The Reno News and Review (NV) and Environmental Health News published stories on July 9 and July 2, 2009 about a study in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. The study contends that the large increase in the production of plastics has resulted in negative health effects.

The news stories mention the National Children's Study (NCS) as a way to sort out the effects of environmental contaminants from other sources of disease.  The NCS will track 100,000 children from before birth to age 21 in an effort to improve children's overall health. NORC and its partners have already begun work on the study in several locations.