Endocrine disruptors: consumer concerns and scientific challenges

Endocrine disruptors potentially linked to public health issues raise a multitude of societal, legislative and health-related concerns. At present, there is no officially validated definition specifying the nature of these substances, and the framework for their assessment may vary depending on their uses. The endocrine systems are involved in regulating most biological functions and play a key role in the development and maintenance of the body’s homeostasis. Disruptions to their functioning are therefore associated with a wide range of health effects, including transgenerational effects. The complexity of the regulation of the various hormonal systems, their interactions and their effects in maintaining the body’s homeostasis presents major scientific challenges. Added to this are the concepts of low doses, windows of susceptibility, and non-classical, so-called non-monotonic dose–response relationships (U-shaped dose-response curves, for example) and delayed effects, which make toxicological and epidemiological investigations even more complex and sometimes fall outside the scope of conventional toxicological approaches. This complexity highlights the need to develop multidisciplinary research strategies that integrate all levels of biological regulation, right down to population-based approaches.