Endocrine Disrupter meeting in Italy?

[jchristensen@igc.apc.org (Jackie Hunt Christensen)]

he following appeared on the Environmental News Network on the WWW on
Friday.  I have been unable to find any coverage of it here in the U.S. Has
anyone seen anything about it in the U.S. media?

"SCIENTISTS CITE MAJOR DANGER FOR DIOXINS, PCBs

An international group of scientists and physicians Thursday warned that
certain man-made chemicals such as dioxin and PCBs can cause physical and
behavioral abnormalities in humans and wildlife and said government
officials must work to stem the problem. The experts, members of the Work
Session on Environmental Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, issued a statement
on threats posed by dioxin, PCBs and other synthetic chemicals found in
some plastics, pesticides and other products prevalent in the environment
and in the bodies of people and wildlife.  In a statement written during a
week-long meeting in Italy, the scientists said the chemicals that mimc
human and animal hormones "can undermine neurological and behavioral
development and subsequent potential of individuals exposed in the womb,"
or, for various wildlife forms, exposed in the egg.  The scientists said
there may be no safe threshold for these chemicals, which may persist in
the body far longer than natural hormones because they are not readily
metabolized, or they may become more dangerous as they move up the food
chain.  They also said they suspected dioxin and some PCBs contribute to
learning disabilities by disrupting thyroid function, and the social and
economic costs of the chemicals should include losses from IQ reduction
across the population."

REUTERS
[reprinted without permission]

Jackie Hunt Christensen
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
1313 5th St. SE #303
Minneapolis, MN 55414
phone: 612-379-5980; fax: 612-379-5982
e-mail: <jchristensen@igc.apc.org>