Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can be found in flame retardants, pesticides, and plasticizers such as phthalates. In today’s world, it is difficult to escape exposure to endocrine disruptors.  There are over 100 different endocrine disrupting chemicals and they can be found throughout your home.  Their effects are now being studied, but some of the key issues can be summarized by reading these recent headlines:

• “Endocrine disruptors’ link to infertility confirmed”
• “The plastic plague: Hormone-disrupting chemicals in everyday things like water bottles DO cause cancer, diabetes, ADHD and autism – and cost US $340 BILLION a year”
• “Environmental Chemicals Linked to Breast Cancer Risk”
• “Sperm counts among western men have halved in last 40 years – study”

These chemicals affect the body by mimicking hormones.  Hormones in turn affect reproduction, puberty, and metabolism.  A fetus is especially susceptible to these chemicals and his or her reproductive organs can be affected.  If you are pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or have a child at home going through puberty, you should be particularly concerned about your exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals.

You should avoid pesticides, furniture and mattresses with flame retardants, and plasticizers such as phthalates and BPA.  Unfortunately, these chemicals are so pervasive in our everyday lives that you can even find these chemicals in the dust of your home.  You can learn more about EDCs by visiting the National Institutes of Health.

Testing Your Home for Endocrine Disruptors

Indoor Science can test the dust of your home for pesticides, flame retardants, and plasticizers.  Why do we measure these chemicals in the dust rather than the air? Most of these chemicals are semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) and are not found in the air at high concentrations. We target 39 important endocrine disrupting chemicals.  We provide you with the level in your home and compare it to published studies to aid in the interpretation of the results.