45 million chemicals in use on this planet, most unregulated and untested

This is why there a many people who are chemically sensitve and who can find no place to live, there is no acknowledgement of their health issues and there is no protection for them. We are poisoning the planet - who is monitoring people like the american chemical society?

That is WAY too many .

I read recently that in a few short decades we will have destroyed
all but 10% of amazon rain forest. It creates at least 20% of the
oxygen all life on this planet requires for survival.

How sad, and frankly pathetic.

Thanks for posting, Jan. You really are on the front line, fighting for the environment. Keep up the great work.

There is a place in hell for people who turn these chemicals loose on the planet!

http://www.greenfacts.org/en/endocrine-disruptors/endocrine-disruptors.htm

Information on endocrine disruptors.

http://www.wsunews.wsu.edu/pages/publications.asp?Action=Detail&PublicationI...

This is the letter:
_________

Scientists Call for 'Swifter and Sounder' Testing of Chemicals
Friday, Mar. 4, 2011

This letter originally appeared in the March 4, 2011, issue of the journal Science (Vol. 331, issue #6021). It is published with permission of the authors:

The effect of environmental exposures on human health is a growing area of concern. The number of new chemicals is increasing exponentially, with approximately 12,000 new substances added daily to the American Chemical Society's CAS registry (1). Although only a portion of these chemicals are introduced into the environment, data on the hazard posed by even high–production volume (HPV) chemicals (those with a production volume exceeding 1000 tons/year) are available for only a fraction of the HPV chemicals produced or imported into the United States. Currently, the EPA and FDA are charged with safeguarding the health of Americans. This is a daunting task that is hampered by the growing recognition that currently accepted testing paradigms and government review practices are inadequate for chemicals with hormone-like actions.

The need for swifter and sounder testing and review procedures cannot be overstated. Recent scientific evidence has established direct links between exposures that occur during fetal development and adult disease [e.g., (2, 3)]. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have established clearly that most, if not virtually all Americans, are exposed to contaminants in the environment that cause serious health effects in animal models [e.g., (4, 5)]. Direct links to humans remain uncertain, but there is sufficient experimental evidence to raise concern. Furthermore, there is growing evidence that some chemicals once thought to be safe and allowed into common and, in some cases, abundant commercial use may not be as benign as previously assumed (4, 5).

Although chemical testing and risk assessment have long been the domain of toxicologists, it is clear that the development of improved testing guidelines and better methods of assessing risks posed by common chemicals to which all Americans are exposed requires the expertise of a broad range of scientific and clinical disciplines. Collectively, our societies represent approximately 40,000 research scientists and clinicians. The membership of our societies represents leaders in the fields of reproductive biology, endocrinology, reproductive medicine, genetics, and developmental biology. As concerned scientists and clinicians, we are writing to offer the expertise of our collective societies. Specifically, we offer the expertise of the Boards of Directors for our societies for the purpose of naming appropriate individuals to serve on panels to review and evaluate current programs for effectiveness, to assess the risk of specific chemicals through the evaluation of data, and to develop new testing guidelines and protocols.

We recognize that the FDA and EPA face challenges on many fronts, and we believe that the vast expertise available through the members of our societies can aid both agencies in achieving their goals. Thus, we ask that you use our scientific boards to provide access to leading scientists in diverse fields. These experts can help ensure that the most up-to-date scientific methodology and scientific understanding are used when devising and refining regulatory guidelines and when reviewing scientific data pertinent to risk assessment and risk management decisions.

The American Society of Human Genetics
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine
The Endocrine Society
The Genetics Society of America
The Society for Developmental Biology
The Society for Pediatric Urology
The Society for the Study of Reproduction
The Society for Gynecologic Investigation

References:
1. CAS Registry (www.cas.org/expertise/cascontent/registry/regsys.ht ml).
2. M. J. Warner, S. E. Ozanne, Biochem. J. 427, 333 (2010).
3. J. M. Swanson, S. Entringer, C. Buss, P. D. Wadhwa, Semin. Reprod. Med. 27, 391 (2009).
4. T. J. Woodruff, A. R. Zota, J. M. Schwartz, Environ. Health Perspect., 10.1289/ehp.10027272011 (2011).
5. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Fourth national report on human exposure to environmental chemicals” (CDC, Atlanta, GA, 2009); www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/pdf/FourthReport.pdf. Human health. The effects of exposure to chemicals in food, air, water, and other products remains unclear. [image of child eating watermelon]

OMGosh! The corporations may not do us in after all, their chemicals may get us before they do!