2023-08-31 08:00:53
Decreased fertility, congenital malformations, endometriosis, precocious puberty, cancers, behavioral disorders, prematurity, metabolic diseases, obesity, type 2 diabetes… so many pathologies for which endocrine disruptors are singled out. But what is the current state of knowledge in this area? Health on the Net addresses this issue.
Endocrine disruptors and health effects
THE endocrine disruptors group together a vast set of chemical products used in the composition of a multitude of everyday objects or present in the environment and disrupting the hormonal functions of the body, in particular:
- development and growth;
- Reproductive functions;
- Thyroid functions;
- Adrenal functions;
- The metabolism ;
By disrupting one or more of these functions, endocrine disruptors contribute to the development or progression of a multitude of disease states. Among the best known endocrine disruptors are bisphenol-A, glyphosate or parabens. But the list of suspected or proven products is long and growing steadily. Studies have multiplied in recent years to better understand the impact of these chemicals on health.
Health effects difficult to demonstrate because of the cocktail effect
The first alerts were issued in the 1990s, particularly in connection with the impact of these endocrine disruptors on wildlife. Indeed, endocrine disruptors are inevitably found in the environment, in water, in the air or in the ground. And come back to us several times in a row. But the study of the effects of endocrine disruptors comes up once morest multiple difficulties:
- Each of us is exposed daily to a multitude of endocrine disruptors, and it is therefore difficult to focus on the effects of only one;
- The exposures are multiple, not only the objects, but also the air, the water, the food, the drugs, …;
- The effects of endocrine disruptors can be synergistic, the “mixture” or “cocktail” of endocrine disruptors is then more harmful than the sum of the effects of each disruptor taken separately;
- Endocrine disruptors can act on a single hormonal function or on several;
- The effect can be felt right following exposure or years later;
- The effects of endocrine disruptors can manifest themselves on the exposed individual or on their descendants, sometimes several generations later.
Faced with these difficulties, improving knowledge of the effects of endocrine disruptors and the underlying mechanisms is complex and requires numerous long-term investigations. Meanwhile, manufacturers continue to add endocrine disruptors to many everyday products.
How to limit exposure?
Unfortunately, on a daily basis, we are indeed all exposed to multiple endocrine disruptors. Recent studies have even shown exposure in utero fetuses related to maternal exposures. Faced with this health threat, the WHO recommends the implementation of actions at national and international level. In France, since 2014, a National Strategy on endocrine disruptors is deployed around 4 main axes:
- Research, development and monitoring
- Substance expertise
- Regulation and substitution of endocrine disruptors
- Training and information.
Public Health France is the organization responsible in France for monitoring the health impact of endocrine disruptors. A change in European regulations is necessary, but research must also advance to demonstrate the evidence of the effects of each endocrine disruptor in the short, medium and long term.
Estelle B., Doctor of Pharmacy
Sources
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