3 / 2023-02-24 11:11:25

Health Footprint of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in Consumer

Health footprint,endocrine disrupting chemicals,SVOCs,high-throughput risk screening

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are widely used in consumer products and have been linked to health outcomes with high associated costs. Unfortunately, current methods to evaluate the potential health impacts are insufficient due to the large number and variety of products and chemicals, and the complexity of human exposures. Here, we propose a system-of-systems approach that considers interactions across product, household, and health systems to characterize the health footprint of EDCs associated with use of consumer products. A novel rapid method was developed for measuring EDC emissions from products, providing critical data required to predict their health footprint. Combining emission properties with product databases, stochastic simulations of product use, and mechanistic models, the estimated near-field population exposures to EDCs were consistent with those inferred from biomonitoring data. The health footprint can be substantial, with 64% of the studied chemical-product combinations having carcinogenic disability-adjusted life years higher than the threshold, emphasizing the need to regulate EDCs in products. This approach supports prioritizing EDCs, setting maximum allowable levels in products, evaluating the health and cost benefits of potential substitutes.