Talc “baby powder” documents at UCSF Library

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UC San Francisco (UCSF) today announced that thousands of previously internal industry documents relating to talc and asbestos are now freely available for public review and research in UCSF’s Industry Documents Library (IDL). The documents were made public through litigation against Johnson & Johnson for failing to warn consumers that its talc products, particularly its … Continue reading Talc “baby powder” documents at UCSF Library

Accelerating chemical hazard assessment for a safer tomorrow

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We are thrilled to announce the launch of the new Center to Advance Toxicology and Chemical Hazard Assessment (CATCHA) to develop and advance new science strategies for chemical hazard identification and risk assessment. Led by Joshua Robinson, PhD, and supported by Tracey Woodruff, PhD, and Jennifer Fung, PhD, the new center will bring together investigators from … Continue reading Accelerating chemical hazard assessment for a safer tomorrow

Tracey J. Woodruff testifies before Congress

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PRHE’s Director, Dr. Tracey Woodruff, testified before Congress on Oct 18, 2023 at a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing and Critical Materials on EPA's efforts to regulate ethylene oxide (EtO). She was one of four witnesses at the hearing; two were CEOs of the country's largest chemical companies and … Continue reading Tracey J. Woodruff testifies before Congress

EPA’s recent TSCA rulemakings fail to protect workers and communities of color

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Over the past four months, EPA issued proposed rulemakings under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that relied on scientific methods that fail to protect susceptible subgroups from harmful toxic chemical exposures. Using methods developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), scientists at PRHE estimated that workers and fenceline community residents — groups that are … Continue reading EPA’s recent TSCA rulemakings fail to protect workers and communities of color

Exposure to PFAS chemicals doubles the odds of a prior cancer diagnosis in women

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A new study shows a clear association between exposure to certain PFAS (per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances) and phenol (including BPA) chemicals and a previous cancer diagnosis in women from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The study was conducted by researchers in NIEHS-funded P30 centers from UC San Francisco (UCSF), University of Southern … Continue reading Exposure to PFAS chemicals doubles the odds of a prior cancer diagnosis in women

Chemicals and Pregnancy Complications: Findings from Nontargeted Analysis

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EDC Strategies Partnership, in partnership with the Collaborative for Health and the Environment (CHE), hosted the following webinar on Thursday, September 14th. Drs. Jessica Trowbridge and Tracey Woodruff from PRHE presented. Chemicals and Pregnancy Complications: Findings from Nontargeted Analysis Toxic chemicals are ubiquitous in the environment. Fewer than one percent of the more than 40,000 … Continue reading Chemicals and Pregnancy Complications: Findings from Nontargeted Analysis

How and why to close the exposure assessment gap

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Quantitative risk assessments underpin most of our federal regulations related to chemicals. Therefore, it is important to understand how and why risk assessments can go astray. Risk assessment brings together concepts of hazard (the potential for a chemical to result in an adverse health outcome, such as carcinogenicity) and exposure. Combining multiple sources of information … Continue reading How and why to close the exposure assessment gap

PFAS and chemicals used in plastics associated with increased risk of poor pregnancy outcomes

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Chemicals used in plastic production and PFAS are widespread in Bay Area pregnant women and are associated with an increased risk of poor pregnancy outcomes including gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and hypertension, according to UCSF researchers. In a new study published in the July 19, 2023, Environmental Health Perspectives, UCSF researchers with the Program on Reproductive … Continue reading PFAS and chemicals used in plastics associated with increased risk of poor pregnancy outcomes