Endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the human physiopathology

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• By Khaleda Parbin

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are one of the major concerns as they are associated with numerous adverse human health outcomes. A large number of EDCs is manufactured globally. Escaping from getting exposed to EDCs is one of the daunting tasks because they are present everywhere. Some of the common examples of widely used EDCs include parabens, phthalates, bisphenol A, etc. Their presence not only harms human beings but also causes environmental pollution. They interfere with hormone biosynthesis, metabolism or action, which results in a deviation from normal homeostatic control or reproduction. Most of the cosmetics that are available commercially contain parabens and bisphenol A; the plastic water bottles contain phthalates; the store food and beverage containers made up of polycarbonate plastics contain bisphenol A. A minute quantity of these EDCs gets accumulated in our system every time when we use them, which leads to the development of diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and infertility as a result of pancreatic hormonal imbalance. In particular, exposure to bisphenol A affects the brain, prostate gland, infants and foetus. By turning interest towards herbal products instead of synthetic cosmetics, encouraging the use of water bottles made up of steel and copper, restricting canned products, using cloth bags instead of polythene bags and so on, we would not only benefit our body in the least possible way but also improve our environment to some extent. The data pertaining to EDCs in the pathogenesis is limited, hence increased basic and clinical research, and awareness together would help in implementing a few changes.

Keywords: Endocrine-disrupting chemicals, Parabens, Phthalates, Bisphenol A, Polycarbonate plastics

Image source:
3D chemical structure of bisphenol A by Edgar181, available under Public Domain at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A#/media/File:Bisphenol_A.png

Citation:
Khaleda Parbin. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the human physiopathology . The Torch. 2021. 2 (16).
Available from: https://www.styvalley.com/pub/magazines/torch/read/endocrine-disrupting-chemicals-in-the-human-physiopathology/.

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