I was testing phthalates for estrogenic activity. Phthalates are chemicals that are used to make plastics more supple. If the chemical is estrogenic the cells will multiply. Estrogen is a female growth hormone. If these chemicals are estrogenic there is concern that human and wildlife exposure may lead to breast cancer, birth defects, or sterility.
Foreign chemicals mimicking hormones is a recent observation in science.
It is the field of endocrine disruption which has come into being with in the last twenty years. I present how the field of endocrine disruption developed my own research, and a new theory of carcinogenesis that Ana and Carlos have recently published in a book A Society of Cells. The Toxics Action Center is an organization that helps community environmental activists plan their grassroots campaigns. A very new subject of concern is cellular phone towers and the low level radiation they emit. I look at what the concerns are and how the activists fighting cellular towers found out about the adverse effects.