EPA director backs tougher regulation of chemicals

JSOnline: "The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, is the first human study examining the association of BPA with behavioral problems. The authors found that 2-year-old girls who were exposed to BPA early in their fetal development showed behaviors more typical of boys, including hyperactivity and aggression.

The American Chemistry Council criticized the study as limited.

'Inherent in the design of this small-scale study is the inability to establish cause-effect relationships,' said Steven Hentges, a director at the council. 'The study can only evaluate parameters measured in the study for statistical associations, which may be neither real nor meaningful.'

At the Washington gathering, Jackson repeated her six principles for toxic chemical reform that she announced last week in San Francisco, which include more aggressive testing before chemicals come on the market and more authority for the EPA to compel chemical-makers to comply with regulations."