Endocrine Disruptive Chemicals: Nonylphenol and Bisphenol A

The improvement of technology and science has facilitated human, but these brought various negative effects. The chemicals that exist in the environment affects the vitality negatively. These compounds are such as food additives, cosmetics and medicines used in industry, pesticides, herbicides, cigarette smoke and alcohols. The possible negative effects of pollutants on the health of living beings are increasing. These especially affect the endocrine system of living things. Endocrine disrupting chemical compounds are nonylphenol (NP) and bisphenol A (BPA) which are most commonly used in the industry. These degradable materials are removed at the treatment facility, but reduced concentrations of them are given to rivers and streams. In this way, they participate in the biological cycle and stored by the biomass. These chemicals are called xenoestrogens, and they have various usage at home and industry. In addition to these, they have great importance as the main component of detergents, soaps and cleaners. Most of them or their decomposition products may be mutagenic, estrogenic, toxic or carcinogenic. In addition, they could block the metabolic activities of estrogen, progesterone, androgen and other hormones by means of adhering to the hormone receptor domain or act as anti-hormonal substances. Therefore, it is important to examine the possible indirect or direct effects of NP and BPA at the molecular level, and it is foreseen as an important research topic