EPA Expands Endocrine Disruptor screening Program

EPA plans to add drinking-water contaminants and more pesticides to the list of chemicals to be tested under its Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program. The agency is proposing to add 134 chemicals, including perfluorocarbons, plasticizers, pharmaceuticals, ingredients in personal care products, and many pesticides, to the list. The chemicals were chosen because of widespread human exposure from drinking water or because of the status of their pesticide registration, not because they are believed to be endocrine disrupters. EPA will begin issuing test orders in 2011 to manufacturers of the compounds, requiring them to screen the chemicals for their ability to disrupt estrogen, androgen, and thyroid pathways. Last year, EPA ordered manufacturers to screen 67 pesticides and inert chemicals in pesticides for possible endocrine activity. The agency’s latest effort to expand the program beyond pesticides and into chemicals regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) may prove to be challenging because of the agency’s limited ability under SDWA to identify chemical manufacturers.