Perils of paradigm: complexity, policy design, and the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program.
The Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP), mandated by the United States Congress in the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, attempts to protect public health from adverse endocrine effects of synthetic chemical compounds by establishing a new testing regime. But the complexities and uncertainties of endocrine disruption and its broader regulatory and social context all but ensure the failure of this policy. This article addresses the issues facing EDSP comprehensively and in detail, in order to move beyond the current regulatory paradigm and foster discourse on a positive role for scientists in support of EDSP's end goal: to protect public health.
Vogel
Jason M
JM
Environmental Studies Program, University of Colorado, Campus Box 397, Boulder, CO 80309-0397, USA. vogelman157@yahoo.com
D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control; D033161:Government Regulation; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000633:toxicity*; D006292:Health Priorities; D006727:Hormone Antagonists / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D016134:Organizational Policy; D011057:Politics; D011634:Public Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D018675:Toxicity Tests; D035501:Uncertainty; D014481:United States; D014484:United States Environmental Protection Agency / Q000458:organization & administration*
D015386:Hazardous Substances; D006727:Hormone Antagonists