EDC Primer: This is a crash course on common endocrine disrupting chemicals and why we need to avoid them.

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For more info about endocrine disruptors to follow along with this primer, check out this link: https://bit.ly/EDC_primer

What is the Endocrine System?

The endocrine system makes the hormones that our body needs. Hormones are chemicals that signals many important processes in our body. Here’s just a few things they are responsible for. 

• Breaking down sugars 
• Producing sperm (in men) 
• Preventing cancers 
• Building muscle
• Improving bone density  
• Regulating reproductive cycles

…and much more!

Endocrine disrupting chemicals, known as EDCs, are synthetic chemicals that mimic hormones in our body.

How do EDCs interfere with our hormones?

EDCs may turn on a function at the wrong time, for example to produce a chemical that isn’t needed, or it may block the real hormone from binding to the receptor, essentially stalling the proper function of the hormone. And sometimes EDCs work by just messing with the “supply chain”, making you produce too much or too little of specific hormones, which can lead to all sorts of deficiencies and problems. 

You can start to get a sense for why when potential sources of EDCs are eliminated or reduced, people have an easier time getting pregnant. For more eye-opening tips in this regard, check out Netflix’s Plastic Detox documentary that follows 6 couples through their fertility challenges.

EDCs have been linked to all sorts of health issues including obesity, diabetes, and cancers.

What are some example EDCs?

Parabens, used as preservatives in foods and cosmetics, are well-known EDCs. Other EDCs include bisphenols like BPA, forever chemicals such as PFAS, and solvents such as phthalates.

BPA, known as bisphenol-A, is an epoxy that was frequently used to line aluminum cans for foods and beverages. These days, due to bans on BPA because of their endocrine disrupting effects, we use other types of phenols, e.g. BPF and BPS. Unfortunately, these are known as regretable solutions, as they have been shown to cause cancers.^1,2

PFAS aka. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are a large, complex group of over 10,000 synthetic chemicals, often called "forever chemicals" because they do not degrade easily in the environment or our bodies. They include a long chain of carbon and fluorine atoms and are the building blocks to Teflon, plastic labeled as PTFE, non-stick coatings, stain resistant sprays like Scotchgard, and fire fighting foam. They’ve only recently been banned in food contact products, but we used to use them in butter wrapper and in microwaveable popcorn bags among many other things you would find in grocery stores. If you want to know about the history of PFAS and its environmental and health impacts, watch Dark Waters with Mark Ruffalo. It’s a great, but very depressing movie.

Phthalates are found in many everyday personal care items and they are used as plasticizers, so basically any flexible plastic packaging contains them. We should be highly concerned about food contacting plastics. Phthalates leach into dairy products, for example from plastic yogurt containers³ and baby food puree pouches⁴.

Phthalates are also used as a carrier chemical in fragrances and “flavors” in cosmetics. The FDA does not require cosmetic manufacturers to list the chemical composition of fragrances and flavors, so as a baseline, you can assume phthalates are in these ingredients unless otherwise noted.

How do I avoid EDCs?

Now you've done the first step, and that is educating yourself on endocrine disrupting chemicals! For more links for learning, such as educational podcasts and articles, see https://bit.ly/EDC_primer.

Here are a few other tips you can follow to minimize your exposure to EDCs:

• Look for common parabens on the labels of food and cosmetics products before you decide to purchase them. Avoid items that contain nondescript terms such as fragrance, aroma, and flavors.
• Check out Plasticlist and search for grocery items that have been tested for common endocrine disrupting chemicals, such as phthalates that leach from packaging.
• Avoid consuming food and drinks packaged in plastic or aluminum. This includes anything wrapped in flexible films, or plastic-lined packaging, especially for fatty and oily foods.