Common Endocrine Disruptors and How to Reduce Your Exposure

Maybe you’ve learned about endocrine disrupting chemicals and their potential to disrupt your health and that of your family and you’ve also heard that they’re… basically everywhere? You may be thinking, “Well great. What do I do now?”

On one hand, I think that overwhelm and resignation is totally understandable. EDCs (and other toxic chemicals) are in our air, our water, our soil, our food, our bodies. They’re quite literally in everything these days. Everything is connected through various production cycles and the last century or two has woven toxic chemicals into just about everything. 

However! There’s nothing you can do about that and simply looking at it from that angle is a recipe for doom and inaction. We don’t want that. (Besides the fact that it’s serious but not that dire.) 

Can you completely eliminate your EDC exposure? No. But you can reduce it. And that’s what we need to focus on. In this article we’re going to explore some ways that scientists are working to reduce and remove EDCs from our environment as well as common sources of EDC exposure ways you can reduce your personal and household exposure to EDCs. 

A long-term look at EDC contamination and future prospects

What major sources of EDC exposure should you be aware of?

What are the chemicals?

What are the products?

Top tips to reduce your EDC exposure

Summary / TLDR

A long-term, holistic look at EDC contamination

Though the research has been building for several decades, the awareness and understanding of endocrine disrupting chemicals, their impact, and the importance of managing them better is still a relatively new thing. We’ve made strides, but we still have so much to learn, including ways to move forward better. 

Contrary to what that introduction or what other people may say, there is hope for the future as far as reducing levels of EDC contamination in the environment is concerned. Exactly what that future is, we don’t fully know yet. 

What we do know is that, though EDCs and other toxic chemicals don’t all naturally dissipate from the environment (most don’t), scientists have developed ways to remove them, and they are actively utilized by various industries. They’re also continuing to grow these technologies and learn how best to apply them. 

A big place EDC management is occurring is in wastewater treatment. If you’ve read some of my other posts, I talk many times about various toxic chemicals and environmental pollutants ending up in wastewater, which ends up impacting the health of the environment, including critical species of fish and wildlife, as well as agricultural and human health.

On this side of things, the technology for removing EDCs from wastewater is actually decent and improving. This is great for the environment and great for us. As I said earlier, everything is connected through various production and natural cycles and learning to manage our waste better is critical to improving our health and that of the environment. 

Obviously reducing our waste is best, but still.

Again, I don’t know what all of this means for the future and EDC exposure for my grandkids and their grandkids. But with increased awareness, reduction in the use of certain chemicals and demand for various products that contribute to EDC production, and improved methods of managing EDCs in waste and the environment, I think we’re likely to see improvements over time. 

What major sources of EDC exposure should you be aware of?

To start, it’s important to keep in mind when interpreting literature about EDCs that there are a good amount of studies showing what average exposure levels are in places like the US and the UK, but not every country or region is equal in this. Some areas have little to no research on this and it may be more difficult to discern. Similarly, different countries and regions are going to have different levels of exposure because of their regulations, the available products, the lifestyle choices of citizens, and even the overall level at which industrial products and processes have touched different places.

Additionally, it’s hard to measure anything to do with EDCs, so we can’t be entirely sure estimates are totally accurate anyway. They’re the best we have to understand the situation with though.

What are the chemicals?

I’m going to utilize a list from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) that simply and thoroughly explains common sources of EDC exposure both in our general environment and in our homes. The NIEHS is a reputable scientific outlet for research on various topics, including EDCs, which they’ve been studying longer than most. Most of this is verbatim from the linked source but I have added some details here and there.

This is not a fully comprehensive list but it’s a lot of the most understood and heavy hitting ones.

Atrazine - a common herbicide used globally for weed control in corn, sorghum, and sugarcane crops. 

Bisphenol A (BPA) - used to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. It is used in manufacturing, food packaging, toys, and other applications. BPA resins may be found in the lining of some canned foods and beverages, though it is less common than it used to be. However, some raise concerns that what has replaced BPA (such as BPS) is not much better in terms of toxicity.

Dioxins - a byproduct of certain manufacturing processes, such as herbicide production and paper bleaching. They can be released into the air from waste burning and wildfires.

Perchlorate - a colorless salt manufactured and used as an industrial chemical to make rockets, explosives, and fireworks, which can be found in some groundwater.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) - a large group of chemicals used widely in industrial applications, such as firefighting foam, nonstick pans, paper, and textile coatings. This is one that has gained a lot of awareness lately as they have quite a bit of research to demonstrate toxicity and seem to be in everything. Some have dubbed PFAS as “forever chemicals,” because they have extreme difficulty fully eliminating from the body and environment.

Phthalates - a large group of compounds used as liquid plasticizers. They are found in hundreds of products including some food packaging, cosmetics, fragrances, children’s toys, and medical device tubing. Cosmetics that may contain phthalates include nail polish, hair spray, aftershave lotion, cleanser, and shampoo. Essentially phthalates help products perform how we want them to, giving flexibility and structure where needed. This is another one that has surged in awareness as a pretty dangerous and very prevalent group of chemicals.

Phytoestrogens - naturally occurring substances with hormone-like activity found in some plants; they may have a similar effect to estrogen produced by the body. Soy foods, for example, contain phytoestrogens.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) - used to make flame retardants for products such as furniture foam and carpet. We used to see more flame retardants in things like children’s pajamas and various furniture and car seats and more. Luckily these are used less as more companies make options without flame retardants, but they’re still around.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) - used to make electrical equipment, such as transformers, and are in hydraulic fluids, heat transfer fluids, lubricants, and plasticizers. PCBs were mass-produced globally until they were banned in 1979. Unfortunately, because of the difficulty in removing EDCs from the environment, as well as remaining products made with these chemicals, they’re still around. But the situation has improved!

Triclosan - an ingredient that was previously added to some antimicrobial and personal care products, like liquid body wash and soaps. Luckily, this has also become much less common, though it can still be found.

As you can see, it seems like EDCs are in pretty much everything. That’s because they really are. One helpful way to think about it is this: if it is not a mostly natural material, it probably has EDCs in it. 

Another thing I say a lot is that you can’t make something that is fundamentally one way and make it fundamentally another without seriously manipulating it and probably causing some unintended consequences along the way. That’s what we’ve seen with so many of the products that have come since the industrial revolution. 

Most of these products have revolutionized (get it?) our lives in amazing ways. Medicine would not be where it is without plastic. Machines and engines and computers would not be where they are without plastic and lubricants and so on. Flame retardants, though now seeming more dangerous than helpful, have massively reduced damage caused by household fires. 

However, there’s been a great cost to our environment and our health. Because we did not and often do not understand how the things we’re creating that add to our quality of life in one way are impacting our health in another, we’ve pumped them into our environment and they’ve made their way into every part of our system. 

What are the products?

It may be more helpful for you to see a breakdown of what specific products you use on a regular basis that are likely to contain endocrine disrupting chemicals. Let’s try to do that here. 

Keep in mind, different brands will have different levels of EDCs. Some work harder to prevent them, though sometimes there’s only so much you can do. I’m not going to list specific brands, just types of products you can expect to find EDCs in. This list is also not comprehensive, but I’ve tried to include a lot of common things that are applicable to more people.

Plastic. Obviously this encompasses so many things. This is also one of those areas where brand is going to really matter because some are better about the way they formulate their products than others. But I would say plastic is probably one of the single biggest contributors to human EDC exposure due to its prevalence and multiple effects across its lifespan. Plastic undoubtedly causes human harm in so many ways.

To be clear, by plastic I do mean anything made of plastic, which is basically everything these days. Now just because everything that is plastic potentially has EDCs does not mean that those EDCs will transfer to you by their typical use. Use your common sense a little bit here, but I’ll outline some key types of plastic that may be a little worse. 

Eating out of plastic, God forbid styrofoam, is going to increase the level of EDC exposure, especially if you’re cutting on it or heating it. Additionally, I wouldn’t recommend plastic for drinkware for most occasions for the same reason. Single use plastics are going to be a big one, I’ve talked before about this but baggies, plastic wrapped food, and all those plastic cups and straws are likely to add to your EDC exposure in a major way.

Another reason to avoid plastic is because it degrades over time, making it even more likely to leach chemicals, including EDCs, into whatever you’re eating or drinking. They also just massively pollute the environment through our mass waste, especially due to single use plastics, which just continues to add microplastics to the various cycles in this world, which do end up back on your plate and in your body.

Fun fact, most of your EDC exposure probably comes from your food, not your products, and this is largely because of pollution from various sources, a large source of that being plastics and the micro and nano plastics they break down into that enter our environment and then our seafood and other meat. 

Unfortunately, I’d be wary of plastic children’s toys too. I have plenty of them. Some of them are hand-me-downs and some are gifts. And they are great. However, children chew on everything and that means that the EDCs in their toys are much more likely to get in their system. I’m a use-what-you-have gal, so I definitely still use plastic toys, but I prefer to stick to wooden, natural rubber, and even silicone where I can. If I buy anything, that’s what it is made out of.

I don’t want to bog this section down too much. Plastic could have so many posts devoted to it. If you want to peruse a very well-done resource on plastics and EDCs, including conversation about environmental impacts and human exposures, check out this very thorough report by The Endocrine Society.

Flame retardants. A lot of work has been done on flame retardants over the years, but it’s generally agreed upon that flame retardants are a significant source of toxic chemicals, including EDCs. Now, obviously, they also serve an important purpose, but they may not be worth the risk. 

Luckily, as awareness of the danger of flame retardants rises, more options in various products have become available. Whereas for a while you could not buy furniture, car seats, or even children’s pajamas without flame retardants, that’s not necessarily the case anymore. Some states won’t even allow the sale of furniture with flame retardants anymore, though all upholstered furniture must meet federal guidelines for flammability. 

I know when I bought my new couch and when I had to buy a car seat and stroller for my son, I prioritized purchasing options that did not use flame retardants. It wasn’t worth the risk for me.

Herbicides, pesticides, and insecticides. This is an area I will touch lightly because I must admit it is a bit complex, the research is not exactly mixed but somewhat lacking, and I don’t have the capacity to do a deep dive on it right now. 

There are some herbicides/pesticides/insecticides that are pretty well known to be dangerous even though they are widely used. Atrazine was mentioned above, as cited by NIEHS. However, it does appear likely that a great number of other synthetic “icides” are also acting as EDCs and causing negative health impacts.

There is a lot more work needed to fully understand this area and even more needed to push for better practices in agriculture that prioritize human and environmental health over production. At the same time, production is very important as less production means more space needed. Like I said, it’s pretty complicated.

Generally speaking, most people trying to avoid EDCs recognize that “icides” and fertilizers often act as EDCs and can cause negative impacts to humans and the environments, though more research would be helpful.

Clothing and paper. This is one where these products may contain EDCs like phthalates and PFAS, but the concentration is likely not that high and the dermal absorption rate is uncertain but likely not zero. 

Clothes would obviously refer to ones made of plastic, but especially clothing designed to keep water out. Those coatings (coatings on anything to make it water resistant) are made from EDCs, they don’t work without them, so they’re more likely to have higher concentrations of them. I’m not sure if there’s a “natural” version of something like a raincoat or boots other than leather, which obviously isn’t as effective, but is an option. Natural fibers may have some agricultural chemical residue but likely very little if any post processing.

We’ve discussed paper in several other posts, specifically talking about diapers and toilet paper/tissue paper, but all paper follows the same concept. If you read those posts, you saw that it likely isn’t a massive issue and doesn’t transfer majorly, but it’s difficult to really measure. Plus, aside from limiting disposable diaper and tissue paper use (which I’m totally for and do practice!), it’s kind of hard to avoid. I know paper is a hard one for me because I am not a digital writing/planning girl.

Cosmetics and other beauty related products. This category has come a long way and there are a lot more “clean” options than there used to be. Still, it’s important to know that certain cosmetics and beauty products are likely to have a couple different EDCs, largely phthalates and PFAS. 

Mostly this is because those chemicals are used to make the cosmetics perform the way they’re intended to. Nail polish, for instance, only works the way it does because of the plasticizers (phthalates) added to it. There are many other examples. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that a lot of cosmetics have ingredients designed to help them absorb into the skin better, which may also lead to increased absorption of EDCs. And as always, synthetic fragrances are a major source of EDCs, you can check out our first post ever for a bit more information on that. 

It’s hard to know which brands are clean and which are not. Typically, clean brands are very transparent about their ingredients and state that they aim to create products that are “natural” or “non-toxic.” If a brand is not transparent about their ingredients, that’s a red flag.

Meat. I briefly mentioned this earlier, but meat actually may be a larger source of EDC and other toxic exposure than any of the others I’ve listed. That’s obviously hard to really know, but the evidence is very clear that a variety of meats contain a decent amount of toxins. People argue about which has most and everyone has there other reasons to not eat XYZ, but here’s what the evidence says, just briefly, about meat and toxicity. 

I’ve discussed how toxins enter the environment mostly through waste or as byproducts of production and manufacturing and work their way throughout the environment and into our food. This includes our meat. 

Red meat is one particular concern, as red meat seems to accumulate a variety of toxins, including heavy metals. The levels of these chemicals/metals will vary depending on where the animals are raised and what pollution is like there, but in particularly vulnerable areas, the concentrations can be quite high.

Seafood is another major area of contamination. You’ve heard of mercury in tuna and in fish harvested near China. But the issue is much more pervasive than that. The major parts of the problem are ships dumping chemicals where fish that we harvest for market are eating, as well as major contamination of waterways through the chemicals that make it out through wastewater. 

Some sources say fish may have especially high levels of chemicals in their systems because they feed at the bottom, where chemicals tend to accumulate. Whatever the cause, seafood undoubtedly has high levels of chemicals, and some studies have even found that eating seafood, because of its high levels, causes high levels in humans.

Top tips to reduce your EDC exposure

I’ve actually written another post that has pretty much all of the same tips, so I’ll keep this brief. Check that post out if you want a bit more detail on each of these, but also refer to the information provided above. The reason the advice is similar is because, generally, trying to live more naturally and non-toxic is majorly related to reducing EDC exposure. Other toxic chemicals as well, but what has toxic chemicals that aren’t EDCs likely also has EDCs. They just go hand in hand.

1. Reduce your use of plastic. Because everything is plastic, from your furniture cushions to your kitchenware, this can be a difficult one to tackle. My recommendation would be to start with one thing at a time. 

My first focus would be anything related to food preparation and consumption. Within that, there may be some things you’re more willing to give up than others. For you, maybe you’re willing to give up your plastic utensils but not your baggies. Do that. I recommend slowly eliminating all plastic from your kitchen and dining room (including cutting boards! Wood can be perfectly safe for raw meat as long as you clean up well after.)

After that, I’d move to eliminating new plastic from your kids’ items. Obviously, this one is difficult. There are so many very cool plastic toys out there for kids. I won’t begrudge you them if it’s what you want. Like I said, I don’t snub a gift and have been given many plastic toys my son loves. However, if you can opt for wooden, rubber, and even silicone instead, that would be ideal. If you only focus on toys for the first year of life, that would be amazing too, since that is a large portion of the toy chewing, and that is the major concern here.

Other areas you can try to reduce plastic if you’re ready are out and about (think plastic coffee cups, styrofoam containers, etc.; bring your own if you can!), clothing, cosmetic and beauty products, and furniture and decorations.

2. Pay particular attention to your purchasing decisions for children’s items. I touched on this with plastic, but if you can reduce plastic and flame retardants around your child, that’s going to be important. Review our overview of endocrine disrupting chemicals post to read more about windows of vulnerability, but remember that early childhood, especially the first couple years, are critical for managing EDC exposure. 

This is especially possible if you are buying things for the first time. Opt for no flame retardants. Opt for natural materials over plastic. Educate your family on your preferences (and understand that you still will receive a variety of things and determine how you will deal with that). 

Like I said above, if you can reduce the amount of plastic your baby chew on in that first year or two of life when everything goes in the mouth, that would be a major win. Remember how I stated earlier that cutting on plastic and time degrades it, releasing EDCs? Yeah, teeth work the same way.

3. Wash your produce and try to buy organic. People argue about the relevance and toxicity of pesticide and other chemical use in agriculture. I’m not going to dive into it here, review above for a little more information, but my recommendation is just at the very least to wash your produce.

My mom always says “I never washed a vegetable in my life before.” We did not wash our produce growing up. We didn’t know! Why should we worry about toxic chemicals on our food? Alas, it is likely. It’s also so easy to just wash your produce really quickly, so why not add that simple change to your routine for potential health benefits. 

Buy a produce wash or mix up some 1:1 vinegar and water spray (option to add lemon essential oil) and keep it under the sink to spray your fruits and veggies before you stick them in the fridge. I do recommend doing this before you put them in the fridge to keep those chemicals out of the fridge. Plus, if you take care of it right away, you don’t run into the issue of not doing it at dinner time because you’re feeling lazy or rushed. It won’t always happen, I know, but that’s always my goal.

If you can buy organic produce, that’s a plus too. There are controversies with organic produce and some people say “just wash your produce, don’t waste your money.” The evidence I’ve seen seems to support that it’s not necessarily possible to wash all residue off, but you can get a lot of it. You also have to consider the uptake of chemicals by food into themselves (not all plants do this), not just what’s on them. So take that for what it is and make your decision there. 

4. Avoid flame retardants.

I’ve discussed this a bit. There are a lot of options now and they’re not all crazy expensive. Unfortunately they can be. If you’re on a budget, focus on things you or your kids spend a lot of time with and start there. So maybe curtains are less of a priority than the couch. Maybe baby gear is a top priority. Maybe you focus on rugs that baby’s crawl around on but not the master bedroom rug. 

The answer to this is different for everyone, so figure out what works for you. For me, when my son was born, I made sure everything on my registry was flame retardant free. Now as my husband and I are furnishing a new living situation after selling basically everything, the house looks very sparse as I prioritize saving for high quality pieces without flame retardants and with natural materials over filling the space.

5. Buy high quality meat. 

Though EDCs and other chemicals and contaminants are likely to be found in all sorts of meat due to our global pollution issues, there are ways you can reduce your exposure, unfortunately this means a little more money and isn’t accessible to all. Here are some ways you can get more bang for your buck. 

If you can buy all local and you know their farming practices minimize chemical use, that’s obviously the best. That’s also not possible for most people. From there, if you can buy all organic and even prioritize grass-raised, that’s amazing too. It can get pricey, but you can make it work even if you aren’t rolling in it. 

If budget is a major concern, I would encourage you to focus on 1) wild caught seafood over farmed, and responsibly farmed over whatever you can find at Walmart, then 2) organic, grass-raised red meat (beef, pork, etc.), then 3) poultry. Poultry seems to have less issues and if you’re going to buy anything normal to save a penny, poultry is your safest bet. 

One last note is that, though seafood is so good for you, you may want to reduce your consumption of it to no more than a couple times a week. Additionally, reducing your shellfish consumption is a good bet for reducing your EDC exposure. Salmon seems a lot less likely to have high levels of EDCs than something like a crawfish or shrimp, because of their eating habits.

Summary / TLDR

Endocrine disrupting chemicals exist throughout your life and it is impossible to fully eliminate them, but so possible, and in some cases even easy, to reduce them. I can honestly boil reducing your EDC exposure down into two major steps. 

They’re not necessarily easy steps, and there’s a lot of variation in there depending on what people are willing to do, but here’s my recommendation. To reduce your EDC exposure, focus on reducing your use of plastic (especially when related to food preparation and consumption) and focus on your food (pick higher quality and wash your produce).

If you can do those two things, you will be a long way toward reducing your EDC exposure. One final note I would add is that focusing on reducing plastic, flame retardants, pesticides, and conventional personal care products for your youngest children and those going through puberty is going to go the farthest for protecting their health, due to those windows of vulnerability during high developmental stages. And if you’re pregnant, being vigilant about your choices is especially important.

And remember, scientists are working on finding ways to reduce EDCs and toxins from our environment. It’s not a perfect solution, but it is progress. That combined with the power of our individual purchasing decisions (and you do have power, don’t become apathetic about that!) and increasing awareness of this issue are likely to have major impacts in this area. 

I’m hopeful for a far better future for our grandchildren and their grandchildren in this area.

I hope you found this content helpful and maybe found a place to start with reducing your EDC exposure and taking charge of your health. If you enjoyed this and want to see more like it, please consider subscribing to our newsletter and browse our previous articles for a variety of topics that may interest you.