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[From of "Chemical Month" on 13.7. Billion Years]Eight scientific societies covering the fields of endocrinology, genetics, reproductive medicine, developmental biology, pediatric urology and gynecology and representing 40,000 researchers and clinicians have signed a joint letter published in the journal Science calling the top federal regulators such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to enact "swifter and sounder testing and review procedures" because "currently accepted testing paradigms and government review practices are inadequate for chemicals with hormone-like actions."
Patricia Hunt, a professor at the School of Molecular Biosciences at Washington State University and corresponding author of the letter, said that the letter was spurred by the growing concern of bisphenol A (BPA), which over 300 studies have found to have adverse affects in animals, according to ScienceDaily.
"Recent scientific evidence has established direct links between exposures that occur during fetal development and adult disease," wrote the scientists, who note that around 12,000 new substances are registered with the American Chemical Society (ACS) every single day.
"Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have established clearly that most, if not virtually all Americans, are exposed to contaminants in the environment that cause serious health effects in animal models," the signatories write. "There is sufficient experimental evidence to raise concern. Furthermore, there is growing evidence that some chemicals once thought to be safe and allowed into common and, in some cases, abundant commercial use may not be as benign as previously assumed."
The writers have urged regulators to use the scientific boards of the signatory societies to provide access to leading scientists in particular fields, because "these experts can help ensure that the most up-to-date scientific methodology and scientific understanding are used when devising and refining regulatory guidelines, and when reviewing scientific data pertinent to risk assessment and risk management decisions."
