Common flame retardants affect the brains of mouse foetuses Animals that were given low doses of dioxin over a long period of time suffered spontaneous abortions and changes in the immune defence. Environmental pollutants in Baltic fish seem to reduce the ability of smokers to become pregnant. These are just some of the around 500 reports in a scientific symposium on environmental pollutants, Dioxin '98 that is held in Stockholm August 17-21.

The full title of the meeting is Halogenated Environmental Organic Pollutants, Dioxin'98. It is opened by Swedish Environment Minister and arranged by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Stockholm University, Karolinska Institutet, and the National Chemicals Inspectorate. Dioxins are only one of the groups of chemical substances that will be discussed during the symposium. It will mainly focus on other environmental organic pollutants with potential effects in humans and in wildlife and fish. Two special sessions will cover endocrine disrupting substances.

Here is a small day by day selection of interesting reports:

Risk Assessment And Management

Risk Assessment And Management - Ulf G. Ahlborg Memorial Session
Monday afternoon (2-5:20 pm)
Low doses over a long period - harmful for e.g. sexual development

During recent years, several scientists have reported harmful effects on the immune system, learning capacity and sexual development in various animal species which have been exposed to low doses of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds. Levels are often comparable to those which humans are exposed to. Here is a presentation of several of these studies, which try to imitate real-life exposure of low doses over a long period. Various monkeys have been studied, for example rhesus monkeys which were fed low doses of dioxins in their diet over a long period of time and suffered spontaneous abortion, learning difficulties and changes to the immune system.

Sensitive Non-Carci
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Contact: Niklas Johansson
niklas.johansson@environ.se
+46-86981000
Swedish Environmental Protection Agency
17-Aug-1998

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