Hormone Mimics and their Promise of Significant Otherness

Abstract

Some scientists argue that we face a worldwide reproductive crisis known as ‘endocrine disruption’, a term used to encompass the effects of hormonally active chemicals in our environment. Everyday chemicals such as plastics, pesticides and flame retardants can mimic hormones and thereby disrupt the reproductive, neurological and immunological development of humans and other animals. This surprising discovery is causing consternation in scientific, policy, academic and corporate arenas as they attempt to define, assess and control for this understudied phenomenon. How can the social sciences participate in understanding and solving the problem generated by endocrine disruption? First, there is an early history of endocrine disruption; the development of insect hormone mimics as pesticides, that has yet to be brought to bear in contemporary discussions of endocrine disruption. Second a social science analysis of the mishaps resulting from the 1970s' development of insect hormone mimics as pesticides offers a new way of thinking scientifically about mimesis. Employing the social science insight that mimesis is productive of social change sheds light on how insect hormone mimicking pesticides produced a number of scientific surprises. By analyzing the outcome of using mimesis in the laboratory, this paper participates in the discussion of endocrine disruption by arguing for a re-evaluation of the predominance of laboratory based sciences when dealing with epigenetic phenomena.