Many people may be surprised by the number of chemicals they are exposed to through everyday household products, a small study finds, suggesting, researchers say, that consumers need to learn more about sources of indoor pollution.
In interviews with 25 women who'd had their homes and bodies tested for various environmental pollutants, researchers found that most were surprised and perplexed by the number of chemicals to which they'd been exposed.

The women's homes and urine samples were tested for 89 environmental contaminants -- including pesticides and chemicals found in plastics, cleaning products and cosmetics.

Much is unknown about the possible health effects of the array of chemicals in everyday household products. But certain chemicals -- like phthalates and bisphenol-A, found in plastics -- have been linked to potential risks, including hormonal effects and higher risks of certain cancers, though the evidence mainly comes from research in lab animals.

Other household chemicals are known to irritate the skin, eyes and airways, and may exacerbate asthma, for example. Many more chemicals found in cleaning products, cosmetics and other household staples remain untested.

The term "fragrance" on household-product labels can signal the presence of potentially harmful chemicals. One of the uses of phthalates, for example, is to stabilize fragrances.

DRUG SHIELDS MICE FROM COPD
An experimental drug protected mice exposed to tobacco smoke from developing chronic lung disease, raising hope for a treatment in humans, researchers said last month. They said the chemical CDDO-Im helped activate a master gene called Nrf2 that bolsters the lung's ability to fight off chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, a condition that includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis and some types of serious chronic asthma. Reata Pharmaceuticals is studying a drug in the same class, CDDO-Me, as a potential treatment for cancer under the name RTA-402.

SECOND-HAND SMOKE BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS
Boys with asthma who are exposed to higher levels of tobacco smoke at home are more likely to have behavioral problems, new research shows. "These findings should encourage us to make stronger efforts to prevent childhood exposure to tobacco smoke, especially among higher risk populations, such as children with asthma," Dr. Kimberly Yolton of the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center said in a press release accompanying the study.

FDA DEFENDS INFANT FORMULA
The Food and Drug Administration defended the safety of infant formula sold in the United States last month despite tests that found the chemical melamine in one brand and a related compound in another. The amounts found are far less than levels found in infant formula in China earlier this year and "do not raise public health concerns," said Stephen Sundlof, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. "The domestic supply of infant formula is safe."