title: Comments on the opinions published by Bergman et al. (2015) on Critical Comments on the WHO-UNEP State of the Science of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (Lamb et al., 2014).
abstract: Recently Bergman et al. (2015) took issue with our comments (Lamb et al., 2014) on the WHO-UNEP(1) report entitled the "State of the Science of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals - 2012" (WHO 2013a). We find several key differences between their view and ours regarding the selection of studies and presentation of data related to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) under the WHO-IPCS(2) definition (2002). In this response we address the factors that we think are most important: 1. the difference between hazard and risk; 2. the different approaches for hazard identification (weight of the evidence [WOE] vs. emphasizing positive findings over null results); and 3. the lack of a justification for conceptual or practical differences between EDCs and other groups of agents.
authors.affiliation: Exponent, 1800 Diagonal Road, Suite #500, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA. Electronic address: jlamb@exponent.com.
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lamb
authors.affiliation: The Tisch Cancer Institute and Institute for Translational Epidemiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 17 East 102 Street Floor West Tower, 5th Floor Room 5-142, New York, NY 10029, USA. Electronic address: paolo.boffetta@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Boffetta
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada. Electronic address: foster@mcmaster.ca.
authors.forename: Warren G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.affiliation: Gradient, 20 University Road, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. Electronic address: jgoodman@gradientcorp.com.
authors.forename: Julie E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.affiliation: Exponent, 1800 Diagonal Road, Suite #500, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA. Electronic address: khentz@exponent.com.
authors.forename: Karyn L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Hentz
authors.affiliation: Gradient, 20 University Road, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. Electronic address: lrhomberg@gradientcorp.com.
authors.forename: Lorenz R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Rhomberg
authors.affiliation: Exponent, 1800 Diagonal Road, Suite #500, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA. Electronic address: jstaveley@exponent.com.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Staveley
authors.affiliation: Maastrich University, Netherlands. Electronic address: g.swaen@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
authors.forename: Gerard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Swaen
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph ON N1G 2W1, Canada. Electronic address: gvanderk@uoguelph.ca.
authors.forename: Glen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Van Der Kraak
authors.affiliation: Exponent, 1800 Diagonal Road, Suite #500, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA. Electronic address: awilliams@exponent.com.
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors
keywords: Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC); Endocrine mode-of-action; Hazard assessment; Risk characterization; Weight of evidence