Tea Time: Endocrine Disruptors
- What are they
- chemicals that disrupt hormones like estrogens, androgens, or thyroid
- natural or man-made (mostly)
- some phthalates (plasticizers)
- DES, PCB’s, other pesticides, dioxin, DDT, BPA, DEHP, phytoestrogens
- Where do we find them
- pesticides
- contaminants
- additives in food and personal care products
- What do they do
- Interfere with hormone metabolism in the liver or function in body cells
- anti-androgens (like phthalates)
- estrogen-like chemicals (like BPA)
- Potentially causing decreased fertility, many chronic diseases, cancer
- What can we do
- Don’t panic!
- these chemicals are ubiquitous
- demand more regulation on the industries that use these chemicals
- avoid/limit single-use plastic
- don’t microwave food in plastic
- don’t store hot food in plastic (try glass or cool it down first)
- wash plastic by hand vs in the dishwasher
- wash all your produce
- avoid artificial fragrance
- use natural/homemade cleaning products
- use EWG’s cosmetics database to check for products