Phthalate risks, phthalate regulation, and public health: a review.

As a result of concerns about the toxicity of phthalates to humans, several expert panels were convened toward the end of the 1990s to evaluate the implications of the scientific evidence for the risks of phthalates to humans of all ages. These panels concluded that the risks were low although they had concerns about specific applications of some phthalates, e.g.

The "low dose" hypothesis: validity and implications for human risk.

In the late 1990s, a "low dose" hypothesis was proposed based on studies that purported to show that hormonally active environmental agents were causing a variety of effects, mainly reproductive and developmental, at "low doses." The supporters of this hypothesis claim that traditional "high-dose" toxicity studies are not adequate to assess adverse effects from these hormonally active agents in that they do not detect effects that are occurring at "low doses." In addition, it is claimed that these "low dose" effects are occurring at levels comparable to those to which humans are being exposed.

Bisphenol A: a scientific evaluation.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is used in the production of high-volume polycarbonate and epoxy resin compounds found in a number of consumer products, including plastic bottles and the linings of canned goods. As a result of such applications, very small amounts of BPA can migrate into food and drink. In light of reports suggesting that low doses of BPA cause estrogenic effects in laboratory animals, concerns were raised about the safety of these consumer products, particularly plastic bottles used for feeding milk to babies.