The endocrine system is the collection of glands that produce hormones that help regulate many functions of the human body. Some natural and man-made chemicals can and do interact with the endocrine system, or are “endocrine-active.”
In some cases, interaction between the endocrine system and substances that are endocrine-active is harmless: the substances lack sufficient potency or exposures may be so low that no effects occur at all; in other cases the body naturally adjusts, and the exposure causes no health effect.