Threat by chemical substances: Legislation, production, use and waste - Environmental Deterioration and Contamination: Problems and their Management - page 65

adipose tissue thananimals not exposed to these substances, but which had the same
calories intake as the former. Early life (prenatal) exposures may impair adult health by
the formation of larger amount of fat cells and adipose tissues during fetal development.
Bisphenol A is often found in the packaging of foods all over the world, because it is
used for plastics production, as it is a PVC softener. BPA copies the body's natural
hormones and interacts with the normal metabolism of fat.
High concentrations of urinary BPA was found to be associated with a diagno-
sis of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and liver-enzyme abnormalities (Lang et al.,
2008). Based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES,
2013) data, the presence of certain increased phthalate metabolites in urine was asso-
ciated with abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, increased body mass index and
higher waist circumference in males aged 20-59 (Stahlhut et al., 2007 and Hatch
et al., 2008). The above-mentioned impact of some EDs on obesity and cardiovas-
cular disease was declared by the American Heart Association as a Policy Statement
(AHA, 2013).
Neurotoxic agents adversely affect memory, neurobehavior and may cause delayed
neuromuscular development in children. Nervous system information from human and
experimental animal studies clearly shows that exposure to certain endocrine disrupt-
ing chemicals, such as PCBs—particularly before birth—can harm the development of
the nervous system, neuroendocrine function and behavior. The assessment of a wide
range of publications by de Cock et al. (2012) concluded that perinatal exposure to
EDs appears to be associated with the occurrence of autism spectrum and attention
deficit hyperactivity.
Immune disruptors affect the immune system, which is involved in fighting infec-
tions and in allergic reactions. Exposure to environmental chemicals—including certain
EDs, such as DES, a synthetic estrogen or PCBs and dioxins—has been shown to alter
human and animal immunity. But it is not clear whether this occurs via endocrine
disruption. The large number of sensitization and allergies rather confirm direct or
complex effect on the immune system and its regulation.
Sensitizers and allergens are dangerous chemical substances that cause a substantial
proportion of exposed people or animals to develop an allergic reaction in normal
tissue after repeated exposure to the chemical substance. Certain sensitizers have no
immediate health effects, but if an organism is exposed to them several times, an allergic
reaction may arise. A sensitizer may make an organism sensitive to other chemicals
too, often quite suddenly. Typical reactions to sensitizers can include skin disorders
such as eczema, respiratory disorders such as asthma, skin irritation (urticaria). Being
under the effect of a sensitizer is also called hypersensitivity.
Sensitization is an immune response. Therefore, some people may be easily sen-
sitized while others may never be affected. Like any allergic response, a reaction to
a sensitizer can be fatal in rare circumstances. We cannot predict the reaction of an
organism to sensitizing chemicals, so it is necessary to treat all sensitizers with great
respect and follow proper chemical safety and hygiene procedures.
US EPA (2013) started with the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EPA
EDSP, 2013) in 2005 and as a result of Tier 1 Screening, they identified the initial
list, which was proposed for screening and published in 2007 first. The final list of
priority chemical substances with suspected endocrine disrupting effect are shown here