Endocrine Disruptors
The Endocrine System
The Endocrine System is a system of glands that make hormones. They’re responsible for almost every cell, organ, and function in your body.
Its functions consist of
Making hormones that control mood, organs, metabolism, reproduction, growth, and development.
Send the hormones into your bloodstream
Controls how hormones are released.
The glands that make up the endocrine system are:
Hypothalamus, pineal gland, and pituitary gland in the brain
Thyroid and parathyroid glands in the neck
Thymus between the lungs
The adrenals on top of the kidneys
Pancreas behind the stomach
Sex organs: ovaries or testes
As you can tell, your endocrine system is very important. No matter your age, infections, stress, diet, and lifestyle, as well as certain chemicals, can mess with parts of your endocrine system. This may increase the chances of endocrine disorders like diabetes, hypothyroidism, PCOS, or osteoporosis.
Many chemicals can mimic or interfere with the body’s hormones, aka the endocrine system. These chemicals are called endocrine disruptors and are linked with developmental, reproductive, brain, immune, and other problems.
Endocrine Disruptors
Endocrine disruptors are found in many of the everyday products we use. In addition, we are exposed to multiple endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC) at the same time. This may make them potentially hazardous to our health.
Some common endocrine disruptors are:
Bisphenol A (BPA) — is used to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, which are found in many plastic products including food storage containers.
BHT — used as a preservative and scent. It may be carcinogenic at high doses, also linked to allergies, toxicity to the immune system, and hormone disruption.
Dioxins — produced as a byproduct in herbicide production and paper bleaching, they are also released into the environment during waste burning and wildfires.
Dioxane — a by-product of the industrial process used to make cleaning ingredients. Found in cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, and even some personal care items.
Nonylphenol Ethoxylate (NPE) — Inexpensive for companies to use, known as the “Gender Bender”. It mimics estrogen in the body. When absorbed in the skin, things like liver damage, kidney damage, decreased sperm count, and lowered metabolism can result.
Perchlorate — a by-product of aerospace, weapon, and pharmaceutical industries found in drinking water and fireworks.
Aluminum — Increases the body’s toxic load and can mimic estrogen. Found in antiperspirants.
Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) — used widely in industrial applications, such as firefighting foams and a non-stick pan, paper, and textile coatings
Phthalates — used to make plastics more flexible, they are also found in some food packaging, cosmetics, children’s toys, and medical devices.
Phytoestrogens — naturally occurring substances in plants that have hormone-like activity, such as genistein and daidzein that are in soy products, like tofu or soy milk.
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) — used to make flame retardants for household products such as furniture foam and carpets.
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) — used to make electrical equipment like transformers, and in hydraulic fluids, heat transfer fluids, lubricants, and plasticizers.
Triclosan — may be found in some anti-microbial and personal care products, such as liquid body wash.
There are a lot more endocrine-disrupting chemicals than listed, like parabens and fragrance.
Common EDC household products are antiperspirants, laundry detergents, candles, wax melts, air fresheners, cleaning products, personal care products, cosmetics, makeup, hair care products, plastic bottles, plastic tubberware, toys, liners of metal food cans, non-stick cookware, and others.
When searching for these items listed, try to opt for their non-toxic counterparts.
Most EDCs are unregulated in the United States. This area of research is only expanding (thankfully). Researchers reported in JAMA that ordinary exposure to certain phthalates was associated with ADHD behaviors (1).
Another study that evaluated ovarian cancer cells has found that exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals causes changes in the way that DNA is read (epigenetic changes) that are associated with progression, spread, and resistance to treatment (2). In addition, some studies can link EDC to other types of cancers such as prostate, breast, testicular, and thyroid cancer.
Think about how many products you use a day. On average, women use 12 different products a day. That also doesn't count towards clothing that has been washed in EDC laundry detergent.
Reducing Exposure to Endocrine Disruptors
Our society makes it hard to avoid these potentially harmful chemicals. Sometimes it may even be impossible. But it's about progress over perfection. The small changes you can make at home can make a difference.
Skip plastic. Our world is filled with plastic which may make it hard to avoid but when possible, try to avoid plastic for your health and the environment. Swap plastic bottles to glass or stainless steel. Keep plastic out of the sun, hot cars, or microwaves. Take your bags to the grocery store, this includes the plastic bag to put fruits & veggies in. This is definetely a hard task now a days. This is one that I dont beat myself up about it, progrgess > perfection.
Find a Refillable Zero Waste store near you, these stores have a diverse selection of nontoxic household products and glass rather than plastic. You can also bring your own glass to refill products.
Go fragrance-free. Fragrances are hidden in so many different products, not just perfume and candles. Most fragrances contain EDC. I prefer essential oils over candles and wax melts, but there are non-toxic options for both.
Get a water filter. Our tap water not only contains fluoride, but it also contains substances like small amounts of pharmaceutical drugs. My favorite water filter is a Berkey.
Find Non-toxic products. Use apps like EWG Healthy Living and Think Dirty to find non-toxic products. These apps make it as easy as scanning a barcode.
When switching from antiperspirants to a more natural deodorant, I like to use a clay mask that helps in detoxing the armpit and facilitating the transition to natural deodorants. Personally, I have found this to be very helpful. You can find the recipe here.
It takes time to switch out conventional products to natural ones, this will not be an overnight thing.
One thing that helped me tremendously was to focus on one area first. Again, I want to re-itterate progress > perfection. If you are not ready to switch to non-toxic products thats okay too. Just wanted to share the information and next time you go to purchase dish detergent, you use one of the apps mentioned to find a new one. I have personally found that opting for non-toxic products has not been any more costly than purchasing their counterpart, which is always a win for me.
Resources
Shoaff JR, Coull B, Weuve J, Bellinger DC, Calafat AM, Schantz SL, Korrick SA. Association of Exposure to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals During Adolescence With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder-Related Behaviors. JAMA Netw Open. 2020 Aug 3;3(8):e2015041. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.15041. PMID: 32857150; PMCID: PMC7455852.
Samtani R, Sharma N, Garg D, et al. Effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals and epigenetic modifications in ovarian cancer: A review. Reproductive Science. 2018. 25(1):7-18. doi:10.1177/1933719117711261
Additional Resources:
https://asset-pdf.scinapse.io/prod/2133461377/2133461377.pdf
https://www.ewg.org/consumer-guides/dirty-dozen-endocrine-disruptors
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine/index.cfm
https://www.madesafe.org/whats-in-that/deodorant/#:~:text=Triclosan%3A%20Triclosan%20is%20an%20antibacterial,supported%20by%20numerous%20scientific%20
Krewski D, Yokel RA, Nieboer E, et al. Human health risk assessment for aluminium, aluminium oxide, and aluminium hydroxide. J Toxicol Environ Heal – Part B Crit Rev. 2007;10(SUPPL. 1):1-269. doi:10.1080/10937400701597766
EWG Skin Deep® | What is METHYLPARABEN. https://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredients/703937-methylparaben. Accessed January 27, 2020.
Martin EM, Stýblo M, Fry RC. Genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying arsenic-associated diabetes mellitus: a perspective of the current evidence. Epigenomics. 2017 May;9(5):701-710. doi: 10.2217/epi-2016-0097. Epub 2017 May 4. PMID: 28470093; PMCID: PMC5480787.
Grindler, N.M., Vanderlinden, L., Karthikraj, R. et al. Exposure to Phthalate, an Endocrine Disrupting Chemical, Alters the First Trimester Placental Methylome and Transcriptome in Women. Sci Rep 8, 6086 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-24505-w
Hashemipour M, Kelishadi R, Amin MM, Ebrahim K. Is there any association between phthalate exposure and precocious puberty in girls? Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2018 May;25(14):13589-13596. doi: 10.1007/s11356-018-1567-4. Epub 2018 Mar 1. PMID: 29497942.
Philippa D. Darbre, Ferdinando Mannello, Christopher Exley, Aluminium and breast cancer: Sources of exposure, tissue measurements and mechanisms of toxicological actions on breast biology, Journal of Inorganic Biochemistry, Volume 128, 2013, Pages 257-261, ISSN 0162-0134, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2013.07.005 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0162013413001608)
Darbre PD, Harvey PW. Paraben esters: review of recent studies of endocrine toxicity, absorption, esterase and human exposure, and discussion of potential human health risks. J Appl Toxicol. 2008 Jul;28(5):561-78. doi: 10.1002/jat.1358. PMID: 18484575.
Jurewicz, J., Hanke, W. Exposure to phthalates: Reproductive outcome and children health. A review of epidemiological studies. IJOMEH 24, 115–141 (2011). https://doi.org/10.2478/s13382-011-0022-2
Hauser R, Meeker JD, Duty S, Silva MJ, Calafat AM. Altered semen quality in relation to urinary concentrations of phthalate monoester and oxidative metabolites. Epidemiology. 2006 Nov;17(6):682-91. doi: 10.1097/01.ede.0000235996.89953.d7. PMID: 17003688.
Cho YJ, Yun JH, Kim SJ, Kwon HY. Nonpersistent endocrine disrupting chemicals and reproductive health of women. Obstet Gynecol Sci. 2020 Jan;63(1):1-12. doi: 10.5468/ogs.2020.63.1.1. Epub 2019 Dec 26. PMID: 31970122; PMCID: PMC6962585.
University of Washington. "Scented laundry products emit hazardous chemicals through dryer vents." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 24 August 2011. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110824091537.htm>.
Dodson, Robin E et al. “Endocrine disruptors and asthma-associated chemicals in consumer products.” Environmental health perspectives vol. 120,7 (2012): 935-43. doi:10.1289/ehp.1104052