[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 64 (Friday, April 3, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 16567]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-8824]


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HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Public Health Service


National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; Notice of 
Workshop on ``Characterizing the Effects of Endocrine Disruptors on 
Human Health At Environmental Exposure Levels''

    The workshop will be held in the Brownestone Hotel, Raleigh, North 
Carolina on May 11-13, 1998, from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm on May 11th, from 
8:30 am to 5:30 pm on May 12th, and from 8:300 am to 12:30 pm on May 
13th.

Background and Workshop Goals

    Evaluating potential low dose risks of endocrine disruptors is a 
major challenge for the risk assessment community. Most important is 
how to incorporate mechanistic information that will lead to 
biologically based and scientifically credible low-dose extrapolations. 
This workshop was organized to provide a forum for discussion of 
methods and data needs to improve risk assessments of endocrine 
disruptors, with special emphasis on characterizing potential health 
effects at low doses (environmental levels). The Workshop will focus on 
how to make better use of current knowledge on endocrine signaling 
pathways to understand and quantify perturbations induced by endocrine 
disrupting agents that lead to adverse health effects (reproductive and 
developmental toxicity, neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, or cancer) and 
to specifically address exposures and perturbations at critical stages 
of development. Research needs will be identified within the framework 
of a risk assessment approach and a final workshop report to be 
published in the open scientific literature will include 
recommendations and guidance on how to incorporate mechanistic 
information into low-dose extrapolations.

Workshop Topics

    To address the workshop objectives, six breakout group topics have 
been identified:
     Homeostasis and endocrine function in adults
     Endocrine function during development
     Species variability, interindividual variability, and 
tissue specificity
     Dose-response models that link xenobiotic-induced 
perturbations in endocrine signaling pathways with tissue response in 
adults and during development
     Case study: estimating risk from exposure to DES
     Case study: estimating risk from environmental exposure to 
PCBs
    Invited participants will lead the discussions in each breakout 
group. Outside observers from the public sector are welcome with 
attendance limited by space available.

Workshop Co-Sponsors

NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
FDA/National Center for Toxicological Research
US Environmental Protection Agency
Chemical Manufacturers Association

    For further information including observer registration contact 
Alma Britton (919-541-0530; fax: 919-541-0295).

    Dated: March 24, 1998.
Kenneth Olden,
Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
[FR Doc. 98-8824 Filed 4-2-98; 8:45 am]
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