National Toxicology Program

NIEHS Environmental Factor Article: NTP workshop investigates links between chemicals and obesity

• Workshop Announcement
• Federal Register Notice
• Final Agenda
• Workshop Presentations
• List of Breakout Group Members
• Breakout Group Assignments
• List of Workshop Attendees
• Draft Literature Review Documents
  • BPA and GeneGo legend
  • BPA - Appendix C, Mechanisms of action and biochemical/molecular interactions
  • Maternal smoking during pregnancy/Nicotine
  • Pesticides and Appendix B
  • Arsenic
  • Organotins and phthalates
  • Appendix tables of human studies of POPs
• Public Comments

Published Reports

• Role of Environmental Chemicals in Diabetes and Obesity: A National Toxicology Program Workshop Report (Environmental Health Perspectives, February 2012 ahead of print status)

Background

• Presentation of workshop concept to NTP Board of Scientific Counselors (December 9, 2009).

There has been increasing interest in the concept that environmental chemicals may be contributing factors to the epidemics of diabetes and obesity. The National Toxicology Program (NTP) is holding a workshop to evaluate the science associating exposure to certain chemicals or chemical classes with the development of diabetes and obesity in humans. Participants at the workshop will:

• Evaluate strength/weaknesses, consistency, and biological plausibility of findings reported in humans and experimental animals for certain environmental chemicals including arsenic and cadmium, PCBs, DDT/DDE, other organohalogens, bisphenol A, phthalates, and organotins.
• Identify the most useful and relevant endpoints in experimental animals and in vitro models.
• Identify relevant pathways and biological targets for assays for the Toxicology Testing in the 21st Century high throughput screening initiative ("Tox21").
• Identify data gaps and areas for future evaluation/research.

Workshop format

The final product of the workshop will be an NTP monograph with breakout group topics published as individual chapters. The posted documents are draft literature review documents or appendix tables. A set of charge questions will be discussed in breakout sessions to focus on the overall interpretation and synthesis of the literature as well as to identify and discuss areas of complexity and research needs. The draft literature review documents will be modified following the workshop to reflect responses to the charge questions. The final monograph will also contain an executive summary. The format of the workshop includes both plenary talks and breakout groups. The workshop is open to the public with time set aside in the agenda for public comments during the plenary session on the first day. Hard copies of the draft literature review documents will be available at the workshop to all who registered to attend the meeting.

*Appendix tables of human POPs studies will be posted prior to the workshop, but a narrative-style literature review document will not be available prior to the meeting. The NTP has developed an Excel database and software program to allow users to visually look across the epidemiology studies for patterns of results for POPs subtypes (e.g., Agent Orange, total PCBs, individual PCB congeners, DDE, PFOS, etc.). The software program creates forest plot-style figures and these will be displayed as points of reference during the POPs breakout group. The database and software program will be made publically available after the workshop. The final database will include all the relevant epidemiology studies cited in the Monograph, i.e., POPs, arsenic, smoking during pregnancy, etc.

For additional information, contact Dr. Kristina Thayer (thayer@niehs.nih.gov or 919-541-5021).

This workshop is sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences/NTP, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the FDA National Center for Toxicological Research.

Note on Accessibility: Persons with disabilities or using assistive technology may find some documents are not fully accessible. For assistance, contact us by sending an e-mail message to OHAT (formally CERHR). We will provide assistance in accessing the content of these files for those who need them. You may also find helpful information here.