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Increasing cases of
malfunctions in the reproductive system, such as spermatic decrease in
count and functionality, early puberty in boys and girls, increase of
breast, prostate and testicle cancer and malformations associated with
hormonal problems raise a sort of generalized concern. Simultaneously,
cases of alterations in the reproductive function of an increasing
amount of animal species can be observed. These are due to the exposure
to persistent chemical substances such as pesticides, detergents,
dioxins and furans. As a response, in the last decades an intense
research activity has been promoted in order to describe these compounds
according to their capacity to alter the endocrine- reproductive system
homeostasis, naming them endocrine disruptors. Among the recognized
disruptor compounds, the following can be listed: phytoestrogens,
organochlorinated pesticides, alkyl-phenol polyethoxylates,
polychlorinated biphenyls, chlorophenols, phthalates, artificial
estrogens, dioxins, furans and some aromatic polycyclic hydrocarbons;
that is to say, compounds that can be found in everyday life. The
concern lies in that they can be found in the environment at very low
levels and have been proved to have harmful effects on fauna species as
well as on laboratory animals at these low levels. The greatest
difficulty to determine the effects on human beings is that they are
exposed to several ED simultaneously. The main exposure risk lies on the
early prenatal and postnatal development, when the organs and the
nervous system are transforming and the increasing incidence of
neurodegenerative diseases of unknown etiology could be explained by
environmental factors of substances which can be promoters, such as some
pesticides. This work tries developing better global data, especially in
countries outside North America and Europe, on status and trends of
environmental contamination, exposure, and health outcomes. |
