Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are chemicals that alter the actions of hormones. In recent years, experts from medical, scientific, and environmental activist groups have demanded action from regulatory agencies to protect humans and wildlife alike from the harm induced by EDC exposures. These demands are based on strong evidence from epidemiology, wildlife, and controlled laboratory studies. Some environmental chemicals have received a lot of attention in recent years including BPA, phthalates, PFAS (forever chemicals), and others.
This talk will describe the conclusions drawn by experts from different scientific and medical disciplines and discuss recent findings that have changed the landscape of EDC work.
There is a need to identify better “sentinel” species to characterize both exposures to EDCs and their effects, and fish and shellfish may provide valuable insights in these areas.
There is also a need to expand our understanding of vulnerable periods of life, and the increasing concern that traditional methods used to evaluate toxicity of environmental chemicals are insufficient for EDCs.
Finally, there are reasons why current regulatory approaches have failed to protect human and wildlife health, but collaborative science could help to address these gaps.