EDCs, Microplastic Harms: ADHD, autism, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, children's IQ decline, demasculinizing, diabetes, fertility issues, pregnancy complications, thyroid dysfunction, weight gain
A reliable, organized resource for efforts to right wrongs and reclaim our power. 174 references to original research and source material, organized by date, with quick links.
Contents
Dealing with Poisons
About EDCs / Xenoestrogens and Microplastics
Types of EDCs
Some EDCs are also “Obesogens”
EDC Sources & Prevalence
Harms from EDCs, PFAS, Microplastics
Reducing Harm: Limit Expose & Detoxify
More than 170 Sources by Date
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Dealing with Poisons
A Severe Betrayal: Man-Made Poisons — The desire of industry decision-makers to produce toxic (poisonous) chemicals—that they can profit from—has proven insatiable. The EPA has documented more than 80,000 poisons.
Oxidative Stress & Detoxification — Oxidative stress refers to a serious imbalance at the cellular level that is at the root of health issues. Detoxification is one of many natural processes of the human body and is conducted through various organs. The ability to effectively expel waste and toxins through multiple elimination pathways is crucial for optimizing health.
Pesticides, Glyphosate — Includes atrazine, CFS, DDT, fungicides. Harms: increased cancers, tumors, stillbirth, autism, brain damage, respiratory issues, liver disease, IBD, microbiome disruption, biodiversity loss, and damage to honeybees.
EDCs & Microplastics (you’re here) — Includes BPA, dioxins, parabens, PCBs, PE, PFAS, phenols, phthalates. Harms include ADHD, autism, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, children’s IQ decline, demasculinizing, diabetes, fertility issues, pregnancy complications, thyroid dysfunction, weight gain.
Fluoride — Fluoride is a neurotoxin, meaning it is a poisonous substance that disrupts the functioning of the nervous system. Harms include lower IQ in children, cancer, and osteoporosis.
Heavy Metals — Includes aluminum, antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel. Harms include cellular damage, bone diseases, Alzheimer’s, autism, liver and kidney damage, cancer, heart disease, heart failure, stroke, death.
Synthetic Food Additives — Includes emulsifiers, carrageenan, food dyes, artificial sweeteners, preservatives. Harms include tumors, asthma, neurological damage, ADHD, anxiety, and depression.
Air Pollution, VOCs & Other Toxins — Includes formaldehyde, GenX chemicals, PAHs, particle pollution, radon, TCDF, vinyl chloride, VOCs, TCE.
About EDCs / Xenoestrogens and Microplastics
The system of the body responsible for releasing hormones is called the endocrine system.
Hormones send signals that regulate how the body functions and grows. [source] Hormones affect respiration, metabolism, reproduction, sensory perception, movement, sexual development and growth.
Xenoestrogens are "synthetic compounds that... mimic the action of estrogens." [source] These "artificially made compounds produced by industry... have estrogenic effects and differ chemically from... naturally occurring estrogens produced by living organisms." [source]
As a result, xenoestrogens are endocrine disruptors, also called endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), interfering with the body's (extremely important) hormonal system. Some EDCs mimic the body's hormones; some prevent them from working properly. The majority of adverse effects from EDCs are caused by dysfunction related to estrogen. [source]
Many, many synthetic compounds are EDCs, including BPA, phthalates, PCBs, dioxins, herbicides and pesticides. [source and source]
Microplastics, also known as nanoplastics, refer to the break-down of plastics into tiny particles which contaminate the air, water, plants, and animals, and is found in human hearts and other organs.
EDCs Can Affect Virtually Every Process in the Human Body
Hormones govern more or less every single process in the human body, which means, worryingly, that endocrine-disruptors can affect—well, more or less every single process in the human body. – Raw Egg
EDCs are Among the Most Destructive Chemicals We Encounter
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are among the most destructive chemicals in our environment. Exposure to them is linked to growth, neurological and learning disabilities, obesity, diabetes, male and female reproductive dysfunction, birth defects, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. – Dr. Joseph Mercola
EDCs Include PCBs, PBDEs, Dioxins, BPA, Phthalates, Pesticides, Fungicides & Herbicides
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are… compounds which impair the function of the endocrine system leading to adverse health outcomes. Chemicals with endocrine disrupting potential… include many synthetic substances used in agriculture, industry as well as many consumer products. The most common include PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), PBDEs (polybrominated diethyl ethers), dioxins, plasticizers [BPA and phthalates], pesticides [methoxychlor, CFS, DDT], fungicides (vinclozolin) and herbicides… Although there are several different mechanisms through which EDCs can impair the function of the endocrine system, most of the reported adverse effects of their action are due to their interaction with estrogen receptors or alteration of estrogen signaling pathways. – Dominik Rachon, 2016
Indications of Endocrine Disruption Began in the 1920s; by the 1960s, There were Widely Reported Issues with Wildlife; Today, There are More than 1,000 EDCs
Early indications of endocrine-disrupting activity were reported in the 1920s using studies in pigs. In the 1960s, after exposure to industrial chemicals, endocrine disruption was reported widely in wildlife. Today, humans are ubiquitously exposed to chemicals in daily life... An expanding body of scientific evidence has begun to provide links between exposure to such chemicals and metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Evidence from research studies has shown that a variety of environmental chemicals can influence adipogenesis and obesity. Today, there are more than 1,000 chemicals reported to have endocrine effects. – Radhika Gupta et al
Types of EDCs
EDCs (compounds that disrupt the endocrine system) include:
Atrazine [source and source] — See Pesticides (here) for more detail
BPA (bisphenol A) [source and source and source] — “BPA was first developed in the 1890s as a synthetic estrogen which in the 1930s was shown to possess estrogenic activity comparable to estrone in stimulating the female reproductive system in rats.” [source] [source and source]
BPAF (bisphenol AF) [source]
DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) [source and source] — See Pesticides (here) for more detail
MSG (monosodium glutamate) [source]
Heavy Metals: Aluminum, Cadmium, Copper Oxychlor, Copper Sulfate, Lead, Mercury [source and source and source] — See Heavy Metals (here) for more detail
OPEs (organophosphates) [source and source] — includes CDP, TCIPP, TDCIPP, TIPP, TPHP
Parabens [source]
PBDEs (polybrominated diethyl ethers) [source]
PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) [source and source and source]
Pesticides, fungicides, herbicides [source and source and source] — See Pesticides (here) for more detail
PE, PET (polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate) [source and source] — See Microplastics (below) for more detail
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) [source and source and source and source] — “The fluorinated chemicals called PFAS are a class of synthetic, toxic and persistent chemicals used in more than 1,000 consumer and industrial products and applications.” [source] Includes fluorosurfactants (PFOS, PFOA), fluoropolymers (PTFE) and fluorocarbons. [source]
PFOA (C8, perfluorooctanoic acid) [source] — See also: PFAS
PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate) [source] — See also: PFAS
Phenols (including nitrophenol, parabens, bisphenol, octylphenol, and nonylphenol) [source and source and source]
Phthalates (BBP, DBP, DEHP, DEP, DiDP, DiNP, DnHP, and DnOP), Plasticizers, Synthetic Fragrance [source and source and source and source and source and source and source and source and source]
Some EDCs are also “Obesogens”
An obesogen is an “EDC that exerts permanent and even transgenerational changes to fat cells… Research shows obesogens are highly correlated with obesity and diabetes.” They “interfere with normal endocrine regulation of metabolism, adipose tissue development and maintenance, appetite, weight and energy balance.” [source and source and source and source]
The EDCs acting as obesogens listed here are:
Atrazine
BPA
Clozapine
DDT
Genistein
Heavy metals
MSG
Nicotine
OPEs (organophosphates) includes TIPP, CDP, TCIPP
Organobromines
Organotins
PCBs
PFOAs
Phthalates
EDC Sources & Prevalence
EDCs have been found in the following.
Aerosol propellants [source]
Air conditioning [source]
Air, indoor, from, for example, phthalates releasing from materials and creating “toxic dust” [source]
Air, outdoor, particularly where plastic waste was burned [source]
Ammunition [source]
Antibacterial soaps [source]
Apparel [source]
Baby bottles [source]
