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,
Endocrine disruptor thyroid function early in development may be the cause of abnormal sexual development in both males and females early motor development impairment, and learning disabilities. There are studies of cell cultures, laboratory animals, wildlife, and accidentally exposed humans that show that environmental chemicals cause a wide range of reproductive, developmental, growth, and behavior effects, and so while "endocrine disruption in humans by pollutant chemicals remains largely undemonstrated, the underlying science is sound and the potential for such effects is real." While compounds that produce estrogenic, androgenic, antiandrogenic, and antithyroid actions have been studied, less is known about interactions with other