The National Toxicology Program (NTP) is hosting this workshop on Jan. 11-13, 2011, because there is a growing body of research showing that chemicals in our environment may be contributing to diabetes and obesity worldwide, and that chemical exposures need to be considered along with nutrition and diet.

Six chemical classes will be discussed at the workshop, including 1) arsenic and other metals, 2) bisphenol A (BPA), 3) organotins and phthalates, 4) nicotine, 5) pesticides, and 6) persistent organic pollutants.

For the first time, new computer-generated data, also known as high-throughput analysis, will be considered along with animal and human studies, as part of the NTP workshop.

The workshop is organized by the NTP Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction, part of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

The plenary sessions of the workshop can be viewed at http://cerhr.niehs.nih.gov/evals/diabetesobesity/ .

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration National Center for Toxicological Research are co-sponsors of the workshop.

What:

A press availability session will immediately follow the two-day scientific workshop.

When:

Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011, approximately 12:15-1:00 p.m. EST

Where:

Marriott Crabtree Valley Hotel
4500 Marriott Drive
Raleigh, N. C. 27612
1-800-909-8289

Who:

Spokespersons:

• Michael Gallo, Ph.D.
  Workshop Chair
  Department of Environmental & Occupational Health
  University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey
  
  
• John Bucher, Ph.D.
  Associate Director
  National Toxicology Program
  
  
• Kristina Thayer, Ph.D.
  Director
  NTP Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction
  
  
• Keith Houck, Ph.D.
  Computational Toxicology Research Program
  U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

More Information: 

Details about the meeting, including participants and agenda, are posted on the NTP Web site at http://cerhr.niehs.nih.gov/evals/diabetesobesity/index.html .

Contact:

Media interested in participating in the press availability session should contact Robin Mackar at 919-541-0073 or email your request to rmackar@niehs.nih.gov.