Endocrine-Disrupting Compounds EDCs

Chemicals known to be human endocrine disruptors include dioxin, PCBs, DDT and other pesticides, diethylstilbestrol, some phthalate ester plasticizers, and heavy metals. Table 4.4 lists the EDCs. 

Hormones of both synthetic and biological origin are known endocrine disruptors. The best known of these is diethylstilbesterol (DES), a synthetic estrogen that was prescribed by physicians to prevent spontaneous abortions in women from 1948 to 1971. Daughters of women who took DES have suffered a host of reproductive problems including a reduction in fertility, abnormal pregnancies, immune system disorders, periods of depression, and early onset of vaginal clear-cell adenocarcinomas and reproductive tract cancer. Known hormonal endocrine disruptors are listed in Table 4.5. 

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Rahman ME, Yanful EK, Jasim SY (2009) Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in the aquatic environment implications for the drinking water industry and global environmental health. J Water Health 7 224-243... 

Kimura K, Toshima S, Amy G, Watanabe Y (2004) Rejection of neutral endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and pharmaceutical active compounds (PhACs) by RO membranes. J Membr Sci 245 71... 

Phenolic compounds are used in commercial or consumer products or building materials (Rudel et al., 2001), especially ethoxylated alkylphenols of octylphenol and nonylphenol, which are widely used in surfactants (Ying, Williams and Kookana, 2002). They are known as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC) as they bear hormonally active properties. Other EDCs found indoors include phthal-ates (Section 11.2.7), certain pesticides, organotin compounds (Section 11.2.5) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (Section 11.2.8) (Rudel et al., 2001, 2003). 

Ultrasonic atomization applied to the removal of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) from an aquatic environment Sono-sorption as a new technique for removing lead ions from an aqueous solution UV disinfection of water... 

Biosensors based on optical fibers as transduction element have been recently reviewed by Wolfbeis [97]. Optical biosensors based on miniattaized SPR or on evanescent field monitoring are not as often found in miniaturized biosensors, especially in comparison to miniaturized electrochemical transducers, yet. Two examples will be given here a miniaturized SPR biosensor by Cullen and co-workers [98] and an evanescent based microchip biosensor by Borchers and co-workers [99]. The best-known SPR biosensor is the BIAcore device from Pharmacia Company, Sweden. It has been on the market for over a decade and is routinely used for hybridization kinetic analyses, specificity analyses, etc. Cullen and co-workers have incorporated a commercially available miniaturized SPR transducer into a field analyzer and developed a competition and inhibition assay for an estrogenic compound in water samples that function as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). 

In the past few years, considerable attention has been given to the presence of endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC) in the aquatic environment. EDC ate not defined by chemical nature but rather by their biological effect. The endocrine system is an intricate hormone system that regulates development, growth, reproduction, and behaviour [1-2]. The two relevant classes of compounds that can... 

The World Health Organization defines endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) as exogenous substances that alter function(s) or the endocrine system and consequently cause adverse health effects in an intact organism, or its progeny or (sub)-populations. I13l Endocrine disrup-tors can act in any of four different waysJ14 These are... 

The endocrine system is comprised of a network of hormone-producing glands that synthesize and release carefully measured doses of these hormones, which in some instances are in the parts per trillion range. Insufficient as well as excessive quantities of these hormones can be detrimental to one s health and well-being. As discussed in Section 4.11, endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are exogenous chemicals that alter the function of the endocrine system by one of four different ways ... 

Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are particularly harmful often at very low doses (10 , 10 ° M), contradicting the assertion of Paracelsus regarding the importance of the dose in the effect of poisons. The problem moves from the fertilized cell to the embryo, the fetus, and eventually the very young child. Certain molecules, often of industrial origin, trick the hormonal system and lead to harmful effects. The following illustration compares the structures of estradiol and a nonylphenol, a fairly weak endocrine disruptor [29-34]. 

Diosgenin is the primary precursor for the commercial production of cortisone, oral contraceptives (OCs), and many other steroid drugs. Unluckily, both natural and synthetic steroid drugs are powerful endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) which can cause reproductive toxicity and affect cellular development in mammals and are generally regarded as a serious contributor to water pollution. Hence, research interests of many scientists focus on the biotransformation and degradation of steroid compounds. 

Chapter 23, Chapter 25, and Chapter 26 discuss in detail the separation and analysis of volatile organic compoimds (VOCs), endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) and pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), and plastics residues, respectively. Many of these compounds are widely distributed in the environment but in very small quantities. 

Waters Polyaromatic compounds (PAHs, among them - phenolic compounds. ..) HeterocycUc compounds (alcaloides, nicotine. ..) Pesticides Heavy metals Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs). ... 

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