US EPA releases endocrine disruptor screening results

The US EPA has released its reviews of the Tier 1 screening assay results for the first 52 pesticide chemicals (active and inert ingredients) in the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program. This is an important step in a multi-step process to protect public health and the environment by ensuring that exposure to chemicals does not result in adverse effects that can occur from the disruption of hormones. The Tier 1 screening data are the best way to determine whether a chemical has the potential to interact with the endocrine system and requires more thorough testing.

 

Of the 52 chemicals evaluated, there was no evidence for potential interaction with any of the endocrine pathways for 20 chemicals, and for 14 chemicals that showed potential interaction with one or more pathways, EPA already has enough information to conclude that they do not pose risks. Of the remaining 18 chemicals, all 18 showed potential interaction with the thyroid pathway, 17 of them with the androgen pathway, and 14 also potentially interacted with the estrogen pathway.

 

EPA plans to require additional testing, known as Tier 2 testing, for 18 chemicals mentioned above that the agency decided need more test data in order to fully understand their impacts on the endocrine system. 

 

The EPA also noted that endocrine disruptor screening is just one category of testing EPA conducts on chemicals to determine their health and environmental impacts. Chemicals in this list of 52 that do not require further endocrine disruptor testing could still require other testing as part of the risk assessments conducted by EPA. 

 

Tier 1 screening results are available here.