Ecotoxicological Risk of Endocrine Disruptors

Effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are reported in organisms exposed in the laboratory or in the field mainly for (anti-)estrogens, (anti-)androgens, and thyroid disruptors. Potential or proven EDCs belong to different chemical classes, among which persistent and bioaccumulative substances are particularly at risk. Cascading effects from molecular responses to adverse outcomes at the population level are well-established in a few cases. Conventional risk assessment is hardly applicable to EDCs: because they are active at very low doses, effects vary deeply according to developmental stages, and in many cases the dose–response is nonmonotonic. In silico and in vitro tools should be developed for prioritization of potential EDCs. However, in vivo assays remains indispensable, particularly full life-cycle and multigeneration assays. These bioassays used in global approaches (effects-directed analysis, toxicity identification evaluation) are crucial for assessing environmental health.