This page:

Jan-December 2000 *
December*
October/November*
September*
August*
July*
June*
May*
April*
March*
February*
January*
To news archive menu*
To ED news*

 
ENDOCRINE DISRUPTOR NEWS ARCHIVE:
JANUARY - DECEMBER 2000
December / October/November / September / August / July /
June / May / April / March / February / January


December 2000

NEWS ROUNDUP

Chemical mixture associated with Parkinson's disease

Exposing male rats to a combination of two common pesticides, the herbicide paraquat and the fungicide maneb, creates the same brain damage patterns as researchers see in human brains in the early stages of Parkinson's disease. The most striking similarity is that important dopamine-producing brain cells die, which eventually leads to the characteristic shakes and loss of muscle control associated with the disease. Rats exposed to only one of the compounds did not have the brain damage patterns. The chemicals are applied separately at different times of the year to millions of acres of US farms to control pests on food, cotton, and other crops. This study, one of the first to test and find effects with a mixture of chemicals, suggests synergistic effects from chemical mixtures may influence health and proves a strong environmental link for Parkinson's disease. The results are reported in the December 15 Journal of Neuroscience. (Update 9 Jan 00)

Salmon switch gender

Scientists sampling wild populations of chinook salmon last year from three areas along the Columbia River got a big surprise. The spawning fish they thought were females turned out to be genetically male. In this abnormal scenario, 84 percent of the egg-laying females tested positive for a male genetic marker. DNA testing on fish fin samples showed that the females carried the typically male YY genotype instead of the XY female genotype. A potential outcome is that all offspring from these altered females could be male. Each successive generation, then, could produce more and more male fish eventually skewing future sex ratios and significantly altering wild fish populations. The study, published in the January issue of Environmental Health Perspectives, may offer one explanation for the salmon's continual population declines. The gender switching occurs only in wild populations, not in hatchery-raised fish, which suggests an environmental cause. Hormone-altering chemicals from land runoff up river or water temperature changes from hydroelectric dams are the two most likely suspects, say the scientists.

DES exposure linked to infertility, less successful pregnancies

Two recent studies link diethylstilbestrol (DES) to infertility and to less successful pregnancies in the adult daughters of women who took the drug while pregnant. Past research has shown that prenatal exposure to DES caused numerous reproductive health problems, including rare forms of reproductive cancers, in the sons and daughters born to women who took the potent estrogen to prevent miscarriages. Now, for the first time, prenatal DES exposure is linked with infertility in the adult DES daughters, reports the Fall 2000 issue of the DES Action Newsletter. The study, published as a meeting abstract in the June 2000 Special Supplement of the American Journal of Epidemiology, surveyed 1,762 DES-exposed and 1,056 unexposed women. Results show that more exposed than unexposed women had never been pregnant and more exposed than unexposed had tried for 12 months and failed to become pregnant. Uterine problems and tubal factors may be the primary causes for the higher infertility risk, the study's authors report. Another study by Kaufman et al. published in the October issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology, finds that DES daughters are less likely to have full-term live births during their first pregnancy and are more likely to have premature births, spontaneous abortions, and ectopic pregnancies during all pregnancies than are unexposed women. Both of these recent studies suggest that potent estrogenic drugs can have long-lasting health effects in humans. (For more on the later study, see December 2000 Research Briefs.)

World unites to ban 12 POPs

Representatives from 122 nations agreed to a global ban of 12 highly toxic chemicals at a week-long summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, in early December. Even though the treaty will be signed in May in Stockholm, Sweden, 50 countries need to ratify the agreement before it can go into effect. This process may take several more years.

The initial measure covers 12 persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which include some of the most toxic, long-lived, and dangerous pesticides (aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin, heptachlor, mirex, and toxaphene); industrial chemicals (PCBs, hexachlorobenzene); and industrial byproducts (dioxins and furans). Many are endocrine disruptors. These long-lasting chemicals have been linked to cancer and genetic defects, they accumulate in fat and tissue, and they are not easily broken down as they travel through the body and the environment. The recent report Nowhere to Hide: Persistent Toxic Chemicals in the U.S. Food Supply, from the Pesticide Action Network North America and Commonweal, analyzed US Food and Drug Administration data and found POPs chemicals in all food groups. The report says US consumers have up to 70 daily exposures to the chemicals through food and drink even though most of the substances have been banned for years in the US.

The POPs treaty is the first step toward eliminating the source of these chemicals and reducing their constant stream into the environment. The agreement calls for eliminating 8 POPs with various phase-out times, placing severe limitations on DDT, and working towards eliminating PCBs, dioxins, and furans through implementation of new industrial processes. Industrialized nations will help pay for the more expensive alternatives needed by developing nations. The treaty also allows future additions of other chemicals that meet the agreed-upon criteria.

Pesticide briefs

  • Agricultural pesticides are riding the wind to ponds and streams in California's Sierra Nevada mountains where they adversely affect breeding amphibians and may contribute to recent frog population declines, say scientists with the US Geological Survey and the US Department of Agriculture. In a study to be published in the journal Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, the researchers explain how aquatic and forest frogs absorb pesticides carried eastward from the farm-intensive San Joaquin Valley. The neurotoxic pesticides suppress an enzyme (cholinesterase) crucial to normal nervous system function. The tadpoles and frogs living in the mountains had less enzyme activity and higher concentrations of the pesticides chlorphyrifos and diazinon than tadpoles and frogs at lower and more coastal elevations. Outright death from respiratory failure or more subtle changes to growth, activity, and swimming from the pesticide exposure could all adversely affect the amphibian populations. (USGS research finds that contaminants may play an important role in California amphibian declines. Environmental News Network (Online), Press Release, 7 Dec 00; Cone, Marla. A wind-borne threat to Sierra frogs. Los Angeles Times, 8 Dec 00.)

  • Diazinon, just like the pesticide dursban (chorphyrifos) earlier this year, is being banned by the US Environmental Protection Agency, according to a December 5 Associated Press online article. The insecticide is believed to pose a health hazard to children because it affects the nervous system. The chemical is used in over-the-counter ant and roach sprays and many garden and lawn sprays. Sales of products for indoor use will stop in December 2002 while sales of products for outdoor use ends December 2004. (EPA phasing out pesticide diazinon. Associated Press, (Online) 5 Dec 00.)

  • Canada's supreme court will decide if towns have the authority to ban lawn pesticides, reports a December 7 Reuters online article. The case pits two lawn-care companies against the Montreal suburb of Hudson, which was the first of 36 Quebec towns to ban pesticides. The court's decision is expected during Summer 2001.(Palmar, R. Pesticide ban mulled by Canada's supreme court. Reuters, (Online) 7 Dec 00.)

  • Traces of hormone-disrupting pesticides were found in baby food and strawberries while other pesticides contaminate broccoli and lettuce samples collected in the UK from January to March of this year. In a quarterly report issued early in December, the Pesticides Residue Committee, a UK government watchdog group, found the fungicide carbendazim, listed as a hormone-disrupting chemical by Germany, in Heinz and Milupa baby food. Another endocrine disruptor, vinclozolin, was found in strawberries. Organic products containing pesticides were traced back to chemical spray drift from neighboring orchards. The survey tested for 116 chemicals using the new European Union pesticide limits of 0.01 milligrams per kilogram, which will become effective in 2002. (Pesticide levels in UK baby food above new limit. Environment News Service (Online), 4 Dec 00.)

GOVERNMENT ACTIONS

Norway to regulate alkylphenols

Norway's environmental authorities recently proposed regulations that would prohibit "the manufacture, import, export, sale and use of nonylphenol, octylphenol and their ethoxylates and products containing these substances." starting January 7, 2001, reports an article in the December 18 Chemical Awareness newsletter. The reasons for the new restrictions are to prevent further environmental contamination and damage and to comply with national goals and international agreements. These chemicals are used in a large number of products but the new regulations do not apply to cosmetics, plant protection products, and medical products for human and veterinary use.

NTP Board says list estrogen as carcinogen

In a followup to last month's EEOH update, the National Toxicology Program's (NTP) Board of Counselors recommended that "steroidal estrogens be listed as a known cause of cancer in humans." Steroidal estrogens, used in menopause therapy and contraceptives, are associated with an increased risk of uterine, endometrial, and breast cancers. The board did not recommend restricting the hormones' uses. Listing estrogen as a cancer agent might promote discussion between patient and doctor about the hormones' risks and benefits, the panel said. The board met December 13-15 to review chemical nominations for the 10th Report of Carcinogens due out in 2002.

Newest organophosphate reassessment documents

The newest releases under the organophosphate pesticide tolerance reassessment and reregistration activities guided by the 1996 Food Quality and Protection Act are:
  • Fenthion: interim risk management decision document available. The EPA finds the "currently registered uses of fenthion pose unreasonable adverse effects to human health and the environment, and that mitigation measures are necessary." A public comment period on the risk mitigation proposed and a stakeholder meeting, scheduled for January 17, 2001, will identify ways to reduce risks associated with exposure to the organophosphate mosquitocide pesticide fenthion. See the December 29 Federal Register notices: Document (DOCID:fr29de00-75) and Public Meeting (DOCID:fr29de00-73). (Posted 2 Jan 01)

  • Final form interim risk management decision documents for seven organophosphate and carbamate pesticides (coumaphos, fenitrothion, mevinphos, oxamyl, phostebupirim, propetamphos, and tribufos). Any comments submitted will be placed in the public docket. See the December 15 Federal Register notice (DOCID:fr15de00-51). (Posted 20 Dec 00)

  • Revised risk assessment for malathion. Comments due by February 12, 2001. See the December 12 Federal Register notice (DOCID:fr12de00-95). (Posted 13 Dec 00)

MEDIA MADNESS

(See Media coverage for more articles)
  • Dioxin levels in breast milk higher with fat consumption. Associated Press, (InteliHealth Online) 29 Dec 00. A Japanese government survey finds higher levels of dioxin in breast milk in women who often eat animal products (ham, cow's milk, dried sardines and eel), reports the Japanese newspaper Asahi.

  • Brandon, Karen. Low doses of common chemical have science in a quandary. Chicago Tribune, 26 Dec 00. Are small doses of chemicals, such as Bisphenol A, dangerous to our health? Can they cause reproductive problems? Some scientists think so, others do not. In an effort to resolve this controversy, the National Toxicology Program reviewed the scientific research surrounding low-dose effects in October and will issue their report early next year. If the panel finds effects, government policies and industrial practices may need to change to accommodate the new risks. This article offers a good review of the controversy surrounding low-dose effects of hormone-disrupting chemicals.

  • Brandon, Karen. Doctors find girls' early puberty cause for concern. Chicago Tribune, 24 Dec 00.
  • Belkin, Lisa. The making of an 8-year-old woman. New York Times, 24 Dec 00:38. More information on early puberty is offered in these two lengthy articles that cite obesity, stress, low birth weight, exposure to environment hormones, and psychological and social factors of advertising and other soft porn images as contributing factors.

  • Some epilepsy drugs taken during pregnancy may impair brain development. BMJ Specialty Journals, (InteliHealth Online) 20 Dec 00. Children exposed to anti-epilepsy drugs in the womb are 50 percent more likely to have special education needs, according to a survey of 721 childbearing-age women. In the study, 474 of the 594 children born to the mothers were exposed to the drugs. Valproate alone had three times the risk, a combination of drugs (including valproate) yielded twice the risk, and carbamazepine was not associated with an increased risk. The results are published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry. (Adab, N, A Jacoby, D Smith, and D Chadwick. Additional educational needs in children born to mothers with epilepsy. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 70(January):15-21 (2001).)

  • Cone, Marla. Chemical firms settle DDT suit. Los Angeles Times, 20 Dec 00. Four companies will pay $73 million to cap a 17-square-mile area of the ocean floor that contains about 100 tons of DDT. The pesticide, which government officials say is contaminating other sediments and wildlife, was manufactured and dumped into the ocean from 1941 until 1971, a year before the toxin was banned in the US. In one of the largest settlements of its kind, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will use this money, plus $63 million from past settlements with government and other private companies, to cover the DDT deposit with sand, restore wildlife, and fund a public education program.

  • Simons, Marlise. Europe is told it may not be safe to eat fish, either. New York Times, 17 Dec 00. In a recent European Union report, the Scientific Committee for Food warned that local farm and wild fish (especially from the North Sea and the Scandanavian Baltic) contain high levels of dioxin and similar toxins known to cause cancer and disrupt hormones. The report recommends that consumers limit fish consumption and that governments lower the amount of dioxin considered safe for humans.

WEB MANIA

  • If you are interested in one of the newest and hottest areas of concern with endocrine disruptors, visit the American Water Works Association's Endocrine disruptors: Chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products. Information about current policy/regulatory requirements and the effectiveness of different drinking water treatment processes in removing endocrine disruptors make this site unique. Sections about the endocrine system, definitions for terms unique to the field, upcoming meetings, references, and links round out the site.

  • A plethora of new and old breast cancer information is effectively and efficiently organized at the breastcancer.net Web site. Offerings include summaries/links to online news articles and scientific abstracts, a long list of informational articles, support and treatment resources by state, and links to other sites concerned with breast cancer issues. The very newest media articles and scientific abstracts are sent free by e-mail and posted on the home page while the Newsroom section archives them in an easy-to-read table format. Links provide easy access to a large collection of useful articles covering a wide variety of topics, including cancer types, clinical trials, treatment, recovery, politics, and end-of-life issues.

BOOKS, REPORTS, & MORE

McNeill, JR. 2000. Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth -Century World. Allen Lane (421 pp.) or W.W. Norton (448 pp). $29.95.
A book review in the journal Nature highly recommends this book for its clear and lucid explanations of environmental distress on global air, water, soil, and plant and animal life during the past century; its linking of people and environment; and its final message of integrating societal history and ecology. (Crutzen, Paul. 2000. Dowsing the human volcano. Nature, 407(October 12))

Available research grant
Children's vulnerability to toxic substances in the environment, National Center for Environmental Research. Closes: February 28, 2001


October/November 2000

NEWS ROUNDUP

Denmark bans lead, limits heavy metals

Denmark is the first country to ban the use of the heavy metal lead and restrict cadmium, mercury, and nickel, reports a November 14 Environment News Service article. The ban, which begins March 2001, is a step to reduce lead-associated health risks by lowering overall lead exposure and body levels in people, especially children. Lead is a known endocrine disruptor and neurotoxin that can permanently alter memory, intelligence, and behavior (See Lead's Urban Legacy). The European Commission and most of its member states oppose the ban saying it is not scientifically justified. Affected products include plastic stabilizers, metal weights, and electrical and electronic equipment.

Pesticide produces Parkinson's symptoms

Rats exposed to constant, low-levels of the widely-used pesticide rotenone for up to five weeks experienced brain cell death, brain cell protein deposits, and loss of muscle control similar to those found in humans with Parkinson's disease. These results add more evidence to the notion that long-term exposure to environmental toxins may increase the risk of the most common form of Parkinson's. The experiment also provides a new animal model to test potential treatments. The findings were announced at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in early November and will be published in December's Nature Neuroscience.

To test if toxins could affect cells outside the brain and incite Parkinson's symptoms, the researchers injected 25 rats with rotenone for 1 to 5 weeks. While the chemical seeped into and inhibited cellular activity in all brain cells (neurons), only the neurons that produce dopamine, a hormone essential for nerve function, degenerated and died, leading to the loss of muscle control in the animals. Rotenone is found in many products including flea and tick powders and tomato sprays. It was used in the study because, like many other pesticides, its form and function are very similar to another compound known as MPTP. MPTP's metabolite, MPP+, caused severe Parkinson's-like syndrome in young heroin addicts using tainted drugs in the 1980s and is used as an animal model by Parkinson's researchers.

Like MPTP, rotenone kills or damages cells by passing unimpeded into neurons and interfering with an enzyme in the cell's mitochondria, the part of the cell that makes energy. Cells that produce dopamine are especially vulnerable and eventually die or are severely damaged, which lowers dopamine levels and leads to Parkinson's-like symptoms (beginning with small tremors and advancing to walking and speech difficulties and overall muscle weakness). Although this study does not prove any one chemical causes Parkinson's, many epidemiological studies suggest life-time exposure to environmental toxins, such as pesticides, industrial chemicals, and/or tobacco smoke, may invoke the disease.

CDC measures human exposure

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will publish an exposure report card early in 2001 in an effort to better understand chemical risks and move to better protect environmental and human health. The CDC's biomonitoring program will measure a variety of toxic substances in people's blood and urine to determine the kinds and amounts of chemicals found in the US population. The National Exposure Report Card for 2000 will sample and survey 5,000 Americans representing the nation's diverse race, gender, ethnic, and economic makeup. This first report focuses on the presence and levels of 25 toxic substances, including heavy metals (such as lead, cadmium, and mercury); cotinine (a marker of exposure to tobacco smoke); several phthalate metabolites; and organophosphate pesticide metabolites that assess exposure to 30 pesticides including chlorpyrifos, diazinon, parathion, malathion, and methyl parathion. Every year 5,000 new people will be evaluated and the results correlated to disease trends. Eventually, CDC hopes to measure exposure to 100 substances to track increasing exposures and identify programs that reduce exposure.

US EPA bans ethyl parathion

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and chemical manufacturer Cheminova agreed to cancel use of ethyl parathion, a toxic pesticide and suspected endocrine disruptor (as listed by the Pesticide Action Network Pesticide Database). Already highly restricted, the new step will stop the organophosphate's use on corn grown for seed immediately, will end imports and cancel registrations for its use in other pesticide products by December 31, and will phase out its use on alfalfa, barley, corn, cotton, canola, sorghum, soybean, sunflower, and wheat by October 31, 2003. Workers and wildlife face the highest health risks from ethyl parathion and US-grown food and drinking water pose no significant dietary risk, according to EPA's recently released revised risk assessments.

Arctic dioxin from North American sources

The majority of dioxin found in people, animals, and the environment in remote areas of the Arctic is carried by air from North American municipal and medical waste incinerators, cement kilns, industrial smeltering plants, and backyard trash burning, according to a report released in October by the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation. Analyzing 1996-97 data from Canada, Mexico, and the US using mathematical and meteorological computer models determined that 70 to 82% of the dioxin is from the US, 11 to 25% is from Canada, 5 to 11% is from Mexico, and 2 to 20% originates outside North America (chiefly in Japan, France, Belgium, and the U.K). Oddly, most of the pollution emanates from a small number of sources. For instance, one-third of the dioxin reaching Nunavet (the Canadian Arctic region studied) is from 35 incinerators, kilns, and plants in eastern and central US. New regulations designed to reduce dioxins have already gone into effect in the US and Canada since the data in the study was collected. Dioxins, unintentional yet toxic by-products of chlorinated bleaching, waste burning, and some industrial processes, are known endocrine disruptors, are linked to cancer, and produce neurological and immune problems. The long-lived compounds accumulate in water, soil, and plants; are eaten by animals and stored in fat; and concentrate in top predators such as humans, seals, and whales.

GOVERNMENT ACTIONS

NTP seeks comments on phthalates

Seven reports on phthalate esters are available for public comment, according to the National Toxicology Program's Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction. The reports review Di (2-Ethylhexyl) phthalate, Butyl Benzyl Phthalate, Di-n-Butyl Phthalate, Di-Isononyl Phthalate, Di-Isodecyl Phthalate, Di-n-Hexyl Phthalate, and Di-n-Octyl Phthalate. Comments are due by December 11, 2000. For more, see the October 10 Federal Register notice, the list of availablephthalate reports, and the CHRHR press release. (Posted 13 Oct 00)

NTP considers estrogen as carcinogen

The National Toxicology Program's Board of Counselors will meet December 13-15 to review chemical nominations for the 10th Report of Carcinogens. The cancer risk from steroidal estrogens, used in menopause therapy and contraceptives, is being considered. For more, see meeting notice. (Posted 13 Oct 00)

Dioxin draft reports available

Several of the Science Advisory Board's draft documents pertaining to the reassessment of dioxin are ready for public review. These include: Chapter 8: Dose-Response Modeling for 2,3,7,8-TCDD; Chapter 9: Toxic Equivalency Factors (TEFs) for Dioxin and Related Compounds; and Part III: Integrated Summary and Risk Characterization for 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin (TCDD) and Related Compounds. Comments must be received by November 17, 2000, two weeks after the SAB's review meeting scheduled for November 1-2, 2000. See the October 4 Federal Register notice (DOCID:fr04oc00-55) and the October 10 Federal Register notice. (Posted 5 Oct 00, revised 13 Oct 00)

MEDIA MADNESS

(See Media coverage for more articles)
  • Lemonick, Michael D. 2000. Teens before their time, Time Magazine (Online) 156(30 October 00). This article discusses the increase in premature sexual development in young girls (breast and pubic hair growth in 4 to 12 year-olds), describes the physical and psychological effects of this trend, and points to obesity, toxic chemicals (PCBs, DDT, phthalates), and hormones in food as likely causes.

  • Kids at risk. Ladies Home Journal, 156(1 October 00). Girls reaching puberty early, i.e. before ten, are discussed in this article on children's health. The authors relay statistics about the ever-increasing incidence of early development and cite obesity, chemicals, and lack of exercise as causes.

  • Critically ill infants most at risk from plastic softener. Environment News Service, 23 Oct 00. Health Care Without Harm released a report October 23 claiming babies in neonatal intensive care are exposed to significant amounts of the endocrine-disrupting phthalate di-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), which is used to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics. Many PVC medical products, such as tubing and intravenous bags, contain DEHP. This article reviews recent reports, controversies, and worldwide government actions over use of the substance in medical products.

  • Potera, Carol. Drugged drinking water. Environmental Health Perspectives, 108(10):446. Some of the personal care products and drugs that wash down drains and toilets end up back in drinking water. Researchers find these intact compounds, such as sunscreen agents, caffeine, pain-killing medications, and hormones from oral contraceptives, in treated and untreated sewage that eventually reaches surface water and groundwater used for drinking.

  • Latest issue of Chemical Awareness, 23 October 00 includes:

WEB MANIA

  • The Minnesota Department of Health launched a new Web site that describes programs and activities designed to protect children from harmful chemicals and other environmental hazards. The Children's Environmental Health Web site supplies information on many topics including cancer surveillance, school pesticide use and exposure, health professional education, asthma, lead exposure/poisoning, fish consumption advice, and drinking water safety. Recent reports and information about practical ways to reduce and prevent exposures are also available.

  • New at the Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors Program (BCERF) Web site
    • To promote breast health, follow BCERF's 4Es: Eat right, limit chemical Exposure, Exercise regularly, and get breast Exams. The 4Es were featured in the October issue of the national health and fitness magazine Shape.

    • Three new technical critical evaluations and three new consumer fact sheets examine the cancer risk of three pesticides: alachlor, phosmet, and mancozeb.

    • Other new fact sheets explore dietary factors and breast cancer risk: dairy products; whole grains; hormones in food; and meat, poultry, and fish.

BOOKS, REPORTS, & MORE

Chemicals under the Spotlight, Copenhagen, 27-28 October 2000.
Transcripts of select talks from the conference are now available online. Of special interest is Endocrine disrupting substances: Examples, lack of precaution, delayed effects, new effects by Nicolas Olea, University of Grenada.

Nonylphenol and its ethoxylates. An Environment Canada Priority Substances List Assessment Report. March 2000. 137 pp. Access summary and/or download full Acrobat PDF report from the web site.
Environment Canada reviewed nonylphenol (NP) and its ethoxylates (NPE) for toxicity, as required under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, and found the substances to be toxic. For humans, health risk is low and reducing human exposure (which occurs through food, water, air, and skin via consumer products) is not a priority for the Canadian government. However, the report concludes that in the environment, the substances may have "an immediate or long-term harmful effect on the environment or its biological diversity" and should be monitored more closely. The agency also concluded that the significance of NP and NPEs estrogenic activities are not currently known, food is probably not a large source of human exposure, and more research into human exposure levels through skin absorption is warranted. NP and NPEs are not produced naturally. They are found in consumer products and at differing concentrations in air, water, soil sediments, and biota from human activity such as industrial and municipal wastewater discharge.

Schneider, Dona and Natalie Freeman. 2000. Children's Environmental Health: Reducing Risk in a Dangerous World. Washington, DC: American Public Health Association. 149 pp. $13.50 APHA Members and $19.95 Nonmembers. Order online or telephone (202) 777-APHA (2742).
The six chapters in this book provide understandable information and preventative tips about children's environmental health threats. Chapters cover Infectious Diseases in the Environment, Injuries and Child Health, The Legacy of Lead, Environmental Chemicals and Pests, Childhood Asthma, and Reducing Environmental Health Risks. An Appendix with children's activities is included.


September 2000

NEWS ROUNDUP

Phthalate exposure/effects worsen

Humans are absorbing more phthalates from everyday products than previously thought, exposing entire populations, especially women and unborn children, to health threats from the endocrine disrupting chemicals. Phthalates, that ubiquitous cadre of chemicals found in plastic baby toys, cosmetics, food wrap, medical supplies and flooring, are the subject of several new studies and upcoming reports. Past animal studies show that some of the chemicals cause birth defects and reproductive problems in male offspring. The chemicals were voluntarily removed from US-made plastic baby toys and banned in European-made baby toys after they were found to leech from plastic items.
  • The breakdown products of seven common phthalates were found in human urine samples by researchers from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Their results are published in a recent Environmental Health Perspectives article. Levels of some of the most widely produced and highly maligned phthalates (di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and diisononyl phthalate (DINP)), which are in baby toys and medical equipment, were found in low levels. Ironically, other types widely used in cosmetics and solvents (DEP, DBP and BzBP) were found in surprisingly high levels, sometimes higher than other dangerous chemicals such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). This held true for women of childbearing years who had the highest phthalate exposures of any age and gender group due to chemical exposure from cosmetics rather than plastics. For more see Raloff, J. 2000. New concerns about phthalates. Science News, 158(September 2):152-154.

  • Puerto Rican girls have the highest rate of premature breast development in the world (7 or 8 per 1,000 girls) with some developing as early as 6 to 24 months old. Researchers think phthalates, not pesticides, may be responsible, according to a recent Environmental Health Perspectives article. For more see Raloff, J. 2000. Girls may face risks from phthalates. Science News, 158(September 9):165.

  • A government panel took 15 months to review human exposure and reproductive and developmental effects of seven phthalates, concentrating on prebirth and childhood exposures that may affect the male reproductive tract. Their summary report (full report due in October 2000), National Toxicology Program Center For The Evaluation Of Risks To Human Reproduction Expert Panel Review Of Phthalates, concluded there was "low, minimal, or negligible concern for five of the following agents and higher concern for only one, di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate or DEHP." The panel found serious concern for di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), used in building products, food packaging, childrenšs products, and medical devices, because of evidence of reproductive tract adversities in male infants exposed to high levels of the compound. Especially vulnerable are critically ill infants undergoing intense medical treatments, pregnant women, and infants and toddlers. They found minimal concern for di-isononyl phthalate (DINP) and di-n-butyl phthalate; low concern for pregnant women/children to di-isodecyl phthalate (DIDP); negligible concern for butyl benzyl phthalate; negligible concern for adult exposure to di-n-octyl phthalate; and no conclusions for di-n-hexyl phthalate. For more see CDC Measures Exposure To Chemicals.


Mercury's health risks focus of reports

Mercury is literally raining on New England. A staggering number of US children may be suffering from mild neurological impairment after pre-birth exposure to the heavy metal. And the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may lower the amount of mercury released from municipal sewage treatment plants. Recent reports discuss these issues, support stricter standards, and spell out dire health and environmental dangers of mercury, a known endocrine disruptor and potent neurotoxin. The guidelines being sought would help minimize human and animal health effects (permanent brain and nervous system damage to death); reduce startling amounts of the heavy metal in the environment from burning coal, other fossil fuels, and mercury-containing waste (medical, plastics); and reduce dangerous exposure for those who eat a lot of fish, especially at-risk groups such as pregnant women, children, and local populations that rely heavily on fish for food.

  • A September 20 National Wildlife Federation report Clean the Rain, Clean the Lakes II. says mercury levels in rain and snow falling in New England contain four to 30 times as much of the metal as the US EPA limits in lakes and streams. (See reports below.)

  • A July National Academy of Sciences report Toxicological Effects of Methylmercuryestimates that more than 60,000 children each year are exposed to mercury before birth and are born with neurodevelopmental impairments that may produce subtle changes in intelligence, attention, memory, and other skills needed to do well in school and society. Even small amounts of mercury pose an unacceptable risk of birth defects to fetuses of women who eat tainted fish, according to the report, which goes on to recommend reducing the heavy metal in fish rather than further limiting consumption of the rich food source. (See reports below.)

  • In an effort to reduce how much mercury passes from an average household to the environment, the EPA is proposing stricter limits on the metal in municipal wastewater effluent, reports the August 26 Washington Post. The EPA proposes to lower the limit to 1 to 2 parts per trillion from the current 200 parts per trillion. An Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies report says small quantities of mercury are found in everyday products such as soap, shampoo, bleach, and drain cleaners, and are ingested through sodas, seafood, fruits and vegetables, and dental fillings. These small amounts add up to about 20 parts per trillion of mercury discharged from each household per month, says the article. (Source: Huslin, Anita. 2000. Household mercury complicates EPA rule. The Washington Post, 26 August 00: B2)


Dolls leak plastics

Some old Barbie dolls and other plastic toys are breaking down and forming a sticky film on their surface, according to Yvonne Shashoua of the National Museum of Denmark. She presented her research findings at the American Chemical Society meetings in late August. Museums are finding that some plastic objects disintegrate as they age making preservation a problem. Breakdown depends on how much polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is in the product. The sticky dolls may pose a hazard to children who play with them and then put their fingers into their mouths, ingesting the plasticizer. PVC contains chemicals called phthalates, some of which are known endocrine disruptors, that help plastics remain soft, strong, and flexible. Newer PVC plastics and bans on the old formula make newer items less dangerous to this breakdown process, Shashoua said. (Source: Aging plastic dolls may be hazard. Associated Press, 24 August 00; Posted 25 August 00).


Chemical briefs

  • California and the European Union ban lindane. On September 5, California's governor approved bill AB 2318 that prohibits the sale or use of lindane, a widely used pesticide and known endocrine disruptor, to treat Californian's lice and scabies. The ban takes effect January 1, 2002. Earlier this year, the European Union voted to ban all agricultural and gardening application of lindane at a July 13 meeting in Brussels. The UK government supported the ban, which does not include domestic products such as ant or lice killer. For more, see Lindane Ban. For more on lindane, see the www.lindane.org web site. Although the site's producer/publisher is not listed, the site contains sound and current information on the manufacture, use, health effects, and regulatory action surrounding lindane, a known endocrine disruptor, and some background on EDs and links to other ED sites.

  • Panel, EPA disagree about atrazine . Atrazine may affect reproduction and impair child development but it probably does not cause cancer, says the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act's Scientific Advisory Panel. The panel rejected the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recommendation to reclassify atrazine from a possible to a likely carcinogen during the agency's risk assessment and safety review of the herbicide, the July 17 Chemical Market Reporter reported.

  • Tributyltin found everywhere. Greenpeace is urging governments to ban tributyltin (TBT) after several of its recent studies detected the endocrine disrupting compound in disposable diapers, PVC flooring, inflatable water toys, and Mediteranean sediments. The most recent study found the organotin compound in harbors and swimming beaches in Greece, according to a September 5 Environment News Service article. In July, the Women's Environmental Network also called for manufacturers to remove TBT from products and is asking for stricter regulatory action after its study found trace amounts of the chemical in five types of newborn disposable diapers, amounts that could leach out of the diaper and enter a baby's body through its thin skin. In government action, the European Commission rejected Belgium's draft proposal to ban organotin ship paints by 2003 because the country had already agreed to restricted use of the compound under another EU directive. Tributyltin is added to some plastics, is used as an antifouling agent in ship paint, is found in marine environments worldwide, and is a known endocrine disruptor that can masculinize female snails and other mollusks. The International Maritime Association is trying to phase out use of TBTs in ship paints by 2003.


Meeting seeks writing submissions

The First Annual Writers Workshop and Conference in honor of Rachel Carson is scheduled for June 12-15, 2001, in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. The Nature and Environmental Writers College and University Educators (NEW-CUE), the non-profit, environmental education organization sponsoring the event, is looking for essays, poems, children's literature, and selections from fiction and journalism that illustrate environmental issues raised by Rachel Carson. Carson, who blended science with a lyrical appreciation of nature, is noted for bringing attention to the dangers of pesticides and other chemicals in such books as Silent Spring and the Sea Around Us. Submissions are due November 1, 2000.


Funding matters

  • The National Institutes of Health will announce in September the availability of about $6 million to fund four new Children's Environmental Health Research Centers. The multidisciplinary centers will study the developmental effects of early environmental exposures, including neurodevelopmental effects. See EPA and Research Partners section of the National Center for Environmental Research web site for more information.

  • Mercury, a known endocrine disruptor and neurotoxin, may also influence autism. The non-profit organization Cure Autism Now announced a request for proposals to examine the possible metabolic, molecular, genetic or other response to mercury as it relates to autism. Only researchers affiliated with academic and/or non-profit institutions can apply. The two-page letter of intent is due November 15, 2000. Contact Libby Tegley; Phone: 1-888-828-8476;

GOVERNMENT ACTIONS

Congress may weaken FQPA

Legislation that would effectively block certain sections of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) may be voted on by in the U.S. House of Representatives in September or early October according to the Children's Environmental Health Network (CEHN). In a recent information alert (Congress to act on pesticide law) posted on the Internet, the CEHN says HR 1592 will essentially repeal the health-protective provisions of the FQPA and make it virtually impossible to invoke stricter pesticide tolerances. Passage would effectively eliminate the tougher standards granted under the original law to protect children and takes away incentives for manufacturers to collect more data on chemical health effects, says the group.

A 1993 National Academy of Sciences report that found current pesticide regulations did not adequately protect human, especially children's, health. When Congress unanimously passed the FQPA three years later in 1996, it changed the way pesticides were regulated by mandating that health protection be paramount in pesticide regulation. The Act requires the EPA to take health-related factors, such as non-dietary exposure and children's higher susceptibility, into account when setting pesticide exposure standards. According to CEHN's analysis of the bill, the new law would erase these criteria as well as more complete and protective models. Among other things, HR 1592 would require EPA to provide detailed reports outlining "assumptions, models, and the children's safety factor" used in making its decisions to lower safe exposure rates of pesticides then would prohibit the more restrictive tolerances if they are based on these factors. (Posted 21 Aug 00; Revised 6 Sept 00)


EPA may add phthalate to TRI

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)is proposing to add a diisononyl phthalate (DINP) category to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) because it meets listing criteria and causes cancer and organ toxicity. Manufacturers, processors, and users must report certain toxic chemicals they release or otherwise dispose of to the agency every year. The submissions are compiled into the TRI list. Washington Toxics Coalition petitioned the EPA to add DINP to the list because it causes cancer, systemic toxicity, developmental toxicity, and endocrine disruption. According to the Federal Register, WTC alleges that DINP is "a dangerous phthalate ester that is used as the principal plasticizer in toys and many other products used by children and adults . . . DINP has been shown to cause cancer and other very serious toxic effects.'' EPA is considering listing the compound based on its ability to cause cancer and its liver, kidney, and developmental toxicity. Although DINP was found to be weakly estrogenic in in vitro yeast screening assays, it was not estrogenic in later mouse in vivo studies making its hormonal influence unclear, the EPA said. About 2 to 3 million pounds of DINP is produced in the United States each year to help make plastics, especially polyvinyl chloride (PVC), flexible and soft. DINP treated plastics are used in coated fabrics, plastic toys, electrical insulation, and vinyl flooring. In 1999, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) asked manufacturers to voluntarily remove DINP from toys intended to be mouthed and used by children under age 3. Submit comments on or before December 4, 2000. (See the September 5 Federal Register notice (OEI-100004; FRL-6722-3)). (Posted 11 Sept 00)


Task force members wanted

The industry-wide Non-Dietary Exposure Task Force is looking for members to help establish residential indoor exposure data for pesticides containing one or more of the active ingredients synthetic pyrethroids, pyrethrum, and synergists. Submit comments on or before September 29, 2000. (See the August 30 Federal Register notice (OPP-00669; FRL-6596-1)). (Posted 6 Sept 00)


Revised science policy available

In 1998, EPA identified nine science policy issues key to implementing the FQPA and announced plans to provide public documents on each. On September 8, 2000, the EPA announced the availability of the revised version of the pesticide science policy document entitled The Use of Data on Cholinesterase Inhibition for Risk Assessments of Organophosphorus and Carbamate Pesticides. The revised document (available at EPA's What's new for August 30, 2000) summarizes how the agency will assess neurological and human health effects of exposure to the cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticides. These types of organophosphate and carbamate products cause anywhere from mild tremors to death in exposed animals by inhibiting the enzyme cholinesterase, which regulates acetylcholine levels in the nervous system. See the September 8 Federal Register notice (OPP-00560A; FRL-6593-6). (Posted 11 Sept 00)


Risk management documents available

Interim risk management documents are available for three organophosphate pesticides: bensulide, cadusafos, and chlorethoxyfos. All are eligible for reregistration as individual risks from all three are within acceptable levels. However, no regulatory action can be taken until the cumulative risk assessment of all organophosphate pesticides is completed. Comments are due in 90 days (December 7, 2000); See the September 6 Federal Register notice (OPP-34234; FRL-6739-6). (Posted 7 Sept 00)

MEDIA MADNESS

WEB MANIA

  • Our Stolen Future revamped. Recent changes to the Our Stolen Future web site take the pages in a new, much needed, and very on-target direction. The fresh, dynamic fare offers updates and analysis of breaking science and news relating to endocrine disruption. Timely and easily navigated, the rich content replaces the stagnant description of the 1996 book, which brought the concept of endocrine disruption to the political, social, and public forefront. John Peterson Myers, one of the book's authors, updated and maintains the web site. The fully-searchable site contains more than 170 pages of analysis of specific research findings and overviews, offers links to original research articles and other sources of information, and has links to media articles.

  • New database lists 84 EDCs. The Pesticide Action Network's Pesticide Database is a new, free service that is a gold mine of easily accessible and trustworthy information about pesticides, including those classified as endocrine disrupting chemicals. A search on Suspected Endocrine Disruptors (a Human Toxicity category) found 84 chemicals listed. Data for the ED list comes from the U.S. EPA's Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program's Web Site, the 1997 Illinois EPA's Report on Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, H Keith's 1997 edition of Environmental Endocrine Disruptors: A Handbook of Property Data, T Colborn, D Dumanoski, and JP Myers' 1996 book Our Stolen Future, and CM Benbrook's 1996 Growing Doubt: A Primer on Pesticides Identified as Endocrine Disruptors and/or Reproductive Toxicants. Besides EDs, the database includes information on 5,100 pesticide active ingredients, pesticide breakdown products, and related chemicals and more than 100,000 formulated pesticide products. The chemical data, referenced and linked to original sources, was collected and compiled from many datasets and scientific research sources. Each entry includes basic chemical information, toxicity characteristics, regulatory status, aquatic ecotoxicity information, links to other resources about the toxin, and a related chemicals list. Users can search by chemical name, CAS number, EPA PC Code, or CA DPR Chem Code, or can perform a category search on any of several topics under Use Types, Human Toxicity, Regulatory Categories, or Chemical Classification.

BOOKS, REPORTS & MORE

Clean the Rain, Clean the Lakes II. September 2000. The National Wildlife Federation. 52 pp. Order copies from Northeast Natural Resource Center, 58 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602; Phone: (802) 229-0650; Fax: (802) 229-4532; or access full PDF report online.
Clean the Rain, Clean the Lakes II, a new report from the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), says rain and snow in New England contain far more mercury than the US Environmental Protection Agency's safe levels of the heavy metal in lakes and streams. The report explains how mercury gets into the environment; how it cycles through land, air, and water; and how it contaminates people and wildlife. Data detailing mercury levels in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Connecticut are presented along each state's progress toward lowering emissions, NWF's proposed actions to clean up mercury emissions, and a call to join NWF's Clean the Rain Campaign. For more, see:


Several reports during the last few months have focused on how environmental factors may affect children's health, especially their developmental and intellectual abilities. Below are several of these reports listed most recent first.

Polluting Our Future: Chemical Pollution in the U.S. that Affects Child Development and Learning. September 2000. National Environmental Trust, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and Learning Disabilities Association of America. 35 pp. Free. Online PDF version.
U.S. industries release about 24 billion pounds of developmental and neurological toxins into the environment every year, says a recent report by the National Environmental Trust. The report includes national information about releases of the chemicals, a state ranking, and information about the top releasing counties, industries and facilities. According to the report, Louisiana and Texas emit the most of these toxins while other major emitters are Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois, Georgia, Virginia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Florida. For more, see:


Toxicological Effects of Methylmercury. July 2000. Committee on the Toxicological Effects of Mercury, National Research Council. Washington: National Academy Press. 304 pp. Order copies from National Academy Press, 2101 Constitution Avenue, NW, Lockbox 285, Washington, DC 20055; Phone: (888) 624-8373; Fax: (202) 334-2451; Online; or access full PDF report online.
See


Comparative risks of Multiple Chemical Exposures. July 2000. Minnesota Department of Health. 25 pp. Access free online PDF file from MDH's home page.
Using data from the 1997 Minnesota Children's Pesticide Exposure Study (which sampled and analyzed indoor and outdoor air, food, beverages, water, soil, house dust, blood urine, hair and personal data from 102 homes with children in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Goodhue and Rice Counties), the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) conducted a limited health risk assessment of children¹s exposures to chemical. The report measured multiple chemicals, including pesticides, metals, volatile organic chemicals, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and found children's exposure to noncancer causing agents did not approach harmful levels while cancer risks ranged from 2 in 100,000 to 7 in 10,000 depending on the chemical.


Schettler, T., J. Stein, F. Reich, and M. Valenti. May 2000. In Harm's Way: Toxic Threats to Child Development. Cambridge: Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility. 136 pp. Available free online or US$10 for hard copy. To order, contact Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility, 11 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; Phone (617)497-7440; Fax (617) 876-4277; e-mail psrmabo@igc.org.
This report reviews the top 20 chemicals listed in the 1997 Toxics Release Inventory and finds that 75% are known or suspected neurotoxins and more than a billion pounds of the chemicals were released into air, land, and water during that year. The report examines data for what some believe is an increasing frequency of learning and behavioral disorders in US children; reviews how these toxic chemicals are toxic and how they may contribute to the developmental delays, hyperactivity, memory loss, attention deficit disorder, and aggressive behavior; and explains the failure of current regulatory systems to protect children's health.


National Research Council. Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment. 2000. Washington: National Academy Press. 313 pp. Order copies from National Academy Press, 2101 Constitution Ave., NW, Box 285, Washington, DC, 20055; Phone: (800) 624-6242; Fax: (202) 334-3313; or view online.
Although prenatal exposure to certain environmental chemicals (lead, mercury, PCBs, etc.) and agents (radiation) can cause developmental defects, it is still a mystery as to what causes the majority of them. According to this report, some developmental defects are caused by exposure to toxic chemicals and physical (including environmental) agents and while a larger percent are probably due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. The authors were to evaluate and report on the state of science in this area, which they do by reviewing known causes and mechanisms of developmental defects related to toxicants, discussing current risk assessment models, and overviewing genetic influences on developmental disorders.


Toxic Chemicals: Long-Term Strategy Needed to Measure Exposures in Humans. US General Accounting Office, 2 May 2000. 84 pp. Report Number: GAO/HEHS-00-80. Free. Order by phone: (202) 512-6000; fax (202) 512-6061; or download PDF (go to GAO web site, select GAO reports, under "Month in Review" select May 2000, select Health, scroll down to report description and select PDF icon).


August 2000

GOVERNMENT ACTION

  • EPA extends comment period. The EPA has extended the comment period to September 15 from August 28 on the draft science policy document Proposed guidance on cumulative risk assessment of pesticide chemicals that have a common mechanism of toxicity. Commenters asked EPA for more time due to the long, complex nature of the proposal and lack of personnel during the summer vacation months. (See the August 18 Federal Register notice (OPP-00658A; FRL-6739-3)). (Posted 21 Aug 00)

  • The Endocrine disruptors: Epidemiological Approaches grant, a multiagency, multidisciplinary funding project, is due September 22, 2000.

MEDIA MADNESS

Kaplan, Sheila and Jim Morris. Kids at Risk. U.S. News and World Reports, 19 June 00:Cover story
The links between environmental contamination and children's health troubles, including learning problems and violence, are outlined in this cover story article.

Columnist explores link between pollutants and behavior
Mann, Judy. A cautionary tale about pesticides. Washington Post 2 June 00:C9. This article discusses Elizabeth Guillette's research describing pesticide's effects on the health, intellect, and behavior of children from two groups of Mexican Yaqui Indian farmers exposed to different levels of pesticides. (Original research published in Environmental Health Perspectives.)

Mann, Judy. Chemicals and crime: A truly toxic effect. Washington Post 26 May 00, pp. C11. Using lead as an example, the author discusses why many experts believe environmental pollutants can cause violence in those exposed to toxins, especially when they are young.

Natcher , WH. DES research update 1999: Current knowledge, future directions. Medscape Diabetes and Endocrinology, 2000.
This excerpt from the DES Research Update 1999: Current Knowledge, Future Directions conference proceedings summarizes health consequences of exposure to DES and future research efforts of the DES community. The conference was held July 19-20, 1999, and the entire proceedings is available online.

WEB MANIA

More ED information at BCERF.
More endocrine disruptor (ED) information is now available online at the Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors Program in New York State (BCERF) web site. New critical evaluations explore breast cancer risk from pesticides with known ED action such as chlordane, heptachlor, atrazine and lindane. Fact sheets evaluate certain pesticides for cancer risks and explain pertinent ED topics such as estrogen's relationship and role in breast cancer risk and phytoestrogens' link to reducing breast cancer. For even more, visit the recommended science-based web sites offering ED information; review scientific papers listed in two new bibliographies covering environmental estrogens and breast cancer risk and endocrine disruption; or run your own database search of the almost 4,500 references using ED keywords such as hormonally active agent, phytoestrogens, metabolism endocrine disruption, and xenoestrogen.

Bisphenol A focus of web site
The Bisphenol A web site provides general and technical information on bisphenol A, a component of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. BPA is considered an estrogenic endocrine disruptor and has been shown to leach from food can linings and dental work. Recent news, frequently asked questions, a library, and health and safety and environmental information are available to peruse. You can also register to receive bisphenol A news via e-mail. The web site is sponsored by the Bisphenol A Global Industry Group of The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc., the Bisphenol A Sector Group of the European Chemical Industry Council, and the Japan Chemical Industry Association.

Children & Toxics: A Violent Mixture
Visit Mapcruzin.com's web site for more resources about the effects of toxins on the young.

Children's Environmental Health Network listserv
This listserv is for health care and public health professionals or others with a professional interest in children's environmental health. Started after the Pediatric Environmental Health conference in June 1999, the free e-mail discussion list is a forum for announcements, access to resources, clinical vignettes, reports of pediatric environmental health news, and academic discussion of pediatric environmental health issues. The list administrator approves new subscribers based on a short survey. Subscribe by sending a blank message to cehnlist-on@cehn.org

National Academy Press online books
Newer, faster, and easier to use, the National Academy Press web site allows users free access to 1,500 complete books published by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council. A search on endocrine disruptors brought up the entire NRC's recent book Hormonally Active Agents in the Environment and a few other select reports.

BOOKS, REPORTS & MORE

The Health of Canada's Children: A CICH Profile. 2000. Canadan Institute of Child Health, 3rd Edition. $45 CDN (plus shipping, 10% in Canada and $12 per book in the U.S., and GST). Order through the web site; by phone 613-230-8838 ext. 224 using Visa or Mastercard or purchase order number; or by mail with payment to Canadian Institute of Child Health, 384 Bank Street, Suite 300, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 1Y4.
The report presents a comprehensive view of children's health and well-being in Canada, identifies significant gaps in available statistical data (especially mental health and the impact of disabilities), and includes a 41-page chapter on children's environmental health.

Berkson, D. Lindsey. 2000. Hormone Deception: How everyday foods and products are disrupting your hormones and how to protect yourself and your family. Chicago:Contemporary Books. 431 pp. $24. The book is available at most bookstores and online at bookstores such as Amazon.com (select books, search for Hormone Deception).
Hormone Deception is an important and much needed addition to the bulk of information on endocrine disruptors. The book, written for the general public, is engaging, easy-to-read, and filled with accurate, well-researched information and protection hints. It is the first treatise to take an in-depth look at how EDs affect human health, covering womb and breast, children's health, men's and women's reproductive health, breast cancer, and hormone replacement during menopause. More importantly, the author, a nutritionist and DES (diethylstilbestrol) survivor herself, presents solid and doable ways to prevent exposure in everyday life. A short section on routes of exposure and risks preludes the help chapters focusing on 1) hormone-disrupting chemicals in food and drink, detoxifying your body, and minimizing exposure by eating selectively; 2) a room-by-room house tour suggesting way to eliminate or lessen exposure to potentially harmful chemicals (for instance, take shoes off at the door, vacuum regularly, and avoid unnecessary chemical products like air fresheners or toilet deodorants); and 3) a section detailing what every consumer can do to lessen the chemical threats we all face (for example reading labels, being informed on industry activity, and disposing of household chemicals properly). Appendices offer even more information about chemicals in everyday products, natural hormone replacement strategies, and a comprehensive list of other resources.

Jammin' 5 a Day Songs. Children's audio tape from Dole Food Company. Free to Elementary school teachers/educators; $5.95 US for everyone else. Available in US and Canada only. Order by: Mail: DOLE Food Company, 155 Bovet Road, Suite 476, San Mateo, CA 94402; Fax: 650-570-5250.
Rocking songs about food? Yep, that's right. This audio tape is filled with a mix of rock, pop, hip-hop/rap and swing songs that promote eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Included are such classics as Vitamin A, Broccoli, Fiber, and B is for Banana. The most notable is Phytochemicals, a song that touts the benefits and sources of these natural food components by saying in part:

Phytochemicals
They fight to protect your health
Phytochemicals
Doing battle for your body
They keep you feeling swell

Flavinoids, indoles and carotenes!
Think about yellow, orange, red and green!
You wanna eat right-o
Be sure to get your phytos
Phytochemicals!

Thornton, Joe. 2000. Pandora's Poison: Chlorine, Health, and a new Environmental Strategy. Boston:MIT Press. 611 pp. $34.95 US.
As a foremost authority on organochlorines, the author offers an in-depth discussion and analysis of the substances' sources, distribution, toxicology, and health impacts. A discussion of the failure of current approaches to environmental science and policy to stop global contamination sets the stage for the author's answer to the problem: a policy and technology solution that includes new ways to assess and regulate chemicals while taking science and politics into account.

Kime, David E. 1998. Endocrine Disruption in Fish. Norwell, MA:Kluwer Academic Publishers. 416 pp. $150 US.
This book, written for toxicologists and other scientists, reviews fish endocrinology and offers an inclusive look at endocrine disruption in fish. Introductory chapters review water pollution, toxins in fish tissue, and fish reproduction. The remaining seven chapters focus on specific ways toxins impair fish endocrinology including effects on embryo, larvae and juvenile fish; hypthalamic/pituitary function; male and female reproduction; and liver, thyroid and interrenal function.


July 2000

NEWS

Database offers herbal health information

General and scientific information about the health effects of herbs is available through this searchable database. (From Science News' Science Safari in Cyberspace, 1 July 2000.)


June 2000

NEWS

Chemicals and the developing brain

The Environmental Health Perspectives June 2000 supplementfocuses on the role of environment in developing brains. Papers under sections such as the Environment and Brain Development, the Environment and Neurodevelopmental Syndromes, Neurotoxicants and Their Effects on Child Development, Respiratory and Immune Systems, Reproductive System, Nervous System, and Cancer explore the relationship between exposure to toxicants and a multitude of physical, emotional and behavioral health problems in children. (Developing brain and environment: Identifying critical windows of exposure for children's health. Environmental Health Perspectives, 108(Supplement 3), June 2000.)

Blue Planet Prize goes to WWF scientist for work on endocrine disrupting chemicals

Theo Colborn, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Senior Scientist, received this year's Blue Planet Prize, an international environmental award established by Japan's Asahi Glass Foundation at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Coborn, co-author of Our Stolen Future, won the award for her research efforts, advocacy, and consistent message of the dangers endocrine disupting chemicals pose to reproduction, development, and survival of wild species and humans. For more see the World Wildlife Fund press release, 14 June 00.

ACTIONS

EPA may revoke use of methyl parathion.

Many fruits and vegetables will not be sprayed with the insecticide methyl parathion due to the US Environmental Protection Agency's proposed limit of the pesticide on food. Manufacturers asked for a voluntary limit in August 1999, which the EPA granted in October. All of the restrictions are due to increased health risks because the pesticide does not meet the current, more stringent food safety requirements designed to protect children. Comments on the proposed limits are due by August 1, 2000. (For more, see 2 June 00 Federal Register notice. Posted 5 June 00)

NTP to review phthalates

The National Toxicology Program's Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction will sponsor its third expert panel meeting July 12 - 13, 2000, to review seven phthalate esters: butyl benzyl phthalate (85-68-7) BBP, di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (117-81-7) DEHP, di-isodecyl phthalate (26761-40-0, 68515-49-1) DIDP, di-isononyl phthalate (28553-12-0, 68515-48-0) DINP, di-n-butyl phthalate (84-74-2) DBP, di-n-hexyl phthalate (84-75-3) DnHP, and di-n-octyl phthalate (117-84-0) DnOP. Currently, five monographs that will be discussed briefly at the meeting are available for public comment. Panel members reviewed and summarized the toxicological effects of phthlates during two prior meetings held in August and December 1999. For more details, see the May 23 Federal Register notice. (Posted 9 June 00)

Meeting will explore atrazine's health effects and dose response

An upcoming 3-day meeting, to be held June 27, 28, and 29 in Arlington, Virginia, will focus on atrazine's cancer and developmental health risks and its dose response assessment. The Federal Insectide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA) Scientific Advisory Panel (SAP) meeting is open to the public. See the June 7 Federal Register for more details. (Posted 7 June 00)

UK releases ED statement

In a recently released report, the UK government acknowledges concern about endocrine disrupting chemicals and "considers the scientific evidence available, identifies areas in which further research is needed and advises on how such concerns may best be addressed by policy makers." Recommendations in the June 2000 document include developing easily adaptable policies and regulations that can adapt to the rapid advances in scientific knowledge. (Full report in Adobe Acrobat) (Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, The Royal Society, June 2000.)


May 2000

ACTIONS

Priority setting meeting set

The Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public meeting June 5 to discuss the Agency's draft report outlining the priority-setting system for selectingand testing chemicals in the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP). The meeting will provide an update of the EDSP and will seek comments on a variety of program issues including design and implementation of the priority-setting system, status of standardization and validation efforts and the approach for pesticide active ingredients.For more see the May 19, 2000, Federal Register.

Chlorpyrifos technical briefing

The Environmental Protection Agency will present the revised risk assessments for chlorpyrifos during a public meeting on Thursday, June 8, 2000. For more information, see the May 10 Federal Register. (Posted 15 May 00)

MEDIA MADNESS

New online articles

Several articles related to environmental hormones are in the May 22, 2000, issue of Chemical Awareness:


April 2000

ACTIONS

UPDATE: Low-dose issues: Comments on process; Nominations for reviewers/studies

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) is broadening its request for research information about low-dose effects to include "relevant data from unpublished studies" and is extending its deadline to receive materials until May 22, 2000. NTP updated its request in an April 17, 2000, Federal Register notice (DOCID:fr17ap00-104; April 17, 2000, pp 20478-20479; Posted 4/19/00). For more, see original notice below.


March 2000

ACTIONS

NTP solicits comments

The National Toxicology Program's (NTP) Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR) seeks information from completed or ongoing studies and information on planned studies about use; production; environmental occurrence; human exposure; and general, reproductive, and developmental toxicity of 11 chemicals being considered for further evaluation. Written comments are due by May 4, 2000 on the following substances: 1-Bromopropane (106-94-5), 2-Bromopropane (75-26-3), Dimethyl Methyl Phosphonate (DMMP) (756-79-6), Ethylene glycol (107-21-1), Glycol ethers (not available), Glyphosate (1071-83-6), Methanol (67-56-1), Nicotine (54-11-5), Phenol (108-95-2), Thimerosal (54-64-8), and Toluene (108-88-3). After review of this preliminary information, an expert panel will select the chemicals to be further evaluated in 2000 based upon production volume, extent of human exposures, public concern about chemical hazard, published evidence of reproductive or developmental toxicity, and evaluation of any additional information submitted by the public. These evaluations are part of CERHR's ongoing efforts to evalute effects of environmental agents on human development and reproduction. A chemical status table on the agency's web site lists other chemical's reviewed or under review by CERHR. (For more details, see the Federal Register, DOCID:fr20mr00-124; March 20, 2000, pp 14997-14998; Posted 3/25/00

New reporting rules for 19 nonylphenol ethoxylates

The US EPA has modified prior regulations and is requiring chemical manufactures to report certain production, use, and exposure-related information on 19 nonylphenol ethoxylates, according to the January 11, 2000, Federal Register. The final rule became effective February 10, and first reports must be received by April 10, 2000. The ruling clarifies which nonylphenol ethoxylate chemicals need to be reported by modifying prior Toxic Substance Control Act (TSCA) Preliminary Assessment Information Reporting (PAIR) rules. The ruling also removes a stay of action that halted reporting (due to confusion and unclear chemical names) since December 1996 for 18 ethoxylate chemicals recommended in the TSCA Interagency Testing Committee's 38th report. The committee asked for health effects testing because of the chemicals' potential estrogenic and reproductive effects. Of 23 chemicals recommended in the 39th Report, EPA chose 19 with unique chemical registry numbers. (For more details, see the Federal Register, DOCID:fr11ja00-10; January 11, 2000, pp 1548-1554; Posted 2/23/00)

Priority setting meeting set

The Environmental Protection Agency will hold a public meeting June 5 to discuss the Agency's draft report outlining the priority-setting system for selectingand testing chemicals in the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP). The meeting will provide an update of the EDSP and will seek comments on a variety of program issues including design and implementation of the priority-setting system, status of standardization and validation efforts and the approach for pesticide active ingredients.For more see the May 19, 2000, Federal Register.


February 2000

NEWS

Girl mice have boy cells

Female "knockout" mice lacking vital estrogen genes develop normally into adulthood, are unable to reproduce, and undergo sex-cell reversal, according to research published in the December 17, 1999, issue of the journal Science. In this first of its kind study, researchers found that ovaries in these altered adult female mice can make cells like those usually found in the male testis. (Couse, RF, S Curtis Hewitt, DO Bunch, M Sar, VR Walker, BJ Davis, and KS Korach. 1999. Postnatal sex reversal of the ovaries in mice lacking estrogen receptors alpha and beta. Science, 286: 2328-2333.)

Powerful herbal remedies

  • Herbs and drugs dangerous mix. Health harming drug interactions may occur when mixing prescription medication and herbal remedies, according to a review of scientific papers in the October 1999 journal Psychosomatic Medicine. Researchers at the National Institute of Health and George Washington University say the likelihood and severity of serious side-effects increases when mixing a herb and drug that target the same illness. (Study cites risk of mixing herbs and standard drugs. 1999. Washington Post, Sept 28:5.)

  • Some herb remedies are estrogenic. Some herbs are estrogenic raising more questions than answers as to their safety and effectiveness, says Patricia Eagon, an associate professor of medicine at Pennsylvania's University of Pittsburgh. Unlike prescription medicines, herbs are not tested or regulated by the Federal Food and Drug Administration even though they seem to be as potent in alleviating some symptoms, such as hot flashes associated with menopause. At the April 11, 1999, annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, Eagon told how she tested 15 herbs commonly used to treat menopause for estrogenic activity. Those that showed estrogenic activity were fed to rats that had their ovaries, hence, their natural estrogen source, removed. By looking at changes to uteri weight and blood concentrations of luteinizing hormone, Eagon was able to pinpoint four herbs with estrogenic activity: chaste tree berry (Vitex agnus-castus), dong quai (Angelica sinensis), American ginseng (Panax quinquefolium), and black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa). Estrogen and estrogenic drugs have positive and negative effects: they alleviate menopausal symptoms and can influence the heart, bones, and brain but they also increase the risk of breast and uterine cancers. Because it is unknown how herbs work in the body or which organs they can affect, Eagon warns those at high risk for reproductive cancers not take herbal remedies. Her future research may provide answers to these types of concerns. Eagon reported her findings on 11 April 1999 at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research and is currently preparing the results for publication.(Estrogen's a natural in herbal remedies. 1999. Environmental Health Perspectives, (September))

Phthlate reports disagree

One report says phthlates pose health risks while another says the opposite. These contradictory reports released in June 1999 discuss the dangers of di-ethylhexyl phthalates (DEHP), a chemical that softens polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics and is found in some medical supplies, such as IV bags.
  1. June 15, 1999: Health Care Without Harm report finds health risks; Seven groups petition the FDA to limit use of the chemical, require use of products made without the chemical, and require a warning on the supplies. Executive summary; Full report.

  2. June 22, 1999: American Council on Science and Health report declares PVC and DEHP pose no health risks. Executive Summary; Full report.

ACTIONS

  • EU Commission adopts ED strategy. On December 12, 1999, the Commission of the European Communities released a report outlining the government's strategy for dealing with endocrine disrupting chemicals. (Select Community Strategy for Endocrine Disrupters to download the report in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.) As with the U.S. EPA's EDSTP, the Commission is gathering existing scientific data to evaluate a substance's hormonal potential and establish a priority list of compounds that require further evaluation. Look for the Commission's report identifying 100 potential endocrine disrupting substances in April 2000. Other actions include: establishing monitoring programs to estimate exposure and effects of priority list compounds; developing a screening and testing strategy to identify and assess endocrine disrupting substances; continuing research and development efforts into mechanisms of action, health effects, and environmental monitoring tools; and reassessing policy/legislative directives to help implement outcomes such as forced and voluntary phase-outs and chemical substitutions. Current information about European testing and assessment of chemicals can be found at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation's (OECD) Co-ordination of Endocrine Disrupters Assessment web page.

  • Pesticide use restricted. On August 2, the U.S. EPA announced new restrictions on two popular organopesticides being reassessed under the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act for their potential risk to children's health. The new rules will ban the use of methyl parathion on almost all fruits and vegetables that are not peeled before being eaten and reduces the use of and requires more stringent application techniques for azinophos-methyl. For more see "EPA adds pesticide restrictions, gets hit with lawsuit."

  • History/troubles of ED testing program. In 1996, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was assigned to develop and implement a comprehensive screening and testing program for chemicals for endocrine activity. This simple request has turned into a gargantuane task wrought with overwhelming numbers of chemicals, lack of background information on them, and tremendous anxiety for those in charge of the program. This lengthy review article by Charles Schmidt summarizes the testing program's legislative history and validation and proposed methods and explains animal welfare and risk assessment issues. (Schmidt, C.W. 1999. Answering the Endocrine Test Questions. Environmental Health Perspectives, 107(September))

MEDIA MADNESS

Chemical Awareness. Issue 4 (31 Jan 2000). (http://www.dn.dk/chemaware/current/number04.html).
The free Internet newsletter covers European chemical policy news and is published by nongovernmental organizations involved in the Chemicals Policy Campaign. The campaign, partly funded by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, is attempting to raise awareness, interest, and participation in the European Union's (EU) process to revise EU chemical policy. The newsletter's latest issue includes several articles about endocrine disruptors including: What's happening in EU on endocrine disruptors; All I wanted for Christmas was a toy without poisonous substances; How can we identify phthalate containing toys?; and Do you have products containing APE on your washroom shelf?

Lannoo, M.J. 1999. Wetland woes: Amphibian declines and malformations. HMS Beagle: The BioMedNet Magazine (http://www.biomednet.com/hmsbeagle/69/viewpts/op_ed#illustrator), Issue 69 (Dec. 24).
This opinion piece examines the issue of amphibian declines and concludes the animal group's future does not look bright. The author Michael Lannoo, coordinator for the U.S. Working Group of the Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force, abandons the case of only one causal agent and says his own data of some 600 animals of 16 species from 59 sites in 10 states "suggests that there is more than one cause of amphibian malformations, and that these causes vary geographically."

Molecular biology: Estrogen and estrogen receptors. 1998. Science-Week (online: http://http://www.scienceweek.com)
This focus report is from a 1998 issue of the online science news digest Science-Week. It provides a good summary of estrogen's role in male and female reproduction, describes the two estrogen receptors, compares the molecular structure of anti-estrogens and estrogens, and discusses hormone replacement therapy and heart disease.

WEB SITE MANIA

Frog deformities, Vermont Public Interest Research Group.
Deformed frogs are a campaign priority for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPRIG). As such, the organization's web site delves into the history of frog deformities in the state; suggests many culprits, including pesticides; has extensive links to other frog deformity sites; lists current alerts; and tells how people can take action. The group's "Fate of Frogs Report" goes into much more detail about the subject and can be downloaded in PDF format.

Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program. US Environmental Protection Agency.
The Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program takes up where the Endocrine Disruptor Screening and Testing Advisory Board left off. Information at the site includes: the program's historical background, related links, an overview of endocrine disruptors and how they affect the endocrine system, and current status of EPAšs implementation activities, such as the status of test standardization and validation activities, priority setting database development, and automated high throughput technology development.

Introduction to hormone disrupting chemicals. Friends of the Earth.
A facelift, a text upgrade, and a new address just made this excellent web site better. The trademark terse and accurate text, written by chemist Michael Warhurst, remains. The new left-side menu allows easier navigation to the expanded and, as always, well-referenced information. Besides updating the backgrounders about health concerns, the endocrine system, and suspected chemicals, new sections explain controversial issues, worldwide policy actions, and industry responses to the endocrine disrupting issue. Follow a link to the advocacy-oriented Friends of Earth web site to find out how to take political action and minimize exposure.

DES sons website and listserve.
DES sons can now get solid information and personal support through a website and listserve devoted specifically to issues and problems faced by DES sons. The DES sons web page, part of DES Action's site, contain a general summary of concerns for DES sons, possible health problems, preventative actions, tips on finding the right doctor, and references for more support and information. The listserve is a forum for DES sons, "men whose mothers took the drug diethylstilbestrol (DES) sometime during pregnancy with their sons, and males who were directly exposed to DES after birth," to discuss DES related men's health issues. Since it is a private forum, you must first register with egroups.com. Then go to the DES sons listserve information page and request to subscribe to the listserve.

DES family listserve.
The DES-FAMILY listserve is for all DES-exposed and their family and friends to share support and information. To join, send an e-mail to listserv@sact.com writing only: subscribe des-family. A welcome letter will confirm your subscription.

Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust, London, England.
Background information, current hospital research initiatives, and links to other sources of information are available for 20 health topics, including hormones, cancer, women's health, and mens health. The hormone page includes a general overview of the hormonal system and detailed features about obesity, thyroid hormones, vitamin D and diabetes. The clean design, fast loads, and easy-to-use navigation make this site a pleasure to visit.

PANNA website.
In October 1999, the Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA) expanded its web site to include: 1) pesticide-related news stories updated daily; 2) Pesticide Research Updates, a three-times a year publication summarizing recent research on the health effects of pesticides; 3) the Pesticide Advisora resource guide for questions about specific pest and pesticide problems; and 4) a full-site search engine.

BOOKS, REPORTS, & MORE

Online databases

The California Wildlife Exposure Factor and Toxicity Database. California Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and the University of California at Davis.
Ecological and physiological exposure and toxicity information for 62 California mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians are available online through a free, easy-to-use database. Search by species or chemical name. All exposure factors (ecology and physiology) and toxicity data for a given species are also conveniently available in downloadable reports.

Database on the isoflavone content of foods. United States Department of Agriculture and Iowa State University.
Ever wonder the isoflavone content of genistein? This web site can answer your questions about isoflavones, the weak estrogen mimic found in soy and other foods. Five reports, readable using Adobe Acrobat, detail the isoflavone content of such phytoestrogens as daidzein, genistein, coumesterol, and biochanin A, list references, and provide a complete file that can be downloaded into database programs.

Teaching aids

Preventing children's exposure to endocrine disruptors: A teaching aid. 1999. Instant References Sources, Inc. Free Internet access to slides for Powerpoint or printing; $15 fee for more comprehensive slide show; $19.95 for upcoming book due out summer 2000.
This slide show, developed by Lawrence H. Keith and viewable using Microsoft's Powerpoint software, summarizes concepts surrounding endocrine disrupting chemicals. It is meant as a teaching tool "to help parents and teachers understand the complex technical issues involved with this new category of chemical pollutants that threaten our children."

Introduction to Endocrine Disruptors. 1999. Washington DC:World Wildlife Fund. Free videos. Available only to educational entities through their library's Interlibrary Loan Department. Contact: Librarian, World Wildlife Fund, 1250 24th St. NW, Washington, DC, 20037-1175; or e-mail: carla.langeveld@wwfus.org.
Designed to help educators teach students about endocrine disruptors, these video tapes provide background information and discussion materials suitable for undergraduate and graduate-level students. Relevant reading lists supplement the five presentations: Introduction, Theo Colborn; The effect of synthetic estrogens on mammalian development, John A. McLachlan; Developmental male reproductive toxicity of dioxin, Richard E. Peterson; Gonadal and functional consequences of toxic insult during sexual differentiation, L. Earl Gray; and The fragile fetus, Howard Bern.

Shmaefsky, B. 2000. Endocrine disruptors on the Gulf Coast. Columbus, Ohio:McGraw Hill Companies. Free on the Internet.
Teachers may find this short review perfect for the classroom. The case study describes endocrine disrupting chemicals, discusses the general problems associated with the substances, and elucidates the societal issues surrounding them. The article is part of the regional perspectives case studies that accompany McGraw Hill's environmental science textbook pages.

Journalism primer

Raloff, J. 1999. Environmental hormones: Threats to health and reproduction. Washington, DC:The Radio and Television News Directors Foundation. 70 pp. Publication is free online as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file (1.8MB); A printed copy is $3.00 for RTNDA members, $6.00 for non-member broadcast journalists, and $10.00 for all others. To order, contact Michelle Loesch at 202-467-5206.
This thorough guide covers topics germane to the environmental hormone issue and acts as a primer for those media professionals covering this complex subject. The introduction includes sections on hormones and how they work, phytoestrogens, anti-androgens, health risks, and the U.S. government's testing program. Other sections delineate key issues (cancer, gender effects, male fertility, wildlife, chemical and nonchemical endocrine disruptors); list contacts, resources, and references; and suggest story ideas. The publication, written by Science News' seasoned reporter Janet Raloff, is a must-have publication for anyone involved in or interested in environmental hormones.

Reports

Symposium abstracts. American Chemical Society.
Abstracts from the special symposium Analytical Challenges for Assessing Environmental Exposures to Children are posted at this web site. The symposium was part of the American Chemical Society's (ACS) 218th National Meeting held August 1999 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Endocrine Disruptors: A Scientific Perspective. 1999. New York:American Council on Science and Health. 16 pp. Download free from web site; $5.00 for printed copy. To order, send check or money order to American Council on Science and Health, 1995 Broadway, 2nd floor, New York, NY 10023 or e-mail credit card number and expiration date to acsh@acsh.org.
This report finds no convincing evidence that environmental endocrine modulators threaten human health. The report acknowledges that high doses of certain substances have been shown to affect animal health, but it concludes that the low exposure levels humans encounter are not linked to recent claims that synthetic chemicals may reduce sperm counts and cause reproductive organ cancers. The scientists involved in writing the report call for a need to validate studies and restrain media sensationalism while reassessing "hollow, alarmist findings."

Books

Krimsky, S. 2000. Hormone Chaos: The Scientific and Social Origins of the Environmental Endocrine Hypothesis. Baltimore:John Hopkins University Press. 256 pp. $35.95.
How did endocrine disrupting chemicals become a high social and political concern? Sheldon Krimsky answers that question in this much-needed and timely book. The scientific history of the endocrine disruptor theory, including Rachel Carsen's Silent Spring, diethylstilbestrol, DDT, and the most poignant wildlife research, sets the stage. Following chapters offer detailed explanations of how the issue jumped from the scientific bench to the political arena and the constant, sometimes controversial, interplay between the two. The author describes the important events (Congressional legislation and initiatives), publications (documentaries, Our Stolen Future, Internet sites), research evidence, and people that launched and continued to form the hypothesis that has grabbed worldwide scientific and political interest since 1996.

Endocrine Disruption in Invertebrates: Endocrinology, Testing, and Assessment. 1999. ed. PL deFur, M Crane, CG Ingersoll, and LJ Tattersfield. Pensacola, Florida:Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 320 pp. $60 members; $98 nonmembers; plus shipping. Order #TP99-3 (order online or telephone 850-469-1500).
This book is the proceedings of the Workshop on Endocrine Disruption in Invertebrates: Endocrinology, Testing, and Assessment held in Noordwijkerhout, The Netherlands, December 12-15, 1998. More than 40 scientists from Europe, Japan, and North America met to chronicle invertebrate endocrinology as it relates to endocrine disruption (ED), determine if invertebrates can be used to test for the endocrine disruption mechanism, determine if invertebrates can act as sentinels or monitors for potential environmental changes due to endocrine disruption, and identify data gaps and future research directions. Book chapters include: Introduction and background; Endocrinology of major invertebrate taxa; Laboratory toxicity tests for evaluating potential effects of ED compounds; Field assessment for EDs in invertebrates; and Conclusions and recommendations.

Reproductive and Developmental Effects of Contaminants in Oviparous Vertebrates. 1999. ed. RT Di Giulio and DE Tillitt. Pensacola, Florida:Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 462 pp. $60 members; $98 nonmembers; plus shipping. Order #SP99-3 (order online or by telephone 850-469-1500).
Based on a workshop of the same name, this book discusses the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals in both terrestrial and aquatic oviparous vertebrates, that is, egg-laying animals such as bony fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. The workshop concentrated on understanding exposure, reproductive and developmental effects, organism effects, and ecological ramifications for "species that hold the greatest promise for use in prospective and retrospective ecological risk assessments."

National Research Council. 1999. Hormonally active agents in the environment. Washington:National Academy Press. 560 pp. $59.95 ($47.96 online with web discount).
This long awaited report (released August 3) finds that even though there is evidence of adverse effects from exposure to high levels of hormonally active substances, more research is needed to determine the compounds' overall health and ecological effects as well as their impact at low concentrations. A committee reviewed reams of scientific research investigating the effects of these compounds on ecosystems, populations, and individual humans and animals. The 560-page book outlines how exposure occurs, discusses known and suspected mechanisms of action, and identifies areas of uncertainties and limited knowledge. From that thorough overview, the committee suggests future research needs and offers recommendations to decision makers.

Schettler, T, G Solomon, M Valenti, and A Huddle. 1999. Generations at risk, Boston:MIT Press. 414 pp. $29.95.
This book presents evidence that human exposure to some toxic chemicals can have lifelong and even intergenerational effects on human reproduction and development. The focus is on classes of chemicals that people may be exposed to at work, at home, and in their communities, including toxic metals, organic solvents, pesticides, and endocrine disruptors. The authors use scientific information to assess the health risks of many chemicals and provide a guide to current regulatory systems and additional resources.


January 2000

ACTIONS

Low-dose issues: Comments on process; Nominations for reviewers/studies

The National Toxicology Program is seeking comments, reviewers, and research studies to be considered during a peer review of hormone-related effects from exposure to low doses of chemicals. The program's results will help the EPA's Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program determine how to deal with low-dose questions in endocrine disruptor screening, testing, and hazard assessment. (For more details, see the Federal Register, DOCID:fr06ja00-51; January 6, 2000, pp 784-787; Posted 1/13/00) 




Back to ED news archive menu




 











http://www.tmc.tulane.edu/ecme/eehome/newsviews/whatsnew/archive/jan_dec2000.html