How to Avoid Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are similar in structure to natural hormones such as the female sex hormone estrogen, the male sex hormone androgen and thyroid hormones, which allow them to interfere with development, 1 reproduction, neurological functioning, metabolism, satiety and your immune system function, and much more. 2 For example, they may block certain hormonal signals, alter your hormone levels or change the way your natural hormones travel through your body. As noted in a World Health Organization report published in 2012, 3 , 4 the effects of EDCs on your hormonal systems “can lead to obesity, infertility or reduced fertility, learning and memory difficulties, Type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease, as well as a variety of other diseases." What’s more, since hormones operate at parts per million and parts per billion concentrations, the Endocrine Society warns there may be no safe level of exposure for many EDCs...