BPA levels in fetal livers higher than adult exposures.

Widespread exposure to the endocrine active compound, bisphenol A (BPA), is well documented in humans. A growing body of literature suggests adverse health outcomes associated with varying ranges of exposure to BPA.BPA levels in fetal livers higher than adult exposures.

Apr 18, 2013  Nahar, MS, L Chunyang, K Kannan, DC Dolinoy. 2012. Fetal liver bisphenol A concentrations and biotransformation gene expression reveal variable exposure and altered capacity for metabolism in humans. Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1002/jbt.21459.

Nahar, MS, L Chunyang, K Kannan, DC Dolinoy. 2012. Fetal liver bisphenol A concentrations and biotransformation gene expression reveal variable exposure and altered capacity for metabolism in humans. Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1002/jbt.21459.

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Protection of public health from endocrine disruptors”- European Parliament vote on EDCs conveys urgency of protecting health-

European Parliament vote on EDCs conveys urgency of protecting health

Brussels, 13 March 2013 – The European Parliament vote adopting MEP Asa Westlund’s report on the protection of public health from endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) today reflects the serious concern and the strong desire to see comprehensive and multifaceted EU policy action, says the Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) (1).

The Parliament’s report: “Calls on the Commission to revise its EU Strategy on endocrine disruptors so that it delivers effective protection of human health by placing greater emphasis on the precautionary principle … to work towards reducing human exposure to endocrine disruptors where necessary.” (Para 18)

http://www.env-health.org/resources/press-releases/article/european-parliament-vote-on-edcs

Lisette van Vliet, Senior Policy Adviser, Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL),  Email: lisette@env-health.org. Asa Westlund is rapporteur for the EP’s own initiative report on the “Protection of public health from endocrine disruptors”. Report on the protection of public health from endocrine disrupters (2012/2066(INI)) prior to the Plenary vote: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+REPORT+A7-2013-0027+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN

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UCLA researchers uncover further proof of a link between Pesticides and Fungicide Exposure and Parkinson’s Disease Onset

Pesticides and Parkinson’s: UCLA researchers uncover further proof of a link. Study suggests potential new target in fight against debilitating disease By Mark Wheeler January 03, 2013

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/pesticides-and-parkinson-s-more-242364.aspx

For several years, neurologists at UCLA have been building a case that a link exists between pesticides and Parkinson’s disease. To date, paraquat, maneb and ziram — common chemicals sprayed in California’s Central Valley and elsewhere — have been tied to increases in the disease, not only among farmworkers but in individuals who simply lived or worked near fields and likely inhaled drifting particles

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Low Dose Toxicity and Disease -“Advancing Science, Improving Health: A Plan for Environmental Health Research,”

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Strategic Plan is called, “Advancing Science, Improving Health: A Plan for Environmental Health Research,”
The  NIH is moving beyond the antiquated idea that the dose makes the poison is overly simplistic.  The newest research clearly shows that biology is affected by low doses of chemicals, often within the range of general population exposure, and that these biological changes can be harmful, especially during periods of development. Therefore, low-dose research goes  hand in hand with the life-span exposure approach.The entire environmental health science community was engaged in this effort. Here is the link to the NIH Strategic Plan. http://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/strategicplan

As Linda S. Birnbaum *  Director, NIEHS and NTP, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, writes : “The NIH  focus is  on the study of environmental exposures themselves. This approach recognizes that environmentally related health and disease are the result of the totality of a person’s environmental exposures, from all sources and routes, across the life span. This totality of exposure is what is described as the exposome, a concept that has become increasingly salient in the field of environmental health sciences.”  She also states that  the “NIH is moving beyond the traditional approaches of testing one chemical at a time and are taking on the significant challenge of evaluating mixtures and also is looking at the effects of exposures throughout the life span, expanding research and testing to include prenatal exposures and how they may link to adult disease.” It  is clear that there are multiple windows of susceptibility and that exposures early in life may have long-lasting consequences to both health and disease.

The  NIH is moving beyond the antiquated idea that the dose makes the poison is overly simplistic.  The newest research clearly shows that biology is affected by low doses of chemicals, often within the range of general population exposure, and that these biological changes can be harmful, especially during periods of development. Therefore, low-dose research goes  hand in hand with the life-span exposure approach.

* Linda S. Birnbaum, is director of the NIEHS and the NTP, oversees a budget that funds multidisciplinary biomedical research programs and prevention and intervention efforts that encompass training, education, technology transfer, and community outreach. She recently received an honorary Doctor of Science from the University of Rochester, the distinguished alumna award from the University of Illinois, and was elected to the Institute of Medicine. She is the author of > 900 peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, abstracts, and reports. Birnbaum received her M.S. and Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Illinois, Urbana. A board-certified toxicologist, she has served as a federal scientist for > 32 years, 19 with the U.S. EPA Office of Research and Development, preceded by 10 years at the NIEHS as a senior staff fellow, a principal investigator, a research microbiologist, and a group leader for the institute’s Chemical Disposition Group.

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Effect of Aspartame on Oxidative Stress and Monoamine Neurotransmitter Levels in Lipopolysaccharide-Treated Mice

Abridged : Neurotoxicity ResearchNeurodegeneration, Neuroregeneration, Neurotrophic Action, and Neuroprotection© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 201110.1007/s12640-011-9264-9Omar M. E. Abdel-Salam¹  , Neveen A. Salem¹ and Jihan Seid Hussein²(1)Department of Toxicology and Narcotics, National Research Centre, Tahrir St., Dokki, Cairo, Egypt (2)Department of Medical Biochemistry, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt

The dipeptide aspartame (1-methyl N-L-alpha-aspartyl-Lphenylalanine) is a low-calorie sweetener that is widely used in human foods and beverages. The present study provides the evidence that the dietary sweetener aspartame increases oxidative stress in the brain of mice. In summary, findings in the present study suggest that in LPS-treated mice, aspartame significantly increases the levels of lipid peroxidation and nitrite in brain. In addition, aspartame itself impairs cellular antioxidant status because of the decreased brain levels of GSH, and glucose. Thus, aspartame increases oxidative stress in brain which could have important implications in view of the fact that oxidative stress is implicated in various brain pathologies and that the agent is one of the most widely used artificial sweeteners in human foods and drinks. Evidence is accumulating with regard to supporting an important role for oxidative stress and increased inflammatory response in the pathogenesis of several brain diseases and neurodegenerative disorders.

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Detoxification- “Green” household cleaning chemicals — inexpensive, non-toxic alternatives

Detoxification — clear and cleanse your body by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP and Dixie Mills, MD http://www.womentowomen.com/detoxification/default.aspx

http://www.womentowomen.com/detoxification/endocrinedisruptors.aspx

Our bodies are under enormous detoxification demands from all sides, and it can seem frustrating when we try to address them. And nowhere do our decisions seem more important than in our own homes! On the one hand, we’re advised to keep our kitchens clean and disinfected for fear of food-borne pathogens — but on the other, the cleaning solutions we’re offered in the supermarket are full of toxins. The good news is that you can have inexpensive, non-toxic cleaners for your household if you’re willing to do a little “home chemistry” using some simple ingredients. We’ve collected a bunch of useful tips on how to do this for our readers who are looking for ways to keep a clean house without polluting their environment or emptying their wallets.

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Endocrine disruptors — tipping the hormonal scales by Dixie Mills MD

By Dixie Mills, MD http://www.womentowomen.com/detoxification/endocrinedisruptors-page2.aspx#disruptors

What are endocrine disruptors? An endocrine disruptor is a synthetic compound that mimics a natural hormone when it is absorbed by the body. It can turn on, turn off, or change normal signals. It can have the effect of altering normal hormone levels, triggering excessive action, or completely blocking a natural response. Any other bodily function controlled by hormones can also be affected. By Dixie Mills,M.D.

http://www.womentowomen.com/detoxification/endocrinedisruptors-page3.aspx#common

By Dixie Mills, MD http://www.womentowomen.com/detoxification/endocrinedisruptors-page2.aspx#disruptors

Recent studies of small groups of diverse volunteers (men and women) in Europe, the US and Canada showed that everyone, including the chief of a remote indigenous tribe in Northern Québec, had one characteristic in common: without their knowing, their bodies had absorbed a complex chemical cocktail of dozens of different synthetic substances.

So how did these chemicals get there? Very simply, as the accumulated by-product of a modern life, of breathing industrial emissions, eating treated food, and using endless consumer products — plastic microwave bags, fast-food containers, nail polish, computer casings, to name just a few. None of these volunteers were living near a toxic dump or exhibiting any unusual behavior or disease.

Of all the manmade toxins in our environment, we now realize that the most ubiquitous (the ones used to create plastics, pesticides, cleansers, dyes, flame retardants and white paper, among other products) may be the most worrisome. We identify these as endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDC’s), as they have been shown to mimic the action of hormones when absorbed by humans and wildlife.

These compounds interfere with the essential inner workings of our cells. Measuring how dangerous they are has been difficult not only because they interact in complex ways and at tiny concentrations, but also because literally every species has had some exposure — often in utero. Despite the fact that these chemicals are a relatively recent invention — over the past 60 years or so — endocrine disruptors are omnipresent and there appear to be no uncorrupted, or “normal” subjects for us to monitor as a control group. 

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Girls exposed to household chemical menstruate earlier, CDC study finds.

By Lindsey Konkel Environmental Health News August 31, 2012

Girls exposed to high levels of a common household chemical had their first period seven months earlier than girls with lower exposures, according to new research by federal scientists. “This study adds to the growing body of scientific research that exposure to environmental chemicals may be associated with early puberty,” said lead author Danielle Buttke of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Age of menarche – when a girl has her first period – has fallen over the past century, from an average of 16-17 years to 12-13 years. Evidence points to chemicals in consumer products that can mimic estrogen. The CDC study is the first to link dichlorobenzene and the age of girls’ first period. Dichlorobenzene, a solvent, is used in some mothballs and solid blocks of toilet bowl deodorizers and air fresheners. It is found in the bodies of nearly all people tested in the U.S.

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Big Chem, Big Harm. Low dose chemical exposure as endocrine disruptors in children

Big Chem, Big Harm?  by Nicolas Kristof NY Times
NEW research is demonstrating that some common chemicals all around us may be even more harmful than previously thought. It seems that they may damage us in ways that are transmitted generation after generation, imperiling not only us but also our descendants. Following the script of Big Tobacco a  generation ago, Big Chem has, so far, blocked any serious regulation of these endocrine disruptors, so called because they play havoc with hormones in the body’s endocrine system.

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Endocrine Disruptors and Asthma-Associated Chemicals in Consumer Products

Published in Environmental Health Perspectives, July 2012 Research by : Robin E. Dodson¹, Marcia Nishioka², Laurel J. Standley^1,3, Laura J. Perovich¹, Julia Green Brody¹, Ruthann A. Rudel¹  1 Silent Spring Institute, Newton, Massachusetts, USA, 2 Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio, USA, 3 Clear Current LLC, Belmont, California, USA

Endocrine Disruptors and Asthma-Associated Chemicals in Consumer Products

Chemicals contained in consumer products are ubiquitous in human tissues, sometimes at high concentrations [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 2009] and in household air and dust (Rudel and Perovich 2009; Rudel et al. 2003, 2010; Weschler 2009). Studies of pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in homes provide some information about sources, exposure pathways, and exposure reduction options (Dodson et al. 2008; Lorber 2008; Rudel et al. 2008; Zota et al. 2008). However, for many common commercial chemicals, limited information is available about how specific consumer products contribute to exposure. In particular, little information is available about exposures from personal care and cleaning products.

Published in Environmental Health Perspectives, July 2012 Research by : Robin E. Dodson¹, Marcia Nishioka², Laurel J. Standley^1,3, Laura J. Perovich¹, Julia Green Brody¹, Ruthann A. Rudel¹  1 Silent Spring Institute, Newton, Massachusetts, USA, 2 Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, Ohio, USA, 3 Clear Current LLC, Belmont, California, USA

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