Blogs

Society of Toxicology (SOT) members suggest new standardized process to be incorporated when conducting benchmark dose modeling, while others talk about the effect of drugs in our water and the potential harm from temporary tattoos. In the science world at large, there was news on the dangers of pool chemicals, chemical exposure from hookah use, and a few different pieces on nanomaterial exposures.

SOT Member Research
In a new Environmental Health Perspectives paper, SOT members propose a standardized process for conducting benchmark dose modeling in efforts to reduce inconsistencies previously experienced with the model. Jessica A. Wignall, Andrew J. Shapiro, Fred A. Wright, Ivan Rusyn, Tracey J. Woodruff, and Kathryn Z. Guyton evaluated 880 dose-response data sets for 352 environmental chemicals with existing human health assessments. Their results indicated that benchmark dose modeling can be standardized for health assessments.

SOT Members in the News
PBS’ NOVA Next blog recently looked into the presence of pharmaceutical drugs in the US water system. Joanna Wilson and her research are featured throughout the piece, which delves into the toxicological implications of drugs in our water systems, how they get there, how nanomedicines might alter the equation, and more.

The US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) is warning consumers to monitor their reaction to temporary tattoos, according to LiveScience.com. Katherine Hollinger is quoted warning people to be cautious of the inks being used and to immediately report any reaction to the US FDA.

Science News

• New JRC tool helps to identify chemicals useful for the development and validation of alternative methods (European Commission Joint Research Centre)
• Endocrine Disruptors: Atypical Toxicity Curves Present Challenges for Risk Assessment (Chemical & Engineering News)
• Vitamin E is Bad? Canola, Soybean and Corn Oils Linked to Asthma (Science 2.0)
• Worker Illness After Nanomaterial Exposure Examined in First US Case Study on Issue (Bloomberg BNA)
• Pool Chemical-Associated Health Events in Public and Residential Settings — United States, 2003–2012, and Minnesota, 2013 (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Abbott Grows Branded Generics with $3.3B CFR Acquisition (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News)
• AstraZeneca rejects Pfizer's final £69bn takeover bid (The Guardian UK)
• Hookah use tied to exposure to cancer-causing compounds (Reuters)
• FDA Dangles Golden Ticket to Spur Drugs for Neglected Diseases (NPR)
• Manmade or natural, tasty or toxic, they're all chemicals … (The Guardian UK)
• National Longitudinal Study of the Neurodevelopmental Consequences of Substance Use (National Institute on Drug Abuse)
• FDA to Retain Current Small Numbers of Animals for Minor Use in Major Species (US Food and Drug Administration)
• Making better medicines with a handful of chemical building blocks (Phys.org)
• Minnesota Bans Anti-Bacterial Chemical from Soaps (Associated Press)
• Aligning Chemical Classification, Labeling is Goal of EU Delegates in Transatlantic Talks (Bloomberg BNA)
• Researchers Slam Transparency 'U-Turn' at E.U. Medicines Agency (ScienceInsider)
• Drug-Target Database Lets Researchers Match Old Drugs to New Uses (University of Colorado Cancer Center)
• Sweden to sue EU for delay on hormone disrupting chemicals (Agence France-Presse)
• Time may not reduce brain effects of solvent exposure (Reuters)
• Nanoparticle exposure in animals can be visualized in the skin and analysed via skin biopsy (Nature Communications)
• FEDERAL REGISTER: Proposed substances to be evaluated for Set 28 toxicological profiles

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