Abstract/Summary

Over recent years, many environmental pollutant chemicals have been shown to possess the ability to interfere in the functioning of the endocrine system and have been termed endocrine disrupting chemicals. These compounds exist in air as volatile or semi-volatile compounds in the gas phase or attached to particulate matter. They include components of plastics (phthalates, bisphenol A), components of consumer goods (parabens, triclosan, alkyl phenols, fragrance compounds, organobromine flame retardants, fluorosurfactants), industrial chemicals (polychlorinated biphenyls), products of combustion (polychlorinated dibenzodioxins/ furans, polyaromatic hydrocarbons), pesticides, herbicides and some metals. This review summarises current knowledge concerning the sources of endocrine disrupting chemicals in air, measurements of levels of endocrine disrupting chemicals in air and the potential for adverse effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals in air on human endocrine health.