Front Matter

Summary 223

Summary

In this chapter we have covered a wide range of issues that relates to environ­

mental contaminations, some visible and others invisible, have major impact

on our daily lives and have a devastating impact on our offspring that could

potentially last for generations to come. We have documented that synthetic

chemicals, fragrance, EDCs, and other chemicals such as pesticides and herbi­

cides, can have a major role in causing ASD.

We have presented data that synthetic chemicals in our tasty foods,

flavored drinks, and environment are responsible for causing a plethora of

illnesses and the adverse effects of synthetic chemicals is not limited to the

alarming rise of autism but many diverse disorders, syndromes, and spec­

trums. We are aware that ASD is four to five times more common in males

than females but it appears that current exposure to industrial synthetic

chemicals also imparts much greater adverse effects on males compared with

females. This is mostly due to anti‐androgenic and estrogenic properties of

the chemicals. Is the relative high incidence of ASD also related to potential

androgenic effects of fragrances? We have shown that many common chemi­

cals found in fragrances have anti‐androgenic or estrogenic quality. For

example, tonalide, octinoxate, DEP, benzyl benzoate, and benzyl salicylate

have androgenic or estrogenic properties. These chemicals are not only

linked to causing cancer but also are neuromodifying agents and contribute

in the etiologies of ASD.

BirthPuberty

Normal

development

Migration

Migration

PGC

Impaired

development

Fetal testis Prepubertal testis Adult testis

Environmental insults

gene mutations

Arrest

Gonocyte

Gonocyle

Spermatogonia Spermatocytes

Spermatids

Delayed

gonocyte

“pre-GCNIS”

“A daptation”

Genomic

aberrations

Proliferation

Re-programming

SEMINOMA

GCNIS with

invasive capacity

NONSEMINOMAS

Somatic

differentiation

EC

No

rma

l^ se

rtoli^ and

leydig c

ell (^) fu
nct
ion
Imp
aire
d^ se
rtoli^ or^ leydig^ cell (^) f
unc
tion
Figure 7.19 Model for the pathogenesis of testicular germ cell tumors of young adults.
Reproduced with permission of University of South Carolina.