Endocrine Disrupter Testing Subhead Needed Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with or mimic the hormones which regulate growth, metabolism, and reproduction in humans and animals. The US EPA, under the authority granted by the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, formally implemented the new Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) designed to detect such chemicals on October 29, 2009, issuing the first test orders for 19 pesticides. Screening will eventually be required on all pesticides and will likely include other non-pesticide chemicals. Under the test orders, a Tier 1 screening battery of 11 tests will be required including 5 mammalian in vivo tests, 4 mammalian in vitro tests, and ecotoxicity tests with fish and amphibians. ABC Laboratories has decades of experience testing for reproductive and developmental effects in aquatic organisms, including monitoring for specific endpoints used in the identification of endocrine disrupting chemicals such as: vitellogenin analysis in blood serum and hepatic homogenates, histomorphometric analysis (i.e., nuptial tubercle scoring, fatpad index, and gonadosomatic index), and histopathologic evaluation of gonads and other target tissues (i.e., thyroid). All histopathology is performed by a well respected ABC partner laboratory. In addition to experience with the two current Tier 1 ecotoxicity tests (i.e., the fish short-term reproduction assay using fathead minnow and the amphibian metamorphosis assay using Xenopsis laevis), ABC Laboratories has participated in the development and evaluation of Tier 2, two generation tests with mysids and Medaka for the US EPA. Other endocrine disruption experience includes work with the aquatic snail, Marisa cornuarietis. ABC Laboratories maintains a comprehensive, AAALAC-accredited, in-house culture and testing facility. This facility provides age-specific populations of a variety of species of freshwater and marine fish, invertebrates, and amphibians for GLP toxicity testing. Our toxicity testing laboratory includes computer-controlled proportional diluters, required to maintain concentrations of test chemicals throughout exposure periods that generally extend for weeks or months. Our state-of-the-art analytical laboratories are experienced with all current methods for measuring test chemicals in aquatic systems, and for the evaluation of tissues and biological fluids for chemicals, hormones, and biomarkers of endocrine disruption. We can also provide Program Management of the complete Tier 1 screening battery, including in vitro and in vivo tests, through our laboratory network. For more on the EPA EDSP, go to: www.epa.gov/endo/. Male Fathead Minnow, used in one of two current Tier 1 ecotoxicity tests Collection of blood serum from tail of a fathead minnow for analysis of vitellogenin