APES Unit 8.3 (Endocrine Disruptors

Endocrine Disruptor

Chemical that interfere with the endocrine (hormone) systems of animals

Effects of Endocrine Disruptors

Bind to cellular receptors meant for hormones, blocking the hormone from being received, or amplifying its effects

Disruptors

Atrazine

DDT

Pthalates

Heavy Metals (Lead, Arsenic, Mercury)

Human Medications or urine flushed down the toilet and into the sewage

Atrazine

Broad-spectrum herbicide use to control weeds & prevent crop loss

• Applied to

• Can contaminate human well-water, or enter body via unwashed produce

Where is Atrazine applied and where does it run off?

Agriculture fields and runs off into local surface or groundwater or is carried by wind

What does Atrazine contaminate?

Contaminates human well-water, or enter body via unwashed produce

DDT

A broad-spectrum insecticide that was phased out, but still persists in environment

Where is DDT applied and where does it run off?

Applied to agricultural fields, runs off into local surface or groundwater or is carried by wind

Phthalates

Compounds used in plastic and cosmetic manufacturing

Where does Phthalate come from?

Enter surface & groundwater via intentional dumping of trash, or chemical waste from plastic/cosmetic factories improperly disposing of waste, landfill leaching; also found in. cosmetics and plastic food containers (#3 plastic and fragrance)

Mercury

Coal combustion, trash incineration, burning medical waste, heating limestone for cement

Attachment and Release of Mercury

Attaches to PM released by burning & deposits in soil/water wherever PM settles; can be released if coal ash stored in ponds overflow & runoff

Mercury disruptions

Inhibits estrogen & insulin (menstrual cycle & ovulation)

Teratogen can accumulate in the fetus’s brain

Arsenic

Naturally occurring element in rocks underground that can dissolve by drinking water; natural release into groundwater can be worsened by mining

Sources of Arsenic

Formerly in pesticides applied to agricultural fields (can still linger in soil, wood treatment chemicals to prevent rot, coal combustion & ash)

Arsenic Disruptions

Lung, bladder, kidney, glucocorticoid system

Removal of Arsenic

Water Filters

Lead Origins

Found in old paint in homes, old water pipes, and soils contaminated by PM from vehicle exhaust before the lead was phased out of gas in 70s; also released in fly ash of coal combustion

Lead Disruptions

Neurotoxicant - Damages central nervous system, especially in children

Removal of Lead

Water filters

Coal Ash

Can be a source of Mercury, Lead, and Arsenic

Attachment of Coal Ash

Attach to fly ash from smokestacks and be carried by wind, deposited in ecosystems far away

Storage of fly and bottom coal ash

Stored on site in ponds, dug into soil & lined with plastic

Pond leach into groundwater

Contaminating it with Arsenic, Lead, and Mercury

Overflowing Ponds

Runoff into nearby surface waters & agricultural fields