March 8, 2000

Mr. David Hunter
Editor
Chemical Week
888 7th Avenue
New York, NY 10106

Dear Mr. Hunter:

We were surprised to see a prominent article in Chemical Week about a recent study published in Danish on octylphenol (February 9, "Researchers Identify Octylphenol as Human Endocrine Disrupter"). We have yet to see an English version of the study, but would suggest that editorial caution is always advisable in reporting on single, unreplicated studies making breakthrough claims.

Indeed, the field of "endocrine disruption" research is replete with headline-making studies that have proven less than newsworthy. Some actually have been retracted because the results could not be reproduced, even in the original laboratories.

Based on what we've read in a few media reports, it appears that researchers at a veterinary hospital in Copenhagen exposed the cells of aborted fetuses to octylphenol and looked for biochemical endpoints indicative of human reproductive effects.

To our knowledge, this experimental system has not been validated; that is, it has not gone through the scientific process of developing a method to conduct a scientific assay, evaluating and demonstrating the relevance of the method and then assessing whether the method is reliable and can be repeated. To be sure, using this type of in vitro study to interpret effects of chemicals is widely recognized as having limited (if any) value in assessing risk to humans.

In contrast, the peer reviewed journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology [Vol. 30 (Issue 2, Pt.1), pp. 81-95, 1999] recently published a rigorous study on octylphenol. The results from this live animal, multi-generation study directly challenge the claim made by the Danish researchers. The study showed no effects on reproduction or fertility at various doses. Nor did it show any endocrine-like effects.

Unfortunately, this major study in live animals received only a one-sentence notice in a previous Chemical Week instead of the half-page write-up devoted to the Danish study using cells in the test tube.

Sincerely,

Robert J. Fensterheim
Executive Director
Alylphenols & Ethoxylates Research Council, Washington, DC

 

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