The effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on reproduction are well known, whereas their developmental effects are much less characterized. However, exposure to endocrine disruptors during organogenesis may lead to deleterious and permanent problems later in life. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) transgenic lines expressing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) in specific organs and tissues are...

The European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals proposes a tiered approach for the ecological risk assessment of endocrine disruptors, integrating exposure and hazard (effects) characterization. Exposure assessment for endocrine disruptors should direct specific tests for wildlife species, placing hazard data into a risk assessment context. Supplementing the suite of mammalian...

Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: From Basic Research to Clinical Practice, is an aptly named volume comprising chapters that detail numerous aspects of endocrine disruptors from the perspectives of scientists, epidemiologists, and medical practitioners. Each group has its own scope and focus, but all are ultimately intertwined by a common goal of understanding what is necessary to ensure optimal...

BACKGROUND The U.S. EPA's Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP) screens and tests environmental chemicals for potential effects in estrogen, androgen, and thyroid hormone pathways, and it is one of the only regulatory programs designed around chemical mode of action. OBJECTIVES This review describes the EDSP's use of adverse outcome pathway (AOP) and toxicity pathway frameworks to orga...

Theodora Colborn, research scientist and environmental activist, died 14 December 2014 at the age of 87. As the scientist who coined the term “endocrine disruptor,” Theo—as we had the privilege to call her—played a watershed role in the field of environmental health science, particularly in raising public awareness of the effects of chemical contaminants on human health and the environment. It ...

Investigative efforts into the potential endocrine-disrupting effects of chemicals have mainly concentrated on vertebrates, with significantly less attention paid to understanding potential endocrine disruption in the invertebrates. Given that invertebrates account for at least 95% of all known animal species and are critical to ecosystem structure and function, it remains essential to close th...