The ED Expert Group was established in February 2014 with the support of the competent authorities for REACH and CLP (CARACAL) and the competent authorities for biocides. The expert group is coordinated and hosted by ECHA. Advice of the ED Expert Group on issues related to ED assessment may be requested by the members of the ED Expert Group, EU Member State competent authorities, and ECHA.

The expert group provides informal and non-binding scientific advice on matters related to the identification of endocrine-disrupting properties of chemicals, in particular:

• Matters related to screening methods or activities to identify potential endocrine disruptors (e.g. for the CoRAP list or the Candidate List).
• Matters related to the development of integrated approaches to testing and assessment of endocrine-disrupting properties.
• Feedback and recommendations on complex (specific/generic) scientific issues related to information and (tiered) testing needs for potential endocrine disruptors (e.g. under dossier or substance evaluation, or under biocidal active substance evaluation).
• Specific questions on the interpretation of test data or other relevant information in relation to the identification of endocrine-disrupting properties (e.g. during SVHC dossier development or a biocidal active substance evaluation).

Nominated experts from the following organisations are currently participating in the ED Expert Group:

• EU Member State competent authorities and EEA country representatives
• European Commission – DG Environment (ENV), DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (GROW), DG Health and Food Safety (SANTE)
• European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
• Stakeholder organisations:
  • ChemTrust
  • Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL)
  • Humane Society International
  • European Environmental Bureau (EEB)
  • European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC)
  • European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals (ECETOC)
  • European Chemicals Industry Council (Cefic)
  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• Federal Office of Public Health, Switzerland (FOPH)
• Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland (FOEN)

For further information on the nomination procedure, please contact: ed_eg (at) echa.europa.eu.

In its meetings, the ED Expert Group discusses specific substance cases primarily suggested by participants from the EU Member State competent authorities carrying out ED assessments and needing advice. The overview of the case discussions of the previous meetings can be found below. The outcomes of the assessments are published in the public activities coordination tool (PACT) and ED assessment list when finalised.

The ED Expert Group also contributes to the development and improvement of mass screening approaches and criteria for searching ECHA’s databases for potential ED substances. The group is also involved in assessing the screening results and in selecting the substances for which a more in-depth assessment of their potential ED properties either under the CoRAP or on a voluntary basis is required.

The ED Expert Group meets three times per year.