EDCs and the Environment

The 12th Gordon Research Conference on Environmental Endocrine Disruptors will be held at the Jordan Hotel and Conference Center at Sunday River in Newry, Maine on June 19 to June 22, 2022. For over a generation, this GRC set major milestones in the field of environmental endocrine disruptor research, spanning from early proof of evidence of the effects of environmental endocrine disruptors in wildlife and humans to shaping new paradigms, such as the developmental origins of adult disease and low-dose effects. The impacts of environmental endocrine disruptors on the health of the planet, wildlife, and people have become major public concerns in many countries, and ongoing research highlights more than ever the broad range of effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals. Evidence from wildlife and human studies demonstrates effects beyond classical targets, such as reproduction and fertility, including lasting effects on metabolism, development, cognition, behavior, immune system regulation, cardiovascular function, and carcinogenic processes. Our current understanding of environmental endocrine disruptors illustrates the finely tuned and intricately connected nature of the different actors of the endocrine system with a myriad of systems throughout the body. However, the endocrine disrupting potential of chemicals on wildlife, humans, and ecosystems and their underlying mechanisms still are not fully understood. This 2022 edition of the GRC will be framed around five major themes to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest advances in environmental endocrine disruptor research from leading scientists, rising stars, and selected trainee presentations. The conference will cover: (1) the latest evidence for the effects of environmental endocrine disruptors on marine and terrestrial environments; (2) current data on the impacts of environmental endocrine disruptors on human populations; (3) the underlying mechanisms of action of environmental endocrine disruptors; (4) information on emerging exposures, nonclassical environmental endocrine disruptors, and safer alternatives; and (5) the social, political, and cultural determinants of risk assessment at the level of the individual, society and government.