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ISSUE: ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS

Endocrine disruptors or EDCs (endocrine disrupting chemicals) are external agents that interfere in some way with the role of natural hormones in the body. An agent might disrupt the endocrine system by affecting any of the various stages of hormone production and activity, including the growth, development, and reproductive capabilities of an organism. These external agents include well-known chemicals such as DDT and PCBs, and lesser-known chemicals including Bisphenol A – used in many plastic products – and endosulfans. The following links contain lists of known EDCs:

  • Center for Bioenvironmental Research at Tulane and Xavier Universities: e.hormone
  • Medical Research Council: Institute for Environment and Health: REDIPED (Relational Database of Information on Potential Endocrine Disrupters)

Atrazine

One known endocrine disruptor, atrazine, has been the subject of numerous studies documenting its effects on wildlife and humans. According to a press release issued on August 20, 2003 by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC):

Atrazine, which has been banned in several European countries, is one of the most widely used herbicides in the United States. Between 60 million and 70 million pounds of atrazine are applied annually to fields, golf courses, and lawns. [Environmental Protection Agency] (EPA) has found that there is widespread atrazine contamination in U.S. waterways, and has concluded that atrazine may harm endangered fish, reptiles, amphibians, mussels, and the aquatic plant life that provides habitat for endangered species. Atrazine also contaminates drinking water and may harm people as well. More than 1 million Americans drink from water supplies that are contaminated with atrazine at levels higher than EPA’s drinking water standard.

Even though atrazine has been banned in several European countries, the EPA has been reluctant to determine the full danger it presents. In another press release in January 2003, NRDC reported the EPA announced that drinking water with atrazine at levels 12 times what is allowed by law does not affect humans. The EPA further concluded that atrazine does not cause cancer in humans, contradicting many studies – including some of its own work.

Other effects of atrazine have been seen in wildlife studies, including many concerning frogs. Because of atrazine’s widespread use on cornfields and other weed-prone areas, the chemical is commonly washed into many watersheds during rain showers. A study by professor Tyrone Hayes at the University of California, Berkeley, published in April 2002, found that Atrazine was responsible for widespread hermaphroditism – expression of both sexes in an animal – in certain frog populations. This has further implications for other amphibian species, which prompted NRDC to file suit against the EPA in August 2003 for failing to consider the implications of atrazine on endangered wildlife.

Background

Information regarding the dangers of endocrine disruptors dates back to 1923, although more attention has been paid to the issue since the early 1990s. It has been well established that large doses of EDCs are especially harmful to both humans and wildlife, but the consequences of low-dose exposure has not been clarified. Further research needs to be done to establish dose/response relationships and understand the modes of action for the observed effects of EDCs. What exists, instead, are a number of field and laboratory studies that illustrate the devastating consequences of exposure to specific EDCs. Examples (in addition to atrazine) include the thinning of eggshells and gonad deformities of birds of prey as a result of DDT exposure, and a worldwide population decline of gastropods as a result of an antifouling agent, TBT. In humans, there are a number of potential consequences of exposure to EDCs, including:

  • Decline in sperm quality
  • Decline in sex ratios – a decrease in the number of males
  • Male reproductive abnormalities
  • Early puberty
  • Decline in neurological functions
  • Cancers, including breast, endometrial, testicular, prostate, and thyroid

As stated earlier, the specific modes of action, or how endocrine disruptors act to affect organisms, are not well established. EDCs can be grouped generally into the following types: estrogen mimics, anti-estrogen mimics, androgens, and anti-androgen mimics. EDCs have the capability to fool the body’s receptors, making them even more dangerous. Additional consequences of exposure can include the feminization or masculinization of the opposite sex, which can have severe effects on the ability of populations to reproduce.

The concern over endocrine disruptors stems from the importance of the endocrine system and the role it has in many organisms. An EPA Special Report on Endocrine Disruption, in February 1997, provides the following description of the endocrine system:

The endocrine system helps guide development, growth, reproduction, behavior, and other bodily functions of animals and humans. It is comprised of endocrine glands and hormones. Some of the major endocrine glands are the pituitary, thyroid, pancreas, adrenal, and the male and female gonads (testes and ovaries). Endocrine glands produce hormones and secrete them directly into the bloodstream. Hormones act as chemical messengers, traveling through the blood to distant tissues and organs, where they can bind to specific cell sites called the receptors.

Additional properties of endocrine disruptors add to the danger of being exposed to them. EDCs are widely used in many products today including cosmetics, water bottles, and in the manufacture of electronic equipment. Known EDCs that have been banned, such as PCBs and DDT, are still present in the environment today and affecting wildlife. Currently, there is a need for further research to be conducted to determine the doses that affect organisms for known and suspected EDCs. Even as new chemicals are developed, caution needs to be exercised before determining they are safe to be used.

Policy Approaches

There are two main legislative approaches to addressing the dangers of endocrine disruptors. One option is to regulate or ban the use of particular chemicals known to be EDCs. This approach has been used for DDT and PCBs, to name a few. California recently became the first state to ban PBDEs, which are potential EDCs. Pesticides, some of which are EDCs, are regulated both by the federal government and by states (see further information section). While this approach can be effective in limiting the danger posed by particular agents, it does not address the problems of long-term exposure to low levels of chemicals, interactions between chemicals, or synergistic effects, nor does it prevent harmful impacts from chemicals that are new or inadequately researched. It also relies heavily on research to show a cause-and-effect relationship between exposure to a chemical and harm, which can be difficult to establish.

Another option is to adopt the precautionary principle, a set of guidelines that prioritizes the health of individuals and encourages methods to find the safest way to accomplish activities while recognizing the current limits of science. On June 17, 2003, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors took an unprecedented step of adopting the Precautionary Principle Policy. In adopting this policy, San Francisco reiterates the importance of preventing future environmental damage by activities and chemicals we know little about. Rather than advocating a “wait-and-see-approach,” the precautionary principle emphasizes the use of alternatives until the safety of the chemical or activity is shown with a higher degree of confidence. In addition to San Francisco, the European Union has put forth its own precautionary principle approach regarding new chemical introductions, which has sparked an outcry from both American and European chemical manufacturers. The precautionary principle declares that it is more important to invest money and time into researching the safety of a chemical than pay the higher costs of damage to environmental and human health in the future.

State Legislation (2003)

California
SB 202 - Eliminates the hazardous waste exemption for wood waste that contains wood treated with two preservatives that are potential endocrine disruptors.

SB 998 - As part of the California Economic Stimulus and Public Infrastructure Security and Investment Bond Act money is extended to research projects to study endocrine disruptors.

Georgia
AB1042 - The Georgia School Pesticide Act would require the creation of a “least toxic pesticides list” that would, which as written, exclude a known endocrine disruptor.

Minnesota
H 1352 - Allocates money towards water quality testing compliance that includes “special concern testing,” which will look for a variety of compounds, including known endocrine disruptors, in ground and surface water.

New York
A 4105 and S 1797 - Makes unlawful the use of certain categories of pesticides, including known endocrine disruptors, for certain purposes.

S 2400 - Restricts the use of some chlorine organic compounds because of potential toxic side effects that include endocrine system dysfunction.

S 2801 - Amends state finance law to require the purchase of chlorine-free recycled paper because of the potential endocrine system dysfunction chlorine compounds can cause.

S 3178 - Provides for the use of less toxic pesticides and restricts the use of anti-microbial and biopesticides, including those known to be endocrine disruptors.

Press Clips

Links

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This page was last updated on March 8, 2004.
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State Environmental Resource Center
Madison, Wisconsin