5 ms·

As someone who is too lazy to do their own research on this topic....did you happen to find which products generally contain the most endocrine disruptors?

horsawlarway 4y ago
They'll be in basically all of the plastic around you - since the chemicals do a good job at plasticizing (making plastic less brittle). If you want a more thorough list, the NIH compiled this --- What are some common endocrine disruptors? Bisphenol A (BPA) — used to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, which are found in many plastic products including food storage containers Dioxins — produced as a byproduct in herbicide production and paper bleaching, they are also released into the environment during waste burning and wildfires Perchlorate — a by-product of aerospace, weapon, and pharmaceutical industries found in drinking water and fireworks Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) — used widely in industrial applications, such as firefighting foams and non-stick pan, paper, and textile coatings Phthalates — used to make plastics more flexible, they are also found in some food packaging, cosmetics, children’s toys, and medical devices Phytoestrogens — naturally occurring substances in plants that have hormone-like activity, such as genistein and daidzein that are in soy products, like tofu or soy milk Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) — used to make flame retardants for household products such as furniture foam and carpets Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) — used to make electrical equipment like transformers, and in hydraulic fluids, heat transfer fluids, lubricants, and plasticizers Triclosan — may be found in some anti-microbial and personal care products, like liquid body wash
- comte7092 4y ago
  One of these is not like the others: > Phytoestrogens — naturally occurring substances in plants that have hormone-like activity, such as genistein and daidzein that are in soy products, like tofu or soy milk Your comment doesn’t explicitly say that Phytoestrogens are only present in soy, but it should be clear that such compounds are extremely common, even though people tend to single out soy (largely because soy has been the most studied for potentially positive health reasons). Phytoestrogens are present in many different grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables, etc [0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoestrogen?wprov=sfti1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoestrogen?wprov=sfti1
- jemmyw 4y ago
  The problem with going for BPA free products is that they tend to use alternatives that probably have the same issue as BPA they just haven't been tested to the same degree yet.
- adgjlsfhk1 4y ago
  note that the evidence for phytoestrogens being endocrine disruptors is exceptionally weak. it's essentially 1 study from the 1940s on sheep that has since been contradicted by a number of human studies.
Dig1t 4y ago
My partner and I recently embarked on a journey to replace as many products in our lives that contain endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC's) as we could. It's _really_ hard. You have to carefully read product labels, 99.9% of products don't contain any info about EDC's, you have to specially seek out ones that are labeled as phthalate-free, BPA-free, etc. Biggest offenders are in the kitchen and bathroom. Shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, perfume, are big offenders. There are special versions of these products you can find but they don't usually work as well. Most things that are scented have phthalates. Pretty much any food that comes in a flexible plastic container, most dairy and eggs have it as well (dairy because of the flexible plastic tubing used when pumping milk). One example of a source for milk: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23138015/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23138015/
- einpoklum 4y ago
  What does "etc." mean? Also - products which would not reasonably be produced with, say, "phtalate" - would probably not be labeled phtalate-free anyway. So one first needs to know which "X-free" labels to look for.
  - Dig1t 4y ago
    "etc" in my comment was meant to be other types of chemicals people don't necessarily like. Example: many deodorants that are phthalate-free are also free of aluminum, because people likely to be concerned about phthalates are also likely to be concerned about aluminum, even though aluminum is not an EDC (some people are worried about it being a carcinogen I think). I was just saying here that products with "X-free" are correlated with also being phthalate-free. But yeah, specifically the thing to look for is "phthalate-free".
- nanomonkey 4y ago
  Even some papers are lined with BPA, or similar products. The reactant acid in thermal paper is often bisphenol A (BPA). A good reason to go without getting a receipt.
- Vrondi 4y ago
  Good grief, just trying to find products that are unscented is a nightmare. So many say "unscented" on the front, then have "parfum" or something in the ingredients.
ropable 4y ago
If I recall correctly, the best way to avoid immediate exposure to this class of chemical was to avoid heat your food inside plastic containers (typically in a microwave) as this can mobilise some of the more volatile endocrine-disrupting compounds into your meal.

horsawlarway 4y ago

They'll be in basically all of the plastic around you - since the chemicals do a good job at plasticizing (making plastic less brittle). If you want a more thorough list, the NIH compiled this --- What are some common endocrine disruptors? Bisphenol A (BPA) — used to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, which are found in many plastic products including food storage containers Dioxins — produced as a byproduct in herbicide production and paper bleaching, they are also released into the environment during waste burning and wildfires Perchlorate — a by-product of aerospace, weapon, and pharmaceutical industries found in drinking water and fireworks Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) — used widely in industrial applications, such as firefighting foams and non-stick pan, paper, and textile coatings Phthalates — used to make plastics more flexible, they are also found in some food packaging, cosmetics, children’s toys, and medical devices Phytoestrogens — naturally occurring substances in plants that have hormone-like activity, such as genistein and daidzein that are in soy products, like tofu or soy milk Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE) — used to make flame retardants for household products such as furniture foam and carpets Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) — used to make electrical equipment like transformers, and in hydraulic fluids, heat transfer fluids, lubricants, and plasticizers Triclosan — may be found in some anti-microbial and personal care products, like liquid body wash

comte7092 4y ago
One of these is not like the others: > Phytoestrogens — naturally occurring substances in plants that have hormone-like activity, such as genistein and daidzein that are in soy products, like tofu or soy milk Your comment doesn’t explicitly say that Phytoestrogens are only present in soy, but it should be clear that such compounds are extremely common, even though people tend to single out soy (largely because soy has been the most studied for potentially positive health reasons). Phytoestrogens are present in many different grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables, etc [0] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoestrogen?wprov=sfti1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoestrogen?wprov=sfti1
jemmyw 4y ago
The problem with going for BPA free products is that they tend to use alternatives that probably have the same issue as BPA they just haven't been tested to the same degree yet.
adgjlsfhk1 4y ago
note that the evidence for phytoestrogens being endocrine disruptors is exceptionally weak. it's essentially 1 study from the 1940s on sheep that has since been contradicted by a number of human studies.

Dig1t 4y ago

My partner and I recently embarked on a journey to replace as many products in our lives that contain endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC's) as we could. It's _really_ hard. You have to carefully read product labels, 99.9% of products don't contain any info about EDC's, you have to specially seek out ones that are labeled as phthalate-free, BPA-free, etc. Biggest offenders are in the kitchen and bathroom. Shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, perfume, are big offenders. There are special versions of these products you can find but they don't usually work as well. Most things that are scented have phthalates. Pretty much any food that comes in a flexible plastic container, most dairy and eggs have it as well (dairy because of the flexible plastic tubing used when pumping milk). One example of a source for milk: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23138015/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23138015/

einpoklum 4y ago
What does "etc." mean? Also - products which would not reasonably be produced with, say, "phtalate" - would probably not be labeled phtalate-free anyway. So one first needs to know which "X-free" labels to look for.
- Dig1t 4y ago
  "etc" in my comment was meant to be other types of chemicals people don't necessarily like. Example: many deodorants that are phthalate-free are also free of aluminum, because people likely to be concerned about phthalates are also likely to be concerned about aluminum, even though aluminum is not an EDC (some people are worried about it being a carcinogen I think). I was just saying here that products with "X-free" are correlated with also being phthalate-free. But yeah, specifically the thing to look for is "phthalate-free".
nanomonkey 4y ago
Even some papers are lined with BPA, or similar products. The reactant acid in thermal paper is often bisphenol A (BPA). A good reason to go without getting a receipt.
Vrondi 4y ago
Good grief, just trying to find products that are unscented is a nightmare. So many say "unscented" on the front, then have "parfum" or something in the ingredients.

ropable 4y ago

If I recall correctly, the best way to avoid immediate exposure to this class of chemical was to avoid heat your food inside plastic containers (typically in a microwave) as this can mobilise some of the more volatile endocrine-disrupting compounds into your meal.