Could Endocrine Disruptor Pesticides be Responsible for the Increasing Prevalence of some Endocrine Diseases in Cameroon? A Review

Pesticides have a variety of uses as they are used in crop protection, at home and in public health for vector control. Although useful, the general public is becoming increasingly concerned about the possible impact on the health of humans and the environment. Some of these pesticides have been identified as endocrine disruptor chemicals (EDC) that interfere with human and animal hormone systems and are capable of altering hormone balance and embryo development with the risk of adverse effects on the health of organisms and their offspring. Our reviews reveal that EDC exposure show that the general population is in fact exposed to a mixture of EDCs. A majority of the studies show that there is an association between exposure to endocrine disruptor chemicals and the disorders affecting the endocrine system. Exposure of humans to pesticides could either be due to their occupations or through dietary or the environment via water, air and soil. Our discussion of some endocrine diseases emphasizes the need to focus on the high prevalence of cancer as an endocrine disease and stress on further research to explore the cause of the increasing prevalence of cancer in Cameroon.