The authors of the recent UNEP/WHO State of the Science on Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals – 2012 report answer to charges regarding the report’s scientific basis (Bergman et al. 2013). The International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) had previously criticized the report in an open letter addressed to Mr. Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).
The international scientists now defend the report as “an authoritative analysis of the recent [scientific] literature on EDCs” by clarifying all points of criticism raised in the ICCA letter. In particular, they state that “EDCs represent a different kind of toxicity that requires a different kind of testing”, a statement the authors see supported by the scientific literature but not reflected in the ICCA’s comments. Several of ICCA’s assertions are rejected as being “not correct” or “misleading”. With their letter, the authors intend to clarify misunderstandings that surfaced in the ICCA’s correspondence. The letter was also sent to the responsible executives at UNEP (Mr. Achim Steiner) and the World Health Organization (WHO; Ms. Maria Neira).
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Chemical industry criticizes UNEP/WHO EDC report. FPF article, May 31, 2013.
Breaking News: WHO and UNEP publish EDC report. FPF article, February 19, 2013.
