toxics Article A Review of the Impact of Selected Anthropogenic Chemicals from the Group of Endocrine Disruptors on Human Health Katarzyna Goralczyk   Citation: Goralczyk, K. A Review of the Impact of Selected Anthropogenic Chemicals from the Group of Endocrine Disruptors on Human Health. Toxics 2021, 9, 146. https:// doi.org/10.3390/toxics9070146 Academic Editor: Yunsun Jeong Received: 20 May 2021 Accepted: 23 June 2021 Published: 24 June 2021 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affil- iations. Copyright: © 2021 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). Institute of Biology Science in Warsaw, University of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, Wóycickiego 1/3, 01-938 Warsaw, Poland;k.goralczyk@uksw.edu.pl Abstract: Background: The aim of the study was to review data on the impact of anthropogenic chemicals (endocrine disruptors) on various diseases, which, consequently, may facilitate their prevention and be used as a tool for managing public healthcare. Every day, humans are exposed to chemicals, including xenoestrogens, which are similar to female hormones. Methods: This manuscript was prepared based on a meta-analysis of research on the impacts of selected EDCs on human health. Results: Special attention should be paid to bisphenol A (BPA), benzo-α-pyrene, and phthalates due to their proven endocrine activity and presence in our daily lives. Xenoestrogens are absorbed by human organisms through the digestive system since they can migrate to food from food packages and drinks as well as from plastic products used daily. The presence of these chemicals in human organisms is considered a potential cause for some diseases commonly referred to as ‘diseases of civilization’. Conclusions: The biomonitoring of xenoestrogens, which are chemicals with unfavorable impacts on human health, is a crucial tool for assessing the risk from the pollution of the environment. The novelty is a holistic approach to assessing the occurrence of risk factors for civilization diseases. Keywords: xenoestrogens; endocrine-disrupting chemicals; disease of civilization 1. Introduction Every day, humans are exposed to natural and synthetic chemical compounds, includ- ing xenoestrogens, which are similar to female hormones. These exogenous compounds may interact with the human hormonal system, leading to homeostasis disorders by modu- lating both estrogenic activities and androgenic activity itself [1]. The presence of anthropogenic endocrine disruptors (ECDs) in various elements of the environment is a direct or indirect threat to humans, as indicated by biomonitoring studies on the systemic distribution of biomarkers of human exposure to this group of compounds. ECDs are present in tissues, human body fluids, and breast milk, as well as in food, despite the introduction of restrictions on their use. The biomonitoring of compounds that adversely affect human health is an indispensable tool for assessing the risks related to environmental pollution while providing a substantial basis for risk management. Tracking trends regarding the levels of these compounds in various elements of the environment, including humans, is particularly important due to the toxicological properties of ECDs. The results of biomonitoring are an important element used in risk assessment, along with toxicological data, to enable the determination of the point of departure (PoD) when determining hazard profiles (HQ), or for preparing statistical models that, based on popu- lation data (age and gender) and the levels of biomarkers for selected chemical groups, can be used to determine the total concentrations of specific environmental pollutants in the human body. For a biomonitoring-based risk assessment, PoD can be defined as an internal exposure–response point that marks the threshold above which the incidence begins to increase. This approach also considers the fact that the internal exposure, expressed as serum concentrations above PoD, as being of concern. This is especially important in the case of xenoestrogens, for which a diverse geographical distribution and tissue distribution Toxics 2021, 9, 146. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics9070146 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/toxics