Endocrine disruptor compounds in environment: As a danger for children health

Abstract

Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are heterogenous in structure and include synthetic organic compounds such as pharmaceutical agents, plant protection products, plastics, plasticizers, polychlorinated biphenyls, dioxins, flame-retardants, and antifoulant paint additive, as well, as natural plant-derived EDCs termed phytoestrogens and mycoestrogens. Children and adults are exposed daily to EDCs during drinking contaminated water, eating, breathing polluted air or direct contact with chemicals. Prenatal and perinatal period, infancy, childhood, and puberty are critical time of development during which maturing systems are particularly sensitive to hormonal disruptions (small elimination of xenobiotics). Exposure to environmental chemicals with estrogenic or antiandrogenic action may disrupt female reproductive tract development, also testosterone synthesis and sexual differentiation, leading to adult testis dysfunction and infertility. What is important, today there is still no definitive risk assessment tool for EDCs.

Keywords: endocrine disrupting chemicals; obesogens; persistent organic pollutants; reproductive system.