Objectives

• To assess human exposure to AACs in all participating European partner countries by market basket analyses of food products (identification of background concentrations in human food) and a parallel determination of residues in human samples (blood, urine, placenta) in a highly contaminated and a reference region; to assess the exposure of wildlife populations to AACs and to characterise their effects in highly contaminated and reference regions
• To assess the potential vulnerability of representative aquatic wildlife groups (both invertebrates and vertebrates) and of humans (by using human cell lines, tissues and rodent models) to AACs by determining the impact of model compounds at environmentally relevant concentrations/doses and to identify sensitive wildlife species, critical stages of exposure and easily measurable (genetical, biochemical, physiological, histological, morphological) endpoints which can be used to determine whether pure substances or mixtures adversely affect communities in ecosystems or human populations.
• To assess common principles of the action of AACs in the analysed systematic groups (including man) so that new, sensitive, and specific animal models for extrapolation to human health can be developed.
• To develop laboratory cultures for suitable aquatic invertebrates and establish their base line endocrinology for use in risk assessment of AACs and further EDCs.
• To develop a molecular screen (array) for genes controlling development, sexual differentiation and reproduction in different vertebrate and invertebrate taxa and to quantify the effects of AACs on the expression of the target sequences.
• To evaluate the risk originating from AACs to wildlife and human populations in Europe.