Abstract
The workshop "Characterizing the Effects of Endocrine Disruptors on Human Health at
Environmental Exposure Levels" was held to provide a forum for discussions and recommendations
of methods and data needed to improve risk assessments of endocrine disruptors. This
article was produced by a working group charged with determining the basic mechanistic
information that should be considered when designing models to quantitatively assess
potential risks of environmental endocrine disruptors in adults. To reach this goal,
we initially identified a set of potential organ system toxicities in males and females
on the basis of known and/or suspected effects of endocrine disruptors on estrogen,
androgen, and thyroid hormone systems. We used this integrated, systems-level approach
because endocrine disruptors have the potential to exert toxicities at many levels
and by many molecular mechanisms. Because a detailed analysis of all these untoward
effects was beyond the scope of this workshop, we selected the specific end point
of testicular function for a more detailed analysis. The goal was to identify the
information required to develop a quantitative model(s) of the effects of endocrine
disruptors on this system while focusing on spermatogenesis, sperm characteristics,
and testicular steroidogenesis as specific markers. Testicular function was selected
because it is a prototypical integrated end point that can be affected adversely by
individual endocrine disruptors or chemical mixtures acting at one specific site or
at multiple sites. Our specific objective was to gather the information needed to
develop models in the adult organism containing functional homeostatic mechanisms,
and for this reason we did not consider possible developmental toxicities. Homeostatic
mechanisms have the potential to ameliorate or lessen the effects of endocrine disruptors,
but these pathways are also potential target sites for the actions of these chemicals.
Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1289/ehp.99107s4605
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