1. BPA

BPA is also known as Bisphenol A. You may know it to be a chemical in plastics, but did you also know it is found in the lining of cans used to contain foods? Despite recent media coverage and cries for concern, many manufacturers still use BPA lined cans and plastics. If you want to avoid BPA, don’t use containers marked with a 3 or a 7 on them for recycling. They contain BPA. Keep reading to learn about how more chemicals are affecting your hormones.

2. Arsenic

Wait, that sounds a bit poisonous! Yeah, it is, yet it is listed as an ingredient in foods and found in drinking water. Make sure you know what’s in the food you eat. Arsenic affects the way your body processes sugar. As for your drinking water, I use a water filter that does well at getting rid of all contaminants in my water. I use the filtered water for drinking, cooking, and making ice cubes.

3. Phthalates

Check your beauty products for this chemical. It is commonly found in lotions, creams, cleansers, and some makeup products. Why is it so dangerous? Phthalates are known to induce apoptosis in the immune system cells. It pretty much lessens the effectiveness of your immune system, which I am sure we can all agree is not a good thing.

4. Lead

Lead is a well known poison, but it it still a concern. If you live in an older house your paint may be lead based. Take extreme caution when removing paint from walls and furniture. Wear a face mask so you don’t breathe in any dust. Lead can also seep into your drinking water. Just another reason to use a good filter system.

5. Dioxin

Dioxin comes from fumes put out by industrial factories, but is also naturally put into the atmosphere by things like forest fires and volcanoes. This toxin stays in the fatty tissues of animals. Not only are we exposed to them in our environment, but also in the meat and poultry that we eat. Dioxins affect the male and female sex hormones, causing infertility, disorders of the nervous system, and cancer.

6. Mercury

If you have ever been pregnant you are already aware of the hazards of consuming mercury. Pregnant women are encouraged to eat less seafood to avoid the chance of harming the development of their baby. While fish is a healthy choice, many of them are contaminated with mercury because of pollution caused by coal power plants, gold mining, and cement production.

7. Glycol Ethers

You are probably wondering what is that? Surprisingly, this is a common solvent found in many products we come in contact with everyday. It’s in cleaning products, paints, brake fluid, and even some cosmetics. Studies show that glycol ethers can cause asthma, male fertility problems, allergies, and complications with fetal development. Check the labels of your household products.

Unfortunately it is hard to avoid many of these chemicals that are causing problems with our hormones. I suggest reading labels and looking for alternatives if you can. Remember to check the labels of products that you have used for a while that you have known in the past to be safe. It is not uncommon for companies to change ingredients. Do you keep an eye out for harmful chemicals in the products you use?