Endocrine disrupting chemicals: Human exposure and health risks

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have been emphasized due to their threats in fertility, intelligence, and survival. For the last decade, many researchers have investigated EDC-health outcome. However, EDC responses in human were not clearly clarified through experimental and epidemiological data. Therefore, considering particular status of EDC endpoints, we suggest that one of the best ways to prevent unknown health risks from EDCs is to perform exposure monitoring or to do surveillance for EDC release into the environment. For this purpose, this review considers exposure status of EDCs, and EDC-related health risks, focusing on the mainly highlighted EDCs, such as dioxins/PCBs, DDT/DDE, bisphenol A, phthalates, alkylphenols, and phytoestrogens. We also reviewed tobacco, a mixed source of EDC-related endocrine disorders.