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Table 1 Definitions of endocrine disruptors

From: A path forward in the debate over health impacts of endocrine disrupting chemicals

Date

Agency

Definition

1996

US EPA1

An exogenous agent that interferes with the production, release, transport, metabolism, binding, action, or elimination of natural hormones in the body responsible for the maintenance of homeostasis and the regulation of developmental processes.

1996

EU2

An exogenous substance that causes adverse health effects in an intact organism, or its progeny, secondary to changes in endocrine function. A potential ED is a substance that possesses properties that might be expected to lead to endocrine disruption in an intact organism.

1998

The Environment Agency

An endocrine disruptor is an exogenous substance that causes adverse health effects in an organism, or its progeny, consequent to endocrine function.

1999

National Academy of Science

The term hormonally active agents (HAAs) is used to describe substances that possess hormone-like activity regardless of mechanism. Convincing evidence that an HAA can affect the endocrine system would be its ability to bind to classic hormone receptors and promote measureable responses such as the induction of hormone-responsive genes or gene products. However, chemicals can disrupt hormonal processes by a variety of other mechanisms.

2000

The Royal Society

EDCs are substances which may interfere with normal function of the endocrine (hormone) system of human and animals, since many of them mimic the structure of natural hormones produced in the body.

2000

German Consultative Study

Substances able to disrupt endocrine processes with the potential for impairing development and reproduction or increasing the risk of cancer.

2002

WHO/IPCS3

An exogenous substance or mixture that alters function(s) of the endocrine system and consequently causes adverse effects in an intact organism, or its progeny, or (sub)populations. A potential endocrine disruptor is an exogenous substance or mixture that possesses properties that might be expected to lead to endocrine disruption in an intact organism, or its progeny, or (sub)populations.

2012

Endocrine Society4

An exogenous chemical, or mixture of chemicals, that interferes with any aspect of hormone action.

  1. 1United States Environmental Protection Agency [17].
  2. 2European Union at the Weybridge Conference [18].
  3. 3World Health Organization/International Programme on Chemical Safety [16].
  4. 4[15].