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Science And Policy On Endocrine Disrupters Must Not Be Mixed: A Reply To A “Common Sense” Intervention By Toxicology Journal Editors, Åke Bergman, Anna-Maria Andersson, Georg Becher, Martin Van Den Berg, Bruce Blumberg, Poul Bjerregaard, Carl-Gustaf Bornehag, Riana Bornman, Ingvar Brandt, Jayne V. Brian, Stephanie C. Casey, Paul A. Fowler, Heloise Frouin, Linda C. Giudice, Taisen Iguchi, Ulla Hass, Susan Jobling, Anders Juul, Karen A. Kidd, Andreas Kortenkamp, Monica Lind, Olwenn V. Martin, Derek Muir, Roseline Ochieng, Nicolas Olea, Leif Norrgren, Erik Ropstad, Peter S. Ross, Christina Rudén, Martin Scheringer, Niels Erik Skakkebaek, Olle Söder, Carlos Sonnenschein, Ana Soto, Shanna Swan, Jorma Toppari, Charles R. Tyler, Laura Vandenberg, Anne Marie Vinggaard, Karin Wiberg, R Thomas Zoeller Aug 2013

Science And Policy On Endocrine Disrupters Must Not Be Mixed: A Reply To A “Common Sense” Intervention By Toxicology Journal Editors, Åke Bergman, Anna-Maria Andersson, Georg Becher, Martin Van Den Berg, Bruce Blumberg, Poul Bjerregaard, Carl-Gustaf Bornehag, Riana Bornman, Ingvar Brandt, Jayne V. Brian, Stephanie C. Casey, Paul A. Fowler, Heloise Frouin, Linda C. Giudice, Taisen Iguchi, Ulla Hass, Susan Jobling, Anders Juul, Karen A. Kidd, Andreas Kortenkamp, Monica Lind, Olwenn V. Martin, Derek Muir, Roseline Ochieng, Nicolas Olea, Leif Norrgren, Erik Ropstad, Peter S. Ross, Christina Rudén, Martin Scheringer, Niels Erik Skakkebaek, Olle Söder, Carlos Sonnenschein, Ana Soto, Shanna Swan, Jorma Toppari, Charles R. Tyler, Laura Vandenberg, Anne Marie Vinggaard, Karin Wiberg, R Thomas Zoeller

Laura Vandenberg

The “common sense” intervention by toxicology journal editors regarding proposed European Union endocrine disrupter regulations ignores scientific evidence and well-established principles of chemical risk assessment. In this commentary, endocrine disrupter experts express their concerns about a recently published, and is in our considered opinion inaccurate and factually incorrect, editorial that has appeared in several journals in toxicology. Some of the shortcomings of the editorial are discussed in detail. We call for a better founded scientific debate which may help to overcome a polarisation of views detrimental to reaching a consensus about scientific foundations for endocrine disrupter regulation in the EU.


Low Frequency Vibrations Induce Malformations In Two Aquatic Species In A Frequency-, Waveform-, And Direction-Specific Manner, Laura Vandenberg, Claire Stevenson, Michael Levin Dec 2012

Low Frequency Vibrations Induce Malformations In Two Aquatic Species In A Frequency-, Waveform-, And Direction-Specific Manner, Laura Vandenberg, Claire Stevenson, Michael Levin

Laura Vandenberg

Environmental toxicants such as industrial wastes, air particulates from machinery and transportation vehicles, and pesticide run-offs, as well as many chemicals, have been widely studied for their effects on human and wildlife populations. Yet other potentially harmful environmental pollutants such as electromagnetic pulses, noise and vibrations have remained incompletely understood. Because developing embryos undergo complex morphological changes that can be affected detrimentally by alterations in physical forces, they may be particularly susceptible to exposure to these types of pollutants. We investigated the effects of low frequency vibrations on early embryonic development of two aquatic species, Xenopus laevis (frogs) and Danio …


Neurally Derived Tissues In Xenopus Laevis Embryos Exhibit A Consistent Bioelectrical Left-Right Asymmetry, Vaibhav P. Pai, Laura Vandenberg, Douglas Blackiston, Michael Levin Sep 2012

Neurally Derived Tissues In Xenopus Laevis Embryos Exhibit A Consistent Bioelectrical Left-Right Asymmetry, Vaibhav P. Pai, Laura Vandenberg, Douglas Blackiston, Michael Levin

Laura Vandenberg

Consistent left-right asymmetry in organ morphogenesis is a fascinating aspect of bilaterian development. Although embryonic patterning of asymmetric viscera, heart, and brain is beginning to be understood, less is known about possible subtle asymmetries present in anatomically identical paired structures. We investigated two important developmental events: physiological controls of eye development and specification of neural crest derivatives, in Xenopus laevis embryos. We found that the striking hyperpolarization of transmembrane potential ( ) demarcating eye induction usually occurs in the right eye field first. This asymmetry is randomized by perturbing visceral left-right patterning, suggesting that eye asymmetry is linked to mechanisms …


Serotonin Has Early, Cilia-Independent Roles In Xenopus Left-Right Patterning, Laura Vandenberg, Joan M. Lemire, Michael Levin Aug 2012

Serotonin Has Early, Cilia-Independent Roles In Xenopus Left-Right Patterning, Laura Vandenberg, Joan M. Lemire, Michael Levin

Laura Vandenberg

Consistent left-right (LR) patterning of the heart and viscera is a crucial part of normal embryogenesis. Because errors of laterality form a common class of birth defects, it is important to understand the molecular mechanisms and stage at which LR asymmetry is initiated. Frog embryos are a system uniquely suited to analysis of the mechanisms involved in orientation of the LR axis because of the many genetic and pharmacological tools available for use and the fate-map and accessibility of early blastomeres. Two major models exist for the origin of LR asymmetry and both implicate pre-nervous serotonergic signaling. In the first, …


Urinary, Circulating, And Tissue Biomonitoring Studies Indicate Widespread Exposure To Bisphenol A, Laura Vandenberg, Ibrahim Chahoud, Jerrold J. Heindel, Vasantha Padmanabhan, Francisco J.R. Paumgartten, Gilbert Schoenfelder Jul 2010

Urinary, Circulating, And Tissue Biomonitoring Studies Indicate Widespread Exposure To Bisphenol A, Laura Vandenberg, Ibrahim Chahoud, Jerrold J. Heindel, Vasantha Padmanabhan, Francisco J.R. Paumgartten, Gilbert Schoenfelder

Laura Vandenberg

BACKGROUND: Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the highest-volume chemicals produced worldwide, and human exposure to BPA is thought to be ubiquitous. Thus, there are concerns that the amount of BPA to which humans are exposed may cause adverse health effects. Importantly, results from a large number of biomonitoring studies are at odds with the results from two toxicokinetic studies. OBJECTIVE: We examined several possibilities for why biomonitoring and toxicokinetic studies could come to seemingly conflicting conclusions. DATA SOURCES: We examined > 80 published human biomonitoring studies that measured BPA concentrations in human tissues, urine, blood, and other fluids, along with …


Consistent Left-Right Asymmetry Cannot Be Established By Late Organizers In Xenopus Unless The Late Organizer Is A Conjoined Twin, Laura Vandenberg, Michael Levin Mar 2010

Consistent Left-Right Asymmetry Cannot Be Established By Late Organizers In Xenopus Unless The Late Organizer Is A Conjoined Twin, Laura Vandenberg, Michael Levin

Laura Vandenberg

How embryos consistently orient asymmetries of the left-right (LR) axis is an intriguing question, as no macroscopic environmental cues reliably distinguish left from right. Especially unclear are the events coordinating LR patterning with the establishment of the dorsoventral (DV) axes and midline determination in early embryos. In frog embryos, consistent physiological and molecular asymmetries manifest by the second cell cleavage; however, models based on extracellular fluid flow at the node predict correct de novo asymmetry orientation during neurulation. We addressed these issues in Xenopus embryos by manipulating the timing and location of dorsal organizer induction: the primary dorsal organizer was …


Bisphenol-A And The Great Divide: A Review Of Controversies In The Field Of Endocrine Disruption, Laura Vandenberg, Maricel V. Maffini, Carlos Sonnenschein, Beverly S. Rubin, Ana M. Soto Dec 2009

Bisphenol-A And The Great Divide: A Review Of Controversies In The Field Of Endocrine Disruption, Laura Vandenberg, Maricel V. Maffini, Carlos Sonnenschein, Beverly S. Rubin, Ana M. Soto

Laura Vandenberg

In 1991, a group of 21 scientists gathered at the Wingspread Conference Center to discuss evidence of developmental alterations observed in wildlife populations after chemical exposures. There, the term “endocrine disruptor” was agreed upon to describe a class of chemicals including those that act as agonists and antagonists of the estrogen receptors (ERs), androgen receptor, thyroid hormone receptor, and others. This definition has since evolved, and the field has grown to encompass hundreds of chemicals. Despite significant advances in the study of endocrine disruptors, several controversies have sprung up and continue, including the debate over the existence of nonmonotonic dose …


Why Public Health Agencies Cannot Depend On Good Laboratory Practices As A Criterion For Selecting Data: The Case Of Bisphenol A, John Peterson Myers, Frederick S. Vom Saal, Benson T. Akingbemi, Koji Arizono, Scott Belcher, Theo Colborn, Ibrahim Chahoud, D. Andrew Crain, Francesca Farabollini, Louis J. Guillette Jr., Terry Hassold, Shuk-Mei Ho, Patricia A. Hunt, Taisen Iguchi, Susan Jobling, Jun Kanno, Hans Laufer, Michele Marcus, John A. Mclachlan, Angel Nadal, Jörg Oehlmann, Nicolás Olea, Paola Palanza, Stefano Parmigiani, Beverly S. Rubin, Gilbert Schoenfelder, Carlos Sonnenschein, Ana M. Soto, Chris E. Talsness, Julia A. Taylor, Laura Vandenberg, John G. Vandenbergh, Sarah Vogel, Cheryl S. Watson, Wade V. Welshons, R. Thomas Zoeller Feb 2009

Why Public Health Agencies Cannot Depend On Good Laboratory Practices As A Criterion For Selecting Data: The Case Of Bisphenol A, John Peterson Myers, Frederick S. Vom Saal, Benson T. Akingbemi, Koji Arizono, Scott Belcher, Theo Colborn, Ibrahim Chahoud, D. Andrew Crain, Francesca Farabollini, Louis J. Guillette Jr., Terry Hassold, Shuk-Mei Ho, Patricia A. Hunt, Taisen Iguchi, Susan Jobling, Jun Kanno, Hans Laufer, Michele Marcus, John A. Mclachlan, Angel Nadal, Jörg Oehlmann, Nicolás Olea, Paola Palanza, Stefano Parmigiani, Beverly S. Rubin, Gilbert Schoenfelder, Carlos Sonnenschein, Ana M. Soto, Chris E. Talsness, Julia A. Taylor, Laura Vandenberg, John G. Vandenbergh, Sarah Vogel, Cheryl S. Watson, Wade V. Welshons, R. Thomas Zoeller

Laura Vandenberg

BACKGROUND: In their safety evaluations of bisphenol A (BPA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and a counterpart in Europe, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), have given special prominence to two industry-funded studies that adhered to standards defined by Good Laboratory Practices (GLP). These same agencies have given much less weight in risk assessments to a large number of independently replicated non-GLP studies conducted with government funding by the leading experts in various fields of science from around the world. OBJECTIVES: We reviewed differences between industry-funded GLP studies of BPA conducted by commercial laboratories for regulatory purposes and …


Perinatal Bisphenol A Exposure Increases Estrogen Sensitivity Of The Mammary Gland In Diverse Mouse Strains, Perinaaz R. Wadia, Laura Vandenberg, Cheryl M. Schaeberle, Beverly S. Rubin, Carlos Sonnenschein, Ana M. Soto Mar 2007

Perinatal Bisphenol A Exposure Increases Estrogen Sensitivity Of The Mammary Gland In Diverse Mouse Strains, Perinaaz R. Wadia, Laura Vandenberg, Cheryl M. Schaeberle, Beverly S. Rubin, Carlos Sonnenschein, Ana M. Soto

Laura Vandenberg

BACKGROUND: Studies of low-dose effects of xenoestrogens have yielded conflicting results that may be attributed to differences in estrogen sensitivity between the rodent strains examined. Perinatal exposure of CD-1 mice to low doses of the xenoestrogen bisphenol A (BPA) alters peripubertal mammary gland development. Future studies to assess the role of estrogen receptors as mediators of BPA action require estrogen receptor knock-out mice that were generated on a C57Bl6 background. The sensitivity of the C57Bl6 strain to estradiol and BPA is unknown. OBJECTIVES: In the present study we examined whether the mammary glands of CD-1 and C57Bl6 mice exhibited similar …


Exposure To Environmentally Relevant Doses Of The Xenoestrogen Bisphenol-A Alters Development Of The Fetal Mouse Mammary Gland, Laura Vandenberg, Maricel V. Maffini, Perinaaz R. Wadia, Carlos Sonnenschein, Beverly S. Rubin, Ana M. Soto Oct 2006

Exposure To Environmentally Relevant Doses Of The Xenoestrogen Bisphenol-A Alters Development Of The Fetal Mouse Mammary Gland, Laura Vandenberg, Maricel V. Maffini, Perinaaz R. Wadia, Carlos Sonnenschein, Beverly S. Rubin, Ana M. Soto

Laura Vandenberg

Humans are routinely exposed to bisphenol-A (BPA), an estrogenic compound that leaches from dental materials, food and beverage containers, and other plastic consumer products. Effects of perinatal BPA exposure on the mouse mammary gland have been observed in puberty and adulthood, long after the period of exposure has ended. The aim of this study was to examine fetal mammary gland development at embryonic day (E)18 and assess changes in the tissue organization and histoarchitecture after exposure to an environmentally relevant dose of BPA. In unexposed fetuses, the relative position of the fetus with respect to its female and male siblings …


Evidence Of Altered Brain Sexual Differentiation In Mice Exposed Perinatally To Low, Environmentally Relevant Levels Of Bisphenol A, Beverly S. Rubin, Jenny R. Lenkowski, Cheryl M. Schaeberle, Laura Vandenberg, Paul M. Ronsheim, Ana M. Soto May 2006

Evidence Of Altered Brain Sexual Differentiation In Mice Exposed Perinatally To Low, Environmentally Relevant Levels Of Bisphenol A, Beverly S. Rubin, Jenny R. Lenkowski, Cheryl M. Schaeberle, Laura Vandenberg, Paul M. Ronsheim, Ana M. Soto

Laura Vandenberg

Humans are routinely exposed to bisphenol A (BPA), an estrogenic chemical present in food and beverage containers, dental composites, and many products in the home and workplace. BPA binds both classical nuclear estrogen receptors and facilitates membrane-initiated estrogenic effects. Here we explore the ability of environmentally relevant exposure to BPA to affect anatomical and functional measures of brain development and sexual differentiation. Anatomical evidence of alterations in brain sexual differentiation were examined in male and female offspring born to mouse dams exposed to 0, 25, or 250 ng BPA/kg body weight per day from the evening of d 8 of …