Threat by chemical substances: Legislation, production, use and waste - Environmental Deterioration and Contamination: Problems and their Management - page 67

leading to downstream estrogenic effects. The experts of the Panel Meeting think that
initial screening techniques can be conducted relatively quickly and efficiently using
non-animal approaches, such as in vitro assays and computational predictions, thereby
reducing unnecessary animal experiments.
The EU started in 1999 and the European Commission adopted a strategy [COM
(1999) 706], setting the general framework of studying EDs. The task of creating
endocrine disrupting chemicals priority list was fulfilled in 2000 (BKH and TNO,
2000). Prioritization was based on evidence of endocrine disruption in humans or
animals, persistence in the environment and the amount of the substance produced
(EU EDSP, 2013). The step-wise procedure started with the creation of a full working
list of “suspected endocrine disrupters.'' Then the persistent or HPV chemicals were
reviewed to determine the strength of evidence for endocrine disruption. According to
the result, chemicals were grouped into three categories as follows:

- Category 1 : Evidence of endocrine disrupting activity in at least one species using
intact animals;
- Category 2 : At least some in vitro evidence of biological activity related to
endocrine disruption;
- Category 3 : No evidence of endocrine disrupting activity or no data available.

From a total of 564 chemicals that had been suggested by various organizations or
publications as being suspected EDs, 146 were considered likely to be either persistent
in the environment or produced at high volumes (EU EDSP List 146, 2000). Clear
evidence of endocrine disrupting activity was noted for only 66 (assigned Category 1
using the criteria adopted in the study). A further 52 chemicals showed some evidence
suggesting potential activity (Category 2). In total, 118 substances were categorized
in the first round of priority setting. The 66 Category 1 chemicals (EU EDSP List 66,
2000) are shown here in order of priority:

- Chlordane - Styrene

- Chlordane (cis- and trans-) - HCB

- Kepone = chlordecone - BBP

- Mirex - DEHP

- Toxaphene = camphechlor - DBP

- DDT (techn.) = clofenotane - BPA

- p , p -DDT

= clofenotane - PCB

- Tetrachloro DDT - PCB153

- Vinclozolin - PCB169

- Maneb - PCB47

- Metam sodium - PCB77

- Thiram - Aroclor 1242

- Zineb - Aroclor 1248

=

- Gamma-HCH lindane - Aroclor 1254

- Linuron (Lorox) - Aroclor 1260

- Atrazine - PBBs = brominated biphenyls

- Acetochlor (209 congeners)

- Alachlor - 1,2,3,7,8-Pentachlorodibenzodioxin