The Endocrine Society has issued a new statement emphasizing the link between certain chemicals and diabetes and obesity, but the chemical industry's main trade group said the society's findings are not based on science.

For years the Endocrine Society has been trying to sound the alarm on endocrine-disrupting chemicals, or EDCs, which are substances that interfere with the body's hormone systems. Perhaps the best-known EDC is bisphenol A—better-known as BPA—which is found in a wide range of plastic products.

In a position statement released Monday, the Endocrine Society cites research showing EDCs are linked to an increased risk of developing diabetes and obesity. The group also said that mounting evidence indicates EDC exposure is connected to infertility, hormone-related cancers, neurological issues and other disorders.

"The evidence is more definitive than ever before—EDCs disrupt hormones in a manner that harms human health," said Andrea Gore, a University of Texas professor of pharmacology and toxicology who chaired the task force that developed the statement. "Hundreds of studies are pointing to the same conclusion, whether they are long-term epidemiological studies in humans, basic research in animals and cells, or research into groups of people with known occupational exposure to specific chemicals." http://bit.ly/1L25wL3

The Endocrine Society's stance against EDCs has put it in direct conflict with the American Chemistry Council, which accuses the group of being alarmist. ACC said the society's findings are not based on the best science, but instead rely on "unproven claims" between certain chemicals and disease. It also accused the society of ignoring reviews by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and European Food Safety Authority that came to different conclusions.

"The Endocrine Society's statement, organized and produced by a limited group of Society members, disregards the state of the science associated with the effects of chemicals on the endocrine system and makes broad, unsupported claims about the relationship between certain chemicals and disease," ACC said in a statement. "The statement incorrectly characterizes as settled, the still-unproven hypothesis regarding risks of low levels of exposure to particular chemicals."

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