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Endocrine disruptors
An endocrine disruptor is a substance or mixture of chemicals that alter functions of the endocrine system and causes adverse health effects in an intact organism, or its progeny. Endocrine disruptors may mimic the biological activity of a hormone, usually,...
Developmental neurotoxicity (DNT)
Some toxins, such as pesticides, affect the nervous system, and there is thought to be a link between exposure to them and increases in learning and developmental disabilities such as autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and other chronic...
More on environmental toxins
Exposure to tobacco smoke and other forms of air pollution in pregnancy is associated with a wide range of behavioral, neurological, and physical difficulties in babies including stillbirth, placental disruption, prematurity, lower mean birth weight, congenital...
Are the dangers of environmental toxins well established?
Very few chemicals, minerals, and metals have been thoroughly tested for their impact on human health. Almost all testing that has been done has focused on individual chemicals, so there is very little understanding of how chemicals might act in various...
Environmental toxins and how they are regulated
Until 2016, toxic substances in the U.S. were regulated by the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which left the burden of proving that chemicals are dangerous almost entirely up to the government. Industry confidentiality privileges built into the TSCA...
More on air pollution
It is not unusual for outdoor air pollution to come indoors by way of open windows, doors, and ventilation. Indoor air pollution involves exposures to particulates, carbon oxides, and other pollutants carried by indoor air or dust. Examples include gases (e.g., carbon...