Endocrine Disruptors

Endocrine Disruptors are chemicals that mimic natural hormones in animal species: often causing great harm to the individual or their offspring. These chemicals often mimic naturally occurring hormones such as testosterone and estrogen. Often, effects are not seen until the second generation: meaning that the animal that is exposed to the chemical may show no signs of sickness, but pass on developmental problems to its offspring. An example of endocrine disruptors (of which there are thousands) at work can be illustrated by the plight of many great lake species. Due to polluted water, many fish exhibit inter-sex characteristics as a result of chemicals mimicing estrogen. This leads to the feminization of male offspring during development; such that the may be unable to reproduce for physical or behavioral reasons. This is important because effects are being in humans as well. We need to seek to eliminate sources of endocrine disruptors as quickly as possible, and use international treaties to ensure that they are not released in the future to the environment.