Newswise — Endocrine Society Member R. Thomas Zoeller, Ph.D., a nationally renowned expert in thyroid hormone action in reproductive health can provide insight into the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recent announcement.
Just last week, the EPA announced that it will require pesticide manufacturers to test 67 chemicals contained in their products to determine whether they disrupt the endocrine system. According to a statement made in The Washington Post (April 16, 2009) by Linda Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the National Toxicology Program, "the program represents 'a more organized look at' how human exposure to pesticide chemicals could affect such things as bone growth and brain development."
The endocrine system regulates animals' and humans' growth, metabolism and reproduction. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that may interfere with the body's endocrine system and produce adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects in both humans and wildlife.
Dr. Zoeller, professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, was a member of the EPA's first Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Scientific Advisory Panel (FIFRA SAP) to evaluate the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program. He also served as a member of the first EPA workgroup convened on this topic (EDSTAC) from 1996-1998.
WHO: R. Thomas Zoeller, Ph.D. Representative of The Endocrine Society (TES) Professor of Biology, Morrill Science Center University of Massachusetts, Amherst
WHAT: Dr. Zoeller, a leading endocrinologist and chairperson of TES' June 2009 Forum on Endocrine Disruptors, is available to discuss the latest research on endocrine disrupting chemicals and the potential impact on humans and wildlife.
Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest, largest, and most active organization devoted to research on hormones, and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Today, The Endocrine Society's membership consists of over 14,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 100 countries. Together, these members represent all basic, applied, and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. To learn more about the Society, and the field of endocrinology, visit our web site at www.endo-society.org.
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