Endocrine disruptors are substances which interfere with the endocrine system by mimicking, blocking or otherwise disrupting the function of hormones. Major endocrine glands. ...

The Endocrine System

Endocrine systems are found in most varieties of animal life. The endocrine system is made up of glands, which secrete hormones, and receptor cells which detect and react to the hormones. Hormone is also the NATO reporting name for the Soviet/Russian Kamov Ka-25 military helicopter. ...

Hormones are released by glands and travel throughout the body, acting as chemical messengers. Hormones interface with cells that contain matching receptors in or on their surfaces. The hormone binds with the receptor, much like a key would fit into a lock.

Endocrine Disruptors

Disruption of the endocrine system can occur in various ways. Some chemicals mimic a natural hormone, fooling the body into over-responding to the stimulus, or responding at inappropriate times. Other endocrine disruptors block the effects of a hormone from certain receptors by blocking the receptor site on a cell. Still others directly stimulate or inhibit the endocrine system and cause overproduction or underproduction of hormones. Certain drugs are used to intentionally cause some of these effects, such as birth control pills. These substances are also known as Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) or Hormone Disrupting Chemicals.

Some of the most well-known examples of EDCs are Dioxins, PCBs, PAHs, furans, phenols and several pesticides (most prominent DDT and its derivatives). There is a long list of substances which may disrupt the endocrine system but have not yet been scientifically proved to do so. Dioxins form a family of toxic chlorinated organic compounds that bioaccumulate in humans and wildlife due to their fat solubility. ... Labelling transformers containing PCBs Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of organic compounds with 1 to 10 chlorine atoms are attached to biphenyl and a general structure of C12H10-xClx. ... Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, also known as PAH, are chemical compounds that consist of fused aromatic rings and that do not contain heteroatoms and that do not carry substituents. ... Furan, also known as furane and furfuran, is an aromatic heterocyclic organic compound. ... Phenols, sometimes called phenolics, are a class of chemical compounds consisting of a hydroxyl functional group (-OH) attached to an aromatic hydrocarbon group. ... the plane is spreading pesticide. ... DDT was the first modern pesticide and is arguably the most well known inorganic pesticide. ...

In recent years, some scientists have proposed that chemicals might inadvertently be disrupting the endocrine system of humans and wildlife. A variety of chemicals have been found to disrupt the endocrine systems of animals in laboratory studies, and there is strong evidence that chemical exposure has been associated with adverse developmental and reproductive effects on fish and wildlife in particular locations. The relationship of human diseases of the endocrine system and exposure to environmental contaminants, however, is poorly understood and scientifically controversial (Kavlock et al., 1996, EPA, 1997).

One example of the devastating consequences of the exposure of developing animals, including humans, to endocrine disruptors is the case of the potent drug diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic estrogen. Prior to its ban in the early 1970s, doctors mistakenly prescribed DES to as many as five million pregnant women to block spontaneous abortion and promote fetal growth. It was discovered after the children went through puberty that DES affected the development of the reproductive system and caused vaginal cancer. Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a drug, a synthetic estrogen that was developed to supplement a womans natural estrogen production. ...

Since then, Congress has improved the evaluation and regulation process of drugs and other chemicals. The recent establishment of an endocrine disruptor screening program is seen as a significant step.

See Also

• Endocrine system
• Hormone

Major endocrine glands. ... A hormone (from Greek horman - to set in motion) is a chemical messenger from one cell (or group of cells) to another. ...

External links

• The EU strategy on EDCs (http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/endocrine/index_en.htm)
• The US EPA (strategy) on EDCs (http://www.epa.gov/scipoly/oscpendo/index.htm)