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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
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Thus some of the links, particularly older ones, may no longer be functional.
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For the first time, research shows that nanoparticles called fullerenes are filtered out of water by oysters and taken up by their liver cells.
Fullerenes may cause long-term health problems in oysters and reduced survival and reproduction. 16 November 2009. More...
New experiments with combinations of contaminants shows that mixtures can cause harm even when the level of each chemical in the mixture would cause no effect by itself.
Because people are exposed to hundreds of chemicals at a time--or more--these results indicate that setting safety standards based on the action of individual chemicals will not be sufficient to protect human health. 1 September 2009. More...
A five-generation rat study provides the clearest evidence to date that exposure to low levels of environmental estrogens can increase the risk of abnormal cell growth in the male breast.
Abnormalities which could have the potential to become cancerous developed in the mammary gland tissue of male rats that were exposed to either the soy-based phytoestrogen genistein or ethinyl estradiol -- an estrogen used in birth control pills. 27 May 2009. More...
Researchers report a higher risk of genital anomalies in boys exposed before birth to polybrominated biphenyl flame retardants.
Although no longer used, the effects of exposure to PBBs are of concern due to their similarity to currently used flame retardants, their long half-life and their ability to cross the placenta. The children of mothers who had the highest exposures also had a greater risk for urinary tract or genital problems. 15 May 2009. More...
A genetic trigger in the cell, long studied for its role in responding to some of the most toxic compounds known, appears to have newly discovered important functions in directing development.
The findings show that a receptor long-known to be responsive to dioxins can trigger different genes in the presence of pollutants than it does when no pollutants are around. The results point toward mechanisms that could help explain dioxin's impacts on fetal development. 29 April 2009. More...
A single, modest exposure to caffeine during early development in the womb can alter heart growth and cardiac function later in life, finds this mouse study.
The results suggest even small amounts of caffeine delivered at the wrong time during development may change the heart. Since approximately 60 percent of women say they have consumed coffee during the first month of pregnancy, understanding the consequences of prenatal caffeine exposure is important. 14 April 2009. More...
A study with mice finds that diet can modify the harmful effects of bisphenol A. The findings shed light on perceived inconsistencies in BPA research results.
Differences in diet dramatically altered the risk that mouse oocytes would develop errors in how chromosomes are aligned during cell division after exposure to BPA. When these errors occur in people, they can cause spontaneous miscarriage and severe disabilities. 9 April 2009. More...
Researchers report that very minute quantities of the hormone found in the birth control pill alter sperm development in rainbow trout by changing the number of chromosomes, which can lead to lower survival and long-term health problems in the offspring.
This error is called aneuploidy. For people, aneuploidy is the biggest known cause of spontaneous miscarriage and the number one cause of congenital birth defects. 17 February 2009. More...
Dust in used cars contains high levels of potentially toxic flame retardant chemicals, known as PBDEs, reports a study that measured them in older autos found at US dealerships.
The findings show that car interiors represent another source of exposure to the compounds. Levels of one type of PBDE -- called BDE-209 -- were particularly high. Its levels varied by the vehicle's year, manufacturer and country where it was made. 4 February 2009. More...
Pregnant women exposed to phthalates through hairspray and other sources at work have a greatly increased risk of delivering a son with a common reproductive birth defect known as hypospadias. Taking folate supplements might reduce this risk.
The findings from this British study of almost 1,000 infant boys highlights a new and compelling consequence of phthalate exposure and warrants increased caution in the workplace for pregnant women exposed to these chemicals. Phthalates are chemicals used in a wide variety of products including plastics, detergents and personal care products. 19 January 2009. More...
A common disinfectant used by public water treatment plants creates a byproduct that is highly toxic to mammalian cells. How much is made depends upon details of how the plants process water.
The amount produced can be reduced significantly by simple changes in the treatment process. Despite this, many plants continue to use methods that create more of the toxic chemical than necessary. 18 November 2008. More...
Another phthalate commonly found in the urine of U.S. residents was added to the list of those that are possibly contributing to the subtle feminization of boys.
Scientists report that DiBP (diisobutyl phthalate), used in plastics, varnishes and adhesives and detected commonly in people, causes changes in development of the reproductive tract of male rats when exposed in the womb. 31 October 2008. More...
Research in Denmark indicates that pregnant women exposed to pesticides at work have an increased risk of sons with abnormal reproductive development.
Their sons are more likely to have undescended testicles, smaller testicles and shorter penises. 4 October 2008. More...
In rats, exposure to low doses of the widely used herbicide 2,4-D impairs a mother's care giving to her newborn pups.
The poor maternal care was linked to changes in certain chemicals in the brains of the mothers as well as to decreased blood levels of the important reproductive hormone prolactin. This animal study by researchers in Argentina is one of the few to show that an environmental pollutant can alter the way a mother cares for her offspring. 3 October 2008. More...
A fungicide that blocks androgen hormone actions causes prostate inflammation in adult male rats that were exposed to the chemical before birth.
This is the first study to directly link an environmental contaminant known to disrupt an androgen hormone with prostate inflammation and provides novel insight into human origins of the disease. 20 September 2008. More...
Baby boys exposed to common pollutants during pregnancy are at greater risk of being born with testicular defects.
Boys exposed to the highest mixture levels of PCBs and DDT were three times as likely to be born with undescended testicles. This defect is on the rise in the industrialized world and is related to male infertility. 14 September 2008. More...
Women becoming pregnant in the San Francisco Bay area during the 1960's were a third less likely to give birth to a baby boy if their PCB levels were relatively high.
The new study adds weight to the growing evidence that contamination in the womb can alter the relative proportion of boys and girls that are born. 21 July 2008. More...
Scientists in Florida report that intersex conditions found in amphibians are associated with agricultural land use.
In the most heavily farmed area, almost 40% of male toads have abnormalities that make them less male and more like females. The results suggest that agricultural chemicals may be responsible. 3 July 2008. More...
New research by scientists at the Centers for Disease Control indicates that the analysis the CDC has used to estimate human exposure to atrazine and atrazine-related breakdown products has strongly underestimated its extent.
By assaying for more than one atrazine metabolite, the new method finds exposures more consistent with the widespread use of the herbicide than indicated by the old approach. 27 November 2007. More...
Thirty-eight of the world's leading scientific experts on bisphenol A have warned policymakers of potential adverse health effects of exposure to the widespread molecule used to make plastic and food can lining.
They conclude that average levels in people are above those that cause harm to animals in laboratory experiments. And they calculate that average serum levels in people can only be explained by assuming that exposures today are already above the level that EPA considers safe. 13 August 2007. More...
An international scientific conference has forged a new consensus statement on the importance of fetal exposures for adult health.
Chemical exposures during prenatal and early postnatal life can bring about important effects on gene expression. New research on rodent models shows that developmental exposures to toxic chemicals, such as the hormonally active substances, diethylstilbestrol, tributyl tin, bisphenol A, genistein, can increase the incidence of reproductive abnormalities, metabolic disorders, including obesity and diabetes, and cancer. 25 May 2007. More...
Extensive results from studies of endocrine-disrupting compounds indicate that toxicological testing can no longer assume high dose results predict the effect of low doses.
Because the design of all regulatory testing has been based upon this assumption, it is highly likely to have missed low dose effects and led to health standards that are too weak. 30 April 2007. More...
Experiments with mice show that exposure during pregnancy to very low doses of bisphenol A scrambles the chromosomes of their daughters' fertilized embryos, ie., the pregnant female's grandchildren.
This 3rd-generation effect is possible because the eggs of a female mammal, including human, are formed while the female is still in the womb. Exposure to BPA at comparable levels appears widespread among people in the United States, because of its use in common consumer products, including polycarbonate plastic and food cans. 12 January 2007. More...
Since the late 1980's, testosterone levels have declined on average 1.2% per year in Massachusetts men, or 17% overall.
The pattern is consistent with other long-term trends in male reproductive health, including decreases in sperm count and increases in testicular cancer, hypospadias and cryptorchidism. The study controlled for the normal decline in testosterone levels that takes place as men age, as well as potential confounding variables like smoking and obesity. 7 January 2007. More...
Regular alcohol intake during pregnancy appears to increase the risk of congenital cryptorchidism in boys.
After adjusting for confounders, the odds for cryptorchidism more than tripled in boys born to women who drank at least 5 alcoholic drinks a week during pregnancy. Environmental Health Perspectives. 6 December 2006. More...
Six case-control studies by the same team of Swedish epidemiologists consistently found an increased risk of brain tumors associated with cell phone and cordless phone use.
Odds ratios ranged from 1.3 to 6.1, depending upon tumor type and phone technology, with confidence limits showing statistical significance. No consistent associations were found for salivary gland tumors, B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma or testicular cancer. World Journal of Surgical Oncology. 25 October 2006. More...
A meta-analysis of epidemiological studies of links between Agent Orange and birth defects finds a strong association.
Overall, the relative risk of birth defects increased 95% with Agent Orange exposure. Vietnamese studies showed an increase of 300%. International Journal of Epidemiology. 19 October 2006. More...
Science Byte: In a study of boys in Finland and Denmark, researchers find that cryptorchidism is associated with exposures to a mixture of 8 persistent pesticides.
These results are consistent with animal studies, and indicate that exposure to persistent organochlorine pesticides may adversely affect testicular descent in boys. EHP. 1 March 2006. More...
A study of Finnish and Danish boys with undescended testicles finds decreased levels of the pituitary hormone, FSH, up to 3 months after birth.
Changes in hormone levels were strongest in boys with severe, persistent cryptorchidism, but were also detectable in mild and transient cryptorchidism. This is consistent with a primary testicular disorder and may result in alterations in sperm counts in adulthood. Testosterone levels remained within the normal range. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 1 March 2006. More...
Scientific evidence indicates male species of both wildlife and humans are experiencing abnormal reproductive development.
In human males, abnormal reproductive development is as a suite of symptoms, described collectively as testicular dysgenesis syndrome (TDS). TDS includes cryptorchidism, testicular cancer, reduced semen quality, and hypospadias. Wildlife exposed to environmental contaminants are susceptible to some of the same developmental abnormalities and subsequent symptoms as those seen in human males. International Journal of Andrology 2 February 2006. More...
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