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CHEMISTRY & PUBLIC HEALTH

ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS (EDCs)

By Stephanie Gallegos

Ryan Holcomb

CHEM 1010
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Chemistry impacts the consumers daily life in more ways than what would appear

on the surface, from personal care products to the toys children play with. The industrial

revolution has brought us many great products and luxuries, but its also brought us many

unintended consequences. When it comes to the topic of chemistry, many of these unintended

consequences of manufacturing and industry come in the form of new chemical compounds that

we typically have optimistic expectations of. Keep in mind, everything has chemicals where

the concern lies is in the combination of chemicals and amounts of the substance.

A specific type of chemical found in many products used daily by consumers are known

to be endocrine disruptors (EDCs). Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that may disrupt the

bodys endocrine system and produce adverse effects in both humans and wildlife, such as

reproductive and neurological disruptions. There are natural and man-made substances that are

thought to cause endocrine disruption including dioxin, polychlorinated biphenyls, phthalates,

and DDT. Contact with EDCs typically happens through the skin, during ingestion of food, dust,

water, and inhalation of gases and particles in the air. EDCs can also be transferred from a

pregnant woman to the developing fetus or child through the placenta and breast milk. According

to the National Institute of Health, endocrine disruptors may pose the greatest risk during

prenatal and early postnatal development when organ and neural systems are forming (National

Institute of Health).

One of the common EDCs as mentioned above are dioxins, which are environmental

pollutants. These chemicals are also known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). There is

some concern surrounding dioxins because of their highly toxic potential. Experiments have

shown they affect various organs and systems. Once dioxins enter the body, they last a long time

because of their chemical stability and their ability to be absorbed by fat tissue, where they are
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then stored in the body. Their half-life in the body is estimated to be 7 to 11 years. Dioxins tend

to accumulate in the food chain, so concentrations increase in animals higher in the food chain.

Certain dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) with similar toxic properties are

also included under the term dioxins. PCBs have been used as coolants and lubricants in

transformers, capacitors, and other electrical equipment because they don't burn easily and are

good insulators. The manufacture of PCBs was stopped in the U.S. in 1977 because of evidence

they build up in the environment and can cause harmful health effects. Products made before

1977 that may contain PCBs include old fluorescent lighting fixtures, electrical devices,

microscopes, and hydraulic oils.

Human exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like substances has been associated with a range

of toxic effects, including developmental and neurodevelopmental effects, and changes in

reproductive functions. As stated in the WHO, exposure to EDCs during fetal development

and puberty plays a role in the increased incidences of reproductive diseases, endocrine-related

cancers, behavioral and learning problems, including ADHD, infections, asthma, and perhaps

obesity and diabetes in humans (United Nations Environment Programme/World Health

Organization). Developmental effects are the most sensitive making children and infants the

population most at risk of these adverse effects. The wildlife in our ecosystem are also

vulnerable to these chemicals with adverse effects such as changes in the immune system,

behavioral alterations, and impaired reproduction.

Some ways to decrease contact with EDCs are as follows: trimming fat from meat and

consuming low-fat dairy products. Eating a well-rounded diet can also help to avoid excessive

exposure from a single source. These strategies are probably most important for girls and young

women as to ensure they reduce exposure of the developing fetus and when breastfeeding infants
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later in life. However, consumers in general are fairly limited in their ability to reduce their own

exposure.
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Bibliography

National Institute of Health. National Institute of Environmental Health. 08 December 2017.

<https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine/index.cfm>.

United Nations Environment Programme/World Health Organization. State of the Science of

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals. Geneva, Switzerland: UNEP/WHO, 2012.