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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24

In January 2008, leading researchers gathered at Commonweal in Bolinas, California to determine what's known, what's suspected, and what should be the focus of additional research regarding environmental contaminants linked to conditions including early puberty, infertility, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, breast cancer and others.

The researchers determined that manmade, hormone-like chemicals in the environment harm women’s reproductive systems – particularly when exposure occurs during prenatal and early life development - but more research is needed to fully understand how.

The meeting, known as the 2008 Women's Reproductive Health and the Environment Workshop, resulted in three publications on hormone disruptors and female reproductive health, including the recently released lay report, Girl, Disrupted: Hormone Disruptors and Women's Reproductive Health. Girl, Disrupted translates the science from the workshop into understandable language, and summarizes critical research gaps highlighted by the workshop participants.

Over a hundred CHE Partners and friends joined workshop scientists and women's health advocates on Tuesday, February 24 at 11am Pacific/ 2pm Eastern for a discussion highlighting Girl, Disrupted and the 2008 Women's Reproductive Health and the Environment Workshop. The call lasted one hour and was recorded. An MP3 is available for downloading free of charge via the link above.

Girl, Disrupted and more information about the workshop can be found at: http://www.healthandenvironment.org/reprohealthworkshop.

This call was moderated by Steve Heilig, MPH, Director of Public Health and Education, San Francisco Medical Society and CHE.

Featured speakers:

• Louis J. Guillette, Jr., PhD, Distinguished Professor, Department of Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville; and Professor, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and Workshop Co-Chair
• Tracey Woodruff, PhD, Director of the Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment; and Assistant Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Health, University of California, San Francisc
• Teresa K. Woodruff, PhD, Thomas J. Watkins Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University; and Executive Director, Institute for Women's Health Research
• Mary Tyler Johnson, MPA, MPH, Project Advisor and Environmental Health Consultant
• Heather Sarantis, MS, Women's Health Program Manager, Commonweal