By the early 1990’s, it was established that the traditional toxicological testing protocols used to determine chemical safety had completely missed vast numbers of chemicals that penetrate the womb and interfere with the construction and programming of developing animals, including humans. Since then, more evidence has accumulated indicating that the presence of infinitesimally small quantities of certain chemicals during the continuously changing stages of development can alter one’s inherited phenotype e.g., the ability to learn, love, bond reproduce and function even to maintain normal body weight. The endocrine system is so fine tuned that it depends upon changes in hormones in quantities as little as a tenth of a trillion of a gram to control the womb environment.
Recent advances in research confirm that endocrine disruptors can interfere with the gene-controlled, normal signalling systems that determine every aspect of embryonic and foetal development. Over the past decade it has been demonstrated that there are endless ways endocrine disruptors can interfere with gene expression. They can interfere with how genes are programmed in the developing tissues of the unborn, thus changing how a teen or an adult would ordinarily respond to the normal chemical signals that control function as they mature. Disorders that have increased in prevalence in recent years such as abnormal male gonadal development, infertility, ADHD, autism, intellectual impairment, diabetes, thyroid disorders, and childhood and/or adult cancers are now being linked to foetal exposure. Despite the accumulated research chemicals are still not regulated due to their endocrine disrupting properties. EU Regulation 1107/2009 provides for the elements to do so.
In Regulation 1107/2009 endocrine disrupting properties are seen as unwanted properties and pesticides having these properties will not be allowed on the market (unless in exceptional cases such as use in closed systems). The criteria for determining such properties still need to be defined. By 14th December 2013, the Commission shall present measures concerning specific scientific criteria for the determination of endocrine disrupting (ED) properties (Regulation 1107/2009). These criteria will likely be used in the implementation of other regulations, and as such will cover ‘horizontal’ legislation, including that relating to cosmetics, biocides, pharmaceuticals, and industrial chemicals at large. While December 2013 is still somewhat in the future, discussions have already started and several stakeholders and some EU Member States have already put forward their ideas on the criteria. In this paper environmental NGO’s present their proposals and conditions for setting these criteria.