Why epidemiology of endocrine disruptors warrants the precautionary
principle
M. Gochfeld
Environmental and Community Medicine, UMDNJ-Robert
Wood Johnson Medical School and Environmental and Occupational Health
Sciences Institute and Consortium for Risk Evaluation with Stakeholder
Participation, 170 Frelinghuysen Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
Abstract: The precautionary principle is controversial, and
critics invoke the need to wait for "sound science" before taking "costly"
regulatory action. For human health effects, epidemiologic results are
often considered more valuable than toxicologic studies in animals.
Direct human evidence on the endocrine effects of environmental chemicals
has been slow to accumulate because of inherent sample size limitations
of exposed populations and over-conservative hypothesis testing approaches.
Moreover, human health outcomes may take decades to emerge. Indeed,
even huge population-based studies of hormone replacement therapy have
been inconclusive regarding both benefits and risks. This paper argues
that certain intrinsic standard epidemiologic methods are stacked to
avoid making a type I error. Moreover, these combine with extrinsic
limitations (long latency, high cost), leading me to conclude that reliance
solely on epidemiology to provide definitive answers, will almost inevitably
delay the discovery of meaningful associations warranting timely action
for protection of public health. There are several ways in which the
inherent conservatism of epidemiology is arrayed against preventative
regulatory steps, hence a precautionary approach is warranted while
awaiting the results of additional studies which for various reasons
may be very long delayed or even impossible.
*Report from a SCOPE/IUPAC project: Implication of
Endocrine Active Substances for Human and Wildlife (J. Miyamoto and
J.Burger, editors). Other reports are published in this issue,
pp. 1617-2615.
Page last modified 12 February 2004.
Copyright © 2004 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.
Questions or comments about IUPAC, please contact, the Secretariat.
Questions regarding the website, please contact web
manager.