Critical Evaluation of The Key Characteristics Approach

Introduction to The Key Characteristics Approach

In this Spotlight, the Endocrine Policy Forum examines the Key Characteristics (KC) approach and explains how it fits into the scientific and regulatory landscape for Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs).

The KC approach is a newly-proposed way to identify EDCs based on whether chemicals have been reported to elicit responses in various laboratory assays. In an attempt to “avoid a narrow focus on specific [endocrine] pathways,” the KC approach lumps together all endocrine pathways under ten general types of laboratory results. Unfortunately, the KC approach also avoids much of what has been learned about endocrine biology over the last century and it circumvents the tried-and-tested scientific method of hypothesis testing employed in Weight of Evidence (WoE) methods, which are required by many regulatory agencies, including the U.S. EPA and the OECD.