The Washington Department of Ecology has added 20 chemicals and deleted three others from the list of substances reportable under the state's Children's Safe Products Reporting Rule.
The Danish Chemical Forum, comprising industry, NGOs and the government, has launched a new set of initiatives to ensure consumers "do not bring home" four phthalates that are being phased out in the EU.
The Toy Association in the US says that a rule to ban the use of five phthalates in children's products will necessitate testing which "adds cost for the consumer with no safety benefit".
Hagai Levine doesn’t scare easily. The Hebrew University public health researcher is the former chief epidemiologist for the Israel Defense Forces, which means he’s acquainted with danger and risk in a way most of his academic counterparts aren’t. So when he raises doubts about the future of the human race, it’s worth listening. Together with Shanna Swan, a professor of environmental medicine and public health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Levine authored a major new analysis that tracked male sperm levels over the past few decades, and what he found frightened him. “Reproduction may be the most important function of any species,” says Levine. “Something is very wrong with men.”
If you look at the ingredient label of your favorite shampoo or laundry detergent, you'll likely see the word "fragrance" or "parfum." What you won't see is a list of the chemicals and other ingredients used to manufacture that synthetic scent. Product manufacturers don't have to tell you what's in their fragrances, as those ingredients are considered a trade secret and protected by law.
As late summer temperatures peak, so does customer volume at nail salons. When it comes to spa services, many customers expect luxury at a low price, and nail salon workers and owners must navigate complicated territory. It is an economically booming territory but replete with an often exploited immigrant work force, low wages, dangerous chemicals and difficult patrons. Change, though, is gradually coming as some spas move to healthier practices, and advocates seeking better conditions and wages for salon technicians have emerged.
Harvard researchers are sounding a precautionary warning for women hoping to get pregnant: curling up on your favourite couch might lower your likelihood of having a baby.
Toxicology’s founding father, Paracelsus, is famous for proclaiming that “the dose makes the poison.” This phrase represents a pillar of traditional toxicology: Essentially, chemicals are harmful only at high enough doses.
