Action Sought On Endocrine Disrupters

A group of scientists is calling for global action on chemicals that are linked to endocrine-related disorders, including reproductive diseases, cancer, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. In an April 23 letter, the scientists point out that endocrine-disrupting chemicals cause effects at low doses even when effects are not seen at high doses, the chemicals can affect multiple generations, and timing of exposure is important. “Exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals during fetal development and puberty plays a role in the increased incidences of reproductive disease, endocrine-related cancers, behavioral and learning problems including ADHD, infections, asthma, and perhaps obesity and diabetes in humans,” says William F. Young Jr., president of the Endocrine Society. The letter—addressed to the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Health Organization, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development, and the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management—also urges the international agencies to consider exposure to mixtures of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, as opposed to a single substance, and to err on the side of caution.