The plastics enterprise depends on a small number of commodity polymers to perform in diverse applications, requiring additives to produce desired properties and performance. Toxic effects and environmental persistence of certain additive chemicals impact the sustainability of the industry. Green chemistry has been and will continue to be applied to find solutions to these issues. This review focuses on alternatives to phthalate plasticizers and halogenated flame retardants, two categories that together account for a significant portion of the global additives market and the global dispersion of endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Small-molecule alternatives that exist in various stages of research and commercialization will be discussed, with emphasis on the use of renewable resources. The rise of biorefineries and new bio-based monomers may help overcome existing economic barriers to adoption of alternatives. Increasing the molecular weight of additives or covalently linking them to polymer backbones are two promising strategies for reducing both mobility and toxicity that will also be discussed. Finally, the design of new polymers that show desirable properties without the use of additives will be considered. The substances put forward as "green" alternatives have yet to receive the same level of scrutiny as diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP, also known as dioctyl phthalate) or polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Cooperation between chemists, engineers, and the environmental health community will be critical to ensure the safety and sustainability of new technologies. Phthalate plasticizers: Occurrence and toxicityPhthalates are diesters of 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acids (phthalic acids) with chemical characteristics that depend on the nature of the side-chains [5]. Since phthalate additives in plastic are not covalently linked to the host polymer, they can leach into the environment [6]. Although they are generally nonpersistent, contamination in the environment is still significant due to widespread use; low-and highmolecular-weight phthalates are commonly found in household dust, soil, and indoor and outdoor air, and as detectable residues in foods [5]. Phthalate exposures may occur through ingestion, inhalation, dermal absorption, and parenteral administration [7]. Several studies have shown that some phthalates possess endocrine-disrupting effects in male rat offspring, following in utero or lactational exposure, which manifest as hypospadias, cryptorchidism, testicular cancer, decreased testosterone levels, and reduced semen quality [5]. Phthalate activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors alpha and gamma (PPARα and PPARγ), adjuvant activity, induction of cell proliferation, suppression of apoptosis, oxidative DNA damage, and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated as well [8][9][10][11]. It has been proposed that oral exposure in rats and humans allows diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) to enter the gastrointestinal tract, where it is rapidly metabolized to mono-(2-methylhex...

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One in four unscheduled hospital admissions for children and adolescents in the United States occurs via direct admission, defined as hospital admission without first receiving care in the hospital’s emergency department. The purpose of this policy statement is to present recommendations to optimize the quality and safety of this hospital admission approach for children. Recommendations included in this policy statement provide guidance related to: (i) direct admission written guidelines, (ii) clear systems of communication between members of the health care team and with families of children requiring admission, (iii) triage systems to identify patient acuity and disease severity, (iv) identification of hospital resources needed to support direct admission systems of care, (v) consideration of patient populations that may be at increased risk of adverse outcomes during the hospital admission process, (vi) addressing the relevance of local factors and resources, and (vii) ongoing evaluation of direct admission processes and outcomes. The recommendations included in this policy statement are intended to support the implementation of safe direct admission processes and to foster awareness of outcomes associated with this common portal of hospital admission.

Article 4 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child stipulates that state parties have a positive obligation to implement the necessary legal measures to secure the rights recognised in the Convention. The crc Committee has stated that incorporation is its preferred method of implementation. In Sweden, the issue of incorporation has been the subject of a lengthy and contentious debate. This article aims to unpack the reasons for this. It is suggested that technical-legal arguments against the incorporation of the crc are grounded in and intertwined with cultural-legal arguments. While these arguments may be more or less clearly expressed by the various parties in the Swedish debate, I argue that they seem to have played an important role in the process through which this international treaty has been made applicable on the domestic level in Sweden.