Theodora (Theo) Colborn: 1927–2014

About This Article open Citation: Grossman E, et al. 2015. Theodora (Theo) Colborn: 1927–2014. Environ Health Perspect 123:A54; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1509743. Final Publication: 1 March 2015 PDF Version (294 KB) Theodora Colborn, research scientist and environmental activist, died 14 December 2014 at the age of 87. As the scientist who coined the term “endocrine disruptor,” Theo—as we had the privilege to call her—played a watershed role in the field of environmental health science, particularly in raising public awareness of the effects of chemical contaminants on human health and the environment. It is no exaggeration to say that endocrine disruption science brought about a sea change in how we consider chemical safety and that Theo was instrumental in bringing about this paradigm shift. The path to environmental health science was neither typical nor direct for Theo. After an early career as a pharmacist, she earned her PhD from the University of Wisconsin at age 58—and never stopped working in science. In the 1980s her research examined the effects of chemical pollutants on the health of Great Lakes wildlife. While synthesizing huge data sets from numerous scientific fields, she found that many Great Lakes species were suffering from health effects that included reproductive and immune system problems and behavioral, hormonal, and metabolic changes. Although the term “endocrine disruptor” was not yet in use, Theo’s descriptions mirrored what...
Source: EHP Research - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Announcement March 2015 Source Type: research