Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are everywhere – from plastics to cosmetics – silently affecting our reproductive health. EU-funded researchers are shedding light on the risks and developing better tests to protect future generations.
Professor Majorie van Duursen, a Dutch environmental health expert and toxicologist, has her sights set on improving women’s health. Her principal target? EDCs found everywhere around us, from the air we breathe and the clothes we wear to the products we put on our skin.
Van Duursen, head of the Environmental Health and Toxicology section at the Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment in the Netherlands, is part of a growing chorus of European scientists who believe we must take a closer look at EDCs and their impact on our health.
“We need a deeper understanding of how exactly these chemicals harm the female reproductive system and better tests so that these chemicals can be identified before they find their way into the products we use,” said Van Duursen, who specialises in endocrine toxicology.
