Winner of the Will Solimene Award of Excellence in Medical Communication from the American Medical Writers Association

Generations at Risk presents compelling evidence that human exposure to some toxic chemicals can have lifelong and even intergenerational effects on human reproduction and development. The result of a collaboration involving public health professionals, physicians, environmental educators, and policy advocates, this book examines how scientific, social, economic, and political systems may fail to protect us from environmental and occupational toxicants. It is an important sourcebook for those concerned about their own health and that of their loved ones, as well as for medical and public health workers, community activists, policymakers, and industrial decision makers.

Humans and ecosystems in the United States are subject to potential exposure to more than 75,000 synthetic chemicals, most of which are poorly tested or untested for human health effects. The authors focus on classes of chemicals that people may be exposed to at work, at home, and in their communities. These include toxic metals, organic solvents, pesticides, and endocrine disruptors. In addition to providing scientific information with which to assess the health risks of many chemicals, the book provides a guide to the current regulatory system and resources for action.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [337]-396) and index.

Understanding and using the science: reproductive physiology and toxicology. Reproductive and developmental physiology ; hormones, hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal system, the ovaries, the testes, normal fetal development, how toxicants can affect reproduction and development, principles of abnormal development — Role of science in public health decisions ; the scientific method and the issue of proof, animal toxicology, epidemiology, quantitative risk assessment, reexamining scientific tools. Reproductive and developmental effects of selected substances and human exposures. Metals ; lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, manganese — Organic solvents ; reproductive and developmental effects in humans, solvent profiles — Pesticides ; active ingredients and "inerts", pesticides fate and transport, exposure to pesticides, reproductive and developmental toxicity of pesticides, pesticide profiles — Endocrine disruptors ; mechanisms of action, health effects of endocrine disruptors, endocrine disruptor profiles — Human exposures to reproductive toxicants ; data sources relevant to human exposure, data relevant to human exposure to reproductive toxicants, relevance of exposure information. Guide to investigating environmental threats to reproduction. Regulation of hazardous chemicals and your right to know ; regulatory responsibility, informed consent and the right-to-know, twentieth-century seminal events relating to toxic chemicals — Taking action: how to assess reproductive threats at home, in the community, and in the workplace ; common routes of exposure, source of information, home survey to assess threats, community assessment, workplace assessment, consulting a physician, conclusion — Primer for the clinician ; occupational and environmental history, how to obtain more information, follow-up — Reflections and recommendations ; science: fragmentation and political influence, soundness of science, right to know, integrated public health approach, redefining goals.