Popular Science Presentation

What are endocrine disruptors and what do they do?

People and animals are exposed to a variety of chemicals. Some of these chemicals can affect the body's hormone system and can thus interfere with biological processes. Examples of effective endocrine disruptors (EDCs) are persistent environmental pollutants such as dioxins and PCBs. Other EDCs are flame retardants, pesticides and substances used in plastics such as certain phthalates and bisphenols, and the synthetic hormones used in preventilmedel. Chemicals can affect the brain and repoduktionsförmågan in humans and animals. Some chemicals are also suspected to also be able to make us overweight, because they can affect the development and function of our fat cells.

Hormones and other signaling molecules act during special periods of life and are effective at low concentrations. Their function is to signal to the body's cells to start or end various biological processes, such as formation of the cells that form the sex organs, brain and adipose tissues. If chemicals are present during sensitive periods of development there is a risk that the natural hormone function is disrupted, for example by that hormonally controlled processes are stimulated or inhibited at the wrong time. Chemicals can also affect gametes (germ cells) in a subject in such a way that future generations are affected.

Chemical Mixtures and cocktail effects

When several chemicals occur simultaneously, they can have a stronger effect together than they have individually. The result of exposure to chemical mixtures are often difficult to predict because the various chemicals have different mechanisms of action and a single chemical may affect various biochemical processes.