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The Environment / Re: toxins in environment
« on: 30/08/2013 21:26:50 »
Talia,
I used to work in pharmaceutical production and currently work to clean up toxins from the environment. I'll tell you that there is no way to determine how many "new" compounds are synthesized daily. There is no easy or highly simplified way to final all the information about current or emerging issues. Because of proprietary concerns, ongoing research, and patent positioning, the only readily available resource in the US is the FDA and USDA websites.
Some of the information you can find on these sites include how many compounds are submitted for various uses (drug, food, animal, cosmetics, etc.). You can download the NDC database file and sort based on "Start Marketing Date" to get a sense for how often new products are approved.
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/InformationOnDrugs/ucm142438.htm
The US Food and Safety Service compiles a report periodically discussing their meat monitoring efforts, including chemicals, bacteria, hormones, pharmaceuticals, etc.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/f511ad0e-d148-4bec-95c7-22774e731f7c/2011_Red_Book.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
For toxins in the environment, you can search the EPA's CERCLA database or STORET/WQX databases for new/emerging issues.
www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/f511ad0e-d148-4bec-95c7-22774e731f7c/2011_Red_Book.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
Then there are Contaminants of Emerging Concern, which are compounds we think might be a problem in the environment, but science hasn't caught up to the issue.
http://water.epa.gov/scitech/cec/index.cfm
Hopefully this will give you a place to start.
I used to work in pharmaceutical production and currently work to clean up toxins from the environment. I'll tell you that there is no way to determine how many "new" compounds are synthesized daily. There is no easy or highly simplified way to final all the information about current or emerging issues. Because of proprietary concerns, ongoing research, and patent positioning, the only readily available resource in the US is the FDA and USDA websites.
Some of the information you can find on these sites include how many compounds are submitted for various uses (drug, food, animal, cosmetics, etc.). You can download the NDC database file and sort based on "Start Marketing Date" to get a sense for how often new products are approved.
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/InformationOnDrugs/ucm142438.htm
The US Food and Safety Service compiles a report periodically discussing their meat monitoring efforts, including chemicals, bacteria, hormones, pharmaceuticals, etc.
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/f511ad0e-d148-4bec-95c7-22774e731f7c/2011_Red_Book.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
For toxins in the environment, you can search the EPA's CERCLA database or STORET/WQX databases for new/emerging issues.
www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/f511ad0e-d148-4bec-95c7-22774e731f7c/2011_Red_Book.pdf?MOD=AJPERES
Then there are Contaminants of Emerging Concern, which are compounds we think might be a problem in the environment, but science hasn't caught up to the issue.
http://water.epa.gov/scitech/cec/index.cfm
Hopefully this will give you a place to start.