Science-based regulation of endocrine disrupting chemicals in Europe: which approach?

Science-based regulation of endocrine disrupting chemicals in Europe: which approach?

Endocrine disrupting chemicals

The idea that xenobiotic chemicals could inappropriately modlate the endocrine system thereby causing detrimental effects n wildlife and humans was first proposed 20 years ago at the atershed Wingspread Conference [1,2]. These endocrine disruptng chemicals (EDCs) have long been controversial, with a great eal of discussion raging in the scientific literature. Much of this ontroversy has centere...

Cryptorchidism and endocrine disrupting chemicals

Prospective clinical studies have suggested that the rate of congenital cryptorchidism has increased since the 1950s. It has been hypothesized that this may be related to environmental factors. Testicular descent occurs in two phases controlled by Leydig cell-derived hormones insulin-like peptide 3 (INSL3) and testosterone. Disorders in fetal androgen production/action or suppression of Insl3 a...

Science based guidance for the assessment of endocrine disrupting properties of chemicals.

The European legislation on plant protection products (Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2009) and biocides (Directive 98/8/EC), as well as the regulation concerning chemicals (Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 'REACH') only support the marketing and use of chemical products on the basis that they do not induce endocrine disruption in humans or non-target species. However, there is currently no agreed guida...

Effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals on Seals

At the same time harbour porpoises, that had died of a similar virus, appeared stranded on the beaches. Two years later another mass die-off occurred in the Mediterranean striped dolphin populations. The severe and lethal outcomes of the epidemics led many in the scientific community to believe that a contaminantinduced immune deficiency was responsible for the high mortality during the epidemi...