Assessing Chemical Risk: Societies Offer Expertise

摘要

The effect of environmental exposures on human health is a growing area of concern. The number of new chemicals is increasing exponentially, with approximately 12,000 new substances added daily to the American Chemical Society's CAS registry (7). Although only a portion of these chemicals are introduced into the environment, data on the hazard posed by even high-production volume (HPV) chemicals (those with a production volume exceeding 1000 tons/year) are available for only a fraction of the HPV chemicals produced or imported into the United States. Currently, the EPA and FDA are charged with safeguarding the health of Americans. This is a daunting task that is hampered by the growing recognition that currently accepted testing paradigms and government review practices are inadequate for chemicals with hormone-like actions.