On July 25, 2014 the European Commission’s Directorate-General Joint Research Center (DG JRC) published a report by the Endocrine Disrupters Expert Advisory Group (ED EAG) reviewing the science regarding safety thresholds of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). The experts also examined challenges and uncertainties associated with estimating thresholds from experimental data. The experts conclude in the report that safety thresholds may exist, but could be very low for single EDCs, particularly during vulnerable windows of development. Further, they may be difficult to estimate with current standard tests. The expert group could not reach consensus regarding low dose responses. Some experts suggested that updated testing guidelines would allow the use of thresholds for EDCs, whereas other experts expressed concerns that such thresholds may not be sufficiently protective and are incompatible with the aim to reduce animal testing. In 2013 DG JRC had published a report on the identification and characterization of EDCs (previously reported on by the FPF).
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DG JRC (July 2014). “Thresholds for endocrine disrupters and related uncertainties report of the endocrine disrupters – expert advisory group.”
