The COMPRENDO programme will address environment and human health aspects simultaneously by using an interdisciplinary and comparative phylogenetic approach 
and has the following scientific and technical objectives:   
   
To assess human exposure to AACs in all participating European partner countries by market basket analyses of food products (identification of background 
concentrations in human food) and a parallel determination of residues in human samples (blood, urine, placenta) in a highly contaminated and a reference 
region; to assess the exposure of wildlife populations to AACs and to characterise their effects in highly contaminated and reference regions    
To assess the potential vulnerability of representative aquatic wildlife groups (both invertebrates and vertebrates) and of humans (by using human cell 
lines, tissues and rodent models) to AACs by determining the impact of model compounds at environmentally relevant concentrations/doses and to identify 
sensitive wildlife species, critical stages of exposure and easily measurable (genetical, biochemical, physiological, histological, morphological) 
endpoints which can be used to determine whether pure substances or mixtures adversely affect communities in ecosystems or human populations.    
To assess common principles of the action of AACs in the analysed systematic groups (including man) so that new, sensitive, and specific animal models for 
extrapolation to human health can be developed.    
To develop laboratory cultures for suitable aquatic invertebrates and establish their base line endocrinology for use in risk assessment of AACs and further 
EDCs.    
To develop a molecular screen (array) for genes controlling development, sexual differentiation and reproduction in different vertebrate and invertebrate 
taxa and to quantify the effects of AACs on the expression of the target sequences.    
To evaluate the risk originating from AACs to wildlife and human populations in Europe.