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Encyclopedia of Aquatic Ecotoxicology pp 477–490Cite as

Estrogenic Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals

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Synonyms

Environmental estrogens; Estrogen mimics; Xenoestrogens

Definition

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are compounds that alter the hormonal systems of organisms. Estrogenic endocrine-disrupting chemicals (e-EDCs) or environmental estrogens are a subgroup of EDCs that modulate the action of the female hormone 17β-estradiol (E2). e-EDCs can be natural and synthetic compounds and have been detected in food, air, water, and soil.

Estrogenic EDCs are either hormonal estrogens or chemicals which mimic or induce estrogen-like responses in exposed organisms. These compounds depict varying degrees of potency ranging from strongly active compounds to compounds with weak estrogenic activity (Campbell et al. 2006). They are usually less potent compared to E2 with the exception of ethynylestradiol-17β.

Non-estrogenic EDCs can influence hormone metabolism in different ways and still induce estrogenicity. This may occur through antiandrogenic compounds which would indirectly increase...

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  1. Department of Medical Biosciences, Private Bag X17, 7585, Bellville, Cape Province, South Africa

    Johannes Cornelius Swart & Edmund John Pool

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  1. Johannes Cornelius Swart
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  2. Edmund John Pool
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Correspondence to Johannes Cornelius Swart .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Environnements Continentaux (LIEC), Université de Lorraine, Metz, France

    Jean-François Férard

  2. Aquatic Ecosystem Protection Research Division, Water Science and Technology Directorate, Environment Canada, Montréal, QC, Canada

    Christian Blaise

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Swart, J.C., Pool, E.J. (2013). Estrogenic Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals. In: Férard, JF., Blaise, C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Aquatic Ecotoxicology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5704-2_45

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