On June 3, 2005, the Endocrine Society held an unprecedented full-day "Forum on Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals." Sponsored through the generosity of the Endocrine Society, the NIEHS and the EPA, this Forum brought together basic scientists, physicians, clinicians, epidemiologists and others interested in discussing and learning about importance of endocrine disruption in the context of endocrinology. This month's Endocrinology contains a special series of eight review articles on endocrine disruption, seven of which are authored by the Forum's speakers, and the eighth providing an evolutionary perspective to epigenetics in endocrine disruption. As Forum organizers, the three of us developed and directed the programing, but more importantly, we have this opportunity to summarize and integrate the outcomes of the Forum for the Endocrine community. The review articles that follow this Introduction make it clear that the issue of endocrine disruption is pertinent to all endocrinologists. Moreover, a wide variety of endocrine-disrupting chemicals exist, such as industrial chemicals, pesticides, plant phytoestrogens, metals, and other environmental substances. Here, we provide an overview of the highlights of the science at the Forum, a synopsis of the open discussion, and we make recommendations for future research.