Departments of Pediatrics and Environmental Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY 10016, USA; email:
Department of Population Health, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, USA.
Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol. 2022 Jan 6;62:573-594. doi: 10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-021921-093352. Epub 2021 Sep 23.
While definitions vary, endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have two fundamental features: their disruption of hormone function and their contribution to disease and disability. The unique vulnerability of children to low-level EDC exposures has eroded the notion that only the dose makes the thing a poison, requiring a paradigm shift in scientific and policy practice. In this review, we discuss the unique vulnerability of children as early as fetal life and provide an overview of epidemiological studies on programming effects of EDCs on neuronal, metabolic, and immune pathways as well as on endocrine, reproductive, and renal systems. Building on this accumulating evidence, we dispel and address existing myths about the health effects of EDCs with examples from child health research. Finally, we provide a list of effective actions to reduce exposure and subsequent harm that are applicable to individuals, communities, and policy-makers.
尽管定义各不相同，但内分泌干扰化学物质 (EDCs) 具有两个基本特征：它们破坏激素功能，以及导致疾病和残疾。儿童对低水平 EDC 暴露的独特脆弱性削弱了只有剂量才会使事物成为毒物的观念，这需要在科学和政策实践中进行范式转变。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了早在胎儿期儿童的独特脆弱性，并概述了关于 EDC 对神经元、代谢和免疫途径以及内分泌、生殖和肾脏系统编程影响的流行病学研究。基于这些不断积累的证据，我们用儿童健康研究的例子来驳斥和解决关于 EDC 健康影响的现有误解。最后，我们提供了一系列减少暴露和随后危害的有效措施，这些措施适用于个人、社区和政策制定者。
