Have you heard of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs)? These long-lasting chemicals are receiving a lot of press recently and are found in pesticides, plastics, and more. Recent research has shown that they are finding their way into almost every human body tissue. Unfortunately, EDCs have widespread and detrimental health effects.
Simply put, EDCs disrupt the hormones in the body. Since most of your organs and systems in the body are regulated by hormones, these chemicals can cause a lot of harm. The endocrine glands especially are hit – thyroid and parathyroid, ovaries and testes, pituitary gland and hypothalamus in the brain, pineal gland, and the adrenals. This means direct affects on stress, inflammation, sleep, weight, temperature, reproductive health, and fertility.
The delicate balance of reproductive hormones such as oestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone affect egg health, the endometrial lining, sperm quality, and live birth rates. EDCs have also been linked to reproductive disorders including endometriosis, PCOS, infertility, uterine fibroids, cancers, and more. Studies are showing that endocrine-disrupting chemicals are at least partially to blame for the declining global sperm rates. So for anyone with a reproductive system, regardless of whether you are trying to conceive, pregnant, lactating, menstruating, or post-menopausal, we recommend become aware of these chemicals and taking steps to reduce your exposure.
So, what are they? Here are some of the primary Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals:
- Parabens
- Bisphenol (BPA, BPS, etc.)
- Pesticides
- Phthalates (PAES)
- PFAs
- PBDEs
- PCBS (banned in Australia since 1975)
- Mercury
While you don’t have to memorise these names, it’s good to start to become familiar with them. But let’s focus on where they are found and what you can do about reducing your exposure.
Where are they found?
Just about everywhere these days unfortunately. But here is a list of some of the common places:
- Food: non-organic, processed, and packaged foods
- Water: unfiltered tap water
- Pollution and dust: dust from fabrics, furniture, carpet, and apparel
- Skin care and cosmetics: many skin care products including moisturisers, shampoo, nail polish, make-up, and dental floss
- Clothing: water repellent clothing such as gym/yoga leggings and sports bras, raincoats, some school uniforms
- Plastics: takeaway containers and plastic storage containers, plastic water bottles.
- Heads up: a common misconception is that if you use plant-based containers like bamboo, cardboard, or biodegradable plastic, that this will solve the problem. Unfortunately not. PFAS for example have been found in almost all types of straws, including paper and bamboo. PFAS are used to make any material water-proof, including paper.
- Despair not! See below for what you can do.
- Non-stick cookware such as Teflon
- Thermal receipts
- Large size fish: mercury from ocean pollution
Steps You Can Take
Now for the good news: there are many ways you can reduce your exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
We know it can be overwhelming to see a list like this when making changes to your lifestyle, so we recommend starting with just one or two changes, and then when you have adapted to that, celebrate your achievement! And, when you feel ready, consider moving on to something else.
- Switch to glass or metal food containers.
- Start with those that you store warm or hot food but ideally switch all your food containers to glass.
- You can buy sets of different sizes pretty easily, e.g., https://www.kitchenwarehouse.com.au/kitchenware/storage-solutions-and-organisation/food-storage-containers/glass-storage-containers.
- When getting takeaway, move the food out of the plastic food container to your own container upon pick up or as soon as you get home.
- Use metal straws if you like to drink out of straws. As above, even paper straws have been found to have concerning levels of PFAS.
- Use a glass or metal water bottle.
- Ditch the plastic water bottles (which have some endocrine-disrupting chemicals).
- Get a good-quality water filter for your drinking and cooking water.
- For example, we like the Zazen water filter: https://zazenalkalinewater.com.au/
- Switch to natural skin care products.
- There are so many out there that are great and like with all skin care, you will probably need to try a few before you find your favourite. Some to consider: Mukti Organics, Plantae, Voi Organics, Dr. Haushka, Weleda, REN Skincare, True Botanics, and Herbivore.
- Invest in an air purifier.
- Move to natural cleaning and laundry products.
- Avoid overly-processed, packaged foods (better for your health for many more reasons than reducing EDCs).
- Start to move to eating organic or pesticide-free foods.
- Use the “Clean 15” and “Dirty Dozen” lists created by Environmental Working Group as a place to start: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/dirty-dozen.php
- Eat smaller fish like mackerel, sardines, herring, anchovies, and salmon.
- Choose organic cotton or hemp for gym/yoga apparel.
- Reduce the amount you use Teflon cookware and instead use cast-iron or stainless steel.
- If you work in retail, wear gloves when handling thermal receipts.
- Work with your practitioner to reduce the negative effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals by supporting detoxification pathways and supplementing with antioxidants.
*We are not affiliated with any of the brands listed above and we do not receive a commision – we’re just including ideas here to make it easier for you.
Our practitioners are here to guide you through the process. As we said, one step at a time.
We’ll do a series of tips on social media for how you can make these changes – join us on Instagram @the_fertility_pod or Facebook: @thefertilitypod to learn more.
References:
- “Count Down: How Our Modern World Is Threatening Sperm Counts, Altering Male and Female Reproductive Development, and Imperiling the Future of the Human Race” by Shanna Swan (2021)
- Pan, J., Liu, P., Yu, X., Zhang, Z. and Liu, J., 2024. The adverse role of endocrine disrupting chemicals in the reproductive system. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 14, p.1324993.
- Oddný Ragnarsdóttir, Mohamed Abou-Elwafa Abdallah, Stuart Harrad, “Dermal bioavailability of perfluoroalkyl substances using in vitro 3D human skin equivalent models,” Environment International, Volume 188, 2024, 108772, ISSN 0160-4120
- Boisacq et al, 2023, ABC documentary https://iview.abc.net.au/video/DO2224H002S00
- Rickard, B.P., Rizvi, I. and Fenton, S.E., 2022. Per-and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and female reproductive outcomes: PFAS elimination, endocrine-mediated effects, and disease. Toxicology, 465, p.153031.
