Risk Assessment of Endocrine Disrupters

Abstract

Endocrine disrupters (ED) represent a good challenge for experimental toxicology. In order to deal with several critical points relevant to risk assessment: (a) ED may induce long-term effects upon exposure in susceptible developmental phases, including postnatal life up to puberty; thus, efforts are required to refine testing strategies, for example, by supporting the two-generation rodent study with a comprehensive in vitro/in vivo screening battery; (b) due to the regulatory role of endocrine homeostasis, mechanisms of endocrine disruption may impact on immune, neurobehavioral, and reproductive development, as well as on susceptibility to cancer; (c) the potential multiple exposure to ED with common targets through diet and/or living environment calls for the development of models to understand mechanisms of interactions and effects of mixtures; and (d) last but not least, ED may interact with a number of factors related to differential vulnerability of individuals or population subgroups, including the intake of nutrients or bioactive food components. Besides reducing the chance for noxious chemicals to enter our life, toxicological research on mechanisms may also lead to the definition of possible biomarkers of exposure, effect, and susceptibility that may be further exploited in human health surveillance.

Policy and Regulatory Considerations for EDCs

“…Also, toxicological tests need to identify relevant hazards, such as the long-term functional development of progeny and the specific effects of exposure in the peripubertal stages (Mantovani, 2006). Also, toxicological tests need to identify relevant hazards, such as the long-term functional development of progeny and the specific effects of exposure in the peripubertal stages (Mantovani, 2006).…”

Existing approaches incorporating replacement, reduction and refinement of animal testing: applicability in food and feed risk assessment

“…Indeed, the assessment of late emerging developmental effects is a major aspect of the assessment for chemicals that might impact on developmental programming, e.g., through endocrine-mediated mechanisms (see e.g., IPCS, 2002;Mantovani et al, 2006).…”

Endocrine Disruptors

“…Such effects may differ markedly depending on the timing of ED exposure during an organism's lifetime 22 . Therefore, susceptible windows of effect have also received attention, as pointed out in this symposium, 23 for a variety of reasons. “Critical windows” may have very different endogenous hormone levels that enhance or reduce toxicity of EDs.…”