Endocrine Disruption for Endocrinologists (and Others)

Extract

On June 3, 2005, The Endocrine Society held an unprecedented full-day forum on endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Sponsored through the generosity of The Endocrine Society, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the Environmental Protection Agency, this forum brought together basic scientists, physicians, clinical scientists, epidemiologists, and others interested in discussing and learning about the importance of endocrine disruption in the context of endocrinology. This first-ever supplement to Endocrinology contains a special series of eight review articles on endocrine disruption, seven of which are authored by the forum’s speakers, and the eighth providing an evolutionary perspective to epigenetics in endocrine disruption. As forum organizers, the three of us developed and directed the programming, but more importantly, we have this opportunity to summarize and integrate the outcomes of the forum for the endocrine community. The review articles that follow this introduction make it clear that the topic of endocrine disruption is pertinent to all endocrinologists. Moreover, a wide variety of chemicals exert endocrine-disrupting actions, including but not limited to industrial chemicals, pesticides, plant phytoestrogens, metals, and other environmental substances. Here we provide an overview of the highlights of the science at the forum, a synopsis of the open discussion, and we make recommendations for future research.