Diffuse contamination can involve the chemical contamination of air, water, soil, sediments, food or ecosystems. In many cases diffuse contamination is benign, but in some cases the levels of contamination become sufficient to cause serious adverse effects. Our research spans a wide range of diffuse contamination issues, often with the aim of identifying problems that are poorly characterized before they become serious.
To improve women’s fertility and overall health, we examine the mechanisms that regulate female reproductive function and how they are affected by environmental chemicals.
Noise levels in communities have been rising rapidly with increased urbanisation. Good acoustics and building design, along with noise management at the source, can greatly help to reduce the adverse outcomes of noise on human health. Our research focuses on the measurement of sound and its effects on human health in a wide range of setting including environmental, recreational, community and in learning spaces.
Water resources and aquatic ecosystems are essential to our health and the economy. In New Zealand there are many water bodies that are no longer safe for swimming, and there are many issues relating to the quality of drinking water. Our team focuses its research on examination, detection, identification and characterisation of microbiological and chemical contamination of drinking and recreational waters.
This study is investigating potential adverse effects of electromagnetic radiation on human health caused by the next generation of telecommunication networks – or 5G.
The study, led by Dr Faraz Hasan, will potentially either build consumer confidence in the future telecommunication services or result in the recommendation of industry modifications to the technology to ensure human wellbeing.
Findings from a study by Massey University’s Centre for Public Health Research shows for the first time the levels of certain environmental chemicals in the New Zealand population.
Dr Sue Cassells from the School of Economics and Finance is a technical advisor for a new environmental standard being developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) suite of standards for organisations.
The standard will provide organisations with guidance on determining their environmental costs and benefits. It will also provide principles, requirements and guidelines for monetary valuation of environmental impacts and aspects (such as emissions and use of natural resources and ecosystem services), including human health and the built environment.
A study of almost 50,000 New Zealand children has found exposure to green natural environments, and especially diverse vegetation, may protect against asthma.
The Environmental Health Indicators New Zealand team monitor New Zealand’s environmental health through a set of environmental health indicators including air quality, drinking water, recreational water, indoor environment, UV exposure, hazardous substances, border health, climate change, and transport.
The Centre for Public Health Research covers all aspects of public health, including non-communicable diseases (respiratory disease, cancer, diabetes), occupational health, environmental health, socio-economic determinants of health, Māori health and Pacific health research.
The Centre, hosted by Massey University, focuses on better ways of detecting hazards in the food production chain and reducing the risk of food-borne illness to consumers. The Centre aims to provide an internationally credible science base for decisison-making in public health and the food industry.
