Biomedicine
Low Chemical Exposure May Speed Male Puberty
A recent, much-publicized study highlighted the adverse
effects that prenatal exposure to chemicals known as phthalates has on
the genital development of male infants. Population Council biomedical
researchers are now studying the effect of prepubertal exposure to these
chemicals on the onset of male puberty. They have found that
exposure to low levels of phthalates can
alter the levels of testosterone (the male sex hormone), increase the
proliferation of cells in the testes, and significantly accelerate the
onset of male puberty. Phthalates are chemicals
used to make plastics—such as those used in food packaging and infant
toys—more flexible. They are also used as stabilizers in many common
cosmetic products, such as nail polish, shampoo, and lotion.
Reference Work
New Population Encyclopedia Offers Thorough Review, Reflects Expanded
Scope of Field
The newly published Encyclopedia of Population provides a
comprehensive appraisal of the field of population studies. This reference
work was badly needed as the last encyclopedia of population was published
more than two decades ago in 1982. “In the 1980s, population issues seemed
to many people to connote little else but rapid population growth and
measures to curtail it,” write the editors Paul Demeny and Geoffrey
McNicoll, in their preface. “Today population growth is one concern among
many.”
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