Phthalates: “60 Minutes” Questions Safety
By Priyanka Roy Chowdhury, Gaea News NetworkMonday, May 24, 2010
LOS ANGELES (GaeaTimes.com)- Leaving behind crime investigation for a week, the CBS’s “60 Minutes” on Sunday went on to investigate whether phthalates, that are widely used in plastic products are safe. Like every episode, this one was also made interesting with reports and views of researchers and scientists who are working on this field. While no doubt the “60 Minutes” Sunday episode was able to bring at the forefront the issue of the safety of the usage of phthalates in plastic products, some science research websites have come up with claims that the investigation and reports showed by “60 Minutes” were not based on concrete and proved facts but rather on hypothesis.
The “60 Minutes” claimed that the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA has recently added the name of phthalates to the list of chemicals that might pose a risk to the environment or the human health. The CBS claimed that the addition was done after a preliminary study by researchers found that the phthalates affect the activity of hormones in such a way that might lead to emasculation of man.
CBS claimed that some form of phthalates that are used in kids’ toys were banned by the U.S. Congress last year. The ban was implemented after a study carried out by Dr. Shanna Swan, an epidemiologist at the University of Rochester Medical School found that the phthalates concentration in the urine of pregnant women had direct relation with the health of the boys they gave birth to. However, no such behavioral or physical change was noticed in the girl children. The American Council on Science and Health has went on to criticize the half investigation carried out by CBS on phthalates and said that they have only helped to panic citizens reportedly.
