Faster and more rigorous testing of chemicals like BPA in plastic are needed, societies representing 40,000 doctors and scientists are urging regulators.

Experts in the fields of genetics, reproductive medicine, endocrinology, developmental biology wrote a letter published in Thursday's issue of the journal Science. They ask the Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency to tap a broader range of expertise when evaluating the 12,000 new chemicals that are registered each year in the U.S.

They acknowledge that regulators face "a daunting task" and say that it is hampered by testing and government review practices that "are inadequate for chemicals with hormone actions."

"The need for swifter and sounder testing and review procedures cannot be overstated," the letter asserted.

The researchers were driven to write because of growing concerns about chemicals like bisphenol A, said signatory Patricia Hunt, a professor in the Washington State University School of Molecular Biosciences in Pullman, Wash.

Chemicals such as BPA look like hormones to our bodies, which Hunt called "endocrine bombs" because they can disrupt normal functions.

"One of the problems they have is they look at some of the science and don't know how to interpret it because it's not done using the traditional toxicology testing paradigm," Hunt said.

"Things get rapidly into the marketplace and the testing of them is tending to lag behind," she added in a release.

The letter is a joint effort by eight scientific societies which offer their expertise to regulators in reviewing their programs, assessing specific chemicals and developing new testing guidelines and protocols.