Hormonal Chaos: The Scientific and Social Origins of the Environmental Endocrine Hypothesis (review)

Hormonal Chaos: The Scientific and Social Origins of the Environmental Endocrine Hypothesis, by Sheldon Krimsky. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000. 284 pp. $35.95 (hardcover).

What do increased risk of declining sperm quality, breast cancer, and cognitive impairment all have in common? All have been linked to the environmental endocrine hypothesis. This hypothesis "asserts that a diverse group of industrial and agricultural chemicals in contact with humans and wildlife have the capacity to mimic or obstruct hormone function ..." (p. 2). Central to this hypothesis is the concept that such chemicals do not act simply as foreign material, but instead provide new instructions that interfere with normal developmental processes. The environmental endocrine hypothesis thus expands our understanding of potential chemical effects on human biology beyond conventional models of toxic and carcinogenic effects. The hypothesis, still controversial and not universally accepted, has obvious implications for public policy, particularly in the realm of industrial regulation and environmental law.

Hormonal Chaos focuses on the history of the development of the environmental endocrine hypothesis, both scientific and social. This hypothesis is discussed in the context of a thorough and fascinating discussion of public policy. Since my prior knowledge of this hypothesis, in addition to general knowledge of endocrinology and public policy, was next to nothing, I judged this book largely on its ability to inform the relatively uneducated citizen (me) about a wide variety of matters.

The book consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 ("Scientific Developments") reviews the evolution of the environmental endocrine hypothesis, tracing its origins to Rachel Carson's influential book Silent Spring, in which she suggested a relationship between hormone levels and biological outcomes. The chapter then discusses later work implicating the potential hormone-disrupting and hormone-mimicking actions of synthetic substances. An important event was the work of Theo Colborn, who linked observations from wildlife studies to the potential for human health. The remainder of the chapter provides a detailed history of various workshops dealing with suggested links between synthetic substances and male infertility, breast cancer, and neurophysiology.

Chapter 2 ("The Emergence of a Public Hypothesis") describes growing public and scientific interest in the environmental endocrine hypothesis, focusing on legislative investigations, media coverage, and the role of nongovernmental organizations. Special attention is also given to the role of the Internet in disseminating information (and misinformation). This chapter provides a nice example of how science does not operate in a vacuum, but interacts constantly with the wider social world. One key event is the publication of Our Stolen Future, a popular book written by Colborn outlining the evidence in support of the environmental endocrine hypothesis. The impact of this book on policy and policymakers is clear from the fact that the foreword was written by Vice President Albert Gore. The media response to the book is next described. Until then, media coverage of the suggested diverse impact of endocrine disruptors tended to be independent, but the publication of Our Stolen Future provided an integrated concept that "forced journalists and their editors to consider, within a single concept, chemicals that affect animals and humans through any process mediated by hormone modification." (p. 104). Krimsky suggests that this integrated coverage had the effect of magnifying the overall impact of such stories, and thus created even greater response.

Chapter 3 ("Uncertainty, Values, and Scientific Responsibility") treats a number of issues pertaining to scientific research in general, and the environmental endocrine hypothesis specifically. The first part of the chapter discusses the nature of scientific investigation, moving on to scientific debate over the supporting evidence for the environmental endocrine hypothesis. Close attention is given to the scientific reception of this hypothesis in terms of changing ideas and challenges to orthodox thought. The remainder of the chapter focuses on reviews of Our Stolen Future, scientific responsibility and ethical issues, and the reactions from industry. An important component of this chapter is a discussion of the different types of reactions...