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Pesticide News Stories: Latest Progress on the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program
For Release: September 30, 2005
EPA is continuing efforts to implement its scientific testing program for identifying and understanding any effects on human health or the environment from potential endocrine disrupting chemicals. The Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) is a scientific program to screen pesticides, other chemicals, and environmental contaminants to identify substances having the potential to affect the estrogen, androgen or thyroid hormone systems.
The approach recently published in the Federal Register discusses the priority setting methodology to be used by the Agency for identifying the first 50 to 100 chemicals to be screened. EPA proposed the priority setting approach in December 2002 after seeking public comment.
Also, the Agency is in the process of developing and validating the Tier 1 and Tier 2 assays. Tier 1 screening will comprise a battery of screening assays to identify substances that have potential to interact with the estrogen, androgen, or thyroid hormone systems. The purpose of the Tier 2 assays is to determine whether the substance may cause endocrine-mediated effects via or involving estrogen, androgen, or thyroid hormone systems, and establish if there is a relationship between doses of a potential endocrine-active substance administered in the test and the effects observed. Future actions will establish the draft initial list of chemicals and other aspects of the EDSP, such as the administrative procedures EPA will use to require testing, as well as the time frame for requiring testing or receiving data.
For more information on the EDSP, please visit http://www.epa.gov/scipoly/oscpendo/index.htm. The Federal Register notice announcing the current priority setting method is available at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-TOX/2005/September/Day-27/t19260.htm.