Disrupting Unhealthy Health Policy: The Lack of Endocrine Disruptor Education in Health Policy at a State Level, Poster 5

Exposure to toxic environmental chemicals is a widespread, worldwide issue. Many chemicals that are found in everyday household products like plastic water bottles, receipts, shampoo, pesticides, flame-retardants, and... [ view full abstract ]

Exposure to toxic environmental chemicals is a widespread, worldwide issue. Many chemicals that are found in everyday household products like plastic water bottles, receipts, shampoo, pesticides, flame-retardants, and toothpaste are known as “endocrine disrupting chemicals.” These chemicals individually and in combination with one another can lead to neurological effects, reproductive problems, early onset of puberty, and infertility among other issues. A crucial step in trying to mitigate these negative health effects is enacting policies that guide physicians in their patient care and encourage them to inform patients about exposure to these chemicals. State medical associations serve to protect public health and advocate for the interests of both doctors and their patients. By a thorough investigation of state medical association policy manuals as well as several semi-structured interviews, I am investigating which state medical associations have environmental health policy and specifically, whether they have any policy concerned directly with endocrine disruption. I am also collecting data concerning the perceived and actual roles of the state medical associations in terms of helping their physician members’ medical practices stay current and informed by the latest science. This work will allow environmental health advocates to prioritize their work; for example, by focusing on states that already have policies that could be better implemented or enforced.