News

The Role of Chemicals in Diabetes and Obesity

Details
Created on Saturday, 10 December 2011 13:35
Written by Press Release
View Comments
 
The Role of Environmental Chemicals in the Development of Diabetes and Obesity
by The Collaborative on Health and the Environment Alaska Working Group
Emerging scientific studies suggest environmental chemicals may be contributing factors to the epidemics of diabetes and obesity. Can a fetus’ exposure to toxic chemicals in the womb cause obesity or diabetes at age 5, 15, or 25?
 
Is part of the obesity epidemic in the U.S. linked to chemical exposures that occur in childhood?
 
A growing number of researchers are exploring how chemicals used in plastics, food packaging, pesticides and cosmetics can corrupt normal function of metabolic hormones and trigger dramatic increases in body fat. Guest speakers Bruce Blumberg, PhD and David O. Carpenter, M.D. will discuss the cutting-edge science linking chemical exposures to the growing epidemics of diabetes and obesity. 

 
DATE: Wednesday, December 14, 2011,
9:00 am Alaska Time/ 10:00 am Pacific/ 1:00 pm Eastern

RSVP: To join this free call and receive the dial-up instructions, please RSVP to Alaska Community Action on Toxics at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Featured speakers include:

Bruce Blumberg, Ph.D., Professor in the Departments of Developmental and Cell Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Biomedical Engineering at University of California, Irvine. Dr. Blumberg's current research at UC Irvine focuses on the role of nuclear hormone receptors in development, physiology and disease. Particular interests include patterning of the vertebrate nervous system, the differential effects of xenobiotic exposure on laboratory model organisms compared with humans, interactions between xenobiotic metabolism, inflammation, and cancer, and the role of environmental chemicals on the development of obesity and diabetes.

David O. Carpenter, M.D., Director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at SUNY Albany and Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at UAlbany's School of Public Health. Dr. Carpenter previously served as director of the Wadsworth Laboratory of the New York State Department of Health. Dr. Carpenter's area of expertise is human health effects of environmental contaminants, including metals and organic compounds.
 
For more information: