Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #114496

Paul Locke, DrPH, JD, Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 111 Market Place, Suite 850, Baltimore, MD 21202, (410) 659-2690, plocke@jhsph.edu and Alan M. Goldberg, PhD, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, 111 Market Place, Suite 840, Baltimore, MD 21202.

Advocates, researchers and regulators who strive to eliminate from the environment compounds, such as developmental neurotoxicants (DNTs), that are linked to learning disabilities and impaired children's health are united in their desire to establish scientifically credible and reliable evidence-based and humane testing methods that can detect DNTs. Currently, there is widespread frustration because federal regulations aimed at testing compounds to determine developmental neurotoxicity are seen as inadequate. These tests rely heavily on mammalian animal models to examine gross morphological changes or behavior modification. They are time consuming, animal intensive and difficult to interpret.

This presentation will examine the current federal DNT testing protocols, chart the sources of dissatisfaction among advocates, regulators and the scientific community, and discuss efforts to improve the DNT testing protocol, especially efforts utilizing in-vitro toxicology tests, or animal tests in non-mammalian species. Genetic and cellular mechanisms which underlie the biological processes that lead to developmental neurotoxicology are important in understanding how conditions develop that cause or are related to learning disabilities. In-vitro and non-mammalian tests hold great promise as parts of a scientifically valid and robust system to detect DNTs and eliminate their exposure. Adoption of such testing protocols will substantially improve the evidence base for evaluating chemical risks. Working together, advocates, researchers and regulators can put into place a battery of toxicology tests that will improve public health by targeting dangerous compounds for removal from the environment.

Learning Objectives:

• • articulate the scientific and technical issues associated with developing a test battery for discovery, characterization and classification of developmental neurotoxicants (DNTs) that can be associated with cognitive deficits in children, such as learning disabilities; and
• • recognize the need for collaborations among researchers, advocates and regulators in protecting sensitive populations, such as children, from compounds that are DNTs.

Keywords: Children's Health, Toxicants

Related Web page: caat.jhsph.edu/

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation