Environmental estrogens: health implications for humans and wildlife.

Recent efforts to increase communication among specialists from a wide range of disciplines has led to a better understanding of the scope and magnitude of the geographic distribution and effects of synthetic chemicals. Cross-discipline research has improved detection of widely dispersed chemicals that are capable of disrupting the endocrine system and/or interfering with reproduction. Reviewing what is known about the effects of xenobiotics from the molecular, cellular, tissue, and organismal levels in relation to effects reported at the population level provides insight about functional changes that are often not visible and are difficult to determine. By adding a wildlife component to these analyses, a clearer picture of the nature of endocrine disruption has been demonstrated. Parallels among laboratory, human, and wildlife studies provide guidance for further multidisciplinary and interagency research. Movement toward forensic research among federal agencies responsible for human and environmental health will lead to increased knowledge about the role of endocrine disruptors in the environment. The following statements were published in the peer-reviewed literature in 1981 by John McLachlan, Retha Newbold, Ken Korach, Jim Lamb, and Yoshihide Suzuki (1). The same words apply today to the third conference on "Estrogens in the Environment."