in the trenches/endocrine disrupters

 

6. Hotspots

Congress has instructed EPA to examine the issue of endocrine disrupting chemicals, and discussions underway will determine how these chemicals are handled in the United States. Recent legislation, including reauthorization of the Safe Drinking Water Act and passage of the 1996 Food Quality Protection Act, mandates that EPA develop a screening and testing program for endocrine disrupting chemicals. In response, EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances convened the Endocrine Disrupters Screening and Testing Advisory Committee (EDSTAC) to advise EPA on a strategy for developing a flexible screening and testing program for new and existing chemical compounds. EDSTAC comprises about 40 members from government, industry, academia, and environmental organizations.

EDSTAC meets about every two months, and draft recommendations are expected by late fall. The final report is due to EPA February 1998, and EPA must report back to Congress by August 1998. EDSTAC has a lot of ground to cover in a short time, and is hampered by still-evolving scientific knowledge. Nevertheless policy decisions will be made. Until recently the committee has been focused on organizing itself and defining scope. One EPA insider likened the process to a roller coaster ride: The preparatory ride up is slow, but once you reach the top--hang on. Now the serious work is underway.

The main mode of communication with the public is via the EDSTAC Website. The site has been slow in posting, however. Another EDSTAC Page, maintained by the Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of North Carolina, provides some historical and philosophical background for science-based policy-making. This site includes a mechanism for sending email to all EDSTAC members.

The entire EDSTAC gathered in Orlando recently (December 2 - 3) to discuss proposals of the various Work Groups. Plenary meetings are open to the public and include a public comment period. See the links below for more details and a report from the October meeting in New York. (Many thanks to Davis Baltz!)

  • October meeting in New York City
  • July meeting in Chicago
  • April meeting in Baltimore
  • February meeting in Houston

     

    More on Endocrines:
    Table of Contents | Twelve Hundred Words or Less... | Web Resources
    Activist Groups | Voices | New in the Literature | Hotspots
    On the Other Hand... | Funders | What You Can Do