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Abstract or many years humans have been adding chemicals and pollutants to the environment. Some of these chemicals can alter endocrine function e.g. can alter the synthesis, catabolism and action of natural hormones and their corresponding receptors. These substances are often termed environmental estrogens or “xenoestrogens” or ecoestrogens but are also sometimes referred to as endocrine disruptors or endocrine modulators. Many of these chemicals (which include pesticides, plasticizers, household products and detergents, pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals) are now present in nature. In addition, humans are exposed to these chemicals through the food chain via bioaccumulation. One of the biggest health threats facing humans today is the excess estrogen assault from our environment. Detection of estrogens in the environment has raised concerns in recent years because of their potential to affect both wildlife and humans. In recent years there has been a growing evidence that exposure to chemicals in the environment poses a serious threat to human and animals reproduction via disrupting effects on endocrine function. Despite the fact that these substances are persistent, they may be metabolized into more toxic compounds than the parent molecule in endocrine organs. This endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) adversely affect health and reproduction even at very low concentrations and may exert their effects on the embryo and fetus. An endocrine disrupter is an exogenous substance or mixture that alters function(s) of the endocrine system and consequently causes adverse health effects in an intact organism, or its progeny, or (sub) populations”. There are clearly two requirements for a substance to be defined as an endocrine disrupter, namely that of the demonstration of an adverse effect and of an endocrine disruption mode-of-action. Additionally, the definition implies proof of causality between the observed adverse effect and the endocrine disruption mode-of-action. Environmental exogenous estrogens, otherwise referred to as xenoestrogens or ecoestrogens, are endocrine disruptors, structurally similar to estrogens. Xenoestrogens are clinically significant because they can mimic the effects of endogenous estrogen and thus have been implicated in precocious puberty and other disorders of the reproductive system. Exogenous estrogens can be found in pesticides, flexible plastics, interior lining of canned foods, various cosmetics and numerous other products. Exogenous estrogens are thought to cause many detrimental health effects. EDs are exogenous compounds that interfere with the synthesis, secretion, transport, metabolism, and/or action of endogenous hormones that are responsible for normal homeostasis, reproduction, and development. Chemicals with hormonal activity can be divided into three main groups: (i) synthetic compounds used in industry and agriculture as well as in consumer products, (ii) synthetic compounds used in pharmaceutical drugs, and (iii) natural compounds present in the food chain. This cross-section survey was conducted in Helwan University. This study was carried out randomly on one hundred students 60 female and 40 male. The students were subjected to History taking asking for manifestations of estrogen dominance, we also checked exposure to chemical substances which are commonly used in day to day living and have estrogenic effect. Both General and local examination for the students including measuring the weight, height, waist circumference then calculating BMI, distribution of body fat and breast examination for detecting gynecomastia in males. Blood samples were collected for female students testing 17b Estradiol hormone. For the male students Semen analysis was done. For the female students Pelvic ultrasound was done searching for signs of endocrinal disruption as PCO (poly cystic ovary) or Fibroids. The study results were alarming when we found 40% of semen analyses of the students were poor these data are worrying because ”it has been verified in recognized studies that a concentration lower than 40 million/ml makes conception more difficult. If the rate of loss we have outlines continues, with an average decline in quality of 2% per year, the sperm of young men could reach this danger level of 40 million/ml in a very short space of time.”, and when we found half of the female students experienced early menarch, nearly half of the female students 45% have menstrual irregularities, nearly one third 35% have PCO, third 30 %have fibroid at this young age and when it was founded more than third 37.5% of the male students have gynecomastia, and when it was founded that 73% of the students are above normal weight and we all know all risks associated with weight gain especially when it was founded 59% of the students have abdominal obesity and 56% have multiple health problems of estrogen dominance manifestations all together Despite of normal 17 beta estradiol. All tested manifestations of estrogen dominance present with a high percent we shouldn’t stay still and we are calling the national governmental and nongovernmental organizations to start investigate and direct more research towards this critical environmental and health problem. Students were extensively dealing with sources of ecoestrogen. There is an extensive exposure to environmental estrogen in university environment and its health effects are present heavily and needs urgent attention. This study recommend that much better understanding of the role of chemicals as causal factors of a wider range of endocrine diseases and disorders is needed. As ecoestrogen tend to be released into the environment as mixtures, rather than individual chemicals. Therefore, it is important to understand the effects of simultaneous co exposures to these chemicals, increasing the funding for effects of chemicals as having straightforward health information tools to share this information with patients and for public education in general are recommended. More screening for exposures and targeting at-risk groups is a high priority. Data in Egypt is spars so we need to direct more research to this serious and alarming environmental and health problem. |