Science AMA Series: I’m Deborah Blum, a Pulitzer Prize-winning science
journalist and author of five books, most recently “The Poisoner’s
Handbook.” I’m also publisher of the magazine Undark, where I’ve just
started a monthly column. AMA!
Abstract
My most recent column
(https://undark.org/article/soy-formula-babies-endocrine-disruptor/)
looked at soy formula (and other soy products) which contain a
remarkably high level of hormonally active compounds called
phytoestrogens. I was interested in the idea that by feeding soy to
babies - a constant diet at an age critical in human development - we
might be running an inadvertent experiment on those children, perhaps
alerting their reproduction systems. The scientists I talked to agreed
that that’s a real possibility. There are studies showing that soy diets
can affect gene expression in the vaginal cells of female girls, for
instance, that there are other longer term studies showing changes in
menstruation and other effects. It’s an issue I’d like to follow
further. Part of the reason I was interested in that aspect of soy
exposure is that I’m a toxicology writer. I’ve been researching and
writing about toxic substances for a decade, as the author of The
Poisoner’s Handbook, but also as a blogger for Wired and for The New
York Times, where I wrote an online column called Poison Pen. I started
out being very focused on acute toxicity but I’ve more recently become
interested in low-dose toxicology - the question of what chronic
exposure to a very low dose of a compound (say arsenic in rice or
drinking water) means in terms of public health. The question of every
day exposures and how we navigate them really fascinates me and is part
of my current book project, which follows the story of America’s first
great food safety chemist at the turn of the 20th century. I’m here
today from 1 pm-3:00 pm EST to answer questions about chemical exposures
in our everyday life, questions of natural versus synthetic compounds,
and when it’s worth paying attention. Looking forward to hearing from
you!