In 1971 doctors at the Massachusetts General Hospital reported high rates of unusual cancers of the vagina in teenage girls. Researchers traced the problem to a medicine their mothers were given during pregnancy intended to help prevent...

Any external chemical that is capable of disrupting the normal activity of the body’s HORMONE messengers. The term is often applied to pollutants that have disruptive effects on reproductive tissue. Those that produce feminising effects in males...

Endocrine disruptors are exogenous substances that act like hormones in the endocrine system and disrupt the physiologic function of endogenous hormones. Studies have linked endocrine disruptors to adverse biological effects in animals, giving rise to...

Examination of the scientific research in the area of endocrine disruptors shows that science has yet to rule on the effects of these chemicals. "Cleansers cause fears over cancer," said the three-column headline in the February 12, 1997, Toronto Star. On...

The European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals proposes a tiered approach for the ecological risk assessment of endocrine disruptors, integrating exposure and hazard (effects) characterization. Exposure assessment for endocrine disruptors should direct specific tests for wildlife species, placing hazard data into...

Why are so many people fat? Scientists have come up with some novel excuses, including air conditioning, lack of sleep, fewer smokers, and more sex among obese people, which can produce chubby kids. Twinkies aren't the only things weighing America...