An evaluation of endocrine modulators: Implications for human health

The potential health risk of a group of chemicals, popularly known as "endo crine disrupters," has generated considerable scientific debate and media a ttention. The endocrine disrupter hypothesis asserts that exogenous substan ces with estrogenic or other hormonally active properties may adversely aff ect human health. Proponents of this hypothesis have associated endocrine m odulators with negative outcomes such as cancer in hormonally sensitive tis sues and declining sperm counts in men. However, the available laboratory, wildlife, and epidemiological data do not provide consistent or convincing evidence that industrial chemicals suspected of modulating estrogenic pathw ays are related to adverse health effects in humans. Both public and privat e initiatives are investigating chemicals labeled as endocrine disrupters f or their relative hormonal activity. Screening assays aimed at assessing th e endocrine activity or potential of a variety of substances should not be confused with assessment of risk to humans, however. The latter entails not only hazard identification (the type of information that screening assays are designed to provide), but also critical factors such as exposure analys is, potency assessment, and dose-response for individual chemicals, (C) 200 0 Academic Press.