With the aim of discussing
new research findings about chemicals able to interfere with
the endocrine
system, so-called endocrine disruptors, an international
workshop was held in Prague, Czech Republic, 10–12
May 2005. The workshop was organized jointly by the EDEN
project (Endocrine Disrupters: Exploring Novel Endpoints,
Exposure, Low-Dose and Mixture-Effects in Humans, Aquatic
Wildlife and Laboratory Animals; http://www.edenresearch.info)
and the FIRE project (Risk Assessment of Brominated Flame
Retardants as Suspected Endocrine Disrupters for Human and
Wildlife Health; http://www.rivm.nl/fire), both large-scale
consortia funded by the European Union (EU). The meeting was
attended by more than 170 scientists from academia, industry,
government agencies, and other organizations.
EDEN and FIRE were part of the CREDO
cluster (Cluster for Research on Endocrine Disruption), an
umbrella organization of more than 60 EU-funded laboratories
working on endocrine disruptors. Together with the COMPRENDO
(Comparative Research on Endocrine Disruption) and the EURISKED
projects (Multi-organic Risk Assessment of Selected Endocrine
Disruptors; http://www.eurisked.org), EDEN and FIRE formed
the
core of the cluster. CREDO served as a platform for cooperation
and exchange between its constituent projects. With the
completion of almost all its member projects, CREDO has
recently ceased to exist, but information about the cluster is
still available on online (http://www.credocluster.info).
The Prague workshop was the last in a
series of meetings organized under the auspices of the CREDO
cluster. The themes of previous workshops were risk assessment
and the ecologic relevance of chemically induced endocrine
disruption in wildlife (Jobling and Tyler 2006).
This monograph contains papers presented
at the Prague workshop and follows the session structure of the
meeting, focusing on four main topics:
• "Indicators of Human and
Wildlife Exposure to EDCs " reports on new findings
relating human exposure to endocrine disruptors in Europe to
reproductive disorders, including cryptorchidism, hypospadias,
and semen quality. New information about exposure trends for
brominated flame retardants in freshwater and marine ecosystems
is also given.
• "Novel models, end points,
and biomarkers" summarizes research on the effects of
endocrine disruptors on steroid-metabolizing enzymes and gives
new data on alkylphenols as endocrine disruptors. Additional
articles focus on the consequences of prolonged phytoestrogen
exposure for reproductive organs and the outcomes of in utero exposure
to endocrine disruptors for testicular dysgenesis, prostate
development, and the thyroid hormone axis.
• "Low-dose effects of
endocrine disruptors" gives a synthesis of recent
observations in in vitro systems and highlights the
importance of statistical power considerations in resolving the
low-dose
issue.
• "Mixture effects of
endocrine disruptors and their assessment" contains
reviews of combination effects, assesses the implications of
low-level exposure to multiple chemicals and describes the
joint effect of endocrine disruptors in fish and in a
developmental toxicity rat model.
Taken together, the articles
presented in this monograph capture a great deal of the lively
debates
that
took place during the Prague workshop and within the CREDO
cluster as a whole. The workshop made considerable progress
toward answering key questions that were unresolved a few years
ago. It has also stimulated a consensus statement among
scientists actively engaged in research in this field, the "Prague Declaration on Endocrine Disruption." The
Prague Declaration, also published as part of this monograph
(available as Supplemental Material online at http:
//www.ehponline.org/docs/2007/10517/suppl.pdf), summarizes issues upon which the majority of
scientists can agree, outlines research priorities for the next
decade, and highlights steps that can be taken today to prevent
health risks to humans and wildlife. It has been signed by more
than 200 scientists from all over the world.
All contributors to the workshop are
thanked cordially. Without their enthusiasm and hard work the
meeting and this monograph would not have happened. |
