Many of these substances have been associated with developmental, reproductive and other health problems in wildlife and laboratory animals. Some experts suggest these compounds may affect humans in similar ways. Those that act like estrogen are called environmental estrogens .
Environmental estrogens are the most studied of all the endocrine disruptors.
Natural compounds capable of producing estrogenic responses, such as the phytoestrogens , occur in a variety of plants and fungi. Many synthetic chemicals that also mimic estrogen are commercially manufactured for a specific purpose or produced as a byproduct. Exposure to these substances occurs throughout our lives from food, air, water, soil, household products and probably through breast milk and during development in our mother's womb. The human health risks that may be associated with these low-level yet constant exposures are still largely unknown and highly controversial. An update on estrogenic environmental pollutants.