscopy Core and Sofia Forier-Montes of the CEC spoke on EH research. Are you looking for a speaker for an educational youth event? Let us know and we'll connect you with someone knowledgeable from our Center!

Pima County is doing its annual update to local air pollution rules to keep them in line with federal EPA regulations. The public comment period is now open, which means you have a chance to have your say before it's finalized.

Whew, what a weekend! We had about 950 visitors to our slime table at The Festival of Books! It was a great way to teach families about epigenetics, and we shared info on PFAS, pesticides, and healthy homes. Thanks to everyone who stopped by 🌞#TFOB

U of A secures grant to combat hazardous dust effects from mines The University of Arizona has received a five-year federal grant of $14.8 million to help understand and mitigate health threats of dust from mine tailings and associated hazardous fungal spores, specifically within mining communities.

Did you hear that the Superfund Center was renewed under the leadership of SWEHSC member Xinxin Ding, PhD? They'll be focusing on researching the impacts of dust effects from mines:

New U of A study expands pesticide risk window to before pregnancy A new U of A study links exposures to agricultural pesticides to poorer health in newborns, raising questions about how farming chemicals affect the next generation.

New research is out by center member Melissa Furlong, PhD. She focuses on the impact of pesticide usage on newborn health. Check out the press release here:

A collective approach to help vulnerable people survive extreme heat The Heat and Health Resilience Innovation Consortium will help protect those most at risk of health threats brought by high temperatures.

SWEHSC members Kacey Ernst, PhD, Mona Arora, PhD, and Ladd Keith, PhD, are part of the Heat and Health Resilience Innovation Consortium, studying how heat impacts the most vulnerable in our community:

HTR1F Is Essential for Renal Recovery After Acute Kidney Injury

SWEHSC member Rick Schnellmann, PhD, investigated the role of HTR1F in kidney recovery after moderate to severe acute kidney injury, as well as a potential drug therapy:

We need volunteers for the Festival of Books! We'll be using slime to teach kids about epigenetics :)

If you have 2 hours to spare this weekend, please sign up using the form in our bio!

We are hiring! Our current student science writer is amazing but she is also graduating :(

Which is great for her, but we need someone new to step in! We are a fun and relaxed team. You will meet a lot of cool researchers and learn about community engagement. Apply through Handshake (Job 10802035)

Research that shapes the future: exploring Science City at the Tucson Festival of Books The Tucson Festival of Books returns to Tucson March 14-15, inviting visitors to step inside the world of cutting-edge discovery at the interactive Science City with more than 30 U of A departments and programs participating.

There's a lot of really cool organizations planning to attend the Tucson Festival of Books - us included! Come see us along with everyone else at Science City next weekend:

U of A expert leads process to codify the first global standard on Indigenous Peoples' data A new standard developed with University of Arizona Indigenous data sovereignty expert Stephanie Russo Carroll at the helm outlines how scientists and technology professionals across an array of fields should record the provenance – or origin and history of use – for data about and relating to Indigenous Peoples.

SWEHSC member Stephanie Russo Carroll, DrPH, MPH, leads the process to codify the first global standard on Indigenous Peoples' data:

Registration for Toxic Detectives is now open! If you have a middle school student in Tucson who is interested in environmental health or science, this one-week camp is for you. Open until filled, so submit your registration today! uarizona.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_e9csHkdkSPnS...

The Effects of Preterm Birth on Asthma Development in Adulthood

SWEHSC members Tara Carr, PhD, Julie Ledford, PhD, and Stefano Guerra, MD investigate whether lower circulating levels of a biomarker for fetal airway growth explain the impact of preterm birth and asthma:

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

Center member Monica Ramirez-Andreotta is co-leading a special issue of the Environmental Justice Journal. Are you a researcher? Submit manuscripts by May 31:

Longitudinal Metal(loid) Exposure Studies in Sonora, Mexico Climate change poses a major threat to agricultural populations by driving up global temperatures and intensifying extreme heat events. Previous studies in the U.S. demonstrated that agricultural workers experience disproportionately high rates of heat-related illness, exhibiting a heat-related mortality rate nearly 20 times greater than that of other workers.

Check out this highlight on research about the impacts of heat on farm worker health! Completed by Rietta Wagoner, PhD, a post-doc in the lab of Melissa Furlong, PhD:

Paloma I. Beamer Receives 2026 SOT Public Communications Award

Congratulations to our CEC director Paloma Beamer, PhD, for being awarded the 2026 Society of Toxicology Public Communications award!

University of Arizona and South32 Launch Community Health Impact Assessment in Santa Cruz County

SWEHSC member Mona Arora, PhD, will be the co-principal investigator in the Health Impact Assessment of the South32 mine in southern AZ:

SWEHSC Graduate Student Highlight

There is great work happening in our Center thanks to graduate students. Here's a highlight of some of their work:

Protecting Those Who Protect Us: Firefighter Health Research at the University of Arizona Research from the Center for Firefighter Health Collaborative Research in the Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona helps firefight...

More info on firefighters! Check out this video highlighting the work of the Center for Firefighter Health Collaborative Research Center:

Firefighters are helping us understand the impact of 'forever chemicals' : Short Wave PFAS make pans nonstick, clothes waterproof and furniture stain resistant. They're so ubiquitous, they're even inside of us. Now, researchers are looking for more insights in firefighters' blood.

Check out this NPR interview with Melissa Furlong, PhD, regarding the latest PFAS and Firefighters research: