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HEALTH, ENVIRONMENT
 Reproductive disorders in humans and wildlife, a worrying trend
Growing concern about European reproductive health and widespread sexual disruption in wildlife brought scientists from different research groups and EU-backed projects together under a single banner, the CREDO cluster.
 | This species of frog Xenopus laevis is helping scientists assess endocrine modulation.
© CREDO |
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The root causes of this notable increase in reproductive disorders, according to CREDO (Cluster of Research into Endocrine Disruption in Europe), are largely unknown. They might be linked to naturally occurring or man-made chemicals found in the environment and food chain that disrupt normal hormone function.
The chemicals in question are called endocrine disruptors because of their effects on our (and other species’) bodily functions. The endocrine system is a set of glands and the hormones they produce which help guide the development, growth, reproduction and behaviour of animals and humans, explains a study on the subject by Greenfacts organisation.
With reports of a rise in the incidence of testicular and breast cancer in Europeans – and growing concern over observed changes in the sexual organs of certain fish and mollusc species – scientists realised they knew too little about the identity of these chemicals, the extent to which they may contribute to the physiological changes witnessed, and how to validate and analyse the risk factors involved.
The types of chemicals under close scrutiny include a large number of pesticides and industrial chemicals found in food items, human tissues and the environment, notes CREDO on its website. “However, many concerns about this large group of chemicals still need to be substantiated by better scientific data,” it notes.
We don’t know enough
The four main projects – EDEN, COMPRENDO, EURISKED and FIRE – in CREDO, together with eight associated projects, set out to learn more about the different ways in which human and wildlife health can be affected by chemicals in the environment. “We also need to expand our knowledge about the early symptoms of endocrine disruption” which will help the Commission develop better ways to protect the health of citizens and wildlife, the group explains.
“No single country in Europe can hope to achieve these ambitious goals on its own,” CREDO adds. International co-operation between research groups is essential to securing progress in this field and to facilitating effective research collaboration across individual projects, the cluster explains.
One of the better ways to promote research and knowledge sharing is through events which bring the main stakeholders together. The upcoming (10-12 May 2005) CREDO workshop on endocrine disruptors – focusing on 'Exposure assessment, epidemiology, low-dose and mixture effects' – will do just that, drawing a cross-section of scientists from all over Europe to present the latest findings in the field. Session topics during the workshop include male reproductive health in Europe, human and wildlife exposure to endocrine disrupters, and novel endpoints and biomarkers.
The CREDO cluster, with its four main projects funded by the Fifth Framework Programme (FP5) for research, represents over 60 research laboratories in Europe worth a total budget of more than €20 million.
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Source:
CREDO, Greenfacts, EU sources
Contact:
Research Contacts page
More information:
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