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EndocrineDisruptors

Endocrine SystemA system of glands which secrete hormones into the bloodstream to regulate the body.

Hormones travel to target tissue and there regulate human functions, including metabolism, growth and development, tissue function, and mood

PCPPsPCPPs, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, include antibiotics and hormones taken by humans (birth control or replacement therapy, cholesterol-lowering drugs such as statins, anti-depressants) as well as veterinary pharmaceuticals used primarily in agriculture. Personal care products include soaps, sunscreens, perfumes and colognes, hair sprays, and other cosmetics that may contain compounds such as musks, oxybenzone, nanomaterials, triclosan, etc., that could haveenvironmental effects.

Pass Through Pollutants

EffectsAlteration Species Effected

Interference with steroid hormones Mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish

Sexual dimorphism Rodents, fish, reptiles, birds, marine mammals

Thyroid enlargement Precocious sexual maturation Poor egg survival Low egg thyroid hormone content

Salmon (in the Great Lakes)

Behaviorial changes Reproductive loss Early mortality in offspring

Bird species (in the Great Lakes that feed on Salmon)

Decline in adult yearly survival rate Asymmetrical wing development Altered parental behaviour

Gulls

Decreased thyroid hormone levels Seals, polar bears

Negative effects on plasma progesterone levels and plasma cortisone levels.

Polar bears

Central New York

Ajax Ontario

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