Chemically Induced Endocrine Disruption Still Concerns Great Lakes Commission

Abstract

In the past three years, more and more attention has been given to the question: Do toxic chemicals at levels found in the environment disrupt the endocrine (hormone) system and thus harm human health? This question was the primary issue addressed by the biennial meeting of the International Joint Commission (IJC) held in Duluth, Minn., in late September. IJC is a U.S.-Canadian group that oversees implementation of the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, first signed in 1978. In 1992, IJC called for the gradual phaseout of use of chlorine as an industrial feedstock primarily because the group thinks that many persistent chlorinated organics can, at levels found in the environment, cause endocrine disruption in humans and wildlife. Those concerns were not allayed by speakers at last month's meeting. Helen B. Daly, director of the Center for Neurobehavioral Effects of Environmental Toxins at the State University of New York, Oswego, reported on her study of about ...