Overview

There is increasing concern in the media, among politicians and within environmental organizations, about the effects of chemicals in our environment that affect the endocrine systems of wildlife and humans. At its simplest these are referred to as ""gender-bending"" chemicals or ""environmental estrogens"". The chemicals in question (pesticides, PCBs, plasticizers, petrochemicals, and a variety of industrial chemicals) have been known to decrease human sperm counts, cause fish to ""change sex"", and increase male genital abnormalities. A great deal of pressure has been placed on environmental protection agencies to devise regulatory tests for the effects of these chemicals and to require limitations on their manufacture and release. Fish are increasingly recognized as an excellent model for such tests, in that the aquatic environment may provide early warnings of the effects that these chemicals will have on human health. In addition, the large number of eggs which fish produce provides an excellent model to examine the effects on female fertility. The text provides a simple yet extensive background to the field of fish endocrinology in order to assist those toxicologists who have a limited background in either mammalian or fish endocrinology. It shows that environmental estrogens do not simply affect male reproductive potential, but that they may equally well affect the female. It is possible that these chemicals may have a complex effect on the brain, hypothalamus, pituitary, gonad and liver of both sexes. There are many other chemicals which affect both the gonads and other parts of the endocrine system to cause decreased fertility, abnormal sexual differentiation and behaviour, decreased response to stress, immune deficiency or altered basal metabolism. Many thousands of man-made chemicals are released into the environment, but very few have been tested for endocrine disrupting activity. This book covers only the minute fraction for which evidence has been collected.

Full Product Details

Author:   David E. Kime
Publisher:   Kluwer Academic Publishers
Imprint:   Kluwer Academic Publishers
Edition:   1998 ed.
Dimensions:   Width: 15.50cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 23.50cm
Weight:   1.690kg
ISBN:  

9780792383284

ISBN 10:   0792383281
Pages:   396
Publication Date:   31 October 1998
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction.- 1.1 Environmental Pollution.- 1.2 Endocrine Disruption.- 1.3 The Need for Biomonitors.- 1.4 Why Use Fish as Biomonitors?.- 2. Sources of Aquatic Pollution.- 2.1 The Origin of Pollutants.- 2.2 Types of Pollutant.- 3. Bioconcentration in Fish Tissue.- 3.1 Introduction.- 3.2 Tissue Distribution.- 3.3 Factors Affecting Uptake of Pollutants By Fish.- 3.4 Uptake of Pollutants into Eggs and Larvae.- 3.5 Tissue Concentrations as a Bioindicator of Aquatic Pollution.- 4. Introduction to Fish Reproduction.- 4.1 Introduction.- 4.2 Seasonal Cues for Reproduction.- 4.3 The Teleost Endocrine System.- 4.4 Seasonal Changes in Hormones and Gonads.- 4.5 Courtship Behaviour and Spawning.- 4.6 Reproductive Strategies.- 4.7 Fecundity and Fertility.- 4.8 Sex Determination and Reversal.- 4.9 Impact of Pollutants.- 4.10 Mechanisms of Action.- 4.11 Experimental Approaches.- 5. Disruption of Hypothalamic and Pituitary Function.- 5.1 The Hypothalamic-Pituitary System in Fish.- 5.2 Effects of Pollutants on the Hypothalamus.- 5.3 Effects of Pollutants on the Pituitary.- 5.4 Conclusions.- 6. Disruption of Male Reproductive Function.- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 Effects on Testicular Morphology.- 6.3 Effects on Testicular Hormone Production.- 6.4 Effects on Sperm Viability.- 6.5 Other Effects on the Male.- 6.6 Conclusions.- 7. Disruption of Female Reproductive Function.- 7.1 Introduction.- 7.2 Effects on Ovarian Morphology.- 7.3 Effects on Steroidogenesis.- 7.4 Other Biochemical Indicators of Ovarian Activity.- 7.5 Effects on Ovulation and Spawning.- 7.6 Effects on Egg Numbers and Viability.- 7.7 Effects of Parental Exposure on Viability of Offspring.- 7.8 Conclusions.- 8. Disruption in Eggs, Embryos, Larvae and Juvenile Fish.- 8.1 Introduction.- 8.2 Exposure of Eggs and Embryos.- 8.3 Exposure of Larval and Juvenile Fish.- 8.4 Conclusions.- 9. Disruption of Liver Function.- 9.1 Introduction.- 9.2 Morphological Effects.- 9.3 Effects on Hepatic Enzymes and Proteins.- 9.4 Vitellogenesis.- 9.5 Conclusions.- 10. Disruption of Thyroid and Interrenal Function.- 10.1 The Endocrinology of the Thyroid and Interrenal Glands.- 10.2 Effects on the Thyroid.- 10.3 Growth.- 10.4 The Stress Response.- 10.5 Osmoregulation.- 10.6 The Immune System and Disease.- 10.7 Conclusions.- 11. The Fish-Wildlife-Human Connection.- 11.1 Introduction.- 11.2 Health Hazards From Dietary Fish.- 11.3 Hazards to Human Populations.- 11.4 Testing for Endocrine Modulators.- 11.5 Conclusion.- References.- Species Key.

Reviews

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Author Website:  

Countries Available

All regions