Prominent scientists have signalled their concerns about the risks to human and wildlife health posed by chemicals in everyday use which interfere with the hormone system, known as endocrine disrupters. The harmful effects of these substances on development in humans and wildlife are extremely complex and demand long-term scientific study and a close coordination of international research in order to achieve results to properly inform public policy. These are the broad goals of efforts such as the EU-sponsored CREDO cluster research projects and the new Prague Declaration, a manifesto whose support is spreading internationally across the field of endocrine disrupter (ED) research.

Unveiled in June at a press conference in Brussels, the Prague Declaration emanated from an international workshop in the Czech capital in early May that was attended by 170 participants. This Declaration is a clarion call to governments and the public to address the risks that endocrine disrupters pose to the health of humans and wildlife.
The high prevalence of human reproductive disorders and the rise in cancers of reproductive organs such as testes is of particular concern to many scientists.

Endocrine disrupters are a diverse group of chemicals from pesticides and pharmaceuticals to flame retardants and plasticisers used in everyday products. The challenge to identify these chemicals is huge. The objective of the proposed new EU chemicals legislation, known as REACH  is the registration of a vast array of substances - 30 000 - that are produced or imported into the EU in large quantities, and for endocrine disrupters to be brought under an authorisation procedure. “Current testing does not take ED effects fully into account. There is a real need for safety tests to identify chemicals which are endocrine disrupters,” said Ragnor Pedersen, a researcher at the University of London School of Pharmacy’s Centre for Toxicology.

Informing the public and governments on research progress and making suggestions that might lead to better protection of human and wildlife health lies behind the Prague Declaration, whose initial signatures include prominent researchers from across Europe and leading US scientists.

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