What an Oncologist Wishes You Knew About Endocrine Disruptors
What to know about everyday exposures to BPA, PFAS and phthalates.
If you’ve been on social media lately, chances are you’ve heard about endocrine disruptors. People say they can interfere with your hormones, leading to serious health conditions.
There are over 1,000 types of these chemicals, according to some estimates, and we are exposed to them daily: They can be found everywhere from your nonstick pan and canned foods to your shampoo and hair dye. But how worried should you be about them? And are they really linked to cancer?
While it’s reasonable to take steps to avoid certain endocrine-disrupting chemicals — and I do — the data are limited, so I don’t worry too much about them. The evidence linking endocrine-disrupting chemicals to cancer is not strong in most cases — and not remotely on par with other known risk factors, such as alcohol and smoking.
What are endocrine-disrupting chemicals?
