The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), Office on Women's Health (OWH) is seeking innovative ways to address the impact of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on Black or African American Women through the HHS Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDC) Innovator Award Competition: Innovative Methods to Address the Impact of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals on Black or African American Women.
Background/Issue
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are substances in the environment, food, and consumer products (metals, many industrial chemicals, natural and synthetic hormones, pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, pharmaceutical drugs, plastics/plasticizers, and fuels) that interfere with hormone biosynthesis, metabolism, or action resulting in a deviation from normal homeostatic control or reproduction. Some of the major known EDCs found in water include disinfection byproducts, fluorinated substances, bisphenols (chemicals used in plastics, epoxy resins, and thermal paper), phthalates (chemicals used in plastics/plasticizers), pesticides, and natural and synthetic estrogens. Exposure to these compounds is associated with adverse health and reproductive outcomes in non-human animals and humans; thus, the presence of these chemicals in water has become a public health concern.
There are significant differences among women impacted by EDCs. Research has shown that non-Hispanic Blacks have higher serum and/or urinary EDC concentrations1. Additionally, Black or African Americans were noted to have higher exposures to diabetogenic EDCs, including polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides, multiple chemical constituents of air pollution, bisphenol A, and phthalates. One study evaluated hair products used by Black women and noted multiple chemicals associated with endocrine disruption and asthma2. Additionally, studies link environmental estrogen and EDC exposure through personal care products to breast cancer risk in Black or African Americans.
OWH is committed to improving health outcomes by addressing gaps in knowledge of EDC risks and providing solutions to reduce EDC exposure risks.
Purpose
OWH developed a national competition to identify innovative programs that address gaps in knowledge and provide solutions to reduce EDC exposure risk for people at risk of EDC exposure where the programs could be or are already applied to Black or African American women. The goal of this competition is to identify and fund programs that demonstrate effectiveness, sustainability, and the ability to replicate and/or expand interventions that address gaps in knowledge and provide solutions to reduce EDC exposure risk for Black or African American women.
Subject and Scope of Prize Competition
The program must demonstrate evidence-based interventions to target knowledge gaps in understanding the risks associated with EDCs and offer populations served effective resources on how to mitigate EDC exposure risks. The program will be shared with the general public, including through informational webinars, websites, social media, and listservs.
The competition has three phases. All eligible submissions will be evaluated, and separate prizes may be awarded for each of the three phases.
1Silva, M. J., Barr, D. B., Reidy, J. A., Malek, N. A., Hodge, C. C., Caudill, S. P., Brock, J. W., Needham, L. L., & Calafat, A. M. (2004). Urinary levels of seven phthalate metabolites in the U.S. population from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2000. Environmental health perspectives, 112(3), 331–338. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.6723
2Helm JS, Nishioka M, Brody JG, Rudel RA, Dodson RE. Measurement of endocrine disrupting and asthma-associated chemicals in hair products used by Black women. Environ Res. 2018 Aug;165:448-458. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2018.03.030. Epub 2018 Apr 25. PMID: 29705122.