Know thy unknowns: why we need to widen our view on endocrine disruptors

Since 2009 the European Commission (EC) is seeking a legal definition of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). These compounds ‘interfere with any aspect of hormone action’, and by doing so can adversely affect physiology and development and thus increase the risk of metabolic and reproductive disorders as well as hormone-sensitive carcinogenesis and impaired neurodevelopment.1 Accordingly, EDCs put a considerable burden on public health and public healthcare. In the European Union, they have been attributed to healthcare costs of 160 billion annually.2

The quality of an EDC definition has profound consequences for the regulation of economically important chemicals such as pesticides. An inclusive definition putting weight on a low burden of scientific proof will ultimately benefit public health and spark the innovation of ‘safe’ chemicals, some say. An exclusive definition requiring strong scientific evidence to pin EDCs down is preferred by others to minimise economic damage. After...

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