Endocrine disrupters. Panel cautiously confirms low-dose effects.

Faced with conflicting results from studies of the effects of small amounts of hormonelike chemicals in the environment, the Environmental Protection Agency enlisted the help of an expert panel, which met earlier this month to conduct an extensive review of the data. The panel concluded that estrogenic chemicals can cause biological effects in lab animals at levels below those normally found to be safe--which runs counter to the conventional wisdom in toxicology. But the implications for human health are unclear.