Assessment of phthalates/phthalate alternatives in children's toys and childcare articles: Review of the report including conclusions and recommendation of the Chronic Hazard Advisory Panel of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) convened a Chronic Hazard Advisory Panel (CHAP) on Phthalates found in children's toys, and childcare products, and in products used by women of childbearing age. The CHAP conducted a risk assessment on phthalates and phthalate substitutes, and made recommendations to either ban, impose an interim ban, or allow the continued use of phthalates and phthalate substitutes in the above products. After a review of the literature, the evaluation included toxic end points of primary concern, biomonitoring results, extant exposure reconstruction, and epidemiological results.

Protecting subjects without hampering research progress: guidance from the office for human research protections.

The Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) within the US Department of Health and Human Services aims to protect human research subjects without hampering scientific progress. Institutions can foster safe and efficient research by guarding against conflicts of interest, making research subject safety a priority, having a well-staffed institutional review board, and continually training new investigators. The OHRP provides education on its Web site (www.

Workshop proceedings: managing conflict of interest in science. A little consensus and a lot of controversy.

There is no doubt that participants in the Conflict of Interest (COI) Workshop at the Society of Toxicology (SOT) 2005 Annual Meeting (New Orleans, 6-10 March 2005) engaged in a vigorous and useful exchange of diverse ideas and viewpoints. While there was consensus on the value and interest of this Workshop, there was less consensus and more controversy over many of the issues discussed during the Workshop, which included the distinction between bias and conflict, the success or failure of policies of disclosure, whether waivers should or should not be granted to conflicted individuals in order to seat a "balanced" committee with appropriate expertise, whether conflicted individuals retain the ability to recognize their own conflict, and more. The discussion left no doubt, however, that conflict of interest will remain an important and controversial issue in the scientific community for some time to come.

Toxicologic pathology: looking ahead.

The field of toxicologic pathology is being impacted, as are other fields of science and medicine, by rapid transitions to take advantage of new science and technology. The new technology represents great opportunities to advance our understanding of toxicology and pathology to exciting new levels, but it also poses new challenges. We must be seriously engaged in that transition to assure that the outcome reflects the knowledge and discipline that are hallmarks of today's decision-making process in areas of product development and approval.

Toxicology at the Food and Drug Administration: new century, new challenges.

Dr. Schwetz is the Acting Deputy Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He was Director of FDA National Center for Toxicological Research in Jefferson, AR, from 1993 to 1999.

Developmental neurotoxicity of endocrine disrupters: focus on estrogens.

A number of different environmental compounds are proposed to interact with the endocrine system (i.e., endocrine disrupters).