Blogs

SOT members spent this week weighing in on hot topics in the policy arena, such as genetically modified crops, formaldehyde, and triclosan.

SOT Member Research
Clarisse S. Muenyi, Lawrence H. Kennedy, Carrie H. Sutter, and Thomas R. Sutter recently published research looking into the development of the epidermal permeability barrier after in Utero exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). They found that pregnant mice fed TCDD had pups that developed an abnormal epidermal permeability barrier. The complete paper is available from Environmental Health Perspectives.

SOT Members in the News
In early May, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a state-of-the-science workshop on formaldehyde. After the workshop’s completion, the American Chemistry Council conducted Q&As with three session co-chairs—who all happen to be SOT members—on what was discussed during the meeting and the state of formaldehyde research. The interviews with Lorenz Rhomberg, James Collins, and Melvin Andersen are available now on the American Chemistry Matters blog.

The US EPA and US Department of Agriculture are in the final stages of what will likely be an approval for a new generation of genetically modified (GM) soy and corn crops—designed to withstand two versus one herbicide. In an in-depth look at the debate raging around GM products, Wired interviews SOT Past-President James Bus on how toxicological research is helping shed insight into the risks associated with consuming GM foods that are likely to be doused with higher levels of herbicides than current crops.

Bruce D. Hammock and Margaret O. James offer insight into triclosan in a new Chemical & Engineering News feature. They share how the chemical compound was originally developed as a replacement for even more toxic cleaning agents before being found to potentially contain some risks of its own.

Science News

• 50,000 N.H. Wells at Risk of High Arsenic, Negative Health Impacts (New Hampshire Public Radio)
• Air pollution linked to cognitive decline in later years (Reuters)
• Antidepressants in pregnancy pose little heart risk for fetus: study (Reuters)
• AbbVie Strikes Out: Shire Rejects Third Takeover Offer (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News)
• EU advisers warn of “serious” nanosilver knowledge gap (Chemical Watch)
• Nanoparticles from dietary supplement drinks are likely to reach environment, say scientists (American Chemical Society)
• FDA Announces Minor Use/Minor Species (MUMS) Grant Program Request for Applications due August 15, 2014 (US Food and Drug Administration)
• FDA extends public comment period for e-cigarette rules (Fox News)
• Committee targets EPA’s “secret science” (The Hill)
• FDA issues guidance to support the responsible development of nanotechnology products (US Food and Drug Administration)
• European Commission launches logo for online pharmacies to protect patients from falsified medicines (European Medicines Agency)
• White House weakened draft of FDA's proposed tobacco regulations (Reuters)
• Vets may sign up for registry after dust, smoke exposure (USA Today)
• FEDERAL REGISTER: Partial Exemption of Certain Chemical Substances from Reporting Additional Chemical Data
• FEDERAL REGISTER: Request for Information: The National Toxicology Program Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods Requests Data and Information on Devices and/or Technologies Used for Identifying Potential Inhalation Hazards
• FEDERAL REGISTER: Medical Device Data Systems, Medical Image Storage Devices, and Medical Image Communication Devices; Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Availability

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