The Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program (NTP) has announced a January 11-13, 2011, workshop in Raleigh, North Carolina, to address how environmental chemicals may be contributing to the “epidemics of diabetes and obesity.” Workshop participants will (i) “evaluate strengths/weaknesses, consistency, and biological plausibility of findings reported in humans and experimental animals for certain environmental chemicals including arsenic, cadmium, chlorinated organohalogens, other organohalogens, bisphenol A, phthalates, and organotins”; (ii) “identify the most useful and relevant endpoints in experimental animals and in vitro models”; (iii) “identify relevant pathways and biological targets for assays for the Toxicology Testing in the 21st Century (‘Tox21’) high throughput screening initiative”; and (iv) “identify data gaps and areas for future evaluation/research.” See Federal Register, December 10, 2010.
Tag Archives phthalate
A recent study funded by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has reportedly linked workplace bisphenol A (BPA) exposure to “[1] decreased sperm concentration, [2] decreased total sperm count, [3] decreased sperm vitality, and [4] decreased sperm motility.” De-Kun Li, et al., “Urine bisphenol-A (BPA) level in relation to semen quality,” Fertility and Sterility, October 2010. Researchers apparently examined 218 Chinese factory workers—some with occupational exposure to BPA and some with only environmental exposure—concluding that, “those with detectable urine BPA had more than three times the risk of lowered sperm concentration and lower sperm vitality, more than four times the risk of lower sperm count, and more than twice the risk of lower sperm motility.” Among the 88 study participants who did not work directly with BPA, the study authors observed “similar dose-response associations . . . with environmental EPA exposures at levels comparable with those in the…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reopened the comment period for a proposed rule published August 4, 1993, that would amend the quality standard for bottled water. FDA is seeking further comment on finalizing the allowable level for the chemical di(2 ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) in the bottled water quality standard. In a final rule published March 26, 1996, FDA deferred final action on DEHP’s proposed allowable level of 0.006 milligrams/liter (mg/L) in response to a comment which “maintained that finalizing the proposed allowable level for DEHP would result in a limit on the level of this chemical in bottled water that conflicts with this chemical’s permitted use under the existing food additive regulation for closures with sealing gaskets, and that taking such action would effectively ban the use of this plasticizer.” The comment further stated that “gaskets containing DEHP are permitted for use in packaging food and bottled water under…
According to researchers from Denmark and Greece, some juice drinks obtained from markets in the European Union (EU) contain levels of antimony, a suspected carcinogen related to arsenic, above EU drinking water limits. Claus Hansen, et al., “Elevated antimony concentrations in commercial juices,” Journal of Environmental Monitoring, February 17, 2010. According to the article, “Antimony concentrations up to a factor of 2.7 above the EU limit for drinking water were found in commercial juices and may either be leached from the packaging material or introduced during manufacturing, pointing out the need for further research.” The researchers reportedly tested antimony levels in 42 different beverages, primarily red fruit juices, produced in the United Kingdom and sold in polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles or Tetra Pak® cartons. They apparently found antimony above established safe levels in eight of them. Lead researcher Claus Hansen noted that while the levels exceeded drinking water limits, because “no antimony…
“Concern about toxins in the environment used to be a fringe view. But alarm has moved into the medical mainstream,” writes New York Times op-ed contributor Nicholas Kristof in this February 25, 2010, piece examining a purported shift in how the scientific community perceives the likelihood that ubiquitous chemicals affect the developing brain. Kristof references a forthcoming opinion piece in Pediatrics that reportedly cites “historically important, proof-of-concept studies that specifically link autism to environmental exposures experienced prenatally.” Although the Pediatrics editorial apparently focuses on the impact of medications such as thalidomide, misoprostol and valproic acid, Kristof extends his concern to other chemicals such as phthalates and bisphenol A. “At a time when many Americans still use plastic containers to microwave food, in ways that make toxicologists blanch, we need accelerated research, regulations and consumer protection,” he opines. While Kristof warns against “sensationalizing risks,” he nevertheless urges consumers “to be wary…
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that it will take a series of actions on four chemicals that purportedly raise serious health or environmental concerns, including phthalates, which are plasticizers used in a wide array of consumer products. The agency will establish a “Chemicals of Concern” list under the Toxic Substances Control Act and intends to place on the list eight phthalates and a number of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which are used as flame retardants. According to EPA, “[i]nclusion on the list publicly signals EPA’s strong concern about the risks that those chemicals pose and the agency’s intention to manage those risks. Once listed, chemical manufacturers can provide information to the agency if they want to demonstrate that their chemical does not pose an unreasonable risk.” The American Chemistry Council (ACC) reportedly responded by claiming that the first target chemicals “seem to have been selected based on little…
A Turkish study has reportedly found that adolescent boys with abnormal breast enlargement, a common condition known as pubertal gynecomastia, had significantly higher phthalate blood levels than boys in a control group. Erdem Durmaz, et al., “Plasma Phthalate Levels in Pubertal Gynecomastia,” Pediatrics (December 2009). The study specifically focused on the most commonly used phthalate, di-(2 ethylhexyl)-phthalate (DEHP), and its metabolite, Mono-(2-ethylhexyl)- phthalate (MEHP). Researchers tested 40 boys recently diagnosed with pubertal gynecomastia and 21 boys who did not have the condition. According to the results, “Plasma DEHP and MEHP were found to be statistically significantly higher in the pubertal gynecomastia group compared with the control group.” Co-author Elif Ozmert has apparently suggested that until further studies are conducted, people should limit their exposure to phthalates. “Although we can’t achieve zero exposure, we can decrease it,” he said. Ozmert recommended that consumers (i) avoid using plastic cups and food coverings,…
The Danish Environmental Protection Agency has published a survey and health assessment examining the exposure of 2-year-olds to chemical substances in consumer products. The report apparently focused on endocrine disruptors, including phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), found not only in general consumer products but specifically in food products and food contact materials. The study apparently concluded that (i) “a few exposures to a high content of an endocrine disruptor, such as that of DBP [bibutyl phthalate] in rubber clogs, may result in a critical risk for the 2 year-old”; (ii) “the amounts that 2 year-olds absorb, in particular from the phthalate DBP (mostly from foods) and dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs (mostly from foods, and partly from indoor air and dust), constitute a risk for anti-androgen disruptions to the endocrine system”; and (iii) “the amounts that 2 year-olds absorb from the parabens propylparaben and butylparaben, in particular, can constitute a risk…
Just last month, the Endocrine Society – composed of thousands of doctors in this field – issued a powerful warning that endocrine disruptors including phthalates are ‘a significant concern to public health,’” writes New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof in this op-ed article examining the chemicals’ purported role in a range of health problems such as sexual deformities, early onset puberty in girls and the “feminization” of male anatomy. According to Kristof, endocrinologists have increasingly found this “mounting evidence” persuasive enough to raise alarms despite the reassurances of the American Chemistry Council, which has pointed to research like a recent study in the Journal of Urology that casts doubt on the link between phthalates and hypospadias, a birth defect. “One of the conundrums for scientists and journalists alike is how to call prudent attention to murky and uncertain risks, without sensationalizing dangers that may not exist,” opines Kristof, who nevertheless notes…
A recent study has reportedly claimed that mothers of premature babies “have, on average, up to three times the phthalate level in their urine compared to women who carry to term.” John Meeker, et al., “Urinary Phthalate Metabolites in Relation to Preterm Birth in Mexico City,” Environmental Health Perspectives, June 16, 2009. Collaborating with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico, researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health (UM SPH) analyzed urine samples taken during the third trimester, finding that 30 women who delivered before 37 weeks gestation had “significantly higher phthalate levels” than 30 women experiencing full-term pregnancies and women in a control group. “We looked at these commonly used compounds found in consumer products based on the growing amount of animal toxicity data and since the national human data show that a large proportion of…
