This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Endocrine Society calls for stricter European regulation of EDCs
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Recommended European Commission regulatory criteria regarding endocrine-disrupting chemicals do not go far enough to protect human health, according to a statement released by the Endocrine Society.
In a statement, the Endocrine Society called the European Commission’s regulatory criteria “too strict to effectively protect the public from endocrine-disrupting chemicals.”
Henry M. Kronenberg, MD, president of the Endocrine Society, said in a press release. “To protect pregnant women, children and future generations from chemicals of concern, we need science-based regulation that reflects the growing body of evidence documenting this public health threat.”
The European Commission has proposed four options for regulatory criteria identifying endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC). The Endocrine Society supports option 3, which would create multiple categories based on the amount of scientific evidence that a particular chemical acts as an endocrine disruptor. This option also allows incorporating new data as more studies are published.
The European Commission selected a more restrictive version of option 2.
In commentary published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology before the commission’s decision, Jean-Pierre Bourguignon, MD, PhD, the Endocrine Society’s European Union EDC task force co-chair, noted that option 2 defines a single category of endocrine disruptors, whereas option 3 further defines suspected endocrine disruptors and endocrine-active substances.
Jean-Pierre Bourguinon
“Moreover, option 3 provides the necessary characteristics that will allow for incorporation of new data as it becomes available, which might trigger revised categorizations,” Bourguignon, of the University of Liège, Belgium, and colleagues wrote. “The majority of responders to the public consultation initiated by the [European Commission] about endocrine-disruptor identification criteria were clearly in favor of option 3. The Endocrine Society ... also supports this option.”
The European Parliament and member countries still must approve the regulatory criteria before they take effect. The Endocrine Society will continue to advocate for changes to ensure the criteria are grounded in scientific evidence, Kronenberg said.
“The Society is disappointed that the Commission disregarded scientific evidence in its decision, but our member experts are prepared to advise policymakers on what criteria are needed to effectively identify [EDCs],” Kronenberg said. “We want to work together to ensure the final result of the regulatory process will protect the public’s health.”
In a scientific statement released by the Endocrine Society last fall, researchers noted that, like hormones, EDCs exhibit dose-response properties and that the chemicals can act in even very low concentrations. Fetal development and early childhood, researchers wrote, are particularly vulnerable periods for exposure to chemicals, such as bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, pesticides and industrial chemicals, and exposure during developmental phases can “set the stage” for various diseases. – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: One of the commentary authors is a co-founder of WatchFrog, a producer of fluorescent amphibian larvae for the detection of chemicals.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts