Spotlight:
The Endocrine Policy Forum is pleased to announce that our two-part webinar series investigating the “Key Characteristics” (KC) approach is now available to the public. This series features expert analysis from leading scientists on whether the KC framework serves as a reliable tool for chemical risk assessment and public health protection.
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Webinar 1: The Key Characteristics Approach – Fit For Purpose? This session evaluates the conceptual and methodological foundations of the KC approach. Panelists discuss whether the framework improves public health assessments or if it is susceptible to bias and poor predictive accuracy when used as a standalone tool.
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Webinar 2: The Key Characteristics Approach – A Mechanistic Misfit? Building on the first session, this webinar explores specific case studies—including carcinogenesis and the evaluation of glyphosate—to determine if the KC approach accurately identifies toxicological mechanisms or if it presents a “mechanistic misfit” in practical application.
Both webinars include in-depth presentations followed by robust discussion and debate among the speakers and audience members. We invite you to view these sessions to gain a deeper understanding of the scientific challenges facing modern endocrine and toxicological policy.
Spotlight:
Potency Thresholds for EDCs
Potency a measure of the strength of a drug or chemical. It is expressed as the dose, or concentration, required to produce a given level of effect, and is useful for comparing the strength of different drugs and chemicals.
Potency is the key to understanding whether a chemical can disrupt the endocrine system of animals and humans, however, the science of potency is often poorly understood and miscommunicated in discussions of endocrine disruptors.
This Spotlight attempts to clarify how potency works, and why it is critical for understanding which chemicals can, and which chemicals cannot, disrupt the endocrine system.
Spotlight:
Critical Analysis of the Key Characteristics Approach
Recently, a new approach for identifying EDC hazards has been proposed that organizes and evaluates data according to ten so-called “Key Characteristics (KCs) of EDCs.” It claims to address the lack of a widely accepted, systematic approach for identifying “EDC hazards,” but it fails validation tests and completely ignores the extensive literature on Weight of Evidence (WoE) methods for evaluating EDCs.
RESOURCES FOR CLINICIANS, SCIENTISTS, AND REGULATORS
CLINICAL
We answer clinician questions with evidence-based science.
SCIENTIFIC
We furnish scientists with evidence-based resources on endocrine disrupting chemicals and their effects on humans or wildlife.
REGULATORY
We provide helpful guides outlining principles, processes, and programs for regulating endocrine-active chemicals.
ABOUT The Endocrine Policy Forum
The Endocrine Policy Forum (EPF) is a consortium of scientific and regulatory experts coordinating industry participation in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to screen chemicals for endocrine activity. EPF’s mission is to bring balanced, science- and risk-based analysis to scientists, medical professionals and regulators in the U.S. and beyond to ensure chemicals are properly screened, tested and regulated for endocrine activity and the potential to cause adverse health effects.
Watch Our Latest Video on Potency