Effects and risks of endocrine disrupting chemicals

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are substances that interfere with the body's hormonal signaling, either by mimicking, blocking, or altering the production of hormones, and they are found in everyday products ranging from food packaging to personal care items—with bisphenol A and phthalates among the most studied examples. Research in this area examines how environmental exposure to these compounds contributes to reproductive disorders, metabolic disease, developmental abnormalities, and certain cancers, with particular concern for effects during sensitive windows such as fetal development and puberty. A persistent challenge is establishing dose-response relationships, since EDCs often show biological effects at concentrations far below those used in traditional toxicity testing, which complicates regulatory thresholds. Active directions include understanding how mixtures of EDCs act together, identifying reliable biomarkers of exposure and effect, and determining whether epigenetic changes induced by these chemicals can be transmitted across generations.

Works

67,805

Total citations

1,536,461

Keywords

Endocrine-Disrupting ChemicalsBisphenol APhthalatesHormonal ActivityEnvironmental ExposureHealth Effects