Abstract
Alkylphenol ethoxylates (APE) are widely used as industrial surfactants owing to their high performance as wetting agents, emulsifiers and so on, and fairly low cost. Just after “Our Stolen Future” was published in 1996, “Endocrine Disruptor” became a global issue. APE and its metabolites (alkylphenol (AP) etc.) have been shown to possibly have adverse effects on the endocrine system of wildlife and these compounds include DDT, PCB and DES. This paper reviews this problem. The estrogenic activity of AP and APE, suspected as “endocrine disruptors” is much weaker than endogenous hormones in animals, and their effects are not strong enough to disrupt the hormone balance in a living body. “Endocrine disruption” by AP would thus not be a possibility. Environmental data on AP and APE are not sufficient and additional study should be made of the effects of AP and APE. Replacement of APE is examined in the present study.
