Why Should You Care: About Endocrine Disruptors?

Hey, Neighbor!

Sarah here with the first of a series I'll be calling "Why Should You Care?"

Together, we're going to explore ways we can analyze current housekeeping habits in ways that will improve our health, save us money, and empower us to make choices that will make lasting, holistic changes to our relationship with the ecosystem we live in.

Today, for our first article, we're going to go over Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), how it impacts your health and... why you should care:

What is the Endocrine System?

The endocrine system is a collection of organs, mostly glands, that can read and respond to the state of your body. As well, they produce and release hormones that help with its regulation and cycles. Everything from digestion, emotional well being, and reproductive cycles are driven by the endocrine system. With the help of our endocrine system, our bodies try to achieve what is known as homeostasis, or a state of balance in the body. 

Hormone receptors in our body pick up and process the hormones released by our endocrine system, and get to work processing the message that it sends. Are your estrogen levels changing? How about your cortisol? Is it time to get sleepy and go to bed? Your endocrine system, in conjunction with your hormone receptors, are the reason your body is so good at managing these things without conscious effort on your part.

Crash Course, a fantastic YouTube resource, has a video all about the endocrine system and why it's a great thing to keep in balance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVrlHH14q3o

What is an Endocrine Disrupting Chemical (EDC)?

An endocrine disruptor is a chemical compound that is shaped similarly enough to one of your hormones that it can bind itself to your hormone receptors in much the same way that your hormones do. This can lead to major problems, because your body can’t break down and process those chemicals in the same way. They’re look-alikes, but fundamentally different in many ways. As a result they can sometimes BLOCK your hormone receptors long after coming in contact with them while your system struggles to process that copy-cat.

What do they do?

I want you to imagine your lock on your front door - it’s essential for your safety and enjoyment that you be able to use this door. On your key ring are two keys - one is the normal, appropriate key for the front door. When you use it, you’re inside, exactly as you planned to be! The other key, however, is similar enough that you get the two confused sometimes, and a frustrating series of events begins to happen.

When you use That Other Key on accident, it goes in well enough, but once inside, it gets stuck. So stuck, in fact, you struggle to remove it from the lock. You can’t enter your house, and worse, maybe you’ve damaged your lock trying to remove it and it will take you a long time to fix it with a replacement lock. 

This is the very scenario your hormone receptors face when an EDC is brought onto the scene - your receptors are blocked, even damaged, meaning important chemical signals in your body can no longer do their job as effectively. Everything from your physical, mental, and reproductive health could become affected.

The National Institute of Environmental Environmental Health Sciences has dedicated a significant amount of their research to endocrine disrupting chemicals and you can read all about their findings here: https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine

Where are they?

Endocrine disruptors are found in many of our household products and groceries. Common EDCs include herbicides like Atrazine, BPA resins in packaging, phthalates in many cleaning solutions, and dioxins used in paper bleaching. 

This means everything from cleaners, detergents, fabric softeners, air fresheners, candles, and more could be introducing these harmful chemicals to your body through diet and beverages, as well as skin and airways. 

PubMed with Drs Lee and Ji cross examined thousands of household cleaners to see which included EDCs that needed further testing. Click the full text like found on their NIH page here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35642859/

What does this affect long and short term?

For many people, the effects of EDCs are minor but noticeable. Removing these chemicals from your cleaning routine often brings about improved mood and increased energy, easier breathing and more focus. For others, the effects can be much more beneficial: NIEHS supported research has discovered links between EDCs and diminished immune response, metabolism disruption, abnormalities in puberty, and even epigenetic changes in reproduction. We encourage everyone to take stock of how they feel on a day to day basis as they find EDC free versions of their favorite cleaning products. You may be surprised by how much of a difference you notice when comparing before and after! 

PubMed Central has compiled and analyzed potential connections between popular EDCs and recorded health history: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7541969/

How do I reduce my exposure?

The answer to this question is my specialty!

It’s important to understand that the prevalence of EDCs make it impossible to eliminate them from your life. However, with measured, and intentional changes in your purchasing choices, you can greatly reduce your risk factors. Baby steps that maintain your quality of life as well as your lifestyle can often be the most impactful way to create lasting changes in our routine. Below are some of my favorite and easiest ways to reduce EDC exposure in your cleaning regimen:

• A common source of EDCs is bleached paper - it’s a simple matter to replace your paper towel with an unbleached variety and purchase a couple cotton towels to use for less critical messes. Avoid the microplastics in microfiber towels.

• Luffa sponges are effective on grease, amazing at holding soap suds, and coarse enough to take on muck but soft enough to protect my dishes. They’re cheaper than most sponges, too! All natural, these bad boys last a long time, but are bio degradable, fit in bottles when you need them to, and have a wide range of practical uses.

• Gradually swapping typical grocery purchases for alternatives that have glass containers instead of plastic ones can boost your jar collection for left overs while reducing the micro-plastics and EDCs you’re encountering in your food.

  
  

If you're like me, and absolutely need to ensure the quality of your health and your products, join me as I continue to share my methods from replacing harmful exposure with healthy, express cleaning. I'll be releasing 3 articles a month where we'll explore easy ways to save your back, save you money, and save the ecosystem while improving your own holistic health. The next release is July 5th, 2025 where we'll be talking all about which fragrances could be the cause of Spot's sneaky case of snuffles: https://www.thegoodfolk.biz/post/fragrances-their-impact-on-pet-health

-Sarah