Many industrial pesticides can mimic hormones.
Accumulation of these pesticides in the environment has been linked to the disappearance of male fish from British streams, death of seals in the Northern Sea, reduced genital size in Florida alligators and deformities in frogs. Possible affects in humans include the decreased sperm counts observed in French and Danish men and developmental abnormalities of the female reproductive system. Such affects can be determined in long term studies of populations, says UH Professor Gordon Grau. The challenge is to predict which chemicals will cause untoward affects before they are widely used. UH scientists have developed a bioassay they believe is fast, sensitive and accurate.