This is a research project that the Public Lab Toxics and Health working group is kicking off over the next couple of months. We are collaborating with Joan Ruderman from Harvard University and Gary Wessel from Brown University. Research on the project is sited at a lab at Brown. We would love to have any public laboratory people help us out in this research process, email the public lab list if you're interested in joining in!

[[http://publiclaboratory.org/tool/home-testing-endocrine-disruptors|Home Testing for Endocrine Disruptors]]

We are currently doing background readings on the human and environmental health impacts of environmental estrogens. Here is our reading list so far.

Excellent Place to Start in learning about this issue: http://e.hormone.tulane.edu/learning/estrogens.html

General literature on well characterized common environmental estrogens:

Soto, A.M., C. Sonnenschein, K.L. Chung, M.F. Fernandez, N. Olea, and F.O. Serrano. 1995. The E-SCREEN assay as a tool to identify estrogens: an update on estrogenic environmental pollutants. Environ Health Perspect. 103 Suppl 7: 113-22.

Kojima, H., E. Katsura, S. Takeuchi, K. Niiyama, and K. Kobayashi. 2004. Screening for estrogen and androgen receptor activities in 200 pesticides by in vitro reporter gene assays using Chinese hamster ovary cells. Environ Health Perspect. 112(5): 524-31.

Fenton, S.E. 2006. Endocrine-disrupting compounds and mammary gland development: early exposure and later life consequences. Endocrinology. 147(6 Suppl): S18-24.

Richter, C.A., L.S. Birnbaum, F. Farabollini, R.R. Newbold, B.S. Rubin, C.E. Talsness, J.G. Vandenbergh, D.R. Walser-Kuntz, and F.S. vom Saal. 2007. In vivo effects of bisphenol A in laboratory rodent studies. Reprod Toxicol. 24(2): 199-224.

Bonefeld-Jorgensen, E.C., M. Long, M.V. Hofmeister, and A.M. Vinggaard. 2007. Endocrine-disrupting potential of bisphenol A, bisphenol A dimethacrylate, 4-n-nonylphenol, and 4-n-octylphenol in vitro: new data and a brief review. Environ Health Perspect. 115 Suppl 1: 69-76.

Fan, W., T. Yanase, H. Morinaga, S. Gondo, T. Okabe, M. Nomura, T.B. Hayes, R. Takayanagi, and H. Nawata. 2007. Herbicide atrazine activates SF-1 by direct affinity and concomitant co-activators recruitments to induce aromatase expression via promoter II. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 355(4): 1012-8.

Suzawa, M. and H.A. Ingraham. 2008. The herbicide atrazine activates endocrine gene networks via non-steroidal NR5A nuclear receptors in fish and mammalian cells. PLoS ONE. 3(5): e2117.

Crain, D.A., S.J. Janssen, T.M. Edwards, J. Heindel, S.M. Ho, P. Hunt, T. Iguchi, A. Juul, J.A. McLachlan, J. Schwartz, N. Skakkebaek, A.M. Soto, S. Swan, C. Walker, T.K. Woodruff, T.J. Woodruff, L.C. Giudice, and L.J. Guillette, Jr. 2008. Female reproductive disorders: the roles of endocrine-disrupting compounds and developmental timing. Fertil Steril. 90(4): 911-40.

Tiemann, U. 2008. In vivo and in vitro effects of the organochlorine pesticides DDT, TCPM, methoxychlor, and lindane on the female reproductive tract of mammals: a review. Reprod Toxicol. 25(3): 316-26.

Ghisari, M. and E.C. Bonefeld-Jorgensen. 2009. Effects of plasticizers and their mixtures on estrogen Receptor and thyroid hormone functions. Toxicol Lett.

Silva, E., M. Scholze, and A. Kortenkamp. 2007. Activity of xenoestrogens at nanomolar concentrations in the E-Screen assay. Environ Health Perspect. 115 Suppl 1: 91-7.

Environmental Estrogens in Water:

Wagner, M. and Oehlmann, J. 2009. Endocrine disruptors in bottled mineral water: total estrogenic burden and migration from plastic bottles. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. Epub date 2009/03/11.

Soto, A.M., H. Justicia, J.W. Wray, and C. Sonnenschein. 1991. p-Nonyl-phenol: an estrogenic xenobiotic released from "modified" polystyrene. Environ Health Perspect. 92: 167-73.

Krishnan, A.V., P. Stathis, S.F. Permuth, L. Tokes, and D. Feldman. 1993. Bisphenol-A: an estrogenic substance is released from polycarbonate flasks during autoclaving. Endocrinology. 132(6): 2279-86.

Kolpin, D.W. et al. 2002. Pharmaceuticals, hormones, and other organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. Streams, 1999-2000: a national reconnaissance. Environmental science & technology 36(6): 1202-1211.

Barnes, K.K. et al. 2008. A national reconnaissance of pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater contaminants in the United States (I) Groundwater. Sci Total Environ 402: 191-200.

Focazio, M.J., et al. 2008. A national reconnaissance for pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater contaminants in the United States (II) Untreated drinking water sources. Sci Total Environ 402(2-3): 201-216.

Benotti, M.J. et al. 2009. Pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds in U.S. Drinking water. Environmental science & technology 43(3): 597-603.

Guenther, K., Heinke, V., Thiele, B., Kleist, E., Prast, H., and Raecker, T. 2002. Endocrine disrupting nonylphenols are ubiquitous in food. Environmental science & technology 36(8): 1676-1680.

Berryman, D., F. Houde, C. DeBlois, and M. O'Shea. 2004. Nonylphenolic compounds in drinking and surface waters downstream of treated textile and pulp and paper effluents: a survey and preliminary assessment of their potential effects on public health and aquatic life. Chemosphere. 56(3): 247-55.

Lavado R, Loyo-Rosales JE, Floyd E, Kolodziej EP, Snyder SA, Sedlak DL, Schlenk D. 2009. Site-Specific Profiles of Estrogenic Activity in Agricultural Areas of California's Inland Waters. Environ Sci Technol. 2009 Dec 15;43(24):9110-6.

Literature in History, Science Studies and Gender Studies on Hormonally active chemicals in the environment:

Roberts, Jody A., and Langston, Nancy (eds). Toxic bodies/toxic environments: an interdisciplinary forum. Environmental History Issue 13 No 4 (October 2008).

Krimsky, Sheldon. 2000. Hormonal Chaos. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press

Vogel, Sarah. 2008. Battles Over Bisphenol A http://www.defendingscience.org/case_studies/Battles-Over-Bisphenol-A.cfm

Vogel, Sarah. 2008. From the Dose Makes the Poison to ‘The Timing Makes the Poison’: Conceptualizing Risk in the Synthetic Age. Environmental History 13 (October): 667-673.

Landecker, Hannah, In prep. “Epigenetics and the Experimental Formalization of the Environment”

Langston, Nancy. 2010. Toxic Bodies: Endocrine Disruptors and the Lessons of History. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Nash, Linda. 2006. Inescapable Ecologies: A history of Environment, Disease and Knowledge. Berkeley: University of California.

Murphy, Michelle. 2006. Sick Building Syndrome and the Problem of Uncertainty: Environmental Science, Technoscience and Women Workers. Durham: Duke University Press.

Literature on tests for endocrine disrupters:

Combes, R.D., 2000. Endocrine disruptors: A critical review of in vitro and in vivo testing strategies for assessing their toxic hazard to humans. ATLA 28, 81–118.

ECETOC, 1996. ECETOC Monograph No. 33. Environmental Oestrogens — A Compendium of Test Methods. ECETOC, Brussels.

Original Paper on YESassay:

Arnold SF, Robinson MK, Notides AC, Guillette LJ Jr, McLachlan JA. A yeast estrogen screen for examining the relative exposure of cells to natural and xenoestrogens. Environ Health Perspect 104:544-548 (1996).

Literature on role of estrogen:

Couse, J.F. and K.S. Korach. 1999. Estrogen receptor null mice: what have we learned and where will they lead us? Endocr Rev. 20(3): 358-417.

McDevitt, M.A., C. Glidewell-Kenney, M.A. Jimenez, P.C. Ahearn, J. Weiss, J.L. Jameson, and J.E. Levine. 2008. New insights into the classical and non-classical actions of estrogen: evidence from estrogen receptor knock-out and knock-in mice. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 290(1-2): 24-30.

Harada, N., T. Wakatsuki, N. Aste, N. Yoshimura, and S.I. Honda. 2009. Functional analysis of neurosteroidal oestrogen using gene-disrupted and transgenic mice. J Neuroendocrinol. 21(4): 365-9.

Simpson, E.R., M. Misso, K.N. Hewitt, R.A. Hill, W.C. Boon, M.E. Jones, A. Kovacic, J. Zhou, and C.D. Clyne. 2005. Estrogen--the good, the bad, and the unexpected. Endocr Rev. 26(3): 322-30.

Garcia-Segura, L.M. 2008. Aromatase in the brain: not just for reproduction anymore. J Neuroendocrinol. 20(6): 705-12. McEwen, B.S. 2001. Invited review: Estrogens effects on the brain: multiple sites and molecular mechanisms. J Appl Physiol. 91(6): 2785-801.

Human health problems associated with environmental estrogens:

Wetherill, Y.B., J.K. Hess-Wilson, C.E. Comstock, S.A. Shah, C.R. Buncher, L. Sallans, P.A. Limbach, S. Schwemberger, G.F. Babcock, and K.E. Knudsen. 2006. Bisphenol A facilitates bypass of androgen ablation therapy in prostate cancer. Mol Cancer Ther. 5(12): 3181-90.

Ghisari, M. and E.C. Bonefeld-Jorgensen, 2009. Effects of plasticizers and their mixtures on estrogen Receptor and thyroid hormone functions. Toxicol Lett.

Richter, C.A., L.S. Birnbaum, F. Farabollini, R.R. Newbold, B.S. Rubin, C.E. Talsness, J.G. Vandenbergh, D.R. Walser-Kuntz, and F.S. vom Saal. 2007. In vivo effects of bisphenol A in laboratory rodent studies. Reprod Toxicol. 24(2): 199-224.

Maffini, MV. et al. 2006. Endocrine disruptors and reproductive health: the case of bisphenol-A, Mol Cell Endocrinol 254-255: 179-66.

Lang, I.A., T.S. Galloway, A. Scarlett, W.E. Henley, M. Depledge, R.B. Wallace, and D. Melzer. 2008. Association of urinary bisphenol A concentration with medical disorders and laboratory abnormalities in adults. JAMA. 300(11): 1303-10.

Hugo, E.R., T.D. Brandebourg, J.G. Woo, J. Loftus, J.W. Alexander, and N. Ben-Jonathan. 2008. Bisphenol A at environmentally relevant doses inhibits adiponectin release from human adipose tissue explants and adipocytes. Environ Health Perspect. 116(12): 1642-7.

NTP. 2008. NTP-CERHR Monograph on the Potential Human Reproductive and Developmental Effects of Bisphenol A. NTP CERHR MON. (22): i-III1.

vom Saal, F.S., B.T. Akingbemi, S.M. Belcher, L.S. Birnbaum, D.A. Crain, M. Eriksen, F. Farabollini, L.J. Guillette, Jr., R. Hauser, J.J. Heindel, S.M. Ho, P.A. Hunt, T. Iguchi, S. Jobling, J. Kanno, R.A. Keri, K.E. Knudsen, H. Laufer, G.A. LeBlanc, M. Marcus, J.A. McLachlan, J.P. Myers, A. Nadal, R.R. Newbold, N. Olea, G.S. Prins, C.A. Richter, B.S. Rubin, C. Sonnenschein, A.M. Soto, C.E. Talsness, J.G. Vandenbergh, L.N. Vandenberg, D.R. Walser-Kuntz, C.S. Watson, W.V. Welshons, Y. Wetherill, and R.T. Zoeller. 2007. Chapel Hill bisphenol A expert panel consensus statement: integration of mechanisms, effects in animals and potential to impact human health at current levels of exposure. Reprod Toxicol. 24(2): 131-8.

Howdeshell, K.L., A.K. Hotchkiss, K.A. Thayer, J.G. Vandenbergh, and F.S. vom Saal. 1999. Exposure to bisphenol A advances puberty. Nature. 401(6755): 763-4.

Vandenberg, L.N., M.V. Maffini, P.R. Wadia, C. Sonnenschein, B.S. Rubin, and A.M. Soto. 2007. Exposure to environmentally relevant doses of the xenoestrogen bisphenol-A alters development of the fetal mouse mammary gland. Endocrinology. 148(1): 116-27.

Timms, B.G., K.L. Howdeshell, L. Barton, S. Bradley, C.A. Richter, and F.S. vom Saal. 2005. Estrogenic chemicals in plastic and oral contraceptives disrupt development of the fetal mouse prostate and urethra. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 102(19): 7014-9.

Axmon, A., L. Rylander, U. Stromberg, and L. Hagmar. 2004. Altered menstrual cycles in women with a high dietary intake of persistent organochlorine compounds. Chemosphere. 56(8): 813-9. Prins, G.S. 2008. Endocrine disruptors and prostate cancer risk. Endocr Relat Cancer. 15(3): 649-56.

McPherson, S.J., S.J. Ellem, and G.P. Risbridger. 2008. Estrogen-regulated development and differentiation of the prostate. Differentiation. 76(6): 660-70.

Palmer, J.R., L.A. Wise, E.E. Hatch, R. Troisi, L. Titus-Ernstoff, W. Strohsnitter, R. Kaufman, A.L. Herbst, K.L. Noller, M. Hyer, and R.N. Hoover, (2006) Prenatal diethylstilbestrol exposure and risk of breast cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 15(8): 1509-14.

Murray, T.J., M.V. Maffini, A.A. Ucci, C. Sonnenschein, and A.M. Soto, (2007) Induction of mammary gland ductal hyperplasias and carcinoma in situ following fetal bisphenol A exposure. Reprod Toxicol. 23(3): 383-90.

Newbold RR, Padilla-Banks E, Jefferson WN. 2009. Environmental estrogens and obesity. Mol Cell Endocrinol. May 25;304(1-2):84-9. Epub 2009 Mar 9.

Environmental estrogens can activate the estrogen receptor:

Kojima, H., E. Katsura, S. Takeuchi, K. Niiyama, and K. Kobayashi. 2004. Screening for estrogen and androgen receptor activities in 200 pesticides by in vitro reporter gene assays using Chinese hamster ovary cells. Environ Health Perspect. 112(5): 524-31.

Silva, E., M. Scholze, and A. Kortenkamp. 2007. Activity of xenoestrogens at nanomolar concentrations in the E-Screen assay. Environ Health Perspect. 115 Suppl 1: 91-7. Takeuchi, S., M. Iida, S. Kobayashi, K. Jin, T. Matsuda, and H. Kojima. 2005. Differential effects of phthalate esters on transcriptional activities via human estrogen receptors alpha and beta, and androgen receptor. Toxicology. 210(2-3): 223-33.

Ubiquity of exposure to Environmental estrogens:

Calafat AM, et al. 2005. Urinary concentrations of bisphenol A and 4-nonylphenol in a human reference population, Environ Health Perspect 113, no. 4: 391-5

Calafat, AM, et al. 2008. Exposure of the US population to bisphenol A and 4-tertiary- octylphenol: 2003-2004, Environ Health Perspect 116, no. 1: 39-44.

Duty, S.M., Ackerman, R.M., Calafat, A.M., and Hauser, R. 2005. Personal care product use predicts urinary concentrations of some phthalate monoesters. Environ Health Perspect 113(11): 1530-1535.

Guenther, K., Heinke, V., Thiele, B., Kleist, E., Prast, H., and Raecker, T. 2002. Endocrine disrupting nonylphenols are ubiquitous in food. Environmental science & technology 36(8): 1676-1680.

Runoff and contamination of water by environmental estrogens:

Paul, C., S.M. Rhind, C.E. Kyle, H. Scott, C. McKinnell, and R.M. Sharpe. 2005. Cellular and hormonal disruption of fetal testis development in sheep reared on pasture treated with sewage sludge. Environ Health Perspect. 113(11): 1580-7.

Lind, P.M., M. Gustafsson, S.A. Hermsen, S. Larsson, C.E. Kyle, J. Orberg, and S.M. Rhind. 2009. Exposure to pastures fertilised with sewage sludge disrupts bone tissue homeostasis in sheep. Sci Total Environ. 407(7): 2200-8.

1. Kidd, K.A., P.J. Blanchfield, K.H. Mills, V.P. Palace, R.E. Evans, J.M. Lazorchak, and R.W. Flick. 2007. Collapse of a fish population after exposure to a synthetic estrogen. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 104(21): 8897-901.

Environmental Estrogens in consumer products:

Barrett JR. 2005. The ugly side of beauty products. Environ Health Perspect. Jan;113(1):A24.

Wagner, M. and Oehlmann, J. 2009. Endocrine disruptors in bottled mineral water: total estrogenic burden and migration from plastic bottles. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. Epub date 2009/03/11.

Soto, A.M., H. Justicia, J.W. Wray, and C. Sonnenschein. 1991. p-Nonyl-phenol: an estrogenic xenobiotic released from "modified" polystyrene. Environ Health Perspect. 92: 167-73.

Krishnan, A.V., P. Stathis, S.F. Permuth, L. Tokes, and D. Feldman. 1993. Bisphenol-A: an estrogenic substance is released from polycarbonate flasks during autoclaving. Endocrinology. 132(6): 2279-86.

Guenther, K., Heinke, V., Thiele, B., Kleist, E., Prast, H., and Raecker, T. 2002. Endocrine disrupting nonylphenols are ubiquitous in food. Environmental science & technology 36(8): 1676-1680.

Duty, S.M., Ackerman, R.M., Calafat, A.M., and Hauser, R. 2005. Personal care product use predicts urinary concentrations of some phthalate monoesters. Environ Health Perspect 113(11): 1530-1535.

Bioluminescent yeast estrogen screen or BLYES which requires a luminometer

John, S. Eldridge, M. Layton, A. Easter, J. Yarbrough, J. Schultz, T and Sayler, G. 2009. Screening of Potentially Hormonally Active Chemicals Using Bioluminescent Yeast Bioreporters. Toxicological Sciences 107(1), 122–134

Sanseverino, J. Gupta, K. Layton, A. Patterson,S. Ripp,S. Saidak,L. Simpson,M. Schultz,TW. and Sayler, G. 2005. Use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae BLYES Expressing Bacterial Bioluminescence for Rapid, Sensitive Detection of Estrogenic Compounds. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Aug., p. 4455–4460 Vol. 71, No. 8

Literature on importance of local and community knowledge in recognition of toxic effect prior to scientific research:

Allen, Barbara. 2003. Uneasy Alchemy Citizens and Experts in Louisiana's Chemical Corridor Disputes. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Antonetta, Susanne. 2002. Body Toxic: An Environmental Memoir. Berkeley: Counterpoint.

Murphy, Michelle. 2004. “Uncertain Exposures and the Privilege of Imperception: Activist Scientists and Race at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency” Osiris, 2nd Series Vol. 19, Landscapes of Exposure: Knowledge and Illness in Modern Environments.

Murphy, Michelle. 2006. Sick Building Syndrome and the Problem of Uncertainty: Environmental Science, Technoscience and Women Workers. Durham: Duke University Press.

Nash, Linda. 2004. “The Fruits of Ill-Health: Pesticides and Workers' Bodies in Post-World War II California” Osiris, 2nd Series, Vol. 19, Landscapes of Exposure: Knowledge and Illness in Modern Environments.

Nash, Linda. 2006. Inescapable Ecologies: A history of Environment, Disease and Knowledge. Berkeley: University of California.

Sawyer, Susan. 2004. Crude Chronicles Indigenous, Politics, Multinational oil, and Neoliberalism in Ecuador. Durham: Duke University Press

Literature on Street Science and Environmental Justice. There is an extensive literature on environmental justice, I have picked academic work that relate to the intersection of environment justice and Science Studies.

Sellers, Christopher C. 1997 Hazards of the Job: From Industrial Disease to Environmental Health Science. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Allen, Barbara. 2003. Uneasy Alchemy Citizens and Experts in Louisiana's Chemical Corridor Disputes. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Corburn, Jason. 2005. Street Science Community Knowledge and Environmental Health Justice. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Murphy, Michelle. 2006. Sick Building Syndrome and the Problem of Uncertainty: Environmental Science, Technoscience and Women Workers. Durham: Duke University Press.

Sample of literature Using the YESassay: The YESassay was developed in 1996 and has been evaluated in numerous studies such as:

Schultz, T. W., D. H. Kraut, G. S. Sayler, and A. C. Layton. 1998. Estrogenicity of selected biphenyls evaluated using a recombinant yeast assay. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 17:1727-1729.

Schultz, T. W. 2002. Estrogenicity of biphenylols: activity in the yeast gene activation assay. Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 68:332–338.

Schultz, T. W., G. D. Sinks, and M. T. D. Cronin. 2002. Structure-activity relationships for gene activation oestrogenicity: evaluation of a diverse set of aromatic compounds. Environ. Toxicol.17:14–23.

YESassay on water sources: Raman, D. R., E. L. Williams, A. C. Layton, R. T. Burns, J. P. Easter, A. S. Daugherty, M. D. Mullen, and G. S. Sayler. 2004. Estrogens content of dairy waste and swine wastes. Environ. Sci. Technol. 38:3567–3573.

Layton, A. C., B. W. Gregory, J. R. Seward, T. W. Schultz, and G. S. Sayler. 2000. Mineralization of steroidal hormones by biosolids in wastewater treatment systems in Tennessee, USA. Environ. Sci. Technol. 34:3925–3931.

Other important resources: Theo Colborn's The Endocrine Disruption Exchange: http://www.endocrinedisruption.com/chemicals.spreadsheets.php

Colborn was the first to propose the endocrine disruption hypothesis and held the first conference on endocrine disruptors as described in these sources: Colborn, Theo, Dianne Dumanoski and John Myers. 1997. Our Stolen Future. New York: Penguin. National Research Council. 1999. Hormonally Active Agents in the Environment. Washington D.C.:National Academies Press Krimsky, Sheldon: Hormonal Chaos. 2000. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.