Common pollutants may harm fetuses

Common environmental pollutants may be harming fetal, infant, and child development by mimicking the action of key hormones. The result may be longterm functional deficits such as learning disorders and reduced intelligence.

The findings of an 18 member international group of scientists that included toxicologists and wildlife endocrinologists were made public in Washington, DC, last week. They followed a workshop on “environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals” that was held last November in Sicily.

Endocrine …