LIST OF WEB SITES DEVOTED TO ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS

What are Endocrine Disruptors?

Nuclear receptors regulate critical cellular processes such as cell growth and differentiation, metabolic processes, reproduction, development. Nuclear hormone receptors function as ligand activated transcription factors, thus providing a direct link between signalling molecules that control these processes and transcriptional responses. Endocrine disrupting agents, acting through nuclear receptors, are thus involved in many different pathological situations such as tumor development, metabolic desease and obesity, coronary heart problem.

Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with the normal function of hormones and the way hormones control growth, metabolism and body functions. There are different ways that chemicals can interfere with or disrupt hormones, and there are different kinds of chemicals that disrupt. There are more than 70,000 chemicals in commerce, few of which have been tested for carcinogenicity, much less their capacity to disrupt endocrine systems.



Websites
Other websites on Endocrine Disruptors
Report about endocrine disruptors
Hormone disrupting compounds



Websites:

CASCADE Network of Excellence
The CASCADE Network of Excellence, launched in February 2004 within EU's sixth framework programme, aims to provide Europeans with a durable, comprehensive and independent network of excellence in research, risk assessment, and education on health risks that are associated with exposure to chemical residues in food. Focus lies on chemicals that act via and/or interfere with cellular regulation by hormone receptors.

DEVNERTOX
Toxic threats to the developing nervous system: in vivo and in vitro studies on the effects of mixture of neurotoxic substances potentially contaminating food

CREDO cluster
Four projects funded by the European Union form the core of the CREDO cluster: EDEN, COMPRENDO, EURISKED and FIRE. Information on European research project into endocrine disruption. Concerns about reproductive disorders in humans and wildlife. There is increasing concern about male reproductive disorders in humans, and widespread sexual disruption among wildlife. In young boys, cases of genital malformations and non-descending testes are increasing.

EURISKED
Multi-organic Risk Assessment of selected Endocrine Disrupters

European Commission - Research - Endocrine disrupters
European Commission - Research - Endocrine disrupters:Activities

European Commission - Environment - Endocrine disrupters

European Commission - Endocrine disrupters - Substances

EUROPA - Environment DG
The Environment DG is one of 36 Directorates-General (DGs) and specialised services which make up the European Commission. Its main role is to initiate and define new environmental legislation and to ensure that measures, which have been agreed, are actually put into practice in the Member States.

INUENDO
Human fertility at risk from biopersistent organochlorines in the environment?

ANEMONE
The project aims at a) improving methods for assessment of hazardous exposures and for early detection of adverse effects on cognitive functions, and at b) applying these methods in determining developmental risks due to contaminated seafood.

CORDIS - Food quality and safety

GENDISRUPT
Genetic markers and susceptibility to the effects of endocrine disruptors during mammalian testis development

BONETOX
Research to support test method development and human health risk assessment for dioxins and other endocrine disrupting compounds in the food chain

European Food Safety Authority

European Medicines Agency

ENDOMET
Dysregulation of endogenous steroid metabolism potentially alters neuronal and reproductive system development: Effects of environmental plasticisers

MENDOS
The main objective of this project is the development of novel artificial receptor based optical sensor systems and their application for assessing and screening endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs).

EDERA-Endocrine Disrupters Estrogen Receptor Activation
Developemnt and implementation of new in vivo and in vitro systems for the characterisation of endocrine disrupters.

Endocrine Disruptor, Dept. of Food safety and Veterinary Public Health of the Istituto Superiore di Sanita
Other links
Relevant topics, meetings, links ...

PhytoPrevent
Role of dietary phyto-estrogens in the prevention of breast and prostate cancer

COMPARE
Comparison of Exposure-Effect Pathways to Improve the Assessment of Human Health Risks of Complex Environmental Mixtures of Organohalogens

The ACE Project
The acronym "ACE" stands for "analysing combination effects of mixtures of estrogenic chemicals in marine and freshwater organisms".

COMPRENDO
Comparative Research on Endocrine Disrupters. Improvement of the understanding of the effects of EDCs on aquatic wildlife and humans, focusing on androgenic and antiandrogenic compounds.

EASYRING
Development of biomarkers for EDs and in vitro test systems; investigate short/long-term and low-level exposure effects of EDC mixtures in low vertebrates and small mammals



Other websites on Endocrine Disruptors:

The International Programme on Chemical Safety ( IPCS)
Other links

Endocrine Disruptor Knowledge Base
The Endocrine Disruptor Knowledge Base (EDKB) website consists of a biological activity database, relevant literature citations, computational models, and ultimately, models for risk assessment. It is designed to help research and regulatory scientists,and other interested parties set priorities for testing of endocrine disrupting compounds, make use of the existing body of knowledge, and reduce dependency upon slow and expensive animal experiments.

Endocrine Disrupting chemicals Database
Identity, physical-chemical properties, endocrine activity, environmental levels and other information including
research and governmental activities are included.

e.hormone
e.hormone - estrogens-mimics
A gateway to Web-based information on hormones and the environment. Provides a broad range of news stories, views on the latest research, research briefs over the past five years, lists of books ans Web sites and learning tutorials

Endocrine Disrupting pesticides
Many pesticides are now suspected of being endocrine disruptors - chemicals that can lead to an increase in birth defects, sexual abnormalities and reproductive failure. Gwynne Lyons of WWF-UK examines the current evidence and potential for adverse effects to occur in both wildlife and human populations.

Introduction to Hormone Disrupting Chemicals
These pages provide an introduction to the effects of hormone disrupting chemicals on man and the environment, and the response of Governments and industry to this problem. Other terms used to describe these chemicals include xenoestrogens, oestrogenic (estrogenic), hormone mimicking and endocrine disrupting chemicals.

Biofluorimetry Lab
Toxicology - Environment: Tutorials, substances

Endocrine/Estrogen Letter
Endocrine/Estrogen Letter is the most comprehensive source of unbiased,
accurate information about the scientific, regulatory and political issues associated with suspected endocrine disrupters.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Prevention, pesticides, and toxic substances.

Our stolen future
The book Our Stolen Future brought world-wide attention to scientific discoveries about endocrine disruption and the fact that common contaminants can interfere with the natural signals controlling development of the fetus. This website tracks the most recent developments.

Web site - Ottawa:
Greenfacts: Facts on Health and the Environment
Scientific Facts on Endocrine Disruptors

Chemical safety information

ATSDR- Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry



Report:

Report SEC(2004)1372
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT on implementation of the Community Strategy for Endocrine Disrupters - a range of substances suspected of interfering with the hormone systems of humans and wildlife

Towards the establishment of a priority list of substances for further evaluation of their role in endocrine disruption
Preparation of a candidate list of substances as a basis for priority-setting "BKH Report" (pdf format) - 21 June 2000




Hormone disrupting compounds:

The chemicals are divided into three groups, 'Industrial Chemicals' , 'Natural Hormones', and 'Pesticides'.

- Industrial Chemicals:

Alkylphenols:

Alkylphenols and their derivatives have a variety of uses, including as industrial detergents and, outside Europe, as
domestic detergents . They have been shown to be oestrogenic in many systems.
Alkylphenols

Bisphenol A:

Bisphenol A is an industrial chemical used primarily to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins - both of which
are used in countless applications that make our lives easier, healthier and safer, each and every day.

Bisphenol A
Chemfinder- Bisphenol A
Bisphenol A


- Natural Hormones:

Genistein:

Genistein belongs to the isoflavone class of flavonoids. It is also classified as a phytoestrogen. Phytoestrogens are
plant-derived nonsteroidal compounds that possess estrogen-like biological activity. Genistein has been found to have
both weak estrogenic and weak anti-estrogenic effects.
Genistein


- Pesticides:

General Web sites

Pesticide Action Network Pesticide Database
Compendium of Pesticide Common Names
Chemical Review Program and Reports
U.S. Environmental Agency
Cranfield Center for EcoChemistry

Atrazine:

Atrazine is a selective triazine herbicide used to control broadleaf and grassy weeds in corn, sorghum, sugarcane,
pineapple, christmas trees, and other crops, and in conifer reforestation plantings. It is also used as a nonselective herbicide
on non-cropped industrial lands and on fallow lands. Over 64 million acres of cropland were treated with atrazine in the U.S. in 1990.
It is available as dry flowable, flowable liquid, liquid, water dispersible granular, and wettable powder formulations. .
Atrazine-Environmental Protection Agency
Atrazine-Natural Resources Defense Council
Atrazine-Inchem

Dieldrin:

Dieldrin is an insecticide and a by-product of the pesticide Aldrin. From 1950 to 1974, dieldrin was widely used to control insects on
cotton, corn and citrus crops. Also, dieldrin was used to control locusts and mosquitoes, as a wood preserve, and for termite control. Usually seen
as a white or tan powder, most uses of dieldrin were banned in 1987, however, dieldrin is no longer produced in the United States due to its harmful
effects on humans, fish, and wildlife. Dieldrin is a persistent, bioacculumative, and toxic (PBT) pollutant targeted by EPA. .
Dieldrin-Inchem
Dieldrin-Environmental Protection Agency

Chlordane:

Chlordane is a manufactured chemical that was used as a pesticide in the United States from 1948 to 1988. Technical
chlordane is not a single chemical, but is actually a mixture of pure chlordane mixed with many related chemicals. It doesn't
occur naturally in the environment. It is a thick liquid whose color ranges from colorless to amber. Chlordane has a mild, irritating smell.
Chlordane-Agency for toxic substances and disease registry
Chlordane
Chlordane-GPA. Protection of the marine environment

Vinclozolin:

Vinclozolin is a fungicide introduced in the late 1970s. There are current concerns about reproductive toxicity,
additive toxicity and potential endocrine disruption that have yet to be resolved.
Vinclozolin-Pesticides news