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Do You Really Need to Worry about Endocrine Disruptors?

What they are, what you need to know, and how to limit your exposure

Dana G Smith

Published in

Elemental

6 min readAug 21, 2019

Phthalate-free cosmetics, BPA-free cans, fire retardant–free furniture. What are these chemicals, and why does everyone suddenly care if they’re in our household products?

These industrial chemicals are all classified as endocrine disruptors, meaning they can interfere with the body’s hormone — or endocrine — system. Hormones like estrogen, testosterone, and insulin are essential signaling molecules that tell organs what to do. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals scramble those molecular signals, potentially wreaking havoc on reproductive, metabolic, and neurological systems.

“Endocrine-disrupting chemicals can interfere in a variety of ways, including acting as a hormone mimic or a hormone blocker,” explains Heather Patisaul, PhD, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at North Carolina State University. “They can also change the amount of hormone receptors present in a cell or tissue or change how the body metabolizes its own hormones.”

There are roughly 1,000 known endocrine disruptors. The five categories of chemicals that receive the most attention are flame retardants used in electronics, furniture, and carpeting; phthalates added to plastics to…

This article really understates the case against endocrine disruptors. If you want a more accurate picture, you might want to read Nancy Langston’s “Toxic Bodies,” or Theo Colborn’s “Our Stolen Future.” All of our bodies have been used in a giant…

I really appreciate how this article mentions that the FDA and the EPA are not the be all end all of the decision making. given how political and questionably ethical these two governmental bodies are, other voices cannot be understated.