The NORWEX mission is to improve quality of life by radically reducing the use of chemicals in personal care and cleaning. This blog is made up of helpful information, tips and some amazing facts. Enjoy!



Monday, November 8, 2010

The National Toxicology Program

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) is a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services program that provides information about potentially toxic chemicals. Their reports are available to the public and are used by the Canadian Cancer Society and numerous other agencies.

This program publishes the Report on Carcinogens. The Report on Carcinogens lists all chemicals that are Known to be Human Carcinogens and those that are Reasonably Anticipated to be Human Carcinogens. Detailed information on Known Human Carcinogens is also available.

The need for a program like the NTP arose because of increasing scientific, regulatory, and Congressional concerns about the human health effects of chemical agents in our environment. Many human diseases were thought to be directly or indirectly related to chemical exposures; therefore, it was thought that decreasing or eliminating human exposures to those chemicals would help prevent some human disease and disability. Permanent status was granted to the NTP in October 1981

More than 80,000 chemical are registered for use in the United States. Each year, an estimated 2,000 new ones are introduced for use in such everyday items as foods, personal care products, prescription drugs, household cleaners, and lawn care products. We do not know the effects of many of these chemicals on our health, yet we may be exposed to them while manufacturing, distributing, using, and disposing of them or when they become pollutants in our air, water, or soil. Relatively few chemicals are thought to pose a significant risk to human health. However, safeguarding public health depends on identifying both what the effects of these chemicals are and at what levels of exposure they may become hazardous to humans-that is, understanding their toxicology.

The NTP is an inter-agency program whose mission is to evaluate agents of public health concern by developing and applying tools of modern toxicology and molecular biology. The program maintains an objective, science based approach in dealing with critical issues in toxicology and is committed to using the best science available to prioritize, design, conduct, and interpret its studies. To that end, the NTP is continually evolving to remain at the cutting edge of scientific research and to develop and apply new technologies.

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