The data were presented at the Society of Toxicology meeting in New Orleans 2 weeks ago and in the just-released January March issue of Toxicology and Industrial Health . Paul M.D. Foster and his coworkers at the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology in Research Triangle Park, N.C., have also been exploring the antiandrogenic effects of phthalates. At the toxicology meeting, they reported that developmental defects in males can be triggered by as little as 100 mg of DBP per kg of body weight in the mom. DBP halves testosterone production by the fetal testis, their data show. Foster says that the testis responds by making twice as many cells, a proliferation that resulted in testicular tumors after the animals became adults.
Many commercial chemicals possess antiandrogenic activity.
Linuron's devastating effect had a surprising aspect. Usually, external genital abnormalities hint at disruption of internal organs. His group also showed that exposing young male animals to an antiandrogenic pesticide just before puberty dramatically delays the maturation of their sexual organs. Dialysis patients and people receiving fluids in most plastic intravenous bags get substantial exposure to DEHP, he notes. Many PVC-based teething toys also leach this phthalate.