The potential for endocrine system disruption is of great concern, especially in early life, when developmental programming of organ systems is susceptible to permanent and lifelong disruption. The international medical and scientific communities have called attention to these issues in several recent landmark reports, including a scientific statement from the Endocrine Society in 2009,42 which was updated in 2015 to reflect rapidly accumulating knowledge3; a joint report from the World Health Organization and United Nations Environment Program in 201343; and a statement from the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics in 2015.44 Chemicals of increasing concern include the following:

bisphenols, which are used in the lining of metal cans to prevent corrosion45;

phthalates, which are esters of diphthalic acid that are often used in adhesives, lubricants, and plasticizers during the manufacturing process17;

nonpersistent pesticides, which have been addressed in a previous policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics and, thus, will not be discussed in this statement46;

perfluoroalkyl chemicals (PFCs), which are used in grease-proof paper and packaging47; and

perchlorate, an antistatic agent used for plastic packaging in contact with dry foods with surfaces that do not contain free fat or oil and also present as a degradation product of bleach used to clean food manufacturing equipment.48

Additional compounds of concern discussed in the accompanying technical report include artificial food colors, nitrates, and nitrites.

Environmentally relevant doses (ie, low nanomolar concentrations that people are likely to encounter in daily life) of bisphenol A (BPA)4 trigger the conversion of cells to adipocytes,9 disrupt pancreatic β-cell function in vivo,49 and affect glucose transport in adipocytes.9–11 Phthalates are metabolized to chemicals that influence the expression of master regulators of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors,21 with specific effects that produce insulin resistance in nonhuman laboratory studies. Some studies have documented similar metabolic effects in human populations.22 Some phthalates are well known to be antiandrogenic and can affect fetal reproductive development.18,19,50 Authors of recent studies have linked perfluoroalkyl chemicals with reduced immune response to vaccine27,28 and thyroid hormone alterations,29,51,52 among other adverse health end points. Perchlorate is known to disrupt thyroid hormone34 and, along with exposures to other food contaminants, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers,53–55 may be contributing to the increase in neonatal hypothyroidism that has been documented in the United States.56 Artificial food colors may be associated with exacerbation of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms.57 Nitrates and nitrites can interfere with thyroid hormone production40 and, under specific endogenous conditions, may result in the increased production of carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds.37,38

Colin Powell, 1st Black US Secretary of State, dies at 84 of COVID-19 complications. Colin Powell, the barrier-breaking soldier and diplomat who served Democratic and Republican presidents in war and peace but whose sterling reputation was stained by his faulty claims to justify the U.S. war in Iraq, died Monday of COVID-19 complications. He was 84.

A veteran of the Vietnam War, Powell spent 35 years in the Army and rose to the rank of four-star general. In 1989, he became the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In that role he oversaw the U.S. invasion of Panama and later the U.S. invasion of Kuwait to oust the Iraqi army in 1991.

A decade later he joined President George W. Bush's Cabinet as the first Black secretary of state. "We have lost a remarkable and loving husband, father, grandfather and a great American," the Powell family. Powell had been treated at Walter Reed National Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Peggy Cifrino, Powell's longtime aide, said he had been treated over the past few years for multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. The Powell family's social media post did not address whether Powell had any underlying illnesses.

Multiple myeloma impairs the body's ability to fight infection, and studies have shown that those cancer patients don't get as much protection from the COVID-19 vaccines as healthier people.

Ahmaud Arbery’s Killers Are Trying to Put Him on Trial. Will a Judge Let Them?

The trial of three men charged in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery is slated to begin in October. But if a Georgia Superior Court judge grants a series of requests made by attorneys for the defense, it will be Arbery who goes on trial.

Lawyers for Gregory and Travis McMichael—the father and son, respectively, who chased down Arbery in their pickup truck before fatally shooting him three times at close range—filed a motion late last year requesting that Judge Timothy Walmsley permit only one photo of Arbery “when living” to be shown during the trial, that he be depicted alone and not in the company of loved ones, and that he be identified to the court during trial by a non-family member. In the filing, the defense team argues that to allow more photos would potentially create “the danger of unfair prejudice” among jurors.

The McMichaels’ lawyers have also filed a motion asking that prosecutors be barred from referring to Arbery as a “victim” for the same reasons. “The purpose of this motion is to prevent the prosecution from ignoring its duty to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that crimes were actually committed and that [the] McMichaels committed the crimes as charged,” the defense motion states. The filing goes on to note that the McMichaels do “not concede that criminal conduct occurred in this case,” and that “the use of loaded words,” such as identifying Arbery as a “victim,” tacitly ascribes guilt to the McMichaels, denying them the presumption of innocence.

Derek Chauvin to appeal against George Floyd convictions.👮👎 The former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has filed an intent to appeal with the Minnesota state appellate court over his murder conviction for the death of George Floyd.

A jury found Chauvin, who is white, guilty in April of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of Floyd, a black man. The verdict was seen widely as a landmark rebuke of the disproportionate use of force by the police against black Americans.

How many times do you need to hear the word of God before you realize? God it's trying to tell you something.

How many times Do you need to hear the word of God Before you realize? God is trying to tell you something.

How many times Do you need to hear the word of God Before you realize? God is trying to tell you something.

How many times Do you need to hear the word of God Before you realize? God is trying to tell you something.

FEDEX DRIVER FIRED AFTER REFUSING TO DELIVER PACKAGES TO PEOPLE WHO SUPPORT BLM, BIDEN AND HARRIS.😕 A racist FedEx driver was fired after refusing to deliver to homes that show support for Black Lives Matter, President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris. 

FedEx terminated the employment of Vincent Paterno after he posted a video to TikTok bragging that he was not delivering packages to customers who did not share the same political beliefs as him.

Paterno, 39, who worked for the company in Washington state, uploaded the profanity-laced video while he was wearing his FedEx uniform.

Police Shot Woman After She Calls 911 on Armed Boyfriend.👮 Police shot a woman in the shoulder earlier this week in Southern California after they kicked in her door hearing noises inside following her 911 call to report an armed man in her apartment, authorities said Friday.

The woman was treated for a non-life threatening gunshot wound after the shooting on Monday in the city of Riverside, east of Los Angeles. She had called 911 around 2:15 p.m. but initially said she did not know the armed man and was evasive with the dispatcher before the call was suddenly disconnected.