Human exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals: assessing the total estrogenic xenobiotic burden

A relationship has been hypothesized between adverse effects on human and wildlife reproductive health and a number of chemical substances capable of altering hormonal homeostasis. A testing system to screen for endocrine activities and the development of appropriate biomarkers of cumulative exposure are required. This article reports the work of our group in the following areas

1. (i) the identification of chemical agents with estrogenic hormonal activity,

2. (ii) existing evidence on forms and sources of human exposure, and

3. (iii) developing a methodology to assess the total estrogenic burden, defined as the estrogenic activity in a bioassay of human samples from which ovarian estrogens have been previously eliminated.