Chemical Cosmos: Identifying Contenders for Endocrine System Disruption Assessments
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a comprehensive guide, known as the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program's Universe of Chemicals, to help manage chemicals that may potentially interfere with the endocrine system. This resource is available on the EPA's website for public access.
The guide, which weighs in at 2.54 MB, is intended for potential endocrine disruptor screening and testing. It serves as a tool for chemical management, providing a guide for EPA staff and managers to navigate the complexities of endocrine disruptors.
The Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) is the EPA's primary initiative to identify chemicals that may have endocrine-disrupting activities. The program employs a tiered approach to screening and testing, focusing on certain chemical groups, such as pesticides and other pesticide-related chemicals.
Pesticides and related substances are a key focus of the EDSP's screening efforts, with laws like the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) playing a significant role in the review process during pesticide registration.
Traditionally, the focus has been on three major endocrine pathways—estrogen, androgen, and thyroid. However, the guidance acknowledges that endocrine disruption can occur through other hormone systems such as corticosteroid, retinoic X receptor, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) pathways, broadening the scope of potential endocrine activity screening as scientific evidence evolves.
Screening methods include in vitro bioassays such as the yeast estrogen and androgen screening (YES/YAS) assays, with ongoing development to cover additional endocrine pathways.
The EPA's current efforts reflect an evolving chemical universe for screening, including new pesticides with complex chemical structures. For example, recent EPA pesticide registration reviews incorporate endocrine disruption testing requirements as part of their evaluation.
In addition to the Universe of Chemicals, the EPA also provides the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program Universe of Chemicals and General Validation Principles, a 197.94 KB document. This document offers further guidance on the principles used in the validation of screening and testing methods for endocrine disruptors.
In summary, the EPA's guidance on the universe of chemicals for endocrine disruptor screening focuses on pesticides and related substances, using a tiered testing approach addressing multiple hormone pathways beyond the traditional three, with ongoing method development to capture a broad range of endocrine activities. This resource serves as a valuable tool for understanding and managing potential endocrine disruptors.
- The Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program's guide, available on the EPA's website, is a valuable resource for managing the complexities of chemicals that may potentially interfere with the endocrine system, particularly in the context of health-and-wellness and medical-conditions.
- The EPA's efforts to address endocrine disruptors extend beyond pesticides, with the acknowledgment that endocrine disruption can occur through various hormone systems such as corticosteroid, retinoic X receptor, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) pathways, contributing to environmental-science research on climate-change.
- The Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program's universe of chemicals serves as a basis for screening methods, which comprise in vitro bioassays like the yeast estrogen and androgen screening (YES/YAS) assays, aiming to cover additional endocrine pathways as they evolve, ensuring comprehensive health-and-wellness and environmental protection.
