Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs)

Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Latest News

Beyond choking oceans and clogging landfills, plastics are now infiltrating our bodies through microplastic particles and a cocktail of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs).

What is the Endocrine System?

• The endocrine system is made up of glands that make hormones. Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers. 
• They carry information and instructions from one set of cells to another.
• The endocrine system influences almost every cell, organ, and function of our bodies.

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About Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals

• EDCs are natural or man-made chemicals that interfere with the normal function of your body’s endocrine system. 
• Since EDCs come from many different sources, people are exposed in several ways, including the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the water we drink. 
• EDCs also can enter the body through the skin. 
• EDCs interfere with the way the body’s hormones work. 
  • Some EDCs act like “hormone mimics” and trick our body into thinking that they are hormones, while other EDCs block natural hormones from doing their job. 
  • Other EDCs can increase or decrease the levels of hormones in our blood by affecting how they are made, broken down, or stored in our body. 
  • Finally, other EDCs can change how sensitive our bodies are to different hormones. 
• There are approximately 85,000 man-made chemicals in the world, with at least 1,000 classifiable as EDCs. 
  • Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates are common examples of EDCs found in plastic.

Source: TH