ACC: EPA's Draft List of Chemicals for Endocrine Screening Is an Important Milestone

Jun 11, 05:06 PM

Current Headlines: To: ENVIRONMENTAL EDITORS

Contact: Tiffany Harrington of the American Chemistry Council, +1- 703-741-5583, or tiffany_harrington@americanchemistry.com

ARLINGTON, Va., June 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today the American Chemistry Council (ACC) acknowledged the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) release of a draft list of substances to be screened for potential effects on the endocrine system under the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP). ACC Toxicologist Richard Becker, Ph.D., issued the following statement:

"This is an important milestone, but at the same time we'd like to emphasize that EPA's first imperative is to complete the scientific validation of the needed screens and tests for this program. Additionally, we echo EPA's statement that this is a candidate list of substances to screen for potential interaction with the endocrine system. It is not a list of endocrine disruptors or potential endocrine disruptors and EPA has not determined the potential endocrine related risks of the substances. Instead, EPA's list of candidates was developed with consideration for potential exposure.

"ACC members have worked on the validation of endocrine screening tests with government, academics and environmental groups on EPA's advisory committee for almost ten years. The validation of new testing methods is an exacting process and understanding the complex scientific, toxicological and medical evidence on the endocrine hypothesis, as well as addressing the technical issues involved in testing chemicals for potential endocrine effects, has proved challenging.

"ACC supports the EPA's plan to use a tiered, hierarchical scientific framework for screening and testing chemicals including validated screening tests which will be used to identify substances producing endocrine activity and prioritize substances for further, more definitive testing."

Working with government officials and the scientific community, ACC and its members are actively engaged in efforts to better understand the complex relationship between modern chemistry and human health. The chemistry industry has contributed to endocrine research by supporting applied scientific studies focused on developing the datasets needed to evaluate the reliability of endocrine screening methods. Additionally, ACC pioneered the Long- Range Research Initiative, to expand scientific knowledge of the potential impacts that chemicals may have on the health of human and the environment. For more information on ACC's perspectives on this issue see http://www.americanchemistry.com.

http://www.americanchemistry.com/newsroom

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) represents the leading companies engaged in the business of chemistry. ACC members apply the science of chemistry to make innovative products and services that make people's lives better, healthier and safer. ACC is committed to improved environmental, health and safety performance through Responsible Care(R), common sense advocacy designed to address major public policy issues, and health and environmental research and product testing. The business of chemistry is a $635 billion enterprise and a key element of the nation's economy. It is one of the nation's largest exporters, accounting for ten cents out of every dollar in U.S. exports. Chemistry companies are among the largest investors in research and development. Safety and security have always been primary concerns of ACC members, and they have intensified their efforts, working closely with government agencies to improve security and to defend against any threat to the nation's critical infrastructure.

SOURCE American Chemistry Council

(c) 2007 U.S. Newswire. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.