Endocrine Disruptors: France Accelerates Towards “Zero Exposure”

22 hours ago
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In response to the public health and environmental challenges posed by endocrine disruptors (EDs), and following two previous national strategies on endocrine disruptors, the French government has unveiled its new roadmap for the next five years with a clear ambition: moving towards “zero exposure to endocrine disruptors”.

The action plan (March 2026 version), currently under public consultation, is structured around six key actions aimed at better protecting citizens and strengthening the management of risks associated with endocrine-disrupting substances.

Six Actions to Protect Citizens

1. Acting Closer to Communities

The government plans to deploy “green prescriptions” (including organic food baskets for pregnant women) and support childcare facilities in creating healthier environments.

2. Educating, Informing and Raising Awareness

The objective is to improve consumer information through clearer product labelling and awareness initiatives targeting young people from an early age, helping them make informed consumption choices.

3. Protecting the Most Exposed and Vulnerable Populations

The strategy includes strengthening healthcare professionals’ training and expanding platforms dedicated to the early management of environmentally related infertility.

4. Regulating and Strengthening Controls

Artificial intelligence could be used to better target inspections of imported products, particularly those intended for sensitive populations, such as toys, cosmetics and food products.

5. Monitoring the Impact of Endocrine Disruptors

The plan aims to increase human biomonitoring activities as well as the monitoring of pollutants present in the environment.

6. Bringing Together Research and Expertise

The creation of a dedicated research network on endocrine disruptors, together with a laboratory network, will help strengthen and standardise the identification of endocrine-disrupting substances.

A Stronger Regulatory Framework

France continues to position itself as a European leader in chemical risk management, notably through pioneering initiatives such as the PEPPER platform dedicated to the validation of testing methods.

More specifically, four major regulatory priorities have been identified:

Integrating endocrine disruptor considerations into the revision of key European regulations, including REACH, Cosmetics Regulation, Medical Devices Regulation, Ecodesign initiatives and the Plastics Treaty;
Accelerating the identification of endocrine-disrupting substances and improving data sharing;
Structuring and accelerating the validation of testing methods for endocrine disruptors through the PEPPER platform;
Strengthening controls and monitoring of products, food and drinking water both within France and at its borders.

The roadmap also includes:

Establishing lists of endocrine-disrupting substances by use, which may be present in products, animal feed, foodstuffs and drinking water;
Increasing controls on non-food products;
Monitoring endocrine disruptors in human and animal food;
Monitoring endocrine disruptors in water intended for human consumption.

Anticipating Future Regulatory Developments

In this context, the early identification of substances with endocrine-disrupting potential is becoming increasingly important for companies seeking to anticipate future regulatory developments.

Early assessment can help identify potential concerns, better understand the regulatory status of substances and prepare for upcoming regulatory requirements.