Cats as indicator of indoor chemicals exposure

The research questions in MISSE are devoted to todays most intensively discussed subjects regarding risks of exposure to anthropogenic endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs);

1) the most critical chemicals for exposure indoors, including not yet known or poorly studied chemicals e.g. transformation products,

2) exposure to mixtures of chemicals,

3) thyroidogenic disruption as an endocrine endpoint of growing concern for human health and the environment, and

4) improved knowledge on exposure situation during early childhood. The project is aiming to assess the exposure situation to anthropogenic thyroid hormone disrupting compounds (TDCs) in homes; and accordingly the mixture effects of these compounds.

Key emerging TDCs are searched for by applying emission modeling from indoor consumer goods and effect-directed analysis (EDA) to indoor pet cats as a model for the internal exposure to these chemicals and to dust as a route of external exposure. A battery of TDC in vitro screening tests and a in vivo frog model will be applied for detailed studies of individual compounds and realistic mixture signatures.

The results are to be translated to improve the understanding of human and child exposures to indoor related chemicals and their thyroidogenic effects in mixtures, which is the central Hub of MISSE. The project is aimed to feed in scientific results for improved management of EDCs.

Financier: FORMAS
Co-applicant: Prof Åke Bergman, forskare Jana Weiss, doc Patrik Andersson, prof Leif Norrgren och ass prof Juliette Legler.
Collaborator: Prof Åke Bergman,forskare Jana Weiss och doktorand Jessica Norrgran, Miljökemi, Stockholms universitet. Doc Patrik Andersson, Miljö- och biogeokemi, Umeå universitet. Prof Leif Norrgren och forskare Gunnar Carlsson, BVF, SLU. Ass prof Juliette Legler, Institution for environmental studies, chemistry and biology, VU University Amsterdam.