Hijacked Signals: Endocrine Disruptors, Development, and Health

3 credits

Thousands of chemicals in everyday products, including food packaging, cosmetics, flame retardants, non-stick coatings, and pesticides, can interfere with the hormone signals that guide development. This course begins with a survey of six major classes of chemicals of concern. It then turns to in-depth case studies of three: bisphenol A, phthalates, and PFAS. Through these case studies, students learn how endocrine-disrupting chemicals bind and block receptors, alter steroid synthesis, rewire intracellular signaling, and reprogram gene expression. They also explore why exposure during fetal, neonatal, and early-life windows can shape reproductive, metabolic, immune, and cognitive health decades later. Students confront the concepts that challenge traditional toxicology: low-dose effects, non-monotonic dose responses, and mixtures. They also learn to weigh evidence from cell, animal, and human studies. Throughout, we ask who bears the greatest exposure and how science becomes policy, from environmental injustice to the precautionary principle. The course is discussion-based and highly interactive, with team presentations, concept mapping, and case analysis.It culminates in a persuasion paper that turns mechanistic science into a clear, actionable argument for a real audience.