The U.S. federal framework for research on endocrine disruptors and an analysis of research programs supported during fiscal year 1996.

Abstract

The compilation of the federal inventory would not have been possible without the efforts of many agency representatives to the CENR working group:

Mixtures of Four Organochlorines Enhance Human Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation

“…They are likely to act not only with each other but also with endogenous estrogens. It is therefore crucial to assess the effects of mixtures of xenoestrogens, a challenge regarded by many government agencies and expert decision-making bodies all over the world as a major research priority (9,10).…”

Prediction and Assessment of the Effects of Mixtures of Four Xenoestrogens

“…The need to assess the effects of mixtures of estrogenic agents is widely acknowledged and considered to be an issue of high priority (6). However, the few mixture studies conducted to date with xenoestrogens have suffered from inadequate theoretical and conceptual foundations or could not be reproduced experimentally in other laboratories [for reviews and comments, see (7)(8)(9)].…”

Determining Indicators of Exposure and Effects for Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs): An Introduction

“…The USEPA chaired this coordination effort and has been instrumental in establishing a communication network on endocrine disruptors that facilitated addressing the key research questions. The CENR framework and accompanying inventory of government and private sector funded research is available on the Internet (http:// www.epa.gov/endocrine), and a summary analysis has been published (Reiter et al 1998). Due to the complex nature and uncertainties posed by the endocrine disruptor hypothesis, the overlapping concerns of federal agencies and the resource constraints on the federal budget, close coordination and cooperation among federal agencies is essential.…”