I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5809 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the National Institute 
of Environmental Health Sciences to conduct and coordinate a research 
program on hormone disruption, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 15, 2008 
Ms. SLAUGHTER (for herself, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. CONYERS, 
Mr. ELLISON, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HINCHEY, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, 
Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. 
GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. VAN 
HOLLEN, Mr. WAXMAN, and Mr. HONDA) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 
addition to the Committees on Natural Resources and Science and Tech-
nology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize the 
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to 
conduct and coordinate a research program on hormone 
disruption, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Environmental Hor-
mone Disruption Research Act of 2008’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) Many compounds found or introduced into 
the environment by human activity are capable of 
disrupting the hormone system of humans and ani-
mals. The consequences of such disruption can be 
profound because of the crucial role hormones play 
in controlling development and metabolism. Few 
standardized and validated screens or tests have 
been developed to routinely and systematically assess 
chemicals for disruptive effects on hormone systems. 
Even fewer have statistical power to detect sufficient 
problems. 
(2) In the last 30 years, the United States has 
experienced an increase in the incidence of such 
human disorders as childhood cancers, testicular 
cancer, hypospadias, juvenile diabetes, attention def-
icit disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity dis-
order, autism, thyroid disorders, learning disabilities, 
cognitive impairment, and auto-immune disorders. 
Exposure to hormone-disrupting pollutants may be 
contributing to these increases. The impact on chil-
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dren’s health as a result of prenatal exposures in 
particular needs further research. 
(3) In 2001, the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention’s ‘‘National Report on Human Expo-
sure to Environmental Chemicals’’ reported on 
human exposure to 27 chemicals, and found unex-
pectedly high levels of certain chemicals used in con-
sumer products. The hazards to humans of these 
chemicals, singly and in combination, are not well 
understood. 
(4) Many wildlife populations have disrupted re-
production or development, including birds, fish, am-
phibians, and mammals. The effects vary among 
species, and some are due to exposure to hormone- 
disrupting substances. 
(5) Observed disruptions in wildlife include thy-
roid dysfunction, decreased fertility, decreased 
hatching success, gross birth deformities, metabolic 
and behavioral abnormalities, demasculinization and 
feminization of male organisms, deformation and 
masculinization of female organisms, and com-
promised immune systems. If due to exposure to 
hormone-disrupting substances, then these effects 
may signal hazards to human health. 
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(6) Laboratory studies have corroborated stud-
ies of some effects in wildlife and have identified bio-
logical mechanisms to explain the effects shown. The 
chemicals found in wildlife are also found in hu-
mans. 
(7) Hormone disruption might occur at very low 
environmental doses, especially when exposure oc-
curs in the womb or immediately after birth, periods 
during which rapid development is occurring. 
(8) In 1998, a research committee on hormone 
disrupters, organized under the auspices of the Of-
fice of Science and Technology Policy, concluded 
that ‘‘scientific knowledge is inadequate to fully in-
form public policy, and a government-wide coordi-
nated research effort that addresses the key sci-
entific uncertainties . . . is needed’’. 
(9) In 1999, in response to a request from Con-
gress and funded through the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency and the Department of the Interior, the 
National Academy of Sciences compiled a lengthy 
list of research, monitoring, and testing priorities re-
lated to hormone disruption. 
(10) The National Institute of Environmental 
Health Sciences conducts much of the Federal Gov-
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ernment’s research on hormone disruption, often 
working in partnership with other agencies. 
(11) While recognizing the many contributions 
of animal testing to understanding toxic hazards, the 
Congress also recognizes the desirability of speeding 
the use of validated nonanimal screens and tests (to 
reduce animal suffering and to reduce costs) and ex-
pediting judgments about hazards from toxic chemi-
cals. 
(12) The Department of the Interior has con-
siderable experience assessing the occurrence of 
chemicals in the environment, ecological health, and 
the hazards to wildlife health and associated human 
health posed by chemicals in the environment, as a 
result of monitoring by the Department of the Na-
tion’s water resources and wildlife disease, and re-
search by the Department on the effects of chemi-
cals on wildlife. 
(13) The National Academy of Sciences has 
recognized the expertise of the United States Geo-
logical Survey (‘‘USGS’’) in such areas as food web 
contamination and water quality assessment and has 
encouraged more coordinated work on human health 
between the USGS and the National Institutes of 
Health. 
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SEC. 
3. 
NATIONAL 
INSTITUTE 
OF 
ENVIRONMENTAL 
HEALTH 
SCIENCES; 
DIRECTED 
NATIONAL 
PROGRAM OF RESEARCH ON HORMONE DIS-
RUPTION. 
Subpart 12 of part C of title IV of the Public Health 
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 2851 et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 463C. DIRECTED NATIONAL PROGRAM OF RESEARCH 
ON HORMONE DISRUPTION. 
‘‘(a) RESEARCH.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Insti-
tute shall establish within the Institute a comprehen-
sive program to— 
‘‘(A) carry out research on the health ef-
fects on women and children that may result 
through disruption of the hormone systems; 
‘‘(B) carry out research, development, and 
demonstrations with respect to technologies to 
mitigate the occurrence of hormone-disrupting 
pollutants in the environment and their unin-
tended effects on ecological and wildlife health, 
in cooperation with the United States Geologi-
cal Survey (referred to in this section as the 
‘USGS’); 
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‘‘(C) coordinate research on hormone dis-
ruption in the United States with such research 
conducted in other nations; and 
‘‘(D) provide for the dissemination of in-
formation described in paragraph (2) to the 
public. 
‘‘(2) ISSUES.—The program established under 
paragraph (1) shall provide for the following: 
‘‘(A) Collection, compilation, publication, 
and dissemination of scientifically valid infor-
mation on— 
‘‘(i) possible unintended human health 
effects of hormone-disrupting pollutants, 
with emphasis on exposures to low doses of 
individual chemicals and chemical mixtures 
during critical life stages of development, 
particularly effects of prenatal exposures 
on children’s health; 
‘‘(ii) the extent of human exposure to 
hormone-disrupting pollutants, with par-
ticular emphasis on exposures during crit-
ical life stages of development and in resi-
dential and occupational settings; and 
‘‘(iii) exposure of wildlife species to 
hormone-disrupting pollutants and possible 
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health effects associated with such expo-
sures. 
‘‘(B) Research, in coordination with the 
Environmental Protection Agency and the 
USGS, on mechanisms by which hormone-dis-
rupting pollutants interact with biological sys-
tems. 
‘‘(C) Research on improved in vitro, in 
vivo, and in silico methods to screen and test 
hormone disruption. 
‘‘(D) Research on the identity, levels, 
transport, and fate of hormone-disrupting pol-
lutants in the environment. 
‘‘(b) DIRECTOR’S DUTIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Insti-
tute shall have principal responsibility, in consulta-
tion with the Director of the USGS, for conducting 
and coordinating research on the unintended effects 
of hormone-disrupting pollutants on human health 
and the environment. 
‘‘(2) AGREEMENT.—Not later than 6 months 
after the date of the enactment of the Environ-
mental Hormone Disruption Research Act of 2008, 
the Director of the Institute and the Director of the 
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USGS shall enter into an agreement to carry out the 
research program established under subsection (a). 
‘‘(3) TRANSFER OF FUNDS.—The Director of 
the Institute may transfer funds to other Federal 
agencies to carry out the Director’s responsibilities 
under paragraph (1). 
‘‘(4) REPORT.—The Director of the Institute, 
in consultation with the Director of the USGS, shall 
make available to the public, every 2 years following 
the date of the enactment of the Environmental 
Hormone Disruption Research Act of 2008, a report 
summarizing findings and conclusions on the extent 
to which hormone disruption by pollutants in the en-
vironment poses a threat to human health and the 
environment. 
‘‘(c) INTERAGENCY COMMISSION.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish a commission to be known as the Hormone 
Disruption Research Interagency Commission (re-
ferred to in this section as the ‘Interagency Commis-
sion’) to advise the Director of the Institute and the 
Director of the USGS on the development of a com-
prehensive agenda for conducting research on hor-
mone disruption. 
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‘‘(M) The Director of the National Science 
Foundation. 
‘‘(N) The Director of the National Insti-
tute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. 
‘‘(3) STAFF.—Each department or agency rep-
resented by a member on the Interagency Commis-
sion shall provide appropriate staff to carry out the 
duties of the Interagency Commission. 
‘‘(4) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later than 12 
months after the date of the enactment of the Envi-
ronmental Hormone Disruption Research Act of 
2008, the Interagency Commission shall recommend 
to the Director of the Institute and the Director of 
the USGS a research program, including levels of 
funding for intramural and extramural research. 
‘‘(5) PUBLIC COMMENT.—The Director of the 
Institute, through publication of notice in the Fed-
eral Register, shall provide the general public with 
an opportunity to comment on the recommendations 
of the Interagency Commission. 
‘‘(6) REPORT.—Not later than 4 years after the 
date of the enactment of the Environmental Hor-
mone Disruption Research Act of 2008, the Inter-
agency Commission shall conduct a review of the 
program established under subsection (a) and sub-
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mit a report on the results of such review to the Di-
rector of the Institute and to the Hormone Disrup-
tion Research Panel established under subsection 
(e). 
‘‘(7) TERMINATION.—The Interagency Commis-
sion shall terminate not later than the end of the 5- 
year fiscal period described in subsection (j)(1). 
‘‘(d) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—The Director of the 
Institute may provide financial assistance and enter into 
grants, contracts, and interagency memoranda of under-
standing to conduct activities under this section. Research 
conducted pursuant to interagency memoranda of under-
standing may be conducted through intramural and extra-
mural agency research programs, subject to appropriate 
scientific peer review. 
‘‘(e) HORMONE DISRUPTION RESEARCH PANEL.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 
the Institute a Hormone Disruption Research Panel 
(referred to in this subsection as the ‘Panel’). 
‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The Panel shall make rec-
ommendations to the Interagency Commission with 
respect to the duties of the Interagency Commission 
under subsection (c)(1) and advise the Secretary and 
the Director of the Institute with respect to the de-
sign and implementation of the program under sub-
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section (a), including preparation of solicitations for 
proposals to conduct research under the program. 
‘‘(3) MEMBERSHIP.—The Panel shall be com-
posed of the following: 
‘‘(A) 15 voting members to be appointed 
by the President, in consultation with the Di-
rector of the Institute. 
‘‘(B) Such nonvoting, ex officio members 
as the Director of the Institute determines to 
be appropriate. 
‘‘(4) VOTING
MEMBERS.—Of the 15 voting 
members of the Panel— 
‘‘(A) at least 2 members shall be from en-
vironmental protection organizations; 
‘‘(B) at least 2 members shall be from 
public health and consumer organizations; 
‘‘(C) at least 2 members but not more 
than 7 shall be from industry; 
‘‘(D) at least 1 member shall be from an 
animal welfare organization; and 
‘‘(E) a majority of the members shall be 
selected from among scientists and environ-
mental health professionals who— 
‘‘(i) are not officers or employees of 
the United States; 
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‘‘(ii) represent multiple disciplines, in-
cluding clinical, basic, public, and ecologi-
cal health sciences; 
‘‘(iii) represent different geographical 
regions of the United States; 
‘‘(iv) are from practice settings, aca-
demic settings, and for-profit or not-for- 
profit research settings; 
‘‘(v) have experience in review of re-
search on endocrine disruption; and 
‘‘(vi) possess a relevant advanced de-
gree from an accredited college or univer-
sity. 
‘‘(5) TERMS.—The members of the Panel shall 
be appointed for an initial term of 3 years and shall 
be eligible for reappointment for 1 additional term 
of 2 years. 
‘‘(6) CHAIRPERSON.—The members of the 
Panel appointed under paragraph (3) shall elect a 
chairperson from among such members. 
‘‘(7) MEETINGS.—The Panel shall meet at the 
call of the chairperson or upon the request of the 
Director of the Institute, but in no case less often 
than once each year. 
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‘‘(8) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT.—The Institute 
shall provide administrative support to the Panel. 
‘‘(9) TERMINATION.—The Panel shall terminate 
not later than the end of the 5-year fiscal period de-
scribed in subsection (j)(1). 
‘‘(f) SOLICITATION
AND
SELECTION
OF
PRO-
POSALS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Within 15 months after the 
date of the enactment of the Environmental Hor-
mone Disruption Research Act of 2008, and as often 
thereafter as appropriate, the Director of the Insti-
tute shall, in consultation with the Interagency Com-
mission, solicit and select proposals to conduct ac-
tivities under the program under subsection (a). 
‘‘(2) CONSULTATION
WITH
PANEL.—In pre-
paring solicitations for such proposals, the Director 
of the Institute shall consult with the Hormone Dis-
ruption Research Panel. 
‘‘(3) PEER
REVIEW
PANELS.—Before a pro-
posal to conduct activities under the program under 
subsection (a) may be selected by the Director of the 
Institute, such proposal shall be submitted to, and 
evaluated by, at least one scientific and technical 
peer review panel. 
‘‘(g) REPORTS.— 
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‘‘(1) REPORT
UPON
COMPLETION
OF
ACTIV-
ITY.—Any person who conducts activities under the 
program under subsection (a) shall, upon completion 
of the activity, submit to the National Academy of 
Sciences, the Interagency Commission, and the Hor-
mone Disruption Research Panel a report summa-
rizing the activities and results thereof. 
‘‘(2) REPORT
TO
INTERAGENCY
COMMISSION 
AND
PANEL.—The Director of the Institute shall 
enter into appropriate arrangements with the Na-
tional Academy of Sciences under which the Acad-
emy shall periodically submit to the Interagency 
Commission and the Hormone Disruption Research 
Panel a report that evaluates the research activities 
under the program under subsection (a). The report 
shall include recommendations to promote the effec-
tive transfer of information derived from such re-
search activities. The Director of the Institute shall 
be responsible for expenses incurred by the Academy 
in connection with the preparation of such reports. 
‘‘(3) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Interagency 
Commission, in consultation with the Hormone Dis-
ruption Research Panel, shall submit to the Sec-
retary and the Congress— 
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‘‘(A) not later than December 31, 2011, a 
report summarizing the progress of the research 
program under subsection (a); and 
‘‘(B) not later than September 30, 2014, a 
final report stating the Interagency Commis-
sion’s findings and conclusions on the effects, if 
any, of hormone-disrupting pollutants in the en-
vironment on human health and remedial ac-
tions, if any, that may be needed to minimize 
any such health effects. 
‘‘(h) CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.—All grants and con-
tracts entered into under this section shall include conflict- 
of-interest provisions that require any person conducting 
a project under this section to disclose any other source 
of funding received by the person to conduct other related 
projects. 
‘‘(i) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 
‘‘(1) HORMONE.—The term ‘hormone’ means a 
substance produced in a cell or tissue that triggers 
a biological response. Hormone activity may be local-
ized to the cell in which the substance is produced, 
or may be in nearby or distant tissues or organs. 
‘‘(2) HORMONE-DISRUPTING.—The term ‘hor-
mone-disrupting’ means producing effects similar to 
those of naturally occurring hormones or interfering 
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with hormone signaling or hormone interaction with 
receptors. 
‘‘(3) HORMONE DISRUPTION.—The term ‘hor-
mone disruption’ means interference with the syn-
thesis, secretion, transport, binding, action, or elimi-
nation of natural hormones in the body that are re-
sponsible for the maintenance of homeostasis, repro-
duction, development, function, or behavior. 
‘‘(j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) GENERAL
AUTHORIZATION.—There are 
authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary for the 5-fiscal-year period beginning with 
fiscal year 2009 to carry out this section. Amounts 
appropriated pursuant to this paragraph shall re-
main available until expended. 
‘‘(2) RESTRICTIONS ON USE OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(A) CONSTRUCTION
AND
REHABILITA-
TION
OF
FACILITIES
AND
EQUIPMENT.—Not 
more than 0.5 percent of the funds made avail-
able under this section may be used for the con-
struction or rehabilitation of facilities or fixed 
equipment. 
‘‘(B) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES OF THE 
DIRECTOR.—Of the total amount of funds made 
available under this section for any fiscal year, 
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not more than 2 percent of such funds may be 
used for administrative expenses of the Director 
of the Institute in carrying out this section. 
‘‘(C) PUBLIC
OUTREACH.—Of the total 
amount of funds made available under this sec-
tion for any fiscal year, at least 1 percent, but 
not more than 5 percent, shall be used for out-
reach to the public concerning the activities and 
results of the program.’’. 
Æ 
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