EDC-MixRisk – Safe chemicals for future generations

Prof. Wieland Kiess, a partner in EDC-MixRisk project, is one of the main authors of the recently published research paper which has brought attention to the issue of Endocrine Disruptive Chemicals (EDCs) in Germany. The article, entitled in English “Endocrine disruptors: Evidence from epidemiological studies necessitates a critical review of model systems”, was published in a Federal German Health Journal, Bundesgesundheitsblatt.

The paper addresses adverse health effects of EDCs and depicts the epidemiological findings for EDC-caused effects in the fields of growth and metabolism, neurocognitive development and sexual development and reproduction. It also discusses the clinical importance of epigenetic changes caused by the action of EDCs during vulnerable phases of development.

Prof. Kiess says: “Epidemiological studies are often criticized because their reproducibility is not always guaranteed, but they remain the method of choice for the development and analysis of suitable model systems. Positive associations, in spite of sometimes conflicting results, are key in the selection of factors that can then be analysed in model systems in an unbiased way.”

Furthermore, the article highlights the need for closer linkage between epidemiological studies and mechanistic research into model systems, especially focusing on the interaction of different EDCs and the consequences of prenatal and early life exposure.

The original article was published in German. The abstract is available in English via this link.

Wieland Kiess is professor of paediatrics and director of the Hospital for Children and Adolescents of the University of Leipzig since 1998. He is PI of the German LIFE Child study cohort and actively involved especially in the project’s Work Package 2, Epidemiology and biostatistics. His main research interests include chronic diseases in early life, interaction between environment, genes and society.