US EPA

1413736 

Journal Article 

Review 

Implications of research on endocrine disruption for the environmental risk assessment, regulation and monitoring of chemicals in the European Union 

Matthiessen, P; Johnson, I 

2007 

Yes 

Environmental Pollution
ISSN: 0269-7491
EISSN: 1873-6424 

146 

1 

9-18 

English 

16996184 

10.1016/j.envpol.2006.05.036 

WOS:000244595200003 

We assess the implications which research on endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) has for the regulation of synthetic substances and for the protection of the environment, particularly under the forthcoming European Union (EU) REACH legislation. EDCs present regulatory problems inter alia because they can act additively at concentrations which are individually harmless, and they may have non-classical dose (concentration)-response relationships at low exposure levels. Furthermore, current in vivo testing routines were not specifically designed to assess the endocrine disrupting properties of chemicals, whilst in silico and in vitro methods have only limited applicability and availability for this purpose. We need to ensure that the assessment approaches specified in the draft REACH legislation and Technical Guidance are able to evaluate EDCs efficiently. However, it must also be recognised that environmental monitoring procedures in Europe will need to be improved to detect EDCs that have evaded identification, and where appropriate, control, under REACH. 

endocrine disruption; risk assessment; chemicals; regulation; REACH