national toxicology program

Common industrial chemical now linked to male infertility

A chemical widely used in industry and present in ground water supplies, has now been found in the semen fluid of infertile men, reports a Queen’s University research scientist. Dr. Poh-Gek Forkert’s study of male mechanics who use trichloroethylene (TCE) in the workplace shows the presence of TCE in their seminal fluid. The team’s findings are reported in the March issue of the international journal, Drug Metabolism and Disposition.

U.S. Carcinogens Report Lists Estrogen Therapy, Ultraviolet, Wood Dust

The federal government today published its biennial Report on Carcinogens, adding steroidal estrogens used in estrogen replacement therapy and oral contraceptives to its official list of “known” human carcinogens. This and 15 other new listings bring the total of substances in the report, “known” or “reasonably anticipated” to pose a cancer risk, to 228. Among the other new additions: wood dust and ultraviolet light.