ABSTRACT
Severe hypothyroidism has been reported in humans during resorcinol therapeutic use. However, available data highlight differences in the severity of resorcinol-induced thyroid effects between humans and rodents, leading to a debate on the relevance of human data for its classification as a thyroid disruptor. The aim of this review is to illustrate some of the limitations of the evaluation framework for thyroid disrupters using resorcinol as a case study of a chemical with clear thyroid-disrupting properties in humans that could not have been identified solely from regulatory studies on animals. The reliability of human data has been called into question due to the specific exposure patterns in humans and the paucity of robust toxicokinetic data. In humans, therapeutic use of resorcinol induces severe hypothyroidism, but in rodents, thyroid disruption is limited to decreased thyroxine concentrations and histological changes in the thyroid. The adverse effects of thyroid disruption, such as impaired neurodevelopment, have not been sufficiently investigated, and experimental neurobehavioral data for resorcinol remain scarce and inconclusive. Although regulatory toxicological evaluations have not included in-depth investigations of thyroid regulation and related adverse effects, they have been used to challenge the relevance of human data. Resorcinol is an emblematic example of how the framework for regulatory evaluations of thyroid disruptors relies almost exclusively on animal studies which may not be suitable for assessing thyroid disruption. This review highlights the need to revise regulatory guidelines and to adopt strategies based on up-to-date, scientifically sound approaches to identify thyroid disruptors. The limits of the current regulatory framework for identifying thyroid disruptors can lead to opposing positions between regulatory bodies. The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES)'proposal to identify resorcinol as a "substance of very high concern" due to its ED properties has not been adopted by the European instances.