A newly published study has found what appears to be an association between blood levels of certain PFC's (perfluorinated chemicals)  and fertility. The higher a woman's blood levels of the PFC's in early pregnancy, the more likely it was that she had taken longer to become pregnant.

American researchers have found that bisphenol A – a chemical used in the manufacture of various consumer products, including polycarbonate food and drink containers and metal food and beverage can linings – inhibits the release of a hormone that protects humans from metabolic syndrome.

According a report published by the U.S. Centre for Public Integrity, in the ten years to 2007, there was a 300 percent increase in reported human health problems related to the use of pyrethrin and pyrethroid pesticides.  This finding is based on an analysis of adverse reaction reports filed with the EPA by pesticide manufacturers and appears to be associated with the growing popularity of these chemicals.

An interim report released by the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found high levels of formaldehyde in the indoor air of trailers (caravans) and mobile homes supplied as emergency housing to people displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in December 2007 and January 2008. Processed wood products used in the construction of fittings in the trailers/homes were found to be responsible for the observed formaldehyde levels.

A new report by the US-based Centre for Health, Environment and Justice states that new PVC shower curtains may contain toxic chemicals including volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), phthalates and metals. More than 100 of these chemicals were found to be released from the curtains into the air inside homes where they contributed to indoor air pollution. Some VOC’s were still being detected in the air 28 days after one curtain was unwrapped and hung.

A report in the New York Times has described how some New York and New Jersey residents fear that lead, which is an ingredient in the green pigments used to colour some artificial grasses, may cause adverse health effects in children who play on these synthetic surfaces.

For some time, building biologists have been concerned about the possible adverse health effects of bisphenol A, a chemical found in polycarbonate plastic (recycle code #7) that is used to make products such as baby’s bottles and the lining of infant formula cans. This fear may be well founded, as a draft report released by the U.S. National Institute of Health’s National Toxicology Program has concluded that foetuses, babies and children may be at risk from this chemical.

The U.S. based Environmental Working Group (EWG) has called for a safety review of oxybenzone, an ingredient commonly found in sunscreens and other personal care products including moisturizers, lip balms and lipsticks.

Researchers, who have studied the concentrations of phthalate metabolites in babies’ urine, have found that infant exposure to baby lotion, powder, and shampoo was significantly associated with increased urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites.

U.S. researchers have found that the more exposure people have to formaldehyde, the higher their risk of getting Lou Gehrig’s Disease, a condition involving the gradual death of nerve cells which control muscle movement.