Endocrine disruptor to have committed scientific misconduct. Found in many household and industrial products, endocrine disruptors are substances that "interfere with the synthesis, secretion, transport, binding, action, or elimination of natural hormones in the body that are responsible for development, behavior, fertility, and maintenance of homeostasis (normal cell metabolism)." They are sometimes also referred to as hormonally active agents, endocrine disrupting chemicals, or endocrine disrupting compounds. The variety of terms used to describe these substances reflects not only a range of meanings but a range of connotations, with "endocrine disruptor" emphasizing harmful effects, while "hormonally active agent" or "xenohormone" are more neutral,
Obesity and the environment trigger." The theory of environmental obesogens proposes a different causal facet to obesity – that lifetime exposure to xenobiotic chemicals may change the body's metabolic system. Chemical obesogens are molecules that do not properly regulate lipid metabolism in the body and could therefore promote obesity. Data is scarce, but some in-vitro studies have found this model could be an accurate predictor of future obesity. A study suggested that smoking before and during pregnancy, for example, increases the risk of obesity twofold in children of school age. Many chemicals that are known or suspected to be obesogens are endocrine disruptors. These