Endocrine Disruptors Essay - 1746 Words

Endocrine Disruptors During recent years, numerous newspaper and magazine articles have suggested that humans may be at risk because small amounts of well known environmental contaminants, such as dioxin, PCBs and DDT, can affect hormone levels. Hormones are produced by the endocrine system as regulators of biological function in target organs. Because hormones play a critical role in early development, toxicological effects on the endocrine system often have an impact on the reproductive system. The term endocrine disruptor is used to describe chemicals that can mimic hormones and may either enhance or counteract their effects. It has been suggested that these hormone changes can, in turn, lead to a variety of health problems†¦show more content†¦Fry and Toone (1986) found when they inject fertilised seabird eggs with DDT and its metabolites. The male chicks produced have varying degrees of intersexuality depending on dosage, reproductive system with both male and female structures. The female chicks had a partial to full developed right oviducts, instead of just left functional structures. In the area where the eggs were collected, there was multiple female-female pairing and low hatchability of eggs. Males exposed as embryos to estrogenic pesticides showed decreased to no sexual behaviour. (Fry and Toone, 1981) Louis Guillette noticed that male alligators from Lake Apopka in Florida have vestigial penis, follicle-like testis and elevated estrogens/testosterone ratios and the female hatching’s ovaries were producing multiple egg follicles and eggs with several nuclei (Luoma, 1995, Guillette et al., 1995) The females also had above normal estrogens levels. When he and his colleagues did a similar injection study with DDT and DDE, they produced results similar to those found in the field. The reduction in penis length and the abnormal gonads made the hatchlings reproductively incapable. Both the bird and alligator studies were prompted by the contamination of large water bodies by organochlorins and the low breeding success of the animals living and feeding in these areas. Of particular interest are those chemicals, which mimic the female hormone of estrogen, which isShow MoreRelatedA Short Note On Endocrine Disruptor : Bisphenol A1135 Words   |  5 PagesEndocrine Disruptor: Bisphenol A Introduction: What is BPA? Endocrine disruptors have the ability to enhance or suppress the functions of hormones by mimicking their shape and binding to the appropriate receptor. They also have the capability to change the structure and activity of the endocrine system, potentially causing various adverse effects to the body. One of the most prevalent and dangerous endocrine disruptors is Bisphenol A, or BPA. Bisphenol A is an organic compound with a structure andRead More The Pesticide Called Atrazine Acts as an Endocrine Disruptor Promoting Demasculinization and Feminization in Amphibians1026 Words   |  5 Pagesassigned key words described throughout this article including amphibian decline, endocrine disruption, pesticide and sex reversal. The larger or global context for the research conducted in this article is that the pesticide Atrazine is widely utilized across the entire world, contaminating water sources by mobilizing through rainfall, disrupting habitats and impacting organisms by acting as an endocrine disruptor. 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