A unique database of detailed information on so-called "gender bender" chemicals was launched last week by the UK's Medical Research Council.

The REDIPED database contains detailed information on endocrine disrupter chemicals, including nomenclature, physicochemical properties, uses, production volumes, regulatory status, environmental exposure, degradation, accumulation and ultimate fate in the environment, and biological activity. Paul Harrison, who heads the MRC's Institute for Environment and Health at the University of Leicester, believes this range of information makes the database unique.

Endocrine disrupters such as alkylphenols, dioxins, and phthalates, are high on the environmental agenda, as they continue to be identified everywhere from Swiss sewage sludge to soil samples from the Florida everglades. All the chemicals in the database, not only have the potential to cause developmental and reproductive changes in wildlife but have been linked to problems in humans, such as cancer of the testis, breast and prostrate, altered semen quality and congenital abnormalities of the reproductive tract.

There are currently 85 individual chemicals on the system but Harrison says that if the database is successful the number of chemicals will be expanded in future versions of REDIPED.

"There already exist many reports, lists and web sites purporting to contain information on chemicals that have been suggested as being endocrine disrupters," Harrison told The Scientist, "but these tend to present lists of chemical names and routine screening studies with little or no data, and act as data dumps without attempting to include or interpret the breadth of scientific information available."

Niels Skakkebaek Professor of Growth and Reproduction at The National University Hospital, University of Copenhagen, agreed, "There are many different databases on the web, but none are really comprehensive, this one could have the best coverage of all," he says.

The system, which took four years to research and develop is available on CD-ROM. "The strong steer we received was that the end users were looking for a system that was robust, not dependent on web access and that could run on a lap-top if required," explained Harrison.

Skakkebaek is not convinced, "I wonder why they haven't made it available over the internet, too. That is where it belongs," he said.

Joakim Larsson of the Department of Physiology/Endocrinology at Göteborg University agrees, "Undoubtedly, a database of this kind would need constant updates. A web-based version is really the only form that makes sense."