12 Common Hormone Disruptors And How To Avoid Them (You Won’t Believe #9!)

Small Girl in the kitchen with her mother drinking water

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4. Drinking Water

Although bottled water has not been proven to be safer than tap water, that is not to say that tap water is good for you! Your tap water might contain arsenic, atrazine, or perchlorate, all of which interrupt your natural endocrine system. Invest in a whole house water filtration system to protect you and your family. Read how to remove heavy metals from tap water.

5. Cash Register or ATM Receipts

Almost all ATM and cash register receipts today use thermal paper. This type of paper has a special coating on it that turns black when heat is applied to it. Computerized cash registers and ATM machines apply heat to print numbers and letters, eliminating the chances of running out of old fashioned ink. However, this type of paper contains BPA and numerous studies have shown that simply touching this paper for as little as 5 seconds is enough to transfer this BPA to your skin, which will then pass to your bloodstream. Even more so if you had wet or greasy fingers (such as after applying hand cream or eating greasy foods). You aren’t safe putting that receipt in your wallet or purse either as the BPA gets transferred to whatever it touches. Avoid carrying any type of receipt that you don’t need to. You should also wash your hands after handing money or receipts. If you don’t need a receipt, don’t accept one. If you work handling receipts or money, you might want to consider wearing gloves.

6. Canned Foods

In a research product which analyzed more than 252 brands of canned foods, 78 are still using BPA (bisphenol-A) in their products. BPA is a very well-known endocrine disruptor and has been linked to numerous health problems, especially for pregnant women. Some of the problems reported from exposure to BPA are:

Altered immune function
Structural damage to the brain
Abnormal sexual behavior
Simulation of cancer cells in the prostate
Increased levels of aggressiveness, impaired learning, and hyperactivity
Early puberty
Disrupted reproductive cycles
Ovarian dysfunction
Increase in fat formation and increased risk of obesity
Decrease in sperm production
Enlarged prostate

In North America, BPA coats the inside of approximately 75 percent of the canned foods sold every day. Even so called BPA-free cans are not safe as they are often coated with a similar chemical called BPS. Avoid plastic containers or canned foods. Opt for fresh, organic foods, or glass bottles and jars.

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