Chemicals

"Environmental officials in Maine and a dozen other states issued a statement Wednesday saying federal laws to protect the public from toxic chemicals are too weak and states instead are leading the way."

"Changes in tap water chemistry can liberate lead from household plumbing pipes and the mineral scale that coats them, resulting in water that is contaminated only after it leaves the treatment plant."

"Despite months of additional study and a self-imposed timetable, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration likely will not release its ruling Monday on the safety of bisphenol A, a chemical used in thousands of household products that has been linked to developmental and behavioral problems."

"No kid should ever play in arsenic. Especially at school. Yet many probably do, according to findings of a study presented today."

"Elevated levels of two plastic-softening chemicals in pregnant women's urine are linked to less-masculine play behavior by their sons several years later, according to a study published last week in the International Journal of Andrology."

NIEHS Director Linda Birnbaum says she is concerned that as U.S. manufacturers shift away from toxic chemicals in consumer goods to alternative chemicals, "we kind of jump from the proverbial fry pan into the fire."

"No one would choose to eat polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs -- yet we unwittingly do. And a new study finds that the cost of their pervasive contamination of our food supply can be high blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease."

"Children's toys carrying the Barbie and Disney logos have turned up with high levels of lead in them, according to a California-based advocacy group -- a finding that may give consumers pause as they shop for the holiday season."

A new study suggests that even women who try hard to avoid worrisome chemicals may fail to keep them out of their bodies. Environmental exposure seems to be the culprit. And once the chemicals are in the blood of pregnant women, their fetuses may be exposed, too.