The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), after much delay, has released a list of potential endocrine disruptors. Included are 73 chemicals, 69 of which are pesticides and 4 are inert and used in pesticides. The effects include endocrine effects, anti-androgenic activity or anti-estrogenic activity.
There is concern amongst a number of scientists that many chemicals included in the list have known endocrine disruptor activity and further study of them would be a waste of resources and funds. Combinations of chemicals are not being tested although most people are exposed to mixtures of chemicals rather than to single chemicals.
Drinking water contaminants are not being tested. Nonylphenols and octaphenols are not being tested in spite of the fact that they already are having negative effects on wildlife.
CONCLUSION: The EPA endocrine disruptor study is being widely criticized for the long delays, the limited extent of the chemicals studied, the failure to study combination effects and the failure to study drinking water contaminants. Perhaps, the problem is that this process is a political process rather than a scientific one.
NOTE: Endocrine disruptors are hormonally active compounds found in our environment that have environmental and human health effects. The best known environmental disruptor chemical (EDC) is diethylstilbesterol, known to cause abnormalities in the babies of women who used it while pregnant. See Summary 142. Read about environmental chemicals which act as thyroid dysruptors.
Soy and red clover were the first foods found to be endocrine disruptors. See Summary 206.
“EPA Releases List of Potential Endocrine Disrupters.”
To read the author’s abstract of the article click on the link to the author’s summary above.
PMID: 17822070.
Summary #212.
