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By Shalva AMOS
Early puberty has become more and more common in the past decade. Though it is commonly attributed to complex interaction between genetic, hormonal and environmental factors, endocrine disruptors have been highlighted as one of the main potential hazardous factors.
Endocrine disruptors (EDs) are environmental chemicals, which may either be natural or synthetic. They accumulate in the environment in the long-term and are introduced into the human body through water, air, food, or contact with home equipment. It has been demonstrated that EDs can be transferred from the mother to the fetus via placenta or to the baby via breast milk. Laboratory tests commissioned by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) detected BPA (a notorious ED) in the umbilical cord blood in 90 percent of newborn infants tested, along with more than 230 other chemicals!
EDs and particularly xenoestrogens are known to mimic or interfere with the function of hormones, particularly the estrogens, androgens and thyroid hormones in the body. EDs behave like steroid hormones; they may turn on, shut off, or modify signals that hormones carry and thus affect the normal functions of tissues and organs. While many epidemiological studies indicate that xenoestrogens (EDs) have been linked to decreased sperm quality, fertility issues, stimulation of mammary gland development in men, disrupted reproductive cycles and ovarian dysfunction, obesity, heart disease, neural and immune function, confusion in sexual identity, cancers and so on, countless products containing EDs keep being marketed in every industrial area: cosmetics, food, home equipment, etc...
Statistics show that in the early 20th century, the average American girl was going through puberty at around 16-17 years old. Today it's 12-13, but numbers show that an increasing number of children are going through puberty at as young as 8, yet this has been classified as still in "the normal range". It is interesting to notice how the standards of what is considered "normal" evolves with the needs and interests of the industry in question, normalising what would have been considered pathological or medically concerning a few years ago.
There are a few questions one could ask here: Where is this incredible increase of early puberty cases coming from? What part are we playing in keeping those industries going and supporting them through continuing to buy products that should be banned? If part of our exposure to EDs remains beyond our control as they are released into the environment, what are the EDs we don't track and remove from our home due to turning a blind eye out of convenience?
Of course, this quest implies a certain amount of dedication, but studies show that there is no safe dose of EDs. They act at low concentrations and in combination with endogenous hormones, making it difficult to establish a threshold level of no effect.
Exposure to EDCs during periods of special vulnerability of the individual’s development such as pregnancy, lactation and puberty causes damage with adverse effects throughout their lives and can be passed onto their descendants. Therefore, one can ask, what kind of established system offers to provide hormone therapy to treat early puberty while continuing to expose children to toxicity on a daily basis?
The sustainable solution requires us to prevent exposure wherever it is possible. A non exhaustive list of chemicals that are xenoestrogens is proposed below, but I encourage you to expand this research:
Cosmetic products (including makeup, nail polish)
4-Methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC) (sunscreen lotions)
Benzophenone (sunscreen lotions)
Parabens (methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben and butylparaben and all ingredients ending in "-paraben" commonly used as a preservative)
Look for Phthalate like: DEP, DBP, DEHP
Industrial products and Plastics:
Bisphenol A (monomer for polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resin; antioxidant in plasticizers)
Phthalates (plasticizers)
DEHP (plasticizer for PVC)
Polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs) (flame retardants used in plastics, foams, building materials, electronics, furnishings, motor vehicles).
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
Pentachlorophenol (general biocide and wood preservative)
Polychlorinated biphenyls / PCBs (in electrical oils, lubricants, adhesives, paints)
Food:
Erythrosine / FD&C Red No. 3
Phenosulfothiazine (a red dye)
Butylated hydroxyanisole / BHA (food preservative)
Pesticides, insecticides and fungicides
Etc.... The list is long
Insecticides:
Atrazine (weed killer)
DDT (insecticide, banned)
Dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (one of the breakdown products of DDT)
Dieldrin (insecticide)
Endosulfan (insecticide)
Heptachlor (insecticide)
Lindane / hexachlorocyclohexane (insecticide, used to treat lice and scabies)
Methoxychlor (insecticide)
Fenthion
Nonylphenol and derivatives (industrial surfactants; emulsifiers for emulsion polymerization; laboratory detergents; pesticides)
Other:
Propyl gallate
Chlorine and chlorine by-products
Ethinylestradiol (combined oral contraceptive pill)
Metalloestrogens (a class of inorganic xenoestrogens)
Alkylphenol (surfactant used in cleaning detergents
Guidelines to minimize your personal exposure to xenoestrogens:
Food
Choose organic, locally-grown and in-season foods, and make sure they are free from all pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides.
If you can't have access to organic food, peel systematically fruits and vegetables. Anything that doesn't have a tick skin to peel off are to avoid completely if not organic, like spinach, kales, herbs, berries etc...
Get hormone-free meats and dairy products
Be aware that non organic rice contains arsenic (traces of pesticides), for that reason it is better to avoid it completely. In case it is impossible to get organic rice, at least wash 3 to 4 times before cooking. It will reduce the amount ingested but not remove it completely.
Plastics
Do not microwave food or liquids in plastic containers, neither leave them under the sun
Avoid the use of plastic wrap to cover food for storing or microwaving, but use glass or ceramics whenever possible.
Don’t refill plastic water bottles, and avoid freezing water in plastic bottles to drink later.
Household Products
Use chemical free, biodegradable laundry and household cleaning products.
Choose chlorine-free products and unbleached paper products (i.e. tampons, menstrual pads, toilet paper, paper towel, coffee filters).
Use a chlorine filter on shower heads and filter drinking water
Health and Beauty Products
Avoid creams and cosmetics that have toxic chemicals and oestrogenic ingredients such as parabens and stearalkonium chloride. Be aware, that any cosmetic products that doesn't have to be refrigerated and have a life shelf above above few weeks will most likely contain some.
Minimize your exposure to nail polish and nail polish removers. Nails are not impermeable, the toxins cross the blood barrier. Some brands are marketing less toxic products now.
Use naturally based fragrances, such as essential oils.
Use chemical free soaps and toothpastes
The industry is using codes to avoid worrying the consumer and avoid transparency. It's our job to dig into it, knowing that all the organisations that claim to regulate the industry for our 'safety' actually facilitate the commercialisation of harmful products. The conflicts of interest involved here remind us that in the end, it is nobody else's responsibility to keep our kids safe but ours.
Maybe it will bring us back to making homemade cakes, soaps and shampoos, maybe it will bring us to a "community living mode" where every mum does something homemade and shares it with her friends, exchanging knowledge, skills and saving time... Who knows what kind of beautiful and safe place we can create for our children, because as Loreal say: They're worth it!
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