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Current query:Type: Scientific Studies
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While all links worked when entries were posted to the database, different publishers
have different policies about retaining articles and providing access to archived material.
Thus some of the links, particularly older ones, may no longer be functional.
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Analyzing data together from two large databases opens up next steps in understanding how the environment interacts with genes to influence disease, according to two Stanford scientists who are trying to untangle the interrelated effects.
Using data mining tools they found, for example, that breast and prostate cancers are associated with estrogenic chemicals, including the natural human estrogen, estradiol, a plant estrogen found in soy called genistein and bisphenol A, the synthetic estrogen used to make polycarbonate plastics and can linings. 9 September 2010. More...
Advanced wastewater treatments can reduce the endocrine disrupting effects of the effluent on fish, according to a study that pinpoints the most effective methods.
Conventional sewage treatment does not usually remove all of these compounds. Fish are then exposed when the estrogens are released into waterways. 16 August 2010. More...
Children exposed to PCBs in their first years of life are less likely to be protected from diseases by vaccinations, according to a new study.
Exposure to PCBs is strongly associated with lower antibody levels. The results may help understand why effectiveness of vaccines varies so much among children. 6 August 2010. More...
People who live in houses with higher levels of flame retardant chemicals in the dust have themselves higher levels of the chemicals in their blood, a finding that implicates dust as a major exposure source for the compounds.
Prior studies point to dust and food as major sources of exposure to PBDE chemicals. While some foods do harbor PBDEs, eating and breathing dust appears to be the main source of exposure in the United States. 23 July 2010. More...
Leftover residues of a compound made from bisphenol A (BPA) for use in food can linings reacts with sugars, proteins and other parts of food to form new molecules, researchers report.
The findings show how critical it is to understand the extent of chemical migration from resin linings into the can's contents and what happens to the compounds once they interact with the food and beverage. 19 July 2010. More...
Infants with higher exposures to three contaminants – perchlorate, nitrate or thiocyanate – found in water, food and tobacco smoke had increased levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), a sign that the thyroid gland may not be working properly.
The results are important because infants with poor thyroid function are at risk for stunted growth and mental impairment. 13 July 2010. More...
Researchers at the University of Iowa have discovered that PCBs are present in many more kinds of paint pigment than previously known. While the US EPA knew about some of the contamination, the extent of the problem is a surprise.
The researchers suggest that the contaminated pigments used in a variety of paints, inks, cosmetics, plastics and other consumer goods are probably a source of ongoing exposures in humans. 9 July 2010. More...
A first attempt at measuring flame retardants and PCBs in dust from daycare centers and classrooms in the United Kingdom shows these facilities to be an important source of exposure for toddlers and young children, with a small group of them experiencing very high exposures.
Researchers may be underestimating the impact from these facilities, as levels of certain chemical types were higher than those from house dust or car dust. 6 July 2010. More...
Brief exposure to low levels of bisphenol A during pregnancy may contribute to diabetic symptoms in the mother and her sons - but not daughters - finds a study with mice.
BPA, which acts like estrogen and can interfere with normal hormone activity, caused changes in the mothers that resembled gestational diabetes. This study adds to a growing body of research evidence that, when taken together, suggests BPA causes health problems in animals and quite possibly in humans. 1 July 2010. More...
Chemical byproducts produced by a fungus effectively killed almost three-quarters of adult mosquitoes tested from three disease-carrying species, showing there are viable alternatives to conventional insecticides.
Mosquito control is a vital public health tool, especially in tropical regions where malaria is endemic. This particular fungus' metabolite could be a promising alternative to some of the synthetic pesticides used to control mosquito populations. 29 June 2010. More...
Reproductive problems leading to infertility were seen in female fish exposed to pthalates at levels generally found in the environment.
The results are some of the first to show the plasticizers can affect females as well as males, report researchers in the online journal PLoSOne. This preliminary evidence of the effects of DEHP on the female reproductive system suggests that further study on females is warranted in other species, including humans. 28 June 2010. More...
New chemicals - with unknown toxic properties - are present after heating commercial polypropylene plastics during manufacturing.
The contaminants form when synthetic antioxidant additives break down when exposed to high temperatures typical of the manufacturing process. The discovery of the new chemicals is of concern since they may occur in commercial products where they could migrate out of the plastic and potentially into humans. 25 June 2010. More...
Rats exposed to bisphenol A (BPA) early in life develop symptoms resembling polycystic ovarian syndrome, a leading cause of infertility in women.
This animal study is among the first to show that early exposure to BPA can cause symptoms similar to PCOS in adulthood. The levels of BPA used in the experiments were high compared to current estimates of human exposure. 15 June 2010. More...
Intellectual delays in kindergarten-aged kids may result from prebirth exposures to common air pollutants called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, according to a study of Polish children.
The researchers report that 5-year-old children whose mothers had higher exposures to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons when they were pregnant performed worse on tests that measured cognitive abilities, lowering their IQ by more than three points. 14 June 2010. More...
Two new studies - one human and one rat - show that active BPA and its inactive metabolite freely cross the placenta from a pregnant mother to the fetus.
Even more important are the chemical transformations that occur in the fetus: the active form of BPA remains active while the inactive form can be converted to the active form. Together, these studies provide evidence that prebirth exposures occur in people and may pose a bigger risk to the developing fetus than previously thought. 7 June 2010. More...
PBDEs -- chemicals widely used to prevent fires in household products like furniture and electronics -- may contribute to fertility problems by lengthening the time it takes for a woman to get pregnant, according to a study of low-income, mostly Mexican-American women living in California.
The study is one of the first to examine if PBDEs can affect human fertility. Animal studies show that PBDEs can alter behavior, delay the onset of puberty and impact sex hormones and thyroid hormones. These, in turn, may influence ovulation, menstrual cycle regularity and fertility. 3 June 2010. More...
Newborn mice fed genistein-enriched soy formula during the first five days of life developed abnormalities of the ovary, uterus and thymus gland that were estrogen related and persisted into adulthood.
As adults, the mice had fewer reproductive cycles in a month than the untreated mice. The findings show that eating genistein right after birth causes short and long-term changes and raises concerns for health effects on human infants fed soy-based formula during their early months. 2 June 2010. More...
Chemists have made progress in finding environmentally friendly ways to capture and reuse carbon dioxide. New advances have been made in the ability to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and incorporate it into new raw materials – including benign alternatives to BPA-based plastics.
Researchers report they were able to form polycarbonates that do not contain bisphenol A. 1 June 2010. More...
A family of common environmental contaminants, PCBs, can damage and break the important protein links between cells that line the intestine and form a protective barrier into the body.
The breaks allow the chemicals to move through the outer buffer cells and "leak" into surrounding tissues where they may cause the systemic toxic health effects associated with the compounds. 19 May 2010. More...
A mixture of two common substances often found in food – bisphenol A and the soy phytoestrogen genistein – caused more serious developmental problems in rat embryos than would be expected from either one alone.
While BPA and genistein each inhibited some aspects of the embryos' growth, the combined exposures caused more severe problems. Together, they caused malformations and defects in the rats' central nervous system, including the brain. 14 May 2010. More...
A study with rats finds that exposure to low doses of BPA during development changes some of the proteins expressed by the mammary gland - including those that control cell proliferation and death - before and during puberty in ways consistent with cancer formation.
This is the first time the chemical has been shown to influence key cell development through the proteins that guide these later-life processes. 13 May 2010. More...
A new way of concocting a promising "green" plastic called polycaprolactone (PCL) makes it clearer and more biodegradable – critical features for alternatives to PVC plastic or other conventional packaging materials.
In the past, PCL has been blended with PVC to make it useful in industrial applications. This new approach eliminates the need for PVC. 12 May 2010. More...
In a new study, people who adopted a vegetarian diet for just five days show reduced levels of antibiotics and phthalates in their bodies.
The pilot study suggests that people may be able reduce their exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals through dietary choices, such as limiting consumption of animal products like meats and dairy. 11 May 2010. More...
A new study finds associations between exposure to bisphenol A and blood levels of thyroid and reproductive hormones.
Researchers found that men with higher urine BPA concentrations had higher blood levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and lower levels of inhibin B. Elevated FSH and depressed inhibin B have been associated with poorer sperm quality in humans. 5 May 2010. More...
Two new studies show remarkably high levels of PBDE flame retardants in the bodies of California children.
PBDE body burden levels in two separate populations of California children were 10 to 1,000 times higher than European children, 2 to 10 times higher than other U.S. children and adults, and approached levels measured in occupationally-exposed adults. 3 May 2010. More...
A new study has found an association between children’s potential for developing disruptive behavior disorders and exposure before birth to the types of phthalates found in fragrances, shampoos, lotions and cosmetics.
The pregnant women who had higher levels of these chemicals in their urine during their third trimester of pregnancy were more likely to have a child who scored below average on behavior and executive functioning tests at 4-9 years of age. The test scores are known to be correlated with clinical diagnoses of behavior or conduct problems and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders. 29 April 2010. More...
Despite having phased out the use of organochlorine pesticides in the 1990’s, the chemicals continue to be detected in sewage sludge in Australia.
As in many countries, the sewage sludge - the solid part of processed sewage - is often recycled and used to fertilize crops. This suggests the banned pesticides are still present in agricultural areas of Australia. 23 April 2010. More...
A study of children born near a PCB-contaminated harbor in Massachusetts finds that prenatal exposure to banned persistent organic pollutants - specifically PCBs and DDE - may be linked to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The results are consistent with previous human and animal studies that have found links between PCB levels and ADHD-like behaviors, such as inattention and impulsivity. This may be the first time the behaviors are associated with DDE exposure. 20 April 2010. More...
Memory and anxiety behavior were affected in mice that were exposed to low levels of bisphenol A as youngsters, adding more concrete evidence that early life exposure to the synthetic estrogen can alter brain function.
The results support a growing body of research that suggests exposure to BPA early in life alters brain development and affects behaviors in a number of ways. It also adds more evidence to concerns about exposure of humans to BPA during fetal development and infancy. 15 April 2010. More...
Scientists have figured out how bisphenol A (BPA) alters an important gene that guides how the uterus develops in people and rodents. Rather than causing mutations, the chemical affects the gene's on/off markers - what is called an epigenetic change.
BPA-exposed female mice had 25 percent higher activity from the Hoxa10 gene in their reproductive tract than the unexposed mice. The changes remained even after exposure stopped, suggesting they are permanent. 14 April 2010. More...
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