Table 1.

Summary of Common EDCs and their Histories, Uses, Sources and Effects^*

EDC	General chemical structure	Group	Introduction date	Restrictions	Route of exposure	Sources	Half-life	Effects/animal model notes
Atrazine		Chlorotriazine herbicide	1959	European Union ban 2004	Ingestion, inhalation	Pesticide/herbicide, water and soil contaminant	10–12 hours	Endocrine, respiratory and nervous system targets, liver damage
BPA		Bisphenols	1960s	Varies by country. In the United States, voluntarily restricted in baby products 2012	Ingestion, inhalation, dermal absorption	Polycarbonate plastics, epoxy resins, plastic toys and bottles, lining of food cans	4–5 hours	Estrogenic, obesogenic, neurological effects, reproductive and developmental effects
DDT		Organochloride	1940s	Widely banned 1972 but still used in some countries.	Ingestion, inhalation, dermal absorption	Contaminated water, soil crops, fish	6–10 years	Estrogenic, anti-androgenic, reproductive effects, carcinogen, central nervous system, kidney, liver and peripheral nervous system effects
DES		Non-steroidal synthetic estrogen	1941–1947	Restricted 1971–1975	Ingestion, injection, vaginal suppository	Pharmaceutical for humans and livestock	2–3 days	Transplacental carcinogen, teratogen
PCBs		Organochloride	1927	Banned 1979	Ingestion, inhalation, dermal absorption	Contaminated air and food, skin contact with old electrical equipment	12 days to 16 years	Carcinogen, stomach and liver damage, reproductive and nervous system effects including IQ loss, thyroid injury
Phthalates		Plasticizers	1920s	Restricted 2009	Ingestion, inhalation, dermal absorption	Contaminated food, PVC plastics and flooring, personal care products, fragrance, medical devices and tubing	~12 hours	Antiandrogenic activity, carcinogen, liver damage, reproductive and developmental effects, asthma, obesogen, possible neuroendocrine disruptor; Rat testis is vulnerable, mouse and human fetal testis xenografts are not.
PFOA		Fluorosurfactant	1940s	United States 2015 voluntary production restriction	Ingestion, inhalation	Contaminated food and water, dust, floor waxes, fire fighting foam, electrical wiring, lining of food wrappers, stain resistant carpeting	2–4 years	Liver, developmental, and immune system toxicant, carcinogen; Rats an inappropriate model
TCDD		Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin	Synthesized 1872		Ingestion, inhalation	By-product of chlorinated herbicide production, smelting, chlorine bleaching of paper; can be naturally occurring	7–11 years	Liver damage, weight loss, atrophy of thymus gland, immunosuppression, reproductive effects and cancer; susceptibility varies widely across species and strains
Vinclozolin		Dicarboximide fungicide	1981		Ingestion, inhalation, dermal absorption	Diet and occupational	Aerobic soil 28 days, plasma 20 hours	Antiandrogenic activity, male reproductive and neurological effects, transgenerational reproductive effects, potential carcinogen

BPA=bisphenol A; DDT=dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane; DES=diethylstilbestrol; MXC=methoxychlor; PCBs=polychlorinated biphenyls; PFOA=perfluorooctanoic acid; TCDD= 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzodioxin

^*Adapted from Gore, A. C. et al. EDC-2: The Endocrine Society's Second Scientific Statement on Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals. Endocr. Rev. 36, E1-E150, doi:10.1210/er.2015-1010 (2015).