Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are receiving increasing media and scientific attention. Concerns about these chemicals stem from the possibility of serious human and wildlife effects and environmental persistence. The US EPA Office of Research and Development's National Risk Management Research Laboratory is conducting research to investigate sources of suspected EDCs that impact the environment and to evaluate risk management strategies to minimize exposure of humans and wildlife to suspected EDCs. In the EDC research program, risk management research is occurring concurrent with health effects, exposure, and risk assessment research.

Early in the research program, a risk management evaluation was used to identify chemicals which were likely to be endocrine active and environmental sources of these compounds. Based on this evaluation, risk management EDC research efforts focused on activities such as wastewater treatment, concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), drinking water treatment, and pollution prevention. Chemicals of concern include steroid hormones and alkyl phenol ethoxylates; other chemicals may be added as effects, exposure and assessment research identifies concerns.

To date, research efforts have focused on determining the capability of conventional wastewater, CAFO effluent, and drinking water treatment technologies to remove EDCs. As effects, exposure and assessment research identifies unacceptable risks, future research may evaluate new or improved methods to cost effectively manage the risk. Pollution prevention research has evaluated chemical substitutes for endocrine active compounds such as alkyl phenol ethoxylates. An overview of these projects will be presented.