Sheela Sathyanarayana, a University of Washington pediatrician who studies effects of environmental chemicals on male development, said the new study provides strong evidence that the testing should be expanded to more chemicals.
“There are many chemicals that may possess endocrine disrupting properties and the only way to know is to screen,” she said.
“I definitely think all pesticides need endocrine disruption screening or a strong justification for not doing so. I’m sure most scientists would agree,” she said.
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Add CommentThis headline is kind of dated, but always a good reminder of the consequences of human carelessness. This is nothing new and has been reported time and time again in cancer research publications among other places. The genesis and consequences of problems like those described here has been described in great detail. One good example is the excellent work done by Tyrone Hayes of UC-Berkeley, who has reported majorly distorted sex organs and poorly developed body structures of frogs exposed to the herbicide atrazine at low ppb levels. He and his collaborators have demonstrated elevated aromatase activity leading to the conversion of testosterone to estrogen and demonstrated the same mechanism in mammalian cells. In frogs, the effects ranged from cancers to hermaphoditic offspring, which is pretty scary for humans with similar enzyme activity.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis is a problem that can be solved by crop dusting.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLocate all the offices and homes of the executives who produce these chemicals. Apply generous amounts to those areas and the problem should clear itself up in about a generation or two.
Based on this study and an interview with a University of California expert that was published a few months ago, it appears that consumers are not being adequately protected from potentially harmful chemicals. Common sense dictates that a chemical should undergo stringent analysis for toxicity BEFORE it is permitted to enter the market (and reach the consumer). The onus to demonstrate that a chemical is safe should fall on the chemical producer. But rather than assume this responsibility, the chemical producer prematurely releases its product and arrogantly exclaims, Catch me if you can!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhy are we ignoring common sense? Why are we putting profit before people's well-being?
To learn more about this troubling topic, I intend to read the book Doubt Is Their Product: How Industry's Assault on Science Threatens Your Health by David Michaels.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisBy the way, here is the link to that Ask the Experts interview.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=are-everyday-consumer-products-making-people-sick
The results of the male hormone disruption is obviously with Global effects. Boys and young men male maturity is retarded and the evidence is in their universal adolescent behavior. The open willingness to engage in interactive games that involve their genitals is normal adolescent behavior. However, for this to persist well into their late twenties and considered normal heterosexual behavior is a deficient awaking and simply discarding it as a cultural generation thing is beyond consideration. Their emotions are heighten to the point that normal functions to engage in reality is so overwhelming the resulting is stagnation.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe one insecticide (fenitrothion) and the four fungicides identified as endocrine disruptors in this report are not the whole story. Some herbicides also disrupt male endocrines. And the common element of all of these is that these chemicals are the profitable products of chemical companies. And these companies pay huge amounts of money to "buy" Congressmen and lobby the legislative process. The EPA now is trying manfully to get a hold of this biologically disastrous situation, but they have limited resources, and the chemical companies are always coming up with more endocrine disruptors. It is money which speaks these days, and it speaks determinately. We are heading to the point when we will have our Egyptian moment. The direction is obvious; the timing is not.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf the pesticide companies think this stuff is harmless then they should be eager to test each chemical and prove it harmless. If they are reluctant then they clearly should not be allowed to do business in the USA.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnother consideration is that new high tech agro techniques are cutting down a lot on usage of pesticides and herbicides. This is a trend driven by agro producers because it saves a lot of money. I don't know if that applies to fungicides or not but I am hopeful that targeted application will help reduce exposure to many of these chemicals.