Lessons learned, challenges, and opportunities: the U.S. Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Toxicology
• Regulatory Science

Background:

• The U.S. Congress mandated endocrine pathway screening for pesticides and contaminants via the Food Quality Protection Act and Safe Drinking Water Act.
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) to address these requirements.
• EDSP focuses on developing and validating assays for estrogen, androgen, and thyroid (EAT) pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the performance and practical applications of EDSP Tier 1 screening assays.
• To gather insights from stakeholders on challenges and opportunities in endocrine disruptor testing.
• To inform future directions and improvements for the EDSP evaluations.

Main Methods:

• A workshop convened over 240 scientists from diverse sectors (government, industry, academia, non-profit).
• Discussions were organized into three sessions: Assay Performance, Data Application, and Future Testing.
• Retrospective analysis of data generated from EDSP Tier 1 assays was a key focus.

Main Results:

• Over 50 pesticide actives and 2 inert ingredients have been evaluated using EDSP Tier 1 assays (in vitro and in vivo).
• Key learnings and recommendations regarding the performance and application of EDSP Tier 1 assays were identified.
• The workshop highlighted practical applications of Tier 1 data and opportunities for future endocrine testing.

Conclusions:

• The EDSP has made progress in screening chemicals for endocrine disruption potential.
• Stakeholder collaboration is crucial for refining and advancing endocrine disruptor screening methodologies.
• Recommendations from the workshop will guide the future evolution of the EDSP.