Artificial hormones

Your body makes hormones that tell your cells what to do. These natural hormones are chemical messengers that travel through the blood and control how your tissues and organs work.

Sometimes you can get artificial hormones from outside sources, such as drugs or chemicals in the environment. Hormones from outside sources can raise or lower your hormone levels. There is concern that these changes in hormone levels can increase the risk of cancer.

Chemicals and hormones

Recent studies have been focusing on a group of chemicals that can mimic certain human hormones, such as estrogen. These chemicals are called endocrine disruptors. The worry is that endocrine disruptors could change the action of hormones in our bodies and lead to health problems, such as cancer.

Although the evidence linking endocrine disruptors to cancer is generally poor or inconsistent, we are concerned that some flame retardants (PBDEs) and phthalates may increase cancer risk. We continue to watch the ongoing research into these and other endocrine disruptors. At the Society, we support regulations that reduce or eliminate exposures to endocrine disruptors in Canada.

Printed: 12 august 2013

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