WASHINGTON, April 15 (UPI) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it has issued the first list of pesticides to be screened for possibly disrupting the endocrine system.
The federal agency said endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interact with and possibly disrupt the hormones produced or secreted by the human or animal endocrine system, which regulates growth, metabolism and reproduction.
"Endocrine disruptors can cause lifelong health problems -- especially for children," said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. "Gathering this information will help us work with communities and industry to protect Americans from harmful exposure."
Officials said they will issue test orders to the manufacturers of 67 pesticide chemicals this summer to determine whether the chemicals might disrupt the endocrine systems -- estrogen, androgen and thyroid. Testing, the EPA said, will eventually be expanded to cover all pesticide chemicals.
Additional information, including a list of the 67 chemicals, is available at http://www.epa.gov/scipoly/oscpendo.
