Title: Regulatory toxicology in your life: What you should know about the products you use.

There are tens of thousands of chemicals on the market in the US. From cleaning products to cosmetics to food packaging, we expect that the chemicals found in our everyday consumer products should be safe. However, there is no absolute requirement for chemical safety testing, and even when safety issues are found, chemicals are rarely banned or restricted. Furthermore, the standard toxicity tests typically used to assess chemical safety focus on severe health effects at high doses with little information generated about more subtle health effects that may occur at lower doses over long periods of time. As a result, we are routinely exposed to chemicals that can harm our immune systems, impact our ability to have children, and increase our risk for cancer. This talk will provide an overview of how our chemical regulatory system works (or doesn’t work) and what you can do to reduce your exposures to risky chemicals.

About the Speaker: Abigail Bline, Silent Spring Institute and Northeastern University

Abigail Bline is a multidisciplinary scientist with expertise in environmental science, toxicology, and developmental biology. Her research focuses on biological mechanisms underlying health effects from PFAS and other environmental toxicant exposures and translating this information into action that promotes public health. She currently works as a postdoctoral research fellow with Silent Spring Institute and Northeastern University. She received her PhD in molecular toxicology from the University of California Los Angeles and her MSc in ecotoxicology from the University of Koblenz-Landau. Prior to completing her graduate studies, Abigail worked as an environmental consultant conducting contaminated site investigations.

Watch a recording of this presentation. 

Back to the Toxicology and Societies home page.