Many of the products we use every day — drinking bottles, cosmetics, furniture, toys — can contain endocrine disruptors, chemicals that affect human health by altering the body’s natural hormones. Pregnancy and fetal development represent an especially sensitive life stage that may be uniquely vulnerable to the effects of endocrine disruptors, and the passage of a major overhaul of the Toxic Substances Control Act — the first such update in 40 years —provided the EPA with new power to review chemical safety and protect biologically vulnerable groups like women and children. What do we know about endocrine disruptors and their impact on reproduction, fertility and pregnancy? How do racial and ethnic differences influence our exposure to these chemicals and their impacts, and how can policymakers work to minimize their proliferation? In this Forum, scientists came together with policy experts to discuss the latest research on endocrine disruptors, risk management and recommendations for regulation decisionmaking.

Part of The Andelot Series on Current Science Controversies.

Presented jointly with The Huffington Post.