Don’t Greenwash Your Fertility With Endocrine Disruptors
The link between chemicals and infertility can be attributed to many of the products we buy today. They claim to be environmentally friendly and natural. This is especially common in cosmetics, personal hygiene products and household cleaning products. They are the products which have been shown to be the main culprit in toxic endocrine disruptor overexposure. And they rob you of your fertility.
Greenwashing – the practice of promoting environmentally friendly programs to deflect attention from an organization’s environmentally unfriendly or less savory activities. Source: www.dictionary.com.
Next time you go shopping make sure to read the product ingredients. Don’t just look at the alluring label with words such as natural and environmentally friendly written all over it.
Effects of Toxic Chemicals and Infertility
Here is a list of fertility robbing chemicals (endocrine disruptors) you want to steer clear from:
|
Product |
Ingredient to watch out for |
Negative effects |
|
Perfume, deodorant, air deodorizer. |
Benzene, paradichlorobenzene, formaldehyde. |
Endocrine disruptor*, teratogen**, reproductive toxicant and carcinogen.*** |
|
Cosmetics, perfumes, degreasers. |
Glycol ethers. |
Reproductive toxicants. |
|
Cosmetics and toothpaste. |
Prefix methyl or ethyl or propyl or butyl PARABEN. |
Hormone disruptors. |
|
Detergents, disinfectants, mouthwash, skin products. |
Alkylphenol, bisphenol, ethoxylates |
The first one has been banned in Europe due to recognized negative effect on the reproductive health. |
|
Cling wraps, plastic food containers, plastic packaging. |
Phthalates. |
Hormone disruptor, testicular toxicant, teratogen. |
|
Nail polish, cleaning products, glues, paint. |
Toluene. |
Hormone disruptor and teratogen. |
|
Laundry products. |
Trichloroethylene. |
Reproductive toxicant, hormone disruptor, carcinogen. |
|
Antiperspirants. |
Talc. |
Ovarian cancer. |
|
Coffee filters, hygiene products, dishwashing and laundry products, public pools, household cleaning products, bleached paper, tap water. |
Chlorine by-products dioxin. |
Water contaminant, disrupts ecology of lakes and streams, endocrine disruptor and a carcinogen. |
* disrupts menstrual cycles
** leads to malformations in a growing fetus
***causes cancer
Other nasties which are toxic to the environment are phosphates. They are found in dish-washing detergents and laundry products. Others include propane and butane found in aerosol sprays.
Put an end to this nonsense of using more economical toxic ingredients. They are harmful to the environment and the ecosystem. These endocrine disruptors affect human health and increase the effects of chemicals and infertility.
You can influence the quality and distribution of products by refusing to buy from unethical companies. Switch to safe personal care and cosmetic products . You will reduce exposure to harmful endocrine disruptors and therefore reduce their effects on your health.
Get greenwash savvy
For more information on Greenwashing and unethical companies go to http://www.stopgreenwash.org/. Read the Greenpeace Guide to Greenwash.
Another brilliant resource you can use when you go shopping is the booklet by Bill Statham “The Chemical Maze: Your Guide to Food Additives and Cosmetic Ingredients “. This booklet will help you decipher the ingredient codes on product labels. You’ll quickly learn what fertility robbing endocrine disruptor substances to stay away from.
What are your thoughts on chemicals and infertility? I’d love to hear them.
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About the Author: Iva Keene MRMed. ND. - Natural Fertility Specialist
Iva Keene is co-founder, creator and award-winning author of the NFP Program and director of Natural-Fertility-Prescription.com. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Health Science in Naturopathy and a Master Degree in Reproductive Medicine. She has been a qualified and internationally accredited Naturopathic Physician for over 15 years. Since founding NFP in 2008, Iva’s articles, videos, guides, and reports have reached over 1.3 million people. Iva has dedicated her professional life to supporting couples on their path to parenthood with scientifically grounded information, protocols, and coaching around preconception care, natural infertility treatments, and integrative reproductive health.