NRP50

Summary

The presence of hormonally active chemicals ("endocrine disruptors") in the biosphere has become a worldwide environmental concern. In 1999, a report released by the Swiss Agency for the Environment, Forests and Landscape (BUWAL) concluded that such chemicals have already left their mark on the Swiss landscape and implicated them as a general cause of population changes in wildlife. Some of the chemicals involved, for example polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dibenzo-p-dioxins (dioxins), have received wide media attention because of their negative health impact on humans. The potential contribution of endocrine disruptors to the increased incidence of a number of diseases and developmental disorders in humans and animals is alarming, but the establishment of solid cause-effect relationships requires further scientific investigation.

 

In Switzerland, the necessity for a coordinated transdisciplinary approach to the environmental and public health problems caused by endocrine disruptors is now widely recognized. The Federal Council has implemented a National Research Programme (NRP) on "Endocrine Disruptors" which aims to develop scientific strategies to assess the risks and hazards that arise when endocrine disruptors are processed through ecosystems and cause human and animal exposure. Major objectives to be addressed are:

 

• What is the magnitude of exposure of humans, domestic animals, wildlife and the environment in Switzerland?
• Which methods and models are suitable to assess the endocrine activity of these chemicals?
• What are the hazards and risks to human and animal health? What is the impact on biodiversity?
• What measures should be taken for the protection of humans and the environment?

 

In the wider perspective, the NRP aims to create a consensus platform for industry and regulators on how to avoid the negative impact of today’s chemicals of this category. In pursuing this goal, the NRP aims to define a set of rules for future development of pertinent substances. Moreover, the NRP wants to foster the sustained development of this important research area by recruiting junior investigators into this programme.