Did you know… many of the conventional cleaning products on the market today contain endocrine disrupting ingredients?
What is an endocrine disruptor?
It’s a chemical that alters hormone signaling by mimicking the real hormone. From there it can create an even more powerful response than real hormones. Create a less powerful response than real hormones Create a completely different response than real hormones.
This can have an effect on your immune, nervous system, and even reproductive health.
We’re exposed to ED’s by breathing them in, ingesting, or even absorbing through skin. The most common ED is synthetic fragrances. (1)
If we’re being honest, I was obsessed with Mr. Clean all purpose cleaners for years, that smell always meant things were clean! At the time I was using inhalers for asthma + daily med, headaches most days, migraines weekly, BP med, horrible cycles, never putting two and two together. My health and our kids was a mess.
"The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which regulates cleaning supplies, air fresheners, and laundry products, currently does not require manufacturers to disclose any ingredients on the label, including fragrances in these products."
"A single fragrance in a product can contain a mixture of hundreds of chemicals, some of which react with ozone in ambient air to form dangerous secondary pollutants, including formaldehyde."
In the Study, they found the average number of VOCs emitted was 17.
Each product emitted 1-8 toxic or hazardous chemicals
Close to half (44%) generated at least 1 of 24 carcinogenic hazardous air pollutants, such as acetaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane, formaldehyde, or methylene chloride. (2)
A 20 year Norwegian study found that regular long term use of conventional cleaning products can harm your lungs and may be as damaging as smoking 20 cigarettes a day. "The study also shows that cleaners have 40 per cent higher risk of developing asthma than others." (3)
VOC's are found in everything from our cleaning supplies, air fresheners, carpet, vinyl flooring, cosmetics, furniture, and fragrances.
More Common Harmful Toxins in the air
Tobacco Smoke
Mold & Mildew
Dust, Pollen, & Dander
Exposure to all of these pollutants over time may increase a person's risk of health problems. Things like headaches, dizziness, runny nose, asthma, difficulty breathing to long term health issues. (4)
As we gain more knowledge it empowers us, giving the opportunity to change things if and when able. Will swapping everything balance your hormones? Most likely no! But it does allow us to make changes reducing our exposure over time.
Also these are not the only choices out there, in fact there are so many more, these just happen to be the ones we've been swapping for and work well for us.
Want a cheat sheet of ingredients to avoid? Check out this previous post and screenshot to save!
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