Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Won't Totally Ban Phthalates Used In Fast-Food Packaging
The Hill: FDA Sparks Anger With Decision On ‘Phthalates’ — A Chemical In Fast-Food Packaging
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Thursday that it will not impose a total ban on a set of dangerous chemicals commonly found in fast-food packaging, angering scientists and environmental groups who have long pressed for their removal. The decision came in response to three separate petitions requesting that the FDA limit the use of compounds called phthalates, which are known to disrupt hormone function and have been linked to birth defects, infertility, learning disabilities and neurological disorders. (Udasin, 5/19)
In related news about puberty —
The New York Times: Puberty Starts Earlier Than It Used To. No One Knows Why
Marcia Herman-Giddens first realized something was changing in young girls in the late 1980s, while she was serving as the director for the child abuse team at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. During evaluations of girls who had been abused, Dr. Herman-Giddens noticed that many of them had started developing breasts at ages as young as 6 or 7.“ That did not seem right,” said Dr. Herman-Giddens, who is now an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. She wondered whether girls with early breast development were more likely to be sexually abused, but she could not find any data keeping track of puberty onset in girls in the United States. So she decided to collect it herself. (Ghorayshi, 5/19)
In case you missed it —
The Hill: Colorado Legislature Passes Bill Banning ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Products
Coloradans would no longer be able to sell or distribute a long list of products that contain so-called forever chemicals under a bill approved by the state’s legislature this week. The bill, which would restrict some products as early as Jan. 1, 2024, passed both chambers with bipartisan support and is now headed to Gov. Jared Polis’s (D) desk. (Udasin, 5/12)
The Hill: Hormone-Disrupting ‘Forever Chemicals,’ Phthalates May Impair Bone Health In Teen Males: Study
Exposure to two classes of endocrine-disrupting compounds — “forever chemicals” and phthalates — may be associated with poor bone health in male teens, a new study has found. Some of these disrupters, which interfere with the way the body’s hormones work, could be responsible for reducing bone mineral density in adolescent boys, according to the study in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. (Udasin, 5/3)
The Guardian: ‘Forever Chemicals’ Found In Nearly 60% Of Children’s ‘Waterproof’ Or ‘Stain-Resistant’ Textiles
Nearly 60% of children’s textiles labeled “waterproof”, “stain-resistant”, or “environmentally friendly” that were tested as part of a new study contained toxic PFAS substances known as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment. Among products checked were clothing, pillow protectors, bedding and furniture. (Perkins, 5/7)
Salon: "Forever Chemicals" In Non-Stick Pans Are In Your Body Right Now — And May Be Affecting Your Liver
There are more than 4,700 types of chemicals in the world known as PFAS. Based solely on their tongue-twister of a name — the full spelling is "per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances" — you might think that they are rare. Yet PFAS can be found absolutely everywhere: Your non-stick cookware, your fast food wrappers, your paper packages, your furniture and carpets and rugs. Teflon is perhaps the most famous of the PFAS chemicals, but if it was the only prevalent one out there, the chances are that we would not live in a world where 99 percent of Americans have PFAS in their blood. (This is consistent with studies finding that other industrial chemicals, such as plastics, are also in our bodies.) (Rozsa, 5/8)
