Hormone
Disruption
| "...synthetic (human-created) chemicals may be interfering with the hormones that control and regulate growth, health and behavior in wildlife and humans, leading to birth defects, problems of sexual development, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and even mental problems like attention deficit disorder, reduced IQ, and violent behavior." --Peter Montague, Rachel's Environment & Health Weekly #486, 21 March 1996 REF |
Assigned
outside reading
Miller, p. 232
Assigned online reading
1. What is the endocrine system? 2. What is an endocrine disruptor? 3. What are some likely routes of exposure to endocrine disruptors? 4. How do we know that endocrine disruptors are dangerous? 5. Should humans be concerned for their health based on evidence that animals have been affected? 6. Is there direct evidence that humans are susceptible to endocrine disruption? 7. Are children at greater risk from endocrine disruptor exposure? 8. These days don't chemicals have to be safe to be allowed on the market? 9. What can I do to reduce my risk of exposure?
 |
| Endocrine disrupters in the boardroom... |
Video shown in class:
Transcript of Fooling With Nature (entire program) -- may be used to supplement student notes
| "No matter where you live today -- whether in New York City, or on a remote island in the Arctic Ocean, anyone willing to put up the $2,000 for testing will find more than 250 synthetic industrial chemicals in their body." --Peter Montague, Rachel's Environment & Health Weekly #487, 28 March 1996. REF |
Questions to
answer concerning hormone disruption:
1. What is the function of hormones in humans?
2. What is the endocrine system?
3. What is a hormone disruptor? --Name at least four known human endocrine disruptors.
4. In what ways can hormone disruptors enter the human body?
5. What evidence that endocrine disruptors are dangerous exists--
(a) from the Great Lakes?
(b) from Lake Apopka, Florida?
6. What direct evidence is there from the 1950s and 1960s that humans are susceptible to endocrine disruption? (Exemplified by Susan Helmrich in Fooling With Nature)
7. Why, compared to adults, are fetuses and young children at greater risk from endocrine disruptors?
8. What are at least six actions you can take to reduce the risk to yourself (or your fetus or child) of exposure to hormone disruptors?
9. What is rBGH, who makes it, and under what brand name is it sold to dairy farmers?
10. What are the major arguments for and against rBGH milk? What do you conclude concerning the use of rBGH milk?
11. What is the nature of the long battle between Fox-TV management and reporters Steve Wilson and Jane Akre?
Optional Resources concerning Hormone Disruption
Thomas Detwyler maintains this page (tdetwyle@uwsp.edu)
Last updated 8 June 2001