following prenatal exposure.3,4 However, a study published in this issue of EHP found not only no association between prenatal phthalate exposures and increased body fat in children, but also that high exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) was associated with lower body fat. Phthalates are used in many consumer products, including toys, food packaging, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. Th...

Human exposure to phthalates is ubiquitous due to widespread commercial use. Although the compounds are reported to be rap­ idly metabolized, concentrations in the body appear to remain fairly stable due to ongoing exposure. The United States and Europe have banned some phthalates from consumer products primarily on the basis of reproductive toxicity data. However, not all phthalates are regula...

Rhizobium sp. LMB-1, newly isolated from greenhouse soil, can effectively degrade phthalate. Here, we present a 5.2-Mb assembly of this Rhizobium sp. genome for the first time. It may provide abundant molecular information for the transformation of phthalates.

Abstract Phthalates are pollutants ubiquitous in the environment. Human exposure to phthalates and their endocrine disrupting effects have been widely studied. Therefore, European Union forbids toys, cosmetic kitchenware manufacturing. However, phthalate metabolites can still be found human biological matrices. The purpose of this study is investigate over time a group Italian healthy newborns....

Reviewers HCWH thanks the following individuals for reviewing an earlier draft of this report. Their comments and suggestions were invaluable and substantially improved the manuscript. We are grateful for their contribution. Their review, however, does not constitute endorsement of the report or its conclusions. Two additional reviewers chose to remain anonymous. A g g r e g a t e E x p o s u r...

BACKGROUND Phthalates comprise a large class of chemicals used in a variety of consumer products. Several have anti-androgenic properties, and in rodents prenatal exposure has been associated with reduced anogenital distance (AGD)-the distance from the anus to the genitals in male offspring. Few human studies have been conducted, but associations between the anti-androgenic phthalates and male ...

Air and seawater samples were taken simultaneously to investigate the distribution and air-sea gas exchange of phthalates in the Arctic onboard the German Research Ship FS Polarstern. Samples were collected on expeditions ARK XX1&2 from the North Sea to the high Arctic (60 degrees N-85 degrees N) in the summer of 2004. The concentration of sigma6 phthalates (dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl ph...

Components used in plastics, such as phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) and tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), are detected in humans. In addition to their utility in plastics, an inadvertent characteristic of these chemicals is the ability to alter the endocrine system. Phthalates function as anti-androgens while the main action attributed to BPA is oestrogen-like...

OBJECTIVES Although phthalates like dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) are commonly used as plasticizers and their metabolites are especially suspected of reproductive toxicity, little is known about occupational exposure to those phthalates. The aim of this study was to assess the utility of measuring the metabolite concentrations of DBP and DEHP in serum and urine sa...

Purpose Prenatal exposure to environmental chemicals is a growing concern, because such exposures have been shown to be associated with various diseases. The levels of chemicals and heavy metals in maternal blood, cord blood, maternal urine and amniotic fluid in Japanese pregnant women were investigated. Methods A total of 145 women, including 14 fetal growth restriction cases, were included ...