Pesticides & male hormones - Company pays government to challenge pesticide research

February 15, 2011

New tests reveal many pesticides block male hormones.

By Marla Cone Environmental Health News 15 February 2011

Thirty out of 37 pesticides tested by the University of London blocked

male hormones, including 16 that had no known hormonal activity until

now. Most are fungicides applied to fruit and vegetable crops, including

strawberries and lettuce. " This study indicates that, not surprisingly,

there are many other endocrine disruptors that we have not yet

identified or know very little about, " said Barrett, a University

of Rochester scientist who was not involved in the study.

" Our results indicate that systematic testing for anti-androgenic

activity of currently used pesticides is urgently required, " wrote the

scientists from University of London's Centre for Toxicology, led by

Professor s Kortenkamp.

Thirty out of 37 widely used pesticides tested by the group */blocked or

mimicked/* male hormones. Sixteen of the 30 had no known hormonal

activity until now, while there was some previous evidence for the other

14, according to the study, published online last Thursday in the

scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

- - - -

* Company pays government to challenge pesticide research.

In an unusual scenario that raises questions of conflict of

interest, a company that conducts research on behalf of the

pesticide industry has paid a U.S. government agency to help prove

some controversial chemicals are safe, specifically to refute that

two agricultural chemicals, maneb and paraquat, raise the risk of

Parkinson's.

~Investigative Reporting Workshop

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