Endocrine disruptors: EFSA and ECHA outline Guidance plans

EFSA and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) have published an outline of the Guidance they are developing on how to identify substances with endocrine disrupting properties in pesticides and biocides.

The outline includes a projected table of contents, as well as a plan of the drafting process, including timelines, responsibilities, consultations with relevant parties and an explanation of how the document will be endorsed.

The Guidance will enable applicants and regulatory authorities to identify endocrine disruptors among chemical substances proposed as pesticides and biocides using hazard A substance or activity which has the potential to cause adverse effects to living organisms or environments-based scientific criteria currently being finalised by EU Member States and the European Commission.   

The Guidance is to be drafted by a joint team of scientific staff from ECHA and EFSA, supported by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. Minutes of meetings of this drafting group will be published.

Additional support to the group will be provided by a specially constituted Consultation Group, which will include members of ECHA’s Endocrine Disruptors Expert Group, and pesticide experts from EU Member States and other stakeholder groups. The drafting group may also consult other scientific bodies, such as EFSA’s Scientific Committee or its Panel on Plant Protection Products and their Residues (PPR) and this panel’s working groups.

A public consultation on the draft Guidance is scheduled for the summer of 2017.

• Outline of draft Guidance for the implementation of hazard-based criteria to identify endocrine disruptors
• Request from the European Commission
• Minutes of joint EFSA/ECHA/JRC kick-off meeting on endocrine disruptors guidance
• European Commission’s proposed criteria for endocrine disruptors