Commission launches 20 million euro research initiative on endocrine disrupters
Europe's leading researchers on the impact of endocrine disrupters on human health and wildlife are to be brought together under a new research 'cluster' supported by 20 million euro of funding from the European Commission. Endocrine disruptors cause changes in the endocrine system of humans and wildlife by interfering with the production, secretion or action of natural hormones in the body, leading in some cases to sterility or sex changes in animals. The cluster, coordinated by the EDEN project, will involve 64 organisations in Europe, bringing a wide range of expertise and disciplines together to examine the effects these contaminants can have in the environment and their role in endocrine-related disease in humans. Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin said the work, funded under the Quality of Life programme of the Fifth Framework programme for research, will complement ongoing efforts to assess the risk posed by chemicals in the environment and contribute to the EU Strategy for Endocrine Disruptors. 'It is essential that we base our policies and regulations on sound science and that we invest in the reinforcement of our scientific capabilities to test chemicals on possible endocrine disruptive characteristics,' he said. The EDEN (Endocrine disrupters) project will explore changes in gene expression caused by endocrine disrupters and look at the effects of exposure in aquatic life and laboratory animals. It involves 22 partners in 10 countries, with an 8.7 million euro EC contribution. The COMPRENDO (Comparative research on endocrine disrupters) initiative brings together 13 partners from nine different countries to examine the evolutionary effect of endocrine disrupters with a focus on androgenic and anti-androgenic compounds. It is being given a 3.3 million euro EC contribution. EURISKED will complete a multi-organic risk assessment of selected endocrine disrupters, bringing together 10 partners in eight countries and backed up by 3.1 million euro of EC funds. The FIRE project will examine brominated flame retardants as suspected endocrine disrupters in humans and wildlife. It involves 19 partners in 7 countries, with a 4.9 million euro EC contribution. Tuomo Karjalainen, a scientific officer for the Research DG's Quality of Life programme, said the EDEN cluster aims to set an example of the kind of large-scale integrated projects envisaged under the next Framework programme for research, FP6. Other ongoing and future projects on endocrine disrupters will also be informally associated with the project through workshops and other means, with the aim of further enhancing European research capability in the area.