[Pharmwaste] Endocrine Disruptor exposure needs precautionary action

Wed, 13 Jul 2005 10:07:43 -0400

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http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/Consensus/2005-0620praguesynopsis.htm

=20

In June 2005, over 100 research scientists actively involved in research =
on
endocrine disrupters from 15 countries issued a joint, signed statement
raising concerns about endocrine disruption. "In view of the magnitude =
of the
potential risks associated with endocrine disrupters, we strongly =
believe
that scientific uncertainty should not delay precautionary action on =
reducing
the exposures to and the risks from endocrine disrupters."=20

Their analysis can be downloaded as a PDF
<http://www.edenresearch.info/public/Prague%20Declaration%2017%20June%202=
005.
pdf> from the EDEN website (funded by the European Commission). [for =
HTML
version
<http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/Consensus/2005-0620praguedeclaration.htm>=
 ]=20

In their statement, the scientists conclude that current safety =
standards are
ill-equipped to deal with risks caused by endocrine disrupters and that
current testing procedures may lead to serious underestimations of risk. =

Effects on wildlife are well-documented. People are exposed, including =
early
on in life when sensitivity to disruption can be especially high. There =
are
inherent difficulties in establishing causality in humans... having to =
do
with the unethical nature of planned experiments on people, the reality =
of
ubiquitous mixtures each component of which may contribute to effects, =
long
latencies between exposure and effect, etc. such that real impacts may =
easily
be missed. The Prague Declaration scientists "are convinced that failure =
to
demonstrate direct links between hormone-related disorders and exposure =
to
chemicals should not be taken to indicate an absence of risks."=20

They conclude with a series of policy and research recommendations:

Policy=20

*	"Scientific uncertainty should not delay precautionary action for
risk reduction."=20
*	"Though screening assays are not adequate as a basis for risk
assessment, they should be utilised to trigger precautionary regulatory
action on the basis of the rebuttable assumption that positive results =
may
indicate risks."=20
*	"The substances already known to have endocrine disrupting properties
should be included in the proposed European chemicals regulation REACH, =
and
subject to the authorisation procedure."=20
*	"Steps should be taken to restrict inherently the use of persistent
chemicals, e.g. brominated flame retardants in order to halt their =
build-up
in humans and the=20
	environment."=20
*	"The release of endocrine disrupters from sewage treatment works
should be reduced significantly."=20
*	"Relevant data from animal testing, including by industry
laboratories, should be made publicly available whenever possible."=20

Research

*	More data are required to obtain a complete picture of the full array
of endocrine disrupters in the environment. This should include =
gathering of
data on body burden of EDCs that would allow geographic comparisons =
across
regions with marked differences in relevant health disorders.=20
*	"Further understanding of the possible modes of action of endocrine
disrupters is required in order to recognise organism functions that =
might be
at risk. "=20
*	"The effects of endocrine disruptors on a wider array of cellular
signalling pathways needs to be elucidated, in particular those closely
linked to disease conditions."=20
*	"The development of new assays and screening methods for the
identification of endocrine disrupters relevant to humans and wildlife =
should
be pursued with urgency."=20
*	"More mechanistic information regarding how endocrine disruptors are
involved in human disease is required."=20
*	Further systematic work on mixture effects will be needed to underpin
better risk assessment procedures.=20
*	"The consequences of endocrine disruption in wildlife for the balance
and well-being of ecosystems should be pursued with urgency because some =
case
studies have already shown that endocrine disrupters pose a threat for
biodiversity."=20
*	"In wildlife research, mechanistic work linking effects seen at the
organism level to population-level and ecosystems effects should be
encouraged. "=20
*	Special programmes focusing on the detection of possible effects on
the newborn child giving rise to problems in childhood and adulthood =
should
be initiated in order to overcome the challenge of possible long =
temporary
breach between exposure episode and overt adverse outcome.=20

=20

=20

Laurie J. Tenace

Environmental Specialist

Florida Department of Environmental Protection

2600 Blair Stone Road, MS 4555

Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400

PH: (850) 245-8759

FAX: (850) 245-8811

Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.us

=20

view our mercury web pages at:=20

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm

=20

=20

=20

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<div class=3DSection1>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'><a
href=3D"http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/Consensus/2005-0620praguesynopsis.=
htm">http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/Consensus/2005-0620praguesynopsis.htm=
</a></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

In June 2005, over 100 research scientists actively
involved in research on endocrine disrupters from 15 countries issued a =
joint,
signed statement raising concerns about endocrine disruption. &quot;In =
view of
the magnitude of the potential risks associated with endocrine =
disrupters, we
strongly believe that scientific uncertainty should not delay =
precautionary
action on reducing the exposures to and the risks from endocrine
disrupters.&quot;

Their analysis can be <a
href=3D"http://www.edenresearch.info/public/Prague%20Declaration%2017%20J=
une%202005.pdf"
target=3D"_blank">downloaded as a PDF</a> from the EDEN website (funded =
by the
European Commission). [<a
href=3D"http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/Consensus/2005-0620praguedeclarati=
on.htm">for
HTML version</a>]

In their statement, the scientists conclude that =
current
safety standards are ill-equipped to deal with risks caused by endocrine
disrupters and that current testing procedures may lead to serious
underestimations of risk.

Effects on wildlife are well-documented. People are
exposed, including early on in life when sensitivity to disruption can =
be
especially high. There are inherent difficulties in establishing =
causality in
humans... having to do with the unethical nature of planned experiments =
on
people, the reality of ubiquitous mixtures each component of which may
contribute to effects, long latencies between exposure and effect, etc. =
such
that real impacts may easily be missed. The Prague Declaration =
scientists
&quot;are convinced that failure to demonstrate direct =
links
between hormone-related disorders and exposure to chemicals should not =
be taken
to indicate an absence of risks.&quot;

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana'>They conclude with a series of policy and research
recommendations:</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><i><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana;font-style:italic'>Policy </span></font></i></p>

<ul type=3Ddisc>
 <li class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
     font-family:Verdana'>&quot;Scientific uncertainty should not delay
     precautionary action for risk reduction.&quot;</span></font><font =
size=3D3
     face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>
     </span></font></li>
 <li class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
     font-family:Verdana'>&quot;Though screening assays are not adequate =
as a
     basis for risk assessment, they should be utilised to trigger
     precautionary regulatory action on the basis of the rebuttable =
assumption
     that positive results may indicate risks.&quot;</span></font><font =
size=3D3
     face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'>
     </span></font></li>
 <li class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
     font-family:Verdana'>&quot;The substances already known to have =
endocrine
     disrupting properties should be included in the proposed European
     chemicals regulation REACH, and subject to the authorisation
     procedure.&quot; </span></font></li>
 <li class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
     font-family:Verdana'>&quot;Steps should be taken to restrict =
inherently
     the use of persistent chemicals, e.g. brominated flame retardants =
in order
     to halt their build-up in humans and the </span></font><font =
size=3D3
     face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Verdana'><br>
     </span></font><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
     font-family:Verdana'>environment.&quot; </span></font></li>
 <li class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
     font-family:Verdana'>&quot;The release of endocrine disrupters from =
sewage
     treatment works should be reduced =
significantly.&quot;</span></font><font
     size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
     "Times New Roman"'> </span></font></li>
 <li class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
     font-family:Verdana'>&quot;Relevant data from animal testing, =
including by
     industry laboratories, should be made publicly available whenever
     possible.&quot;</span></font><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
     style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'> =
</span></font></li>
</ul>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><i><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Verdana;font-style:italic'>Research</span></font></i></p>

<ul type=3Ddisc>
 <li class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
     font-family:Verdana'>More data are required to obtain a complete =
picture
     of the full array of endocrine disrupters in the environment. This =
should
     include gathering of data on body burden of EDCs that would allow
     geographic comparisons across regions with marked differences in =
relevant
     health disorders.</span></font><font size=3D3 face=3D"Times New =
Roman"><span
     style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"'> =
</span></font></li>
 <li class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
     font-family:Verdana'>&quot;Further understanding of the possible =
modes of
     action of endocrine disrupters is required in order to recognise =
organism
     functions that might be at risk. &quot; </span></font></li>
 <li class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
     font-family:Verdana'>&quot;The effects of endocrine disruptors on a =
wider
     array of cellular signalling pathways needs to be elucidated, in
     particular those closely linked to disease =
conditions.&quot;</span></font><font
     size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
     "Times New Roman"'> </span></font></li>
 <li class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
     font-family:Verdana'>&quot;The development of new assays and =
screening
     methods for the identification of endocrine disrupters relevant to =
humans
     and wildlife should be pursued with =
urgency.&quot;</span></font><font
     size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
     "Times New Roman"'> </span></font></li>
 <li class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
     font-family:Verdana'>&quot;More mechanistic information regarding =
how
     endocrine disruptors are involved in human disease is =
required.&quot; </span></font></li>
 <li class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
     font-family:Verdana'>Further systematic work on mixture effects =
will be
     needed to underpin better risk assessment =
procedures.</span></font><font
     size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
     "Times New Roman"'> </span></font></li>
 <li class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
     font-family:Verdana'>&quot;The consequences of endocrine disruption =
in
     wildlife for the balance and well-being of ecosystems should be =
pursued
     with urgency because some case studies have already shown that =
endocrine
     disrupters pose a threat for biodiversity.&quot;</span></font><font
     size=3D3 face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
     "Times New Roman"'> </span></font></li>
 <li class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
     font-family:Verdana'>&quot;In wildlife research, mechanistic work =
linking
     effects seen at the organism level to population-level and =
ecosystems
     effects should be encouraged. &quot; </span></font></li>
 <li class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
     font-family:Verdana'>Special programmes focusing on the detection =
of
     possible effects on the newborn child giving rise to problems in =
childhood
     and adulthood should be initiated in order to overcome the =
challenge of
     possible long temporary breach between exposure episode and overt =
adverse
     outcome. </span></font></li>
</ul>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Laurie
J. Tenace</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Environmental
Specialist</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Florida
Department of Environmental Protection</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>2600</span></font><font
 size=3D2><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'> Blair Stone Road, =
MS</span></font><font
size=3D2><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'> 4555</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Tallahassee</span></font><font
 size=3D2><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>, Florida =
32399-2400</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>PH:
(850) 245-8759</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>FAX:
(850) 245-8811</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'><a
href=3D"mailto:Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.us">Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.=
us</a></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>view
our mercury web pages at: </span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'><a
href=3D"http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm">=
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm</a></span=
></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

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