Ecological effects of endocrine disruption: Current evidence and research priorities

An overview is presented of the main evidence for endocrine disruption in w ildlife, focusing on reproductive effects. White there are a few clear exam ples of endocrine disruptive effects resulting from environmental chemical exposure, in most cases a causal link between the observed abnormalities an d chemical exposure has not been established. In other cases there appears to be a link but the specific chemicals responsible for the observed effect s, and the mechanisms involved, remain to be elucidated. Also it is largely unknown whether or not observed changes in individual animals lead to popu lation-level effects. Priority research projects for the UK, ultimately aim ed at determining the population-level significance of endocrine disruption , are described. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.