Chemicals Health Monitor

Working for the Health & Environment Alliance

Monica Guarinoni — 2012-10-25T09:40:00Z

Internships

HEAL offers two paid six-month internships a year. These normally specialise in Policy or Communications and focus on a variety of environment and health issues, such as chemicals, climate change, pesticides and air quality. Interns are generally given a project that will require a level of research and advocacy – helping them develop key skills, networks and interests for their next step on the career ladder.

Although HEAL is not currently recruiting Internship positions at this moment, please refer to this page if you are interested in one in the future.

To apply please send us your CV and motivation letter to jobs@env-health.org and including 'Internship' in the subject line.

European Academy of Andrology focuses on Endocrine Disruptors

Monica Guarinoni — 2012-07-10T10:30:01Z

The European Academy of Andrology has recently published a special issue on endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in the International Journal of Andrology. This special issue exclusively focuses on the impact of man-made environmental factors on human reproductive health of men and women. The majority of the papers derived from the presentations at the 6th Copenhagen Workshop on EDs in April 2011. At that 4 day workshop, more than 200 international leading scientists from endocrinology, basic science, toxicology, reproductive biology, immunology, chemistry, environmental health, and epidemiology, came together to discuss the most recent scientific research on endocrine disruption. Some of the papers published in this issue provide an impression of the scientific discussions that took place at this meeting and edited comments from the audience are included.

Access the special issue on the “Impact of Endocrine Disrupters on Reproductive Health” here.

“Hazardous chemicals can be substituted”

Monica Guarinoni — 2012-07-10T10:28:15Z

The Danish Ecological Council, an environmental public interest group, has published a second version of their landmark 2006 booklet “Hazardous chemicals can be substituted”. The benefits of hazardous chemicals substitution for both companies and public health are presented. The publication describes the experiences of a range of companies (14 Danish, 5 foreign) that have successfully undertaken substitution processes. These exemplify and reinforce the feasibility and benefits of such actions in a highly competitive market.

Access the full publication here.

“A Public Interest Guide to Toxic Flame Retardant Chemicals”

Monica Guarinoni — 2012-07-10T10:27:43Z

The International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) Guide intends to raise awareness about the risks that flame retardants, used in a variety of consumer and professional products, pose to humans and the environment. It provides a succinct introduction to the science and politics behind the existence and continued widespread use of this group of chemicals. Moreover it presents insights on how the science and the issues were misrepresented. The Guide aims to stimulate action to reform how chemicals are produced, used, and substituted.

IPEN is a global network of more than 700 public interest non-governmental organisations working together for the elimination of persistent organic pollutants, on an expedited yet socially equitable basis.

Access the full guide here.

BPA exposure associated with brain tumor

Monica Guarinoni — 2012-07-10T10:26:21Z

Chinese researchers published a one year case-study where they measured the levels of BPA in urine of hundreds of patients. After analyzing the data, the researchers found a positive association between higher concentrations of BPA and the occurrence of meningioma, a common brain tumor. The positive association held even after accounting for other meningioma risk factors. Estrogen is known as a risk factor for the development of meningioma and this study supports the idea of synthetic estrogen-like chemicals such as BPA being involved in the cases where tumors are diagnosed. Although there were several limitations to the study, the researchers suggested that clinicians and patients should be aware of the risk of those products that contain BPA.

Access the article here.

Scientific colloquium on low dose response in toxicology and risk assessment

Monica Guarinoni — 2012-07-10T10:25:49Z

An increasing number of studies, particularly on endocrine disrupting chemicals have recently supported the idea of adverse effects at ‘low doses'. Even though the issues are still debated, the cumulating findings point the way towards the need for a change in how toxicological data is interpreted and risk assessment procedures are performed. In mid June, an international group of 100 experts were brought together for the European Food Safety Authority's 17th Scientific Colloquium to discuss the scientific evidence and implications of the “low-dose hypothesis” for the future of public health and the environment. The outcome of the colloquium will be summarised in a report to be published in the autumn.

Access the speakers' full presentations, list of participants, programme and briefing notes here.

EU Food Safety Authority calls for data on Bisphenol A

Monica Guarinoni — 2012-07-10T10:25:16Z

Although BPA is authorised in the European Union in food and beverage contact materials, the controversy around the scientific data on harmful effects of Bisphenol A continues to provoke regular re-assessments of its risk to human health. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is calling for Member State governments, research institutions, academia, food and packaging business operators, and other stakeholders to submit data on BPA through an open call until 31 July 2012.
[Access the (...) - News / Homepage headlines, Bulletin 2012 Summer extra

Low-dose effects conference to consult with international leading experts

Monica Guarinoni — 2012-07-10T10:24:44Z

A major international workshop, “Low Dose Effects and Non-Monotonic Dose Responses for Endocrine Active Chemicals: Science to Practice”, will be held in September in Berlin. The workshop seeks to establish whether the current observations on low doses and non monotonic effects suffice to change how chemicals are tested for endocrine disrupting properties and the implications for human health risks. The discussions will pertain directly to the issues brought up at the EU EDCs conference in June in Brussels. Toxicologists, environmental health scientists, regulatory agencies and risk assessors are encouraged to attend.

Access the workshop webpage, and registration form here.

Consensus statement on origins of disease

Monica Guarinoni — 2012-07-10T10:24:10Z

The consensus statement from a recent conference on environmental and nutritional stressors in the developmental origins of disease is now open for signatures from scientists.

“Developmental origins of non-communicable disease: Implications for research and public” was recently published as an outcome of the conference, “PPTOX III, Environmental stressors in the developmental origins of disease: Evidence and Mechanisms”, held in Paris in May 2012.

The paper highlights that because early development (in utero and during the first few years after birth) is particularly sensitive to disruption by exposures to chemicals in the environment and by imbalanced nutrition, with potentially adverse consequences for health later in life, both research and disease prevention strategies should focus more on these vulnerable life stages. Read the statement here.

This paper has been co-signed by 78 international scientists so far (see the current list here), and is now open for further signatures from scientists, who can sign by sending their name, affiliation, and country to pptox3@gmail.com.

Statement of Principles from the Endocrine Society

Monica Guarinoni — 2012-07-10T10:18:25Z

An ongoing debate on how to define endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has been at the centre of scientific and regulatory discussions. A concise and clear definition is essential for decision-makers to ensure correct identification, reliable risk assessment and thereby effective regulation to protect public health and the environment. In this sense, the Endocrine Society has recently issued the “Statement of Principles on endocrine-disrupting chemicals and public health protection” that will be published in September 2012 in the Endocrinology Journal. The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest, largest and most active organisation devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology.

In this statement, EDCs are defined as “an exogenous chemical, or mixture of chemicals, that interferes with any aspect of hormone action”. Additionally, the statement provides a list of recommendations and principles to improve the ability to identify them.

Access the article here.