The average amount is slightly less than 1 part per trillion for a 140 lb. person. However, a nursing infant may pick up 10 to 20 times that amount from its mother as chemicals in the mother s body find their way to the infant through the milk. Therefore, these environmental endocrine disruptors can accumulate at a higher level in each succeeding generation. It throws that hormone out of balance with others resulting in a change of function or sometimes a health problem. Other contaminants block binding sites so that hormones are unable to bind thus creating abnormal cell activity.
Some contaminants induce the creation of extra cell receptor sites.
The consequence can be a magnification of the impact of the hormones on cell activity. Contaminants can interact with natural hormones thus altering cell activity. The natural pattern of hormone synthesis can be disrupted resulting in an improper balance or quantity of circulating hormones. Generally, the offspring of exposed adults are the most vulnerable. Thus, each generation may have more problems.