Hormones and household items are an odd couple. While we need our hormones (chemicals released by a cell, gland or organ) to regulate everything from puberty to reproduction, we collect receipts, sprayed fruits, and cookware, along with their hormone disruptors—BPA, atrazine, and dioxin.
Research shows that endocrine disrupting chemicals not only tamper with metabolic functioning, but also have the potential to cause various cancers and many other health problems.
Industry regulators are heeding the warning bells. Currently they’re considering monitoring a particular list of chemicals, dubbed the “Dirty Dozen,” that are excessively used in manufacturing and agriculture, and continually threaten to do irreparable harm to our already overburdened bodies.
The Dirty Dozen (along with their prevalent targets)
- BPA—cans, receipts, plastics
- Dioxin—food
- Atrazine—conventional food, drinking water
- Phthalates—plastics
- Perchlorate—food, drinking water
- Fire retardants—house dust, foam furniture, old carpet
- Lead—old paint, drinking water
- Arsenic—food, drinking water
- Mercury—fish
- Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs)—non-stick cookware, water-resistant coatings
- Organophosphate pesticides—fruits and vegetables
- Glycol ethers—paints, cleaning products
Read the full report by Keep A Breast and The Environmental Working Group.
