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Evidence from both laboratory and field studies has shown that currently used synthetic and naturally occurring chemical substances may potentially disrupt invertebrate endocrine systems, although the extent of this in field populations remains unclear. Translating concerns about potential endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) into practical and effective regulatory action is currently hampered by the breadth of invertebrate endocrinology when compared to the better understood vertebrate systems, a lack of fundamental knowledge about the endocrinology of many invertebrate groups, and the resulting uncertainty when making regulatory decisions. This commentary (i) outlines the breadth of invertebrate endocrine pathways for which European Union regulation of potential EDCs may be relevant; (ii) reviews the extent to which current knowledge meets regulatory requirements for invertebrates, including an assessment of the suitability of current invertebrate test guidelines for detecting endocrine modes of action; and (iii) proposes a roadmap towards the regulation of potential EDCs with greater confidence, based on the Adverse Outcome Pathway (AOP) concept and a focus on identifying Molecular Initiating Events (MIEs) within AOPs. We conclude there are no validated tools to determine any invertebrate endocrine mode of action in vitro or in vivo. However, there are commonly used invertebrate toxicity tests which might capture adverse effects that could potentially result from an endocrine mode of action but would not identify the causal mechanisms. Therefore, EU regulatory requirements for the identification of EDCs cannot currently be satisfied for invertebrates, either in general or for the specific invertebrates used in standard ecotoxicological studies. We propose that the most important research need is compilation of a comprehensive list of endocrine-related MIEs across invertebrate taxa via use of high-throughput 'omics in combination with bioinformatics reverse engineered analyses. Although tractable, such an approach would require significant resource investment for development and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Commission intends to protect vertebrate wildlife populations by regulating plant protection product (PPP) active substances that have endocrine‐disrupting properties with a hazard‐based approach. In this paper we consider how the Commission's hazard‐based regulation and accompanying guidance can be operationalized to ensure that a technically robust process is used to distinguish between substances with adverse population‐level effects and those for which it can be demonstrated that adverse effects observed (typically in the laboratory) do not translate into adverse effects at the population level. Our approach is to use population models within the adverse outcome pathway framework to link the nonlinear relationship between adverse effects at the individual and population levels in the following way: (1) use specific protection goals for focal wildlife populations within an ecosystem services framework; (2) model the effects of changes in population‐related inputs on focal species populations with individual‐based population models to determine thresholds between negligible and nonnegligible (i.e., adverse) population‐level effects; (3) compare these thresholds with the relevant endpoints from laboratory toxicity tests to determine whether they are likely to be exceeded at hazard‐based limits or the maximum tolerated dose/concentration from the experimental studies. If the population threshold is not exceeded, then the substance should not be classified as an endocrine disruptor with population‐relevant adversity unless there are other lines of evidence within a weight‐of‐evidence approach to challenge this. We believe this approach is scientifically robust and still addresses the political and legal requirement for a hazard‐based assessment. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2019;15:278–291. © 2018 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC) Key Points: In this paper we consider how the European Commission's hazard‐based Plant Protection Product Regulation can be operationalized to distinguish between substances with adverse population‐level effects and those for which observed adverse effects do not translate into adverse population‐level effects.Our approach is to use population models within the adverse outcome pathways framework to link the nonlinear relationship between adverse effects at the individual and population levels.Only if the population threshold is exceeded should the active substance be classified as an endocrine disruptor with population‐relevant adversity, unless this classification is challenged by other lines of evidence (e.g., from field studies) within a weight‐of‐evidence approach.We believe this approach is scientifically robust and addresses the political and legal requirement for a hazard‐based assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although frequently examined as a target organ for non-endocrine toxicity, histopathological evaluation of the liver is becoming a routine component of endocrine disruption studies that utilize various fish species as test subjects. However, the interpretation of microscopic liver findings can be challenging, especially when attempting to distinguish adverse changes associated with endocrine disrupting substances from those caused by systemic or direct hepatic toxicity. The purpose of this project was to conduct a critical assessment of the available peer-reviewed and grey literature concerning the histopathologic effects of reproductive endocrine active substances (EAS) and non-endocrine acting substances in the livers of fish models, and to determine if liver histopathology can be used to reliably distinguish endocrine from non-endocrine etiologies. The results of this review suggest that few compound-specific histopathologic liver effects have been identified, among which are estrogen agonist-induced increases in hepatocyte basophilia and proteinaceous intravascular fluid in adult male teleosts, and potentially, decreased hepatocyte basophilia in female fish exposed to substances that possess androgenic, anti-estrogenic, or aromatase inhibitory activity. This review also used published standardized methodology to assess the credibility of the histopathology data in each of the 117 articles that reported liver effects of treatment, and consequently it was determined that in only 37% of those papers were the data considered either highly credible or credible. The outcome of this work highlights the value of histopathologic liver evaluation as an investigative tool for EAS studies, and provides information that may have implications for EAS hazard assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review critically examines the data on claimed endocrine-mediated adverse effects of chemicals on wildlife populations. It focuses on the effects of current-use chemicals, and compares their apparent scale and severity with those of legacy chemicals which have been withdrawn from sale or use, although they may still be present in the environment. The review concludes that the effects on wildlife of many legacy chemicals with endocrine activity are generally greater than those caused by current-use chemicals, with the exception of ethinylestradiol and other estrogens found in sewage effluents, which are causing widespread effects on fish populations. It is considered that current chemical testing regimes and risk assessment procedures, at least those to which pesticides and biocides are subjected, are in part responsible for this improvement. This is noteworthy as most ecotoxicological testing for regulatory purposes is currently focused on characterizing apical adverse effect endpoints rather than identifying the mechanism(s) responsible for any observed effects. Furthermore, a suite of internationally standardized ecotoxicity tests sensitive for potential endocrine-mediated effects is now in place, or under development, which should ensure further characterization of substances with these properties so that they can be adequately regulated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To use and implement an assessment scheme for the evaluation of endocrine disrupting properties of chemicals in ecotoxicology, the types of effect need to be agreed. Effects that merit further consideration in this context should fulfil the following three criteria: caused by an endocrine mode of action, be adverse, and be relevant at the population level to reflect the protection goal of ecotoxicological assessments. Thereafter, a comparison of effect values, regardless of the causative mechanisms, should be made, firstly to determine if endocrine toxicity generates the lowest endpoint within a taxon, and secondly if it is the lowest endpoint compared to that of other taxa living in the same compartment. These comparisons inform on two levels of specificity and determine if endocrine-mediated side-effects determine the ecotoxicological profile of a chemical. Various quantitative measures for the assessment of potency are also presented, which could assist in determining how to handle substances in the risk assessment when a regulatory concern is identified. Finally, derogation criteria should be defined for compounds that were designed as endocrine disruptors for non-vertebrates and those for which there is ‘negligible exposure’. This paper discusses and provides proposals on how to apply these concepts for assessment of substances. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]