| Summary: | Abstract
There is increasingly evidence that human exposure to levels of chemicals once thought
to be safe -- or presenting insignificant risk -- are, in fact, harmful. So-called low-level
exposures are now known to be associated with adverse biological effects including
cancer, endocrine disruption, and chemical sensitivity. This requires that we change
both (1) the way we design research linking chemicals and health, and (2) the solutions
we devise to address chemically-caused injury. The new and emerging science of lowlevel
exposure to chemicals requires appropriate social policy responses which include
regulation of toxic substances, notification of those exposed, and compensation and
reasonable accommodation to those affected. Research and social policy needs to be
focused towards two distinct groups: (1) those individuals who could become chemically
intolerant as a result of an initiating exposure and (2) those individuals who have
already become chemically intolerant and are now sensitive to chemicals at low levels.
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