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Endocrine disruptors like PFAS, BPA, and Phthalates lurk in everything
from Cleaning Products to Dust Bunnies.
By Alexandra Zissu – Author of The Conscious Kitchen and Co-Author of Planet Home and The Complete Organic Pregnancy
Recent June 2025 Article
You may remember learning in Biology Class that our bodies are run by a Network of Hormones and Glands that regulate everything we do. Most often, we think about this system—our Endocrine System—in the context of Puberty, but it actually plays a starring role in All phases of Development, Metabolism and Behavior.
Here’s the bad news: Synthetic Chemicals in products like Plastics and Fragrances can Mimic Hormones and interfere with or disrupt the Delicate Endocrine Dance. We’re exposed to these chemicals daily, and we’re especially vulnerable to them during phases of accelerated development—including throughout Childhood or a Pregnancy. Fetuses are also particularly at risk. Some of the impacts on our Metabolism and Immune, Nervous, and Reproductive Systems can have long-term and even lifetime adverse health effects, such as Learning Disabilities, Obesity, Diabetes, Reproductive Problems (including infertility), and Cancer.
“We have very tight developmental windows of when, say, our Brain and Reproductive Organs are formed,” explains NRDC Senior Scientist Dr. Katie Pelch. “When a hormone-disrupting chemical gets in the way during these windows, it can change the ways these processes take place, sometimes in ways that are long-lasting or permanent.”
Yes, it sounds scary, but we aren't without recourse: While NRDC works to get better safeguards in place, there are ways you can try to Stay Clear of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs). Here’s how.
Wash your hands
If you follow just one piece of advice from this list, make it this small, easy thing: Wash your hands frequently (avoiding fragranced AND antibacterial soaps) and always before eating. It’s not just an important practice to stop the spread of bad germs but also to Rid Yourself of the Chemical Residues that we pick up throughout the day.
Dust and vacuum often and watch out for chemical cleaners
Even though they’re linked to hormone disruption (and cancer), PFAS and flame retardant chemicals are used in many common household products. Research shows that these chemicals escape from electronics, couches, and baby products and collect in your household dust.
By dusting with a damp cloth and using a vacuum with a HEPA filter, you’ll help trap small particles of dust instead of blowing them around the house. You'll also reduce your exposure to other chemicals that can accumulate in your home, such as lead (frequently found in older buildings).
Beware of the harsh chemical cleaning products that can introduce indoor air pollutants. It’s difficult—and often impossible—to know what chemicals any given cleaning product contains because, for the most part, companies aren't required to list the ingredients on the label. But some progress has been made on this front: California and New York have implemented ingredient disclosure laws to help consumers know what they are buying. (The California law requires cleaning products to post their ingredients online too.) And consumers across the map who are buying products manufactured in these states will likewise benefit from this transparency.
Some companies do voluntarily disclose their ingredients, and others carry the Safer Choice label from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), so choose those when possible. You can always make your own cleaners from safe household staples like vinegar and baking soda.
Choose safer food storage
Canned foods can make meal prep a breeze, but those cans are likely lined with a plastic containing BPA to keep them from corroding. Choosing fresh, frozen, or dried foods (like beans) that aren’t packaged in cans is a smart preventive measure.
As recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, keep an eye out for food containers made of some of the worst plastics. Plastics with recycling codes #3, #6, or #7 contain phthalates, styrene, and bisphenols, respectively. Shopping at farmers’ markets or grocery stores that offer loose products in bulk bins and allow you to fill sturdy containers from home (like those made from cotton mesh, glass, or stainless steel) is another way to play it safe.
Watch what you eat
Certain pesticides have been linked to hormone disruption. Eat Organic Food as much as you can afford to. If your food budget is tight, choose conventionally grown foods known to have the least amount of pesticide residue. As a general rule of thumb, try to eat food that is as close to whole as possible. And consider how you prepare food as well. EDCs like PFAS can hide in Nonstick pots and pans, so cook in Stainless Steel or Pyrex instead. And of course, remember to thoroughly wash fresh produce before you eat it.
Avoid bottled water and filter your tap water
Drinking tap water out of a glass will reduce your exposure to microplastics and a wide variety of harmful chemicals that can leach into bottled water. Running water from the tap through an NSF-certified water filter can also, when properly installed and maintained, decrease the level of some EDCs found in water. It’s important to note that boiling your tap water can increase the concentration of certain contaminants, including PFAS.
When out of the house, take along a refillable nonplastic water bottle to stay hydrated.
Adding a bit of lemon is a healthy way to give it some flavor.
Rethink cosmetics
Cosmetics can contain a number of EDCs that make them smell good, glide on smoothly, and be otherwise irresistible…including to kids, who find an increasing sector of the market targeted just to them. Certain types of PFAS are added intentionally for texture and consistency, as well as to help them last throughout the day, such as with waterproof mascaras and liquid lipsticks.
Keep an eye out for ingredients in cosmetics that are branded as long-wearing or waterproof, particularly for anything that includes “fluoro” or “perfluoro” in the name. In good news, 10 states—California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington—recently adopted restrictions on PFAS in cosmetics.
For makeup, lotions, sunscreens, and soap, check the Environmental Working Group's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database. In general, the fewer products you use, with the least amount of ingredients, the better.
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