In the Spotlight
U.S. EPA Adds Showerheads to WaterSense List—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has added showerheads to the Agency’s WaterSense Program, which was started in 2006 as a voluntary program to label products that are 20% or more water efficient. WaterSense products also tend to perform better than standard models. U.S. EPA estimates that in 2009, consumers saved more than 36 billion gallons of water and $267 million on their water and sewer bills as a result of the U.S. EPA WaterSense program. For more information about this program visit the U.S. EPA Web site.
U.S. FDA Offers Bottled Water Advice—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA) has issued an informational piece entitled, “Bottled Water Everywhere: Keeping It Safe.” The U.S. FDA reports that more than 8 billion gallons of water were consumer by Americans in 2009. The Agency talks about the types of bottled water and provides brief information about tap water and how they ensure quality and safety in bottled water. To see more about bottled water visit the U.S. FDA Web site.
U.S. EPA Issues New Rule to Provide Greater Protection from Lead-Paint Poisoning—Effective July 6, 2010, contractors working or repairing homes built before 1978 will have to follow lead-safe work practice requirements. Contractors must also be certified and training providers must also be certified. The lead-free work practices that contractors must follow include dust control, site clean-up and work area containment. For more information about the new rule visit the U.S EPA Web site.
Institute of Medicine Host Public Workshop on “Assessing the Human Health Effects of the Gulf Oil Spill”—At the request of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Institute of Medicine hosted a public workshop June 22–23, 2010 entitled, “Assessing the Human Health Effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill.” The workshop examined current knowledge about the effects on human health of exposure to oil, weathered oil products and dispersants. Gaps in knowledge were also highlighted and presenters explored methods and strategies for data gathering that will further our understanding of the risks to human health. Presenters also reviewed and assessed ways to monitor the spill’s potential negative effects on health. Several SOT members served as speakers for the workshop, which is available on-line at PROLibraries Web site.
U.S. EPA Issues Report on U.S. Climate Change Indicators—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a report recently that interprets 24 environmental indicators that show how greenhouse gases are changing the climate and impacting the environment around the United States. Some of the key highlights include:
- Between 1993 and 2008, the sea level rose twice as fast as the long-term trend.
- Glaciers are melting and appear to be melting at an accelerated rate over the last decade.
- Some bird species have changed their migration patterns by an average of 35 miles northward in winter.
- Average temperatures are rising. Seven of the past 10 warmest years on record occurred since 1990.
- Six of the ten most active hurricane seasons have occurred since the mid-1990s.
For more information, visit the U.S. EPA Web site.
Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory on the World Wide Web—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) is making the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Chemical Substance Inventory available to the public on the Internet. The inventory includes a consolidated list of thousands of industrial chemicals maintained by EPA and is being made available to the public as part of the Administrator’s commitment to increase information on chemicals. For access to the complete inventory see the U.S. EPA Web site.
U.S. EPA Releases Public Database on Risk Assessments—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) released a Health and Environmental Research Online (HERO) database to give the public greater access to scientific studies that are used in making key regulatory decisions. The database includes peer-reviewed literature that U.S. EPA uses to develop its Integrated Science Assessments (ISA). See view the database, visit the U.S. EPA Web site.
Environmental Health Notice—The National Library of Medicine (NLM) Division of Specialized Information Services has put together a list of resources about Chinese drywall. Information includes resources on health and environmental problems. To see this visit the NLM Web site.
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Meet SOT’s Leaders
SOT is led by a group of full-time board members, called Councilors, who are elected by ballot by the full membership and who manage the affairs of SOT. Learn more about SOT’s leaders.
Calendar of Events
SOT’s Calendar of Events is a comprehensive listing of all the scientific meetings that are happening over the next several months domestically and abroad.
What Toxicologists Say
Several of SOT’s past presidents talked recently about toxicology and their experiences as members of SOT.
View what these Toxicologists had to say.
Toxicology Topics
The following series of articles are written by toxicologists who are members of the Society of Toxicology but do not necessarily represent the views of the Society. SOT has made every effort to provide the public with balanced, informational pieces to share our expert knowledge more broadly.
View the list of topics.
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