Endocrine-Disrupting Toxins: 4 Easy and Inexpensive Steps to Avoid These Common Culprits
Madison Martin, CNS
You may have heard about endocrine disrupting toxins and wondered what that actually means and what they are. Some of them you are surely familiar with; chemicals like BPAs (Bisphenol A) and PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are in the news quite a bit and products often boast that they are free of these chemicals as part of their marketing campaigns. Endocrine disrupting toxins are chemicals that interfere with our hormones and/or the organs that create them. Hormones are the vehicles through which your body communicates between systems and they control things like growth, immunity, fertility and reproduction. An increase in exposure to these chemicals has been shown to be one of the reasons for the declines we have seen in global fertility.1,2 Disruptions to this system are problematic because it is very delicate and even small amounts of certain chemicals can have negative down-stream effects on your body.
The purpose of this is not to fear-monger but to educate on how to reduce or minimize your exposure to these common chemicals. Since the industrial revolution, humans have created thousands of new chemicals not found in nature. Many of them have not been studied in terms of their effect on our health but are nonetheless used in products we use every day like laundry detergent, perfume, air fresheners, and cooking tools. We know that some of them are harmful and carcinogenic, some are GRAS (generally regarded as safe), and some we just don’t know about. Exposure happens through ingestion (food and water), the air, and through your skin. Here are four easy ways you can reduce your everyday exposure:
Avoid touching receipts and any other thermal printed paper like airline tickets and movie stubs - just go digital. Thermal paper- like receipts from the grocery store are one of the highest BPA exposures there is. BPAs are heavily studied and are known to have negative effects on human reproduction and are linked to attention disorders4. We know that things like the lining of cans and some plastic water bottles have BPAs (if they’re “BPA free,” they most likely contain BPS- also problematic!5), thermal paper like receipts can contain 1,000 times more BPA than the lining of cans.4 If you do touch a receipt, do not use hand sanitizer afterwards as this can greatly increase the absorption of BPAs through your skin. Also, do not recycle this paper- the chemicals can end up in the water supply from the wastewater from recycling plants. They belong in the garbage or better yet, ask for the receipt to be emailed to you!
Avoid heavily fragranced items. The fragrance itself is toxic and these products introduce a lot of novel (unstudied) chemicals into our homes. Things like scented room sprays, plug in air fresheners, most scented candles, fabric softeners and dryer sheets, perfumed laundry detergents and other cleaners, and scented garbage liners contain many toxins and increase your toxic burden. These chemicals are a major contributor to indoor air pollution and a big exposure to phthalates which have been heavily studied and are known to be major endocrine disruptors. Instead, using a diffuser with essential oil to freshen your house, keeping it clean with lemon, baking soda, and vinegar, and using things like detergents and shampoos that don’t list “fragrance” as one of the ingredients can do a lot to reduce your exposure to lots of harmful chemicals. “Fragrance” is an umbrella term that can mean literally thousands of chemicals, many of them not found in nature.6 For a list of products with fewer of these harmful chemicals, check out the Environmental Working Group’s site here: EWG Verified.
Avoid plastics and don't microwave or store food in plastic containers. Again, the main class of compounds we are worried about when it comes to plastics like take out containers are phthalates, specifically the bisphenols like BPA, BPS and BPF. Microwaving, freezing, dishwashing, and otherwise heavy use of plastic food containers increases the chance of the plastics breaking down and shedding nanoparticles. These nanoparticles are more dangerous because when ingested, they can coat themselves in proteins and move freely and undetected in our bodies.7 Here they can build up and the chemicals can act as hormone disruptors. Glass and ceramics should be used to store and eat food from as this removes the worry altogether. Avoidance is the name of the game!
Open windows, vacuum and wet dust regularly, and take your shoes off before coming into your home. Indoor air pollution is often worse than outdoors, even in cities. Opening your windows to let fresh air in and polluted air out is easy and effective! A note for those of us during wildfire season; keep windows closed if the outside air quality is poor. Using a site like purpleair.com can help you determine real-time outdoor air quality. An in-home air filter can also help if this is an issue for you. Vacuuming and wet dusting can help reduce chemicals that settle in the dust in your home. Removing your shoes before walking through your house is of course great to avoid things like fecal matter but shoes can also track in things like heavy metals, pesticides, and strong industrial cleaners that can reside on sidewalks and in buildings.
This is not an exhaustive list of ways to avoid these chemicals but just a few helpful and mostly free tips to significantly decrease your exposure! Again, these chemicals are so ubiquitous that it’s not possible to avoid them altogether. It’s all about doing what you can to reduce your exposure and support your body in ways that are evidence based and affordable.
As a side note, “Cleanses” and “Detoxes” are common and buzzy in the wellness space but these are unnecessary, sometimes harmful, and are often grifts. Your liver and kidneys are constantly detoxing your body and there is no need to purchase juice cleanses or the like. You can however, support these organs by eating a wide variety of plants including things like herbs, brassica vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, etc), alliums (garlic, scallions, etc), dark fruits, and nuts & seeds. Some supplements can also be helpful for liver support, especially if you do have a high toxic burden. Since supplements are not regulated, this is something to be careful with. Make sure to only get medical grade, third-party tested supplements through a licensed clinician who can deem them necessary and check for any interactions or contraindications, not through that influencer on TikTok. Additionally, reducing the burden that your liver takes on is important by following the steps outlined above, limiting alcohol, caffeine, and OTC drugs, staying hydrated, getting quality sleep, and getting in regular, low impact movement.
References
Wang Y, Qian H. Phthalates and Their Impacts on Human Health. Healthcare (Basel). 2021 May 18;9(5):603. doi:10.3390/healthcare9050603. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8157593/
Dobrzyńska MM. Phthalates - widespread occurrence and the effect on male gametes. Part 2. The effects of phthalates on male gametes and on the offspring. Rocz Panstw Zakl Hig. 2016;67(3):209-21. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27546318/
National Institute of Health. (2023). Endocrine Disruptors. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. Retrieved September 21, 2023, from https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine/index.cfm
BPA and BPS in thermal paper. (2023). Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Retrieved September 21, 2023, from https://www.pca.state.mn.us/business-with-us/bpa-and-bps-in-thermal-paper#:~:text=Studies%20have%20found%20that%20individual,in%20a%20can%20of%20food.
Ben-Jonathan N, Hugo ER. Bisphenols Come in Different Flavors: Is "S" Better Than "A"? Endocrinology. 2016 Apr;157(4):1321-3. doi: 10.1210/en.2016-1120. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4816743/
Frack L, Sutton B. 3,163 ingredients hide behind the word "fragrance." Environmental Working Group. February 2, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2023, from https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/3163-ingredients-hide-behind-word-fragrance
Ford C. (2023). For the Love of God, Stop Microwaving Plastic. Retrieved September 21, 2023, from https://www.wired.com/story/for-the-love-of-god-stop-microwaving-plastic/
Madison Martin, CNS, is a highly-skilled clinical nutritionist who enjoys empowering clients with the knowledge and tools they need to take their health back into their hands. Madison’s expertise includes evidence-based methods as well as functional and intuitive eating, and emphasizes a whole-person approach to helping clients heal their health. If you are interested in working with Madison, you can book a free nutrition strategy consultation with her using the link below.
