http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/ The Active Conscience Of American Medicine en http://wilsonbet15.cabbycentral.com/2009/01/07/sfpsr-steering-committee-member-dr-sarah-janssen-cited-in-article-on-hormonedisrupting-chemicals.html Panel: EPA must consider effects of chemical barrage By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY Chemicals that interfere with the male hormone system are so common — as well as so potentially damaging — that the government should stop studying them one by one as well as consider their combined effect, an expert panel said Thursday. Phthalates as well as other hormone-disrupting chemicals pollute the air, water as well as dust as well as are found in hundreds of consumer products — including bug spray, perfume, pesticides, shower curtains, food containers, as well as plastic toys, according to a report released today from the National Research Council, which advises the government on science policy. Studies from the Centers on behalf of Disease Control as well as Prevention as well as independent scientists have found phthalates in virtually everyone, including pregnant women as well as babies. The Environmental Protection Agency typically studies the impact of these as well as other chemicals individually. But that approach may underestimate the effect of being exposed to numerous different chemicals with similar effects, says the University of Rochester School of Medicine as well as Dentistry’s Deborah Cory-Slechta, chairwoman of the committee that wrote the report. The best way to protect people — especially infants as well as fetuses, whose reproductive systems are still developing — is to measure the cumulative impact of this hormonal barrage, Cory-Slechta says. In fact, she says that the EPA should at all times consider cumulative effects — not just on behalf of hormone disruptors, but on behalf of all potential toxins. That shall permit the EPA to figure out the maximum level to which humans can safely be exposed as well as create regulations to protect Americans from exposures that could be harmful, says Sarah Janssen of the National Resources Defense Council, an environmental group. Janssen says she hopes that other government agencies — such as the Food as well as Drug Administration as well as the Consumer Product Safety Commission — shall also consider the cumulative effect of hormone disruptors in food additives, medical equipment, toys as well as other products. “We’re exposed to a complex soup of chemicals,” Janssen says. “It’s a warning we can’t ignore.” There’s sufficient evidence to start that assessment right away, instead of waiting until additional studies are finished, Cory-Slechta says. Although the report focused primarily on phthalates, Cory-Slechta note that other products, such as pesticides used in food, also lower testosterone levels. Animal as well as human studies link all of these chemicals to a wide spectrum of problems, from reduced sperm counts to genital malformations. Scientists are also studying the chemicals’ link to testicular cancer as well as other problems, the report says. Although an estimated all of the research has been done in animals, there’s no reason to think that the substances wouldn’t affect humans the same way, says report co-author Paul Foster, of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. But the American Chemistry Council, an industry group, says that considering the risks of so numerous chemicals that affect male hormones would be “remarkably ambitious” — as well as maybe impossible. “This essentially could result in a study without limits, financially or otherwise,” says the council’s Chris Bryant in a statement. Lawmakers as well as business around the world already have taken steps to restriction phthalate exposure. The European Union has restricted phthalates in cosmetics as well as children’s toys. A growing number of hospitals are phasing out phthalates in neonatal intensive care units, hoping to protect premature as well as sickly newborn boys. Congress last summer passed a prohibit banning several phthalates in children’s products. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has said that it shall permit stores to continue selling toys made with phthalates, as long as they were manufactured before the law takes effect Feb. 10th.        Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:42:28 -0500 wilsonbet15