A pilot study associating urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites and semen quality. (Syst Biol Reprod Med. 2008) “Results suggest that ambient phthalate metabolite concentrations may adversely affect human semen quality.”

Air Pollution Causing Widespread And Serious Impacts To Ecosystems In Eastern United States

Dietary exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in The Netherlands anno 2004. (Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2008)

Fragrances May Emit Potential Toxins “Fragranced laundry products and air fresheners emit dozens of different chemicals, including some regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal law, according to a new study. Yet none of the potentially toxic chemicals is listed on the product labels, according to researcher Anne C. Steinemann, PhD, a professor of civil and environmental engineering and public affairs at the University of Washington, Seattle. She says consumers should be given more information about such products. … "I didn't find a brand that didn't emit at least one toxic chemical," says Steinemann, who analyzed six different products. But her research drew protests from representatives of the industry that markets fragranced products; industry spokespeople say the products are safe when used as directed and that the chemicals are present in amounts not known to cause problems.”

Granite Countertops A Health Threat? “ If you have granite countertops in your home, you might consider testing them for the amounts of radon gas they give off, experts say, due to the potential that those amounts are above levels considered safe. But marble manufacturers say flat-out that, "Radiation in granite is not dangerous." “

Home radon may have tie to childhood leukemia “Children who live in homes with high radon levels may be at increased risk for acute lymphoblastic leukemia during childhood, but not other childhood cancers, research from Denmark suggests. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of infection-fighting white blood cells. Outside of fetal exposure to X-rays and genetic conditions, the causes or risk factors associated with childhood ALL are poorly understood. Higher rates of childhood cancer, and particularly leukemia, have been observed in geographic regions with higher levels of radon -- a natural radioactive gas that emanates from soils and can concentrate inside houses.”

Irish people exposed to higher level of radiation “Radon, which is the second biggest cause of lung cancer in Ireland after smoking, accounts for more than 56 per cent of radiation exposure in general and 95 per cent of radiation exposure in the workplace. This naturally-occurring radioactive gas can become trapped in pockets under buildings and seep inside through cracks in the foundations.”

Penguins Setting Off Sirens Over Health Of World's Oceans “Oil pollution, depletion of fisheries and rampant coastline development that threatens breeding habitat for many penguin species, along with Earth's warming climate, are leading to rapid population declines among penguins, said Dee Boersma, a University of Washington biology professor and an authority on the flightless birds.”

Pesticides May Be Responsible For Reproductive Abnormalities “Internally, the more agricultural the sites, the more feminized the males' reproductive organs. Many had both ovaries and testes. Not only that, both the impacted males and the intersex frogs had less of the male hormone testosterone than normal males, suggesting diminished reproductive capabilities, Guillette said. Guillette and McCoy said the study's results may have important implications not only for other wild species, but also for people. "What we are finding in Bufo marinus might also occur in other animals, including other amphibian species and humans," McCoy said. "In fact, reproductive abnormalities are increasing in humans and these increases could partially be due to exposure to pesticides." “

Pesticides Persist In Ground Water

Toxic causes of mental illness are overlooked. (Neurotoxicology. 2008)