Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that can interfere with the body’s hormones. The European Commission report reveals findings from a stakeholder survey on the harmonisation and effectiveness of EU laws dealing with endocrine disruptors, but fails to look at how reliable the use of animals to test these chemicals is in protecting human health and the environment.

With 54% of respondents claiming that the impact of assessing chemicals for endocrine disrupting properties on animal welfare is “already minimised in the EU to the extent possible”, results from the survey could strike a serious blow for animals in laboratories.