Why Should We Worry About Endocrine Disruptors?
Wikipedia describes endocrine disruptors this way: “Chemicals that, at certain doses, can interfere with the endocrine (or hormone) system in mammals. These disruptions can cause cancerous tumors, birth defects, and other developmental disorders. Any system in the body controlled by hormones can be derailed by hormone disruptors.”
This is certainly bad news for anyone planning to have a baby, but the rest of us are not in the clear. Virtually every reaction in the body has a master chemical signal controlling it. Hormones are those master signals telling the body which processes to start or stop. The body’s endocrine glands create these hormones and when they are damaged, things go very wrong, real fast. The most obvious of these outcomes is in the proliferation of cancer.
By The Numbers:
- 3 Million American women can’t carry a baby to full-term – a 49% increase from 1988
- 80,000 Chemicals produced in US with 62,000 are grandfathered. [Won’t be evaluated]
- 42 Billion/lbs of chemicals manufactured in US/day. [623,000 tanker trucks]
- 2000% Increase in manufactured chemical in the last 50 years
- 14 Billion lbs of PVC are manufactured annually [75% used in construction]
- Chemical Industry Revenues: $720+ billion/yr
Our justice system typically requires companies to prove their products don’t harm consumers, but this is not the case for chemical companies. Chemical companies aren’t required to provide the burden of proof. The US government must prove a chemical is unsafe in order to remove it from the marketplace. This is in large part due to the immense lobbying efforts the industry is invested in, to the tune of $52 million every year.
What to Look For
The World Health Organization recently wrote a report recommending an outright ban on all endocrine-disrupting chemicals because of the danger posed to human health. Common chemicals to avoid can be found here:
The Dirty Dozen + 1
Bisphenol-A (BPA) & Bisphenol-S (BPS) – plastic containers, lining of cans
Dioxin – Sanitary pads
Atrazine – GMO pesticides, ground water near farmland
Phthalates – plastic bottles, deodorants, shampoos, fragrances
Arsenic – leaching into drinking water
Lead – make-up, fragrances, lipstick
Mercury – mascara, vaccines
Organophosphate Pesticides – insecticide
Fire Retardants – mainly construction materials and furniture
Glycol ethers – cleaning compounds, liquid soaps, and cosmetics
Perchlorate – bleach, fertilizers, ground water
Perfluorinated Chemicals (PFCs) – cleaners, toothpaste, shampoo
Parabens – plastics, fragrances, cleaners
How toxic are our bodies?
A large study was conducted and found 93% of Americans have Bisphenol-A in the body. Its safe to say that with toxins in our water, air, personal care products, plastic containers, cooking pans, furniture, electronics and lawns that everyone needs to be proactively removing toxins from their environments and body on a regular basis. This is the reason our mission is dedicated to education and developing effective natural alternatives.
The Liver’s Role
The liver is responsible for over 500 chemical reactions including those involved in the detoxification of the body. In 2015, when 1 in 3 Americans have fatty liver disease it’s no surprise to find cancer effecting 1 in 2 women and 1 in 3 men in American in their lifetime.
Keep in mind our website offers articles on healthy diets and education for today’s common ailments to make certain you are informed and in good health.
how can I detoxify my body?
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endocrine_disruptor
- The Human Experiment (Documentary) 2013
- https://www3.epa.gov
- dow.com
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/288916.php