Endocrine disrupting chemicals vs longevity in the COVID-19 era: Public health implications

Abstract

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are a controversial topic within scientific, regulatory, socio-economic, and public health circles. Nonetheless, every community's physical environment is currently under siege from various EDCs, many of which are still unknown. EDCs affect the normal function of the endocrine, neurological, and immune systems, consequently diminishing successful development, reproductive adulthood, and decreasing survival. Beyond any doubt, adverse effects of EDCs are a consequence of multiple everyday exposures to hundreds of chemicals in unknown environmental doses such as pesticides, insecticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, brominated flame retardants, and parabens. Considering that thousands of other known endocrine disruptors fly under the radar of scientific and medical communities due to existing methodological pitfalls, the situation is quite precarious. In 2012, the World Health Organization published a report emphasizing that EDCs are a major and emerging global public health threat. The combined power of informed consumers, industry innovations, and government regulations is the driving force in this fight. Therefore, research advancements, public health infrastructure, and environmental protection agencies are the fundamental pillars in combating the ever-growing issue of EDCs.