Generations at risk : reproductive health and the environment / Ted Schettler [and others].

Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, [1999], ©1999.

xviii, 417 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Includes bibliographic references (p. [337]-396) and index

Understanding and using the science: reproductive physiology and toxicology. Reproductive and developmental physiology ; hormones, hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal system, the ovaries, the testes, normal fetal development, how toxicants can affect reproduction and development, principles of abnormal development -- Role of science in public health decisions ; the scientific method and the issue of proof, animal toxicology, epidemiology, quantitative risk assessment, reexamining scientific tools. Reproductive and developmental effects of selected substances and human exposures. Metals ; lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, manganese -- Organic solvents ; reproductive and developmental effects in humans, solvent profiles -- Pesticides ; active ingredients and "inerts", pesticides fate and transport, exposure to pesticides, reproductive and developmental toxicity of pesticides, pesticide profiles -- Endocrine disruptors ; mechanisms of action, health effects of endocrine disruptors, endocrine disruptor profiles -- Human exposures to reproductive toxicants ; data sources relevant to human exposure, data relevant to human exposure to reproductive toxicants, relevance of exposure information. Guide to investigating environmental threats to reproduction. Regulation of hazardous chemicals and your right to know ; regulatory responsibility, informed consent and the right-to-know, twentieth-century seminal events relating to toxic chemicals -- Taking action: how to assess reproductive threats at home, in the community, and in the workplace ; common routes of exposure, source of information, home survey to assess threats, community assessment, workplace assessment, consulting a physician, conclusion -- Primer for the clinician ; occupational and environmental history, how to obtain more information, follow-up -- Reflections and recommendations ; science: fragmentation and political influence, soundness of science, right to know, integrated public health approach, redefining goals.