Research Needs for the Risk Assessment of Health and Environmental Effects of Endocrine Disruptors: A Report of the U.S. EPA-Sponsored Workshop

Abstract

The hypothesis has been put forward that humans and wildlife species have suffered adverse health effects after exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Reported adverse effects include declines in populations, increases in cancers, and reduced reproductive function. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sponsored a workshop in April 1995 to bring together interested parties in an effort to identify research gaps related to this hypothesis and to establish priorities for future research activities. Approximately 90 invited participants were organized into work groups developed around the principal reported health effects-carcinogenesis, reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, and immunotoxicity-as well as along the risk assessment paradigm-hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization. Attention focused on both ecological and human health effects. In general, the group felt that the hypothesis warranted a concerted research effort to evaluate its validity and that research should focus primarily on effects on development of reproductive capability, on improved exposure assessment, and on the effects of mixtures. This report summarizes the discussions of the work groups and details the recommendations for additional research.Environ Health Perspect 1 04(Suppl 4): 715-740 (1996)

Biological analysis of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in animal meats from the Pearl River Delta, China

“…Since then, considerable numbers of studies have been conducted to reveal the health effects of ED chemicals (EDCs). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has defined EDCs as exogenous agents that can interfere with the synthesis, metabolism and action of endogenous hormones (Kavlock et al, 1996). With the benefit of hindsight, the ED effects of environmental chemical contaminants have been shown to impose long-term effect on animal health and development (Anway et al, 2005;Dolinoy et al, 2007;Leranth et al, 2008).…”

Characterisation of gene expression patterns in 22RV1 cells for determination of environmental androgenic/antiandrogenic compounds

“…substances that interfere with the endocrine system, in the environment [1,2]. The concept that environmental pollutants might have harmful effects on reproduction, is not based on theory, but is rather derived from observations of wildlife biologists in the field [3].…”

Le concept de perturbation endocrinienne et la santé humaine

“…En Europe, un PE a été défini comme étant une substance étran-gère à l'organisme qui produit des effets délétères sur l'organisme ou sur sa descendance, à la suite d'une modification de la fonction hormonale 1 . Pour l'Agence américaine de l'environnement (EPA), un PE est un agent exogène qui interfère avec la production, la libé-ration, le transport, le métabolisme, la liaison, l'action ou l'élimination des ligands naturels responsables du maintien de l'homéostasie et de la régulation du déve-loppement de l'organisme [1].…”

“…Pour l'Agence américaine de l'environnement (EPA), un PE est un agent exogène qui interfère avec la production, la libé-ration, le transport, le métabolisme, la liaison, l'action ou l'élimination des ligands naturels responsables du maintien de l'homéostasie et de la régulation du déve-loppement de l'organisme [1]. On notera que la défini-tion américaine passe sous silence les effets directs des xénobiotiques passant par des voies spécifiques ainsi que les effets transgénérationnels.…”

“…Quoi qu'il en soit, la singularité du concept de perturbation endocrinienne apparaît dans ces deux défini-tions : les effets observés peuvent mettre en jeu les mécanismes de signalisation, de régulation et d'action physiologiques plutôt que les mécanismes classiques de la toxicité. Il existe un faisceau croissant d'indications suggérant l'impact de substances chimiques sur les régulations endocrines, à commencer par celle des hormones stéroïdiennes qui interviennent sur le 1 …”