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The U.S. Federal Framework for Research on Endocrine Disruptors and an Analysis of Research Programs Supported during Fiscal Year 1996 Lawrence W. Reiter,
1
Chris DeRosa,
2
Robert J. Kavlock,
1
George Lucier,
3
Michael J. Mac,
4
Jerry Melillo,
5
Ronald L. Melnick,
3
Thomas Sinks,
6
and Barbara T. Walton
5
1
National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 USA
2
The Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, Atlanta, GA 30333 USA
3
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA
4
Biological Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA 20192 USA
5
Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President, Washington, DC 20500 USA
6
National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333 USA Abstract
The potential health and ecological effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals has become a high visibility environmental issue. The 1990s have witnessed a growing concern, both on the part of the scientific community and the public, that environmental chemicals may be causing widespread effects in humans and in a variety of fish and wildlife species. This growing concern led the Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources (CENR) of the National Science and Technology Council to identify the endocrine disruptor issue as a major research initiative in early 1995 and subsequently establish an ad hoc Working Group on Endocrine Disruptors. The objectives of the working group are to 1) develop a planning framework for federal research related to human and ecological health effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals ; 2) conduct an inventory of ongoing federal research programs ; and 3) identify research gaps and develop a coordinated interagency plan to address priority research needs. This communication summarizes the activities of the federal government in defining a common framework for planning an endocrine disruptor research program and in assessing the status of the current effort. After developing the research framework and compiling an inventory of active research projects supported by the federal government in fiscal year 1996, the CENR working group evaluated the current federal effort by comparing the ongoing activities with the research needs identified in the framework. The analysis showed that the federal government supports considerable research on human health effects, ecological effects, and exposure assessment, with a predominance of activity occurring under human health effects. The analysis also indicates that studies on reproductive development and carcinogenesis are more prevalent than studies on neurotoxicity and immunotoxicity, that mammals (mostly laboratory animals) are the main species under study, and that chlorinated dibenzodioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls are the most commonly studied chemical classes. Comparison of the inventory with the research needs should allow identification of underrepresented research areas in need of attention. Key words : carcinogenicity, developmental toxicity, endocrine disruptor, immunotoxicity, neurotoxicity, risk assessment. Environ Health Perspect 106:105-113 (1998) . [Online 28 January 1998] http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/1998/106p105-113reiter/ abstract.html Address correspondence to L.W. Reiter, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 USA. The compilation of the federal inventory would not have been possible without the efforts of many agency representatives to the CENR working group: Terri Rowles, Mike Bolger, Jane Robens, Sue Seiber, Cynthia Palmer, Ken Stills, James Koenig, George Vermont, and Steve Medford. In addition, the assistance of the following scientists was instrumental in analyzing the scope and content of the human health research projects: James Beall, Dori Germolec, Jean Harry, Dick Hill, Susan Seiber, and Michael Shelby. John Orr and Michael Choong provided invaluable assistance in setting up the computer database and Internet-accessible inventory of ongoing research projects. Finally, Joanne Rodman was instrumental in assisting in the formation and early meetings of the CENR Working Group on Endocrine Disruptors. Received 2 September 1997 ; accepted 28 October 1997.
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