National Academies advisory: genes and toxic chemicals

October 05, 2007

Research is increasingly revealing how toxic chemicals disrupt gene activity and other cell processes in ways that lead to health problems -- and why some individuals are particularly vulnerable. For example, studies suggest that genetic variations make some people more likely to experience side effects from certain medications, such as some cancer treatments and blood thinners.

How can this type of research -- known as toxicogenomic research-- best be applied to protect public health, and that of individuals? APPLICATIONS OF TOXICOGENOMIC TECHNOLOGIES TO PREDICTIVE TOXICOLOGY AND RISK ASSESSMENT, a new report from the National Research Council, examines future applications and benefits of this research, and recommends ways government agencies and others can move the field forward. It also explores the ethical and social issues raised by toxicogenomic methods -- such as how to protect the privacy of individuals' genetic information.

The National Academies

---

---

	Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products and What's at Stake for American Power by Mark Schapiro (Author) Winner of the 2008 NAUTILUS SILVER AWARD in the category of Ecology/Environment/Sustainability and Conscious Media/JournalismFrom tainted pet food to toxic toys, Americans can thank the successful lobbying efforts of the U.S. chemical industry for the secret ingredients in everyday products that have been linked to rising rates of infertility, endocrine system disruptions, neurological disorders, and cancer.While the U.S. Congress stalls in the face of these dangers, the European Union has chosen to act. Strict consumer-safety regulations have forced multinationals to manufacture safer products for European consumers, while lower U.S. standards allow them to continue selling unsafe products to Americans. Schapiro's exposé shows that short of strong government action, the United States...
	The Cosmetic Chemicals Guide Toxic chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products is a growing concern among parents and medical practitioners. Most commercial products contain a variety of toxic chemicals that have both short and long-term health risks. The Cosmetic Chemicals Guide provides an overview of the most common chemicals found in everyday products and helps consumers identify them when reading product labels. Most bath, baby and personal care products contain ingredients that are linked to health conditions like eczema, hormonal disruption and cancer. Consumers try to shop for safe products but reading labels is confusing and some harmful ingredients may not even appear on the product labels. This book is designed to help...
	A Few Good Men, Too Many Chemicals - Toxic Exposure of U.S. Marines, Murder, and Government Cover-up by Tim King and Robert O'Dowd Written by two former MCAS El Toro Marines, Tim King, photo/journalist and war correspondent, and Bob O’Dowd, Salem-News investigative reporter, A Few Good Men, Too Many Chemicals is a thrilling and informative nonfiction account of contamination at two Marine Corps installations, Marine Corps Air Station El Toro on the West Coast (CA) and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune on the East Coast (NC). A Few Good Men, Too Many Chemicals stands with the best works of New Journalism and Creative Nonfiction, including the works of Norman Mailer (The Executioner’s Song) and Truman Capote (In Cold Blood). A Few Good Men, Too Many Chemicals tells the story of the thousands of veterans and their families, once stationed at these hazardous military installations, who have...
	Toxic Terror: Assessing Terrorist Use of Chemical and Biological Weapons (BCSIA Studies in International Security) by Jonathan B. Tucker (Author) Policymakers, scholars, and the news media have been alarmed by the potential for chemical and biological weapons (CBW) terrorism, and the U.S. Congress has allocated billions of dollars for counterterrorism and "consequence management" programs. Driving these concerns are the global spread of scientific knowledge and technology relevant to CBW terrorism and the vulnerability of civilian populations to chemical and biological attacks.Notably lacking from the analysis, however, has been a careful assessment of the terrorists themselves. What types of terrorist groups or individuals are both capable of acquiring chemical and biological weapons and motivated to use...
	Evolution in a Toxic World: How Life Responds to Chemical Threats by Dr. Emily Monosson PhD (Author) With BPA in baby bottles, mercury in fish, and lead in computer monitors, the world has become a toxic place. But as Emily Monosson demonstrates in her groundbreaking new book, it has always been toxic. When oxygen first developed in Earth's atmosphere, it threatened the very existence of life: now we literally can't live without it. According to Monosson, examining how life adapted to such early threats can teach us a great deal about today's (and tomorrow's) most dangerous contaminants. While the study of evolution has advanced many other sciences, from conservation biology to medicine, the field of toxicology has yet to embrace this critical approach. In Evolution in a Toxic World, Monosson seeks to change that. She traces the development of life's defense systems—the...
	Laying Waste: The Poisoning of America by Toxic Chemicals by Michael Harold Brown (Author)
	Smart Mama's Green Guide: Simple Steps to Reduce Your Child's Toxic Chemical Exposure by Jennifer Taggart (Author) Parents often feel overwhelmed and defenseless against a never-ending recall list of toys and baby products. Deciphering unpronounceable chemicals they encounter every day can be daunting if not impossible. With environmental exposures being closely linked to 70 percent of birth defects, new parents faced with the overwhelming responsibility for their babies' health frequently turn to organic products. But they quickly find they don't have the time to practice a completely green or natural lifestyle. THE SMART MAMA'S GREEN GUIDE delivers the information busy parents want and the tools to make informed, individual choices without the demand to go all-out green. Packed with practical tips on eliminating or reducing the hidden dangers of toxic chemicals that lurk everywhere, this...
	The Dirty Dozen: Toxic Chemicals and the Earth's Future by Bruce E. Johansen (Author) Forty years after the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, this important study examines the history, industrial uses, and harmful effects of the twelve most commonly used organochloride chemicals. All have been fully or partially banned by the Stockholm Protocol, an international treaty signed by about 120 countries in December 2000. Among the twelve are the dioxins (the active ingredient in Agent Orange) and polychlorinated byphenyls (PCBs), which are toxic in minute quantities. Johansen pays special attention to the Inuit of the Arctic, where these chemicals have been bio-accumulating to dangerous levels, moving up the food chain to a degree of toxicity that some Inuit mothers are no longer able to safely breast-feed their infants.The polar stratospheric ozone has been...
	Trespass Against Us: Dow Chemical and the Toxic Century by Jack Doyle (Author) From its “accident” at Bhopal by its Union Carbide company to Agent Orange, from Napalm to Plutonium, Dow Chemical has been at the center of many of the worst chemical disasters in history. In this explosive exposé of the chemical giant, Jack Doyle reviews the legacy and the future of this gigantic chemical octopus.A comprehensive overview of the company’s dirty deeds from dioxin to Greenwashing, Doyle provides an indispensable history with a grave warning for what’s up next.The second book in the Environ-mental Health Fund Series.
	Biological Degradation and Bioremediation of Toxic Chemicals by G. Rasul Chaudhry (Author) Environmental biotechnology involves the use of microbial processes to restore balance to a damaged ecosystem, and current research is reflected in these papers.