Our daily use of furniture, toothpaste, sun protection cream, toys, etc. may affect our body's hormonal balance and cause cancers, asthma, birth
defects as well as damage to the environment. This is because these
items may contain triclosan,
tetrabromobisphenol A, OMC, DEP and bisphenol A, which are known as "Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs)”. For example, triclosan is found in toothpaste, tetrabromobisphenol
A (TBBPA) in furniture, OMC in sun protection lotion, DEP in food packaging
while bisphenol A (BPA) in baby bottles.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) found that there were links between exposure to EDCs and health issues such as testicular problems, breast, prostate and thyroid cancer, developmental effects on the nervous system in children and attention deficit hyperactivity in children.
There was strong evidence in animals that many of these can interfere with thyroid hormones, which could then cause brain damage, decrease intelligence, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism. In other cases, for example, in the case of prostate cancer, it relates significantly with agricultural pesticide exposure.
Different type of EDCs affects different parts of our body:
Bisphenol A (BPA), a man-made compound found in a host of daily items such as plastics, tin cans and sunglasses, can interfere with the natural hormones from pituitary and thyroid glands that influence our development and growth.
BPA is especially hazardous to children and pregnant women as it has many detrimental effects on development. The best way to avoid unnecessary exposure to BPA is to replace plastic items such as tupperware, baby bottles, tableware and appliances like coffee makers with plastic tubing. If you must store food in plastic containers, try to limit this to only foods low in fats and oils. And never microwave or heat foods in plastic containers, as this will potentially accelerate the leeching of BPA into foods.
Parabens are a class of chemicals used as a preservative in personal care products as well as in some foods. Some parabens have the capacity to mimic estrogen.
Phthalates, often found in pesticides, are harmful to female fertility and can increase the risk of childhood illnesses such as leukaemia.
Many foods like meats or products from animals raised in a concentrated agricultural feeding operation (CAFO) contain hormones. These hormones are usually sex hormones such as testosterone which are fed to animals to increase the production of meat and milk. But these can have adverse effects on development in children and reproductive function in adults.
An EDC is a substance that is similar to chemical
signaling molecules in our body. They affect us adversely by mimicking the natural compounds secreted by our endocrine
system and hence disrupting our normal body activity. This is why they are called endocrine disrupting chemicals.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) found that there were links between exposure to EDCs and health issues such as testicular problems, breast, prostate and thyroid cancer, developmental effects on the nervous system in children and attention deficit hyperactivity in children.
There was strong evidence in animals that many of these can interfere with thyroid hormones, which could then cause brain damage, decrease intelligence, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism. In other cases, for example, in the case of prostate cancer, it relates significantly with agricultural pesticide exposure.
Different type of EDCs affects different parts of our body:
Bisphenol A (BPA), a man-made compound found in a host of daily items such as plastics, tin cans and sunglasses, can interfere with the natural hormones from pituitary and thyroid glands that influence our development and growth.
BPA is especially hazardous to children and pregnant women as it has many detrimental effects on development. The best way to avoid unnecessary exposure to BPA is to replace plastic items such as tupperware, baby bottles, tableware and appliances like coffee makers with plastic tubing. If you must store food in plastic containers, try to limit this to only foods low in fats and oils. And never microwave or heat foods in plastic containers, as this will potentially accelerate the leeching of BPA into foods.
Parabens are a class of chemicals used as a preservative in personal care products as well as in some foods. Some parabens have the capacity to mimic estrogen.
Phthalates, often found in pesticides, are harmful to female fertility and can increase the risk of childhood illnesses such as leukaemia.
Many foods like meats or products from animals raised in a concentrated agricultural feeding operation (CAFO) contain hormones. These hormones are usually sex hormones such as testosterone which are fed to animals to increase the production of meat and milk. But these can have adverse effects on development in children and reproductive function in adults.
Some other sources of EDCs in foods are found in the preservatives, pesticides, anti-microbial
agents, and artificial sweeteners. Washing vegetables thoroughly is an important step
to reduce our potential for their exposure.
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