During recent decades, millions of tonnes of man-made chemicals have been produced and released into the environment, with very little safety testing. Many of these chemical substances have been found to interfere with the endocrine system and modulate its function. This book not only overviews the effects of endocrine/disrupting substances on human health, but also addresses the regulatory problems from the point of view of international organisations, including the WHO, the EU, and the European Chlorine Industry. This volume contains the proceedings of a workshop held at the International Hippocrates Foundation on Kos Island, Greece, in September 1999. The workshop was part of the activities of the ASPIS project, which aims at raising awareness of environmental health impacts among multidisciplinary groups. The contributions to this volume are the result of the interaction of participants at the workshop. As such, it addresses the issue of endocrine disrupters from many different points of view and allows the subject to be approached by a multidisciplinary readership, including: decision makers, medical doctors, environmental experts, post/and undergraduate students, lawyers, engineers, and journalists.

Part of the bestselling What Your Doctor May Not Tell You series, an informative, detailed guide to breast cancer, including treatment and prevention. Each year, over 40,000 women in the U.S. die from breast cancer. With statistics rising, conventional methods of treatment are simply not working, and in some cases may even be harmful. Now, Drs. Lee and Zava explain the potentially life-saving facts, such as: likely sources for the increase in breast cancer, including environment, excessive estrogen, progesterone imbalance, diet, and the dangers associated with traditional hormone replacement methods. Readers will learn strategies for lowering their risk and preventing this devastating disease through a revolutionary hormone balance program.

To many, the contents of this conference may not seem appropriate at a time when the minds are preoccupied with a "population explosion." To the participants and guests of this conference, however, this was a week of fascinating discussions. While quantitative aspects of reproduc tion were touched upon, it was mostly a search for an understanding of the qualitative aspects of reproduction and its failure. Only when we understand these more completely will it be possible to render optimum care and have the foundations for meaningful population control. The conference was conceived in discussions at the Committee on Pathology of the National Academy of Sciences, W"ashington, in 1965. It was felt that investigators in medicine and the veterinary fields would profit greatly from a closer liaison. All too frequently, we work relatively isolated in our respective fields and, with the burgeoning information filling our journals, we have not enough time and leisure to stand back and attempt a comparative look at the subject of study. Often we are not familiar with the techniques other disciplines use, and which we could well employ to great advantage. ,,yhile this applies to many aspects of medicine, a comparative approach to the study of reproductive failure seemed most advantageous at this time.

Molecular Aspects of Placental and Fetal Membrane Autacoids critically reviews current paradigms and working models concerning the regulation and function of placental and fetal membrane autacoids. These topics include cytokines; growth factors, such as EGF, TGF, IGF, PDGF, and the products of the prolactin-growth hormone gene family; eicosanoids and eicosanoid-forming enzymes; relaxin, imhibin, PTHRP, LHRH, endothelin, steroid-synthesizing enzymes and steroid receptors; and acetylcholine. The book is an excellent contemporary reference for researchers and students in reproductive biology, endocrinology, perinatology, and obstetrics.