Endocrine Disruptors

Abstract

Abstract Endocrine disruption is a relatively new field of study, as endocrine disruptors were not formally acknowledged by regulatory agencies until 1996. Over the years, many federal and international regulatory agencies and professional associations have provided varying terminology and classifications; however, in general, exposure to endocrine disruptors, or endocrine‐disrupting chemicals (EDCs), at environmentally relevant doses results in adverse effects consequent to interfering with endocrine function. Apart from minor nomenclature disagreements, there are challenges and limitations to this field, as EDC classification criteria can vary substantially in considering evidence for a biologically plausible causal relationship between the endocrine activity and the induced adverse effect. Accordingly, international consensus for unambiguous designation of EDCs is lacking. Therefore, this chapter will not attempt to resoundingly identify all known or suspected EDCs; rather, the objective of this chapter is to first provide historical context to chemical regulation, including on endocrine disruption and its development as a field, and then follow with a review of the health implications, which highlights some fundamental concepts of endocrine disruption and incorporates a tale of the infamous public health disaster resulting from prescribing pregnant women diethylstilbestrol (DES), a potent synthetic estrogen. The current testing guidelines and standards for EDCs are also reviewed, demonstrating the restricted focus on canonical endocrine disruption that is characterized by nuclear hormone receptor‐based activity and the estrogenic, androgenic, thyroidal, and steroidogenic (EATS) modalities. To end, some of the more recently regulated EDCs, particularly bisphenol A and phthalates, as well as other ubiquitous EDCs, like phytoestrogens and flame retardants, are reviewed.