OBJECTIVE To examine the age and sex-specific associations of urine levels of six mono-phthalates with body size and fat distribution in Chinese children at puberty. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four hundred and ninety-three school-aged children (247 boys, 246 girls) were recruited. Obesity related anthropometric indices were measured and body fat proportion (BF%) was calculated. Spot urine samples ...

BACKGROUND Few studies have shown an association between prenatal phthalate exposure and adverse effects on neurodevelopment and behavior in young children. OBJECTIVES We aimed to assess the relationship between prenatal exposure to phthalate esters and behavior syndromes in children at 8 years of age. METHODS A total of 122 mother-child pairs from the general population in central Taiwan w...

Every year in the United States, more than 300,000 infants are admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICU) where they are exposed to a chemical-intensive hospital environment during a developmentally vulnerable period. The neurodevelopmental impact of environmental exposure to phthalates during the NICU stay is unknown. As phthalate exposure during the third trimester developmental window ...

BACKGROUND High-molecular-weight phthalates in indoor dust have been associated with asthma in children, but few studies have evaluated phthalate biomarkers in association with respiratory outcomes. OBJECTIVES We explored the association between urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites and current asthma. METHODS In a cross-sectional analysis, 11 metabolites of 8 phthalates [includin...

Phthalate esters (PEs) are by far the most produced and extensively used synthetic organic chemicals with notable applications in many industrial products such as vinyl upholstery, adhesives, food containers, packaging materials, printing inks, cosmetics, paints, pharmaceuticals munitions, insecticides among other. PEs have long been recognised ubiquitous pollutants of prime environmental conce...

Phthalates are multifunctional chemicals used in a variety of applications, including personal care products. The present study explored the relationship between patterns of personal care product use and urinary levels of several phthalate metabolites. Subjects include 406 men who participated in an ongoing semen quality study at the Massachusetts General Hospital Andrology Laboratory between J...

BACKGROUND Little is known about the possible deleterious effects of phthalate exposure on endogenous sex steroid levels in children. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to investigate whether urinary phthalate metabolite levels are associated with circulating adrenal androgen levels and age at puberty. METHODS This was a longitudinal study of 168 healthy children (84 girls) examined every 6 months...

The possible effect of contrails in modifying the weather is reconsidered in the light of information obtained from ground-level contrails in Alaska. It appears likely that inadvertent cloud seeding b y jet aircraft may be of the same order of magnitude as that attained in commercial cloud seeding operations. Further investigation is needed; but in the meantime, the possibility of contrail cont...