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Résumé : Since the second half of the 19th century and the rapid expansion of the chemical industry, tens of thousands of chemical substances have been created, produced and used. They have greatly changed our whole environment and forms of consumption, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. In the 1880s, doctors observed that workers exposed to certain chemicals (aromatic amines) were more likely to develop cancer of the bladder than those who were not exposed. Despite this, bans and preventive measures were taken only slowly. The list of carcinogens has since increased and now, at the start of the 21st century, nobody can ignore the role played by chemicals in the increase of cancer. The second greatest cause of death worldwide, cancer has become the primary cause of death in western Europe, and its prevalence is growing rapidly in developing countries. Throughout the world, it tends to hit economically disadvantaged groups the hardest, perpetuating social health inequalities despite improvements in living standards. While the responsibility of chemical substances for reproductive disorders (sterility, miscarriages and congenital defects) is now acknowledged, it has been more difficult to establish as the disorders concerned are often seen as a concern of the private family sphere. Over the past twenty years, the issue of certain chemical products – socalled “endocrine disruptors” – having a negative effect on hormonal activity in the endocrine system at doses previously considered safe has gained increasing attention in the public debate. These chemical substances with their hormonal effects have the potential to cause not just cancer and reproductive disorders, but also subtle disruptions to the way an organism works, in turn another cause of illness. Observations of their effects are upturning the precepts of conventional toxicology, as well as our understanding of ways to protect the public and workers. Labour cannot remain indifferent to this problem. It urgently needs to take a stance in the public debate. Occupational exposure affects a wide range of sectors: hairdressers subject to a whole cocktail of dangerous cosmetics, cleaning staff, workers in the pharmaceutical and plastics industries and in agriculture, to mention just a few. As with other toxic chemical products, exposure is linked to the social division of labour. Low-skilled workers, often in precarious employment, are the ones most exposed to risks. In most cases, such occupational exposure takes place invisibly: there is no specific labelling, nothing is mentioned on safety factsheets, there is no specific screening of exposed workers, etc. When health problems arise, whether in the workers themselves or in their children, the connection is almost never made to occupational exposure to such substances. The aim of this brochure is to inform people, helping them to better understand this complex issue and to know what is at stake. It also intends to show that this is a major political issue, requiring European policies to be greatly modified in order to ensure more effective prevention. In various countries, national strategies for fighting endocrine disruptors are being blocked at EU level. However, the wide media coverage of European policy on endocrine disruptors in 2015 and 2016 is creating opportunities for mobilising workers and building alliances. Endocrine disruptors also constitute an important issue for trade unions. Through taking up this issue, the trade union movement can establish a link between mobilising for better work-related risk prevention and challenging the policy choices that sacrifice health and the environment for the sake of industry profits.