12 Worst Endocrine Disruptors and How to Avoid Them
Our long-time friend, the late Doug Evers, founded and owned a small food supplement business, wholesaling to health food stores, and providing private label products to M.D.s, chiropractors, naturopaths, and other health practitioners.
Doug was a kind man, and an avid fisherman and hunter. I was blessed to have been invited to accompany him and a few other men on a number of fishing trips, both to northern Wisconsin, where he lived, and on perhaps it was a half-dozen times up to a huge lake far into the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada. It was a 22-hour drive from the Twin Cities, Minnesota!
For many years, we had Doug in the line-up of regular teachers at our Bible conferences around the country. One of the topics Doug pounded into our craniums most often was about the toxic chemicals in many of our food and everyday household products.
Below are some excerpts from an article by Emma Suttie which was published in the Epoch Times on July 5, 2022. It is a great refresher for those who have learned much from Doug. For those who did not know Doug, the information in this article may be a shocker.
Mystery Babylon (MB) is falling—no question about that now—but it is still doing everything it can to destroy God’s people. That includes the deliberate (my opinion, of course) adulteration of our food, cosmetic, personal care, and cleaning products.
We suspect that only those at or near the top of MB (aka, the cabal) are aware of that genocidal agenda. Those in the research and development, manufacturing, marketing and sales, and distribution of the products, and various lower levels of management are merely doing their job, trying to make a decent living, and having no clue of the hidden agenda of those at the top.
But we, who understand the MB agenda from a biblical prophetic perspective, should be discerning and wise.
Daniel 12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
Thankfully, Dr. Suttie, (D.AC.AP) not only has compiled this list of a “dirty dozen,” but she identifies for us where these toxic substances and products are found, and what some alternatives might be.
Obviously, there are many more tainted or bad “foods” which we should avoid. In addition to following God’s list of clean and unclean animals and seafood, I place at the top of my list soybeans—in all its forms, including miso. Soy is one that Doug Evers also used to hit hard, explaining how it is very harmful over a period of time.
It is an estrogen mimicker and males end up with an excess of this female hormone. (Yes, I know that men have some estrogen and women have some testosterone, but getting an excess of either leads to serious problems.)
I have often wondered if that might be part of the reason we now see so many (primarily younger) biological males who are either confused over their sexual identity, or who are very effeminate, or both.
Could that be part of the reason we have seen such an explosion in homosexual men in recent decades? We do not think it is all because it is now legally safe for them to “come out of the closet.”
That would lead us to wonder if their current biological make-up may not be all their fault, but how were they raised? On soy formula as infants? God forbid!
On all kinds of foods with soybean oil and soy in various other forms as they grew up? Their parents were probably tricked into thinking they were giving their child a “healthier” food. God forgive us!
As for biological females having an excess of estrogen from soy—well, that cannot be good either. We have some thoughts on that, too, but we shall forego speculating at this time. That’s an area for research by someone who can take the time to see what shows up on non-Google web searches.
We have abbreviated Dr. Suttie’s article, providing 6 of the 12 worst endocrine disruptors, but here’s the link to the complete article in the Epoch Times. QUOTE:
The 12 Worst Endocrine Disruptors and How to Avoid Them
These common chemicals can wreak havoc on your hormone system and the many critical roles it plays.
By Emma Suttie July 5, 2022
At the turn of the previous century, we began to introduce dangerous and unnatural chemicals into our lives and environment because of promised conveniences and cheaper prices. People jumped at the opportunity to enjoy niceties that generations before them hadn’t. But, as wouldn’t be discovered for years, many of those conveniences would prove deadly, and we’re still discovering the ramifications that these substances have had on our health and planet.
What Are Endocrine Disruptors?
Endocrine disruptors are chemicals or toxins that affect the human (and often animal) endocrine system, typically by mimicking hormones and disrupting hormone function. Hormones are one of the body’s essential messenger systems and are responsible for triggering some of our most transformative processes, including growth, puberty, and reproduction.
Endocrine disruptors can affect hormone levels and hormone production, wreaking havoc on the body.
Endocrine disruptors usually affect development and reproduction and can cause cancerous tumors, birth defects, and changes in the brain and immune system. We encounter multiple endocrine-disrupting chemicals in our daily lives.
They’re found in many everyday products, such as plastic bottles and food containers, the lining of metal food cans, food, toys, detergents, cosmetics, receipts, and pesticides.
Because they’re ubiquitous and people are exposed to so many simultaneously, studying their health effects is complex, and the long-term health consequences remain unclear. What seems certain is that these unnatural chemicals harm our health, the health of wildlife, and the environment, as well as contaminate our food and water supply.
The Endocrine System
The endocrine system is made up of a complex network of glands and organs that release hormones into the bloodstream. These hormones control mood, growth, and development, the functioning of our organs, metabolism, and reproduction.
The major glands and organs that make up the endocrine system are the following:
- hypothalamus
- pituitary gland
- pineal gland
- thyroid and parathyroid glands
- thymus
- pancreas
- adrenals
- the ovaries
- the testes
The endocrine system is responsible for a huge number of the body’s processes and is vital to the body’s healthy functioning. Because endocrine-disrupting chemicals can damage the delicate hormone balance the endocrine system regulates, knowing where these chemicals are and how to limit our exposure to them is vital to our health.
In addition to avoiding endocrine-disrupting chemicals, getting a lot of exercise and eating a healthy diet are the best ways to keep your endocrine system functioning optimally.
The 12 Worst Offenders
Here’s a list of the 12 worst endocrine disruptors, where to find them, and some of the best ways to avoid them.
1. BPA
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used in plastics that can mimic the hormone estrogen, interacting with estrogen receptors in the body and contributing to cancer development and progression. BPA is an industrial chemical that has been used to make certain plastics and resins since the 1950s.
Exposure to BPA has been linked to breast, prostate, and other hormone-associated cancers. BPA has been replaced in some products by BPS and BPF, but scientists are discovering these chemicals may be just as bad.
Where to Find It
Water bottles
Plastic food containers
Thermal receipt paper
The coating on the inside of metal food cans
Water supply lines
Used in some dental and composite sealants
How to Avoid It
Use glass or metal water bottles and food containers instead of plastic
Eat fresh fruits and vegetables instead of canned
Don’t take receipts, or minimize handling them
Look for BPA-free labels on cans and bottles
Ask your dentist about BPAs before having dental work done
2. Atrazine
Atrazine is a potent endocrine disruptor and one of the most commonly used herbicides in the United States, used mainly to control grasses and broadleaf weeds. Approximately 80 million pounds of it are used annually in the United States alone.
Atrazine persists in the environment and is pervasive in ground, surface, and drinking water. Atrazine is so toxic to wildlife and humans that it was banned in the European Union in 2004. It continues to be widely used in the United States.
In humans, atrazine exposure has been linked to tumors; breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers in women; and prostate cancers in men. It has also been linked to delayed puberty and other developmental and reproductive problems.
A study from 2011 confirms atrazine’s effects across a range of species, including ours, and found that it both “demasculinizes” and “feminizes” vertebrate male gonads.
Where to Find It
Corn
Sorghum
Sugarcane
Macadamia nuts
Guava
Residential lawns
Along the sides of roads and railroads
How to Avoid It
Buy organic fruits and vegetables
Get a water filter that’s certified to remove atrazine
Grow as much of your food as possible using clean water to avoid herbicides and pesticides
Avoid using pesticides and herbicides on your lawn and garden
3. Dioxin
Dioxins are formed during many industrial processes and also result from burning chlorine or bromine in the presence of carbon and oxygen, a common occurrence in many combustion processes, including waste incineration or burning oil or wood.
Dioxins can disrupt male and female sex hormones in the body. Research shows that exposure to low levels in the womb early in life can permanently affect sperm quality and lower sperm count in men during their reproductive years.
Dioxins are long-lived and build up in the body and food chain, are potent carcinogens, can affect immune and reproductive systems, can cause developmental problems, and can interfere with hormones.
Where to Find Them
Dioxins are found in the environment worldwide and accumulate in food chains, mainly contaminating the fatty tissue of animals. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 90 percent of human exposure to dioxin is through the intake of animal fats, mainly meat, dairy products, fish, and shellfish. Milk, eggs, and butter are also at risk of contamination with dioxins.
How to Avoid Them
Avoiding dioxins is challenging since the ongoing release of dioxins has contaminated a considerable percentage of the U.S. food supply. Cutting back on animal products can limit your exposure to these dangerous chemicals, as well as raising your own animals for food.
4. Phthalates
Studies have linked phthalates to hormone changes, lower sperm count, less mobile sperm, birth defects in the male reproductive system, obesity, diabetes, and thyroid irregularities. Phthalates have also demonstrated the ability to trigger death-inducing signaling in testicular cells, making cells in the testicles die sooner than they should.
Where to Find Them
Plastic food containers
Children’s toys
Plastic wrap made with PVC (this has the recycling label No. 3)
Some personal care products
Nearly anything with fragrance added, especially if it’s just labeled “fragrance”
How to Avoid Them
Use glass, fabric, or metal food and water containers
Carefully read labels on children’s toys and opt for more natural materials, such as wood and fabric instead of plastics
Avoid plastic wrap
Use natural personal care products, make your own, or carefully read labels
Avoid any products with fragrances, as most of them are loaded with toxic chemicals
5. Glycol Ethers
Glycol ethers are a large group of organic solvents used industrially and in our homes as glass, carpet, floor, and oven cleaners. Studies show that rats exposed to glycol ethers suffered testicular atrophy or shrinkage.
Because many of these endocrine-disrupting chemicals are found in paints, painters are particularly susceptible to their harmful effects.
A study from the University of Sheffield shows that men working as painters and decorators exposed to glycol ethers are 2 1/2 times more likely to have poor sperm quality and a low motile sperm count. Another study in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine found blood abnormalities and anemia in shipyard painters exposed to ethylene glycol ethers in the paint they used.
Where to Find It
Pharmaceuticals
Cosmetics
Sunscreen
Inks
Dyes
Paints
Brake fluid
Liquid soaps
Cleaning products (glass, carpet, floor, and oven cleaners)
Adhesives
How to Avoid It
This is a tough one, as these chemicals are in many of the products we use daily.
Use natural cleaning products with ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, and baking soda. There are many DIY recipes for natural cleaning products online.
If you use store-bought cleaners, read labels carefully and avoid products with ingredients such as 2-butoxyethanol and methoxydiglycol
If you’re painting, you can look for nontoxic paints free of glycol ethers.
There are more and more cosmetic brands with nontoxic ingredients.
6. Organophosphate Pesticides
Organophosphate pesticides are a group of man-made chemicals that target the nervous system of insects and are the most widely used insecticide. They’re used in agriculture, homes, gardens, and by veterinarians for treatments on pets. Studies have linked exposure to organophosphate pesticides to an increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer.
Other studies found that agricultural workers working with these pesticides had an increased risk of several hormone-related cancers, including breast cancer, thyroid cancer, and cancer of the ovaries.
Exposure to organophosphate pesticides can affect how testosterone communicates with other cells in the body, lower testosterone levels, and alter thyroid hormones.
Where to Find It
Flea and tick collars
Shampoos, sprays, and powders for dogs and cats
Garden pest control products
No-pest strips
Fruits and vegetables (from pesticide use)
How to Avoid It
Buy organic fruits and vegetables
Use natural products for fleas and ticks on pets
Use natural products on your lawn and garden
Conclusion
The health consequences of these chemicals can be overwhelming, especially since endocrine disruptors are so pervasive in the products we use. Fortunately, you can significantly reduce your exposure by changing your purchasing habits. It also helps to be aware of the broader problem.
Tyrone Hayes, a biologist and professor of integrative biology at the University of California–Berkeley, researches atrazine. He noted in his TedX talk that studies already completed by the CDC and others have found that women who conceive during peak atrazine contamination “are more likely to have babies with birth defects including malformed genitals in the male babies.”
But Hayes quotes a response from the EPA explaining that the agency deals with such problems by assigning a monetary value to the disease impairments and shortened lives caused by a chemical and weighing these against the benefits of keeping a chemical in use.
And sometimes the EPA’s math can get tilted by the efforts of industry.
Hayes faced a systematic effort by Syngenta, the primary manufacturer of atrazine, to discredit him and his work, an effort eventually revealed in a lawsuit. Federal agencies may struggle to protect Americans, and large corporations may not believe they are doing significant harm.
But at the end of the day, it’s the choices of everyday Americans that shape the country and determine which business and products thrive—and which disappear.
(Emma Suttie is an acupuncture physician and founder of Chinese Medicine Living—a website dedicated to sharing how to use traditional wisdom to live a healthy lifestyle in the modern world. She is a lover of the natural world, martial arts, and a good cup of tea.) END QUOTE
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Posted Tuesday, July 12, 2022
Tags: #endocrineDisruptors #DougEvers #soyProducts #estrogenMimickers #genderConfusion