Environmental Toxins and Women’s Health

The modern environment contains more human-made chemicals than ever before, and it’s affecting women. Women may be exposed to more chemicals and more vulnerable to their health effects.

On August 6, 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued an emergency order to immediately stop using a pesticide called DCPA sprayed on crops such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and onions. They found evidence that this chemical is unsafe for pregnant women and developing fetuses because it affects fetal hormonal levels and causes impaired brain development, low birth weight, and other issues.

Unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated event. All too often, we learn the hard way about the irreversible effects of chemical exposures.

Today’s article will examine environmental toxins and their impact on women’s health. Education is power. Once you know where toxins are lurking, you can limit your exposure and your support body’s natural detoxification systems.

Keep reading as we unpack:

• Chemicals in the modern environment
• Where to find toxins (spoiler: everywhere!)
• How toxins affect women’s health
• Endocrine disruptors and women’s health
• Heavy metals
• How to reduce toxin exposures and support detoxification

Our Chemical World

There are over 85,000 human-made chemicals in the environment, most of which have never been tested for safety. You read that correctly. There aren’t requirements for new chemical testing before humans release them into the environment. Problems are often discovered after people and nature have already experienced the harmful effects, and chemicals are banned or products recalled.

Toxicologists argue that there is safety data on many toxins. Part of the toxicologist’s job is determining the safe amount of an individual toxin or chemical. Then, the government and agencies can set regulations. For example, there are limits on the amount of specific contaminants allowed in drinking water.

Besides the fact that many of these regulations are out of date, the bigger issue is that we don’t have data or a full understanding of the cumulative effects of regularly being exposed to hundreds or thousands of chemicals. What does the cumulative exposure mean for women?

Sources of Toxins

Toxins touch every aspect of life. They’re found in:

• Personal care products
• Makeup
• Cleaning supplies
• Plastics
• Home materials
• Furniture
• Toys
• Medical equipment
• Detergents
• Products used in spas and salons
• Chemicals and products used for work (occupational exposures)
• Food
• Water
• Air

People are exposed to toxins via the production of products, while using products, and product disposal often leaches chemicals into the soil and waterways.

The Effect on Women

Women are critically vulnerable to toxin exposures, especially during times of hormonal change and development, such as in utero, childhood, puberty, pregnancy, lactation, perimenopause, and menopause. Toxins are also passed from generation to generation. When a woman is pregnant with a girl, toxins affect the girl’s eggs, which impacts her future children.

Women generally have smaller bodies than men and a different hormonal landscape, so they may be less able to handle higher toxic loads. Additionally, women may be exposed to more chemicals because of gender roles and cultural norms, such as cleaning more, getting their hair dyed, and using more personal care products and makeup.

Data from a 2004 Environmental Working Group study found that the average women uses 12 personal care products daily, containing 168 unique ingredients. For comparison, men use six products with 85 unique ingredients. They estimated that one woman out of 24 was exposed to product ingredients that may affect fertility or pregnancy outcomes, and one out of five adults is exposed to carcinogenic impurities daily from multiple sources. This data has not been updated in 20 years, but we can only guess it’s unchanged or potentially worse today.

Let’s look at some toxins that affect women’s health and hormones, including endocrine disruptors, nonpersistent chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides, and more.

Persistent Endocrine Disruptors

Endocrine disruptors include the thousands of environmental toxins that interfere with the body’s endocrine (hormonal) systems, affecting development, reproduction, immunity, and more. They can mimic hormones, like estrogen or thyroid hormone, and bind to receptors, blocking natural hormones.

Endocrine disruptors can be divided into two categories: persistent and nonpersistent.

Persistent endocrine disruptors, also called persistent organic pollutants (POPs) or “forever chemicals”, are fat-soluble and don’t easily break down in the environment. They bioaccumulate through the food chain in animals and people. In women, POPs are particularly dangerous and have gynecologic and reproductive effects.

Examples of POPs include:

• Dioxins – Agent Orange is a famous example
• Organochlorine pesticides – DDT is a famous example
• Polychlorinated bisphenols (PCBs) – were previously used to make electrical equipment and found in lubricants and plasticizers. They were banned in 1979, but still in the environment.
• Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) – flame retardants found in children’s clothing, furniture, etc.
• Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) – found in food packaging, stain-resistant fabrics, non-stick cookware, mascara, etc.

Persistent endocrine disrupters have been detected in ovarian follicular fluid of women, even ones that were banned decades ago. Additionally, these chemicals are associated with poorer outcomes in couples undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Additionally, these chemicals are considered obesogens; they accumulate in fat tissue, disrupt hormonal signaling, and contribute to obesity. One study found elevated PFAS levels were associated with increased weight gain after weight loss, making it harder to sustain a healthy weight over time.

Nonpersistent Endocrine Disruptors

The other big category of endocrine disruptors is nonpersistent. Compared to the forever chemicals, they are less fat-soluble and break down in the environment more quickly. Nonetheless, they are highly toxic for women and frequent exposures are common.

Examples of these endocrine disruptors include:

• Bis phenol A (BPA) – found in receipts, plastics, canned food
• Parabens – preservatives in personal care products and cosmetics
• Triclosan – an antimicrobial compound in soaps, toothpaste, hand sanitizers
• Phthalates – plasticizers in plastics and personal care products
• Herbicides – including glyphosate

These chemicals can alter hormone signaling and may promote changes in the ovaries and uterus. They are linked with altered menstrual cycles, PCOS, endometriosis, and uterine fibroids. As an example, BPA exposure in women is associated with a shorter luteal phase and increased estradiol levels, which can affect the menstrual cycle and fertility. Another example is glyphosate, which negatively affects fertility, bone density, and other aspects of women’s health.

Heavy Metals

Heavy metals, such as arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and lead, are natural to the earth’s environment. Historically, they were primarily bound up in rocks, but today, larger amounts are free in the environment due to industrial processes and human activity. You’ve likely heard headlines about:

• Toxic metals found in tampons
• Cadmium and lead in chocolate
• Lead in lipstick
• Mercury in mascara
• Mercury in fish
• Arsenic in rice

Heavy metals affect brain health; infants and children are particularly vulnerable. However, research suggests heavy metals also affect the ovaries and ovulation. Higher exposures may lead to an earlier menopause and the associated health risks of ovarian decline.

How To Reduce the Toxin Burden

Realizing how many chemicals are in the environment and how they impact women’s health can feel scary and overwhelming. While we desperately need more proactive protective measures from the government, there is still a lot you can do as an individual to reduce the toxic burden on your body.

Exposure to high environmental toxins overwhelms the body’s natural detoxification systems, affecting hormone balance, menstrual cycles, and wellness. Reducing this burden is twofold: 1) reduce exposures and 2) support detoxification systems.

You’ve likely seen a lot of lists about how you can reduce toxin exposure, and truthfully, many simple lifestyle shifts can make a significant impact. These include:

• Choosing organic food as much as possible
• Reducing or avoiding ultra-processed food
• Investing in a quality filter for drinking water
• Investing in indoor air filters
• Choosing clean makeup and personal care products
• Choosing non-toxic cleaning products
• Reducing plastic use
• Replacing non-stick cookware with cast iron or stainless steel
• Buying clothing made of natural fabrics
• Opting for e-receipts instead of paper ones
• Reducing impulse purchasing
• Doing research before making purchases for home renovations, furniture, and other consumer goods

The Environmental Working Group is an excellent resource for discovering specific products that meet high safety standards.

Additionally, it’s worth being cautious about new chemicals and chemicals that haven’t been proven safe. You can’t trust industrial interests to look out for your health. Instead, invest in your health by considering the chemicals you bring into your home.

From a mindset standpoint, do what you can to reduce exposures and let go of the stress around what you can’t control. For the toxins that make their way into your body, supporting detoxification is key.

The body is detoxifying constantly, releasing toxins through breathing, sweating, and going to the bathroom. Staying hydrated and having regular bowel movements, along with regular movement and good sleep (cells clear out waste while you sleep) is key.

Detoxification in the liver depends on an abundance of nutrients – vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants. A nutrient-dense, whole-food diet is supportive, and some individuals will also benefit from supplementation.

It’s best to work with a knowledgeable healthcare provider for a more specific detoxification plan. At TārāMD, we can test for heavy metals, endocrine disruptors, and other toxins that may affect your health concerns and treat the root causes with personalized detoxification protocols.

The impact of toxins is often overlooked when it comes to women’s health, but if you’re having painful periods, fertility challenges, hormonal imbalances, or premature ovarian decline, it’s worth diving into the role that environmental toxins may be contributing. You don’t have to figure it out on your own; we’re here to support you!

References

1. https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-issues-emergency-order-stop-use-pesticide-dacthal-address-serious-health-risk-4
2. https://ipen.org/sites/default/files/documents/women_and_chemicals_factsheet.pdf
3. https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/2004/12/exposures-add-survey-results
4. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine
5. Cho, Y. J., Yun, J. H., Kim, S. J., & Kwon, H. Y. (2020). Nonpersistent endocrine disrupting chemicals and reproductive health of women.Obstetrics & gynecology science, 63(1), 1–12.
6. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/dioxins
7. https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/pfc
8. Björvang, R. D., & Damdimopoulou, P. (2020). Persistent environmental endocrine-disrupting chemicals in ovarian follicular fluid and in vitrofertilization treatment outcome in women.Upsala journal of medical sciences, 125(2), 85–94.
9. Gupta, R., Kumar, P., Fahmi, N., Garg, B., Dutta, S., Sachar, S., Matharu, A. S., & Vimaleswaran, K. S. (2020). Endocrine disruption and obesity: A current review on environmental obesogens.Current Research in Green and Sustainable Chemistry, 3, 100009.
10. Grandjean, P., Meddis, A., Nielsen, F., Sjödin, A., Hjorth, M. F., Astrup, A., & Budtz-Jørgensen, E. (2023). Weight loss relapse associated with exposure to perfluorinated alkylate substances.Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 31(6), 1686–1696.
11. Wang, Z., Zhang, H., Du, W., Hu, J., & Quan, R. (2023). Association between urinary glyphosate exposure and bone mineral density in adults.Medicine, 102(49), e36506.
12. Ding, N., Wang, X., Harlow, S. D., Randolph, J. F., Jr, Gold, E. B., & Park, S. K. (2024). Heavy Metals and Trajectories of Anti-Müllerian Hormone During the Menopausal Transition.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, dgad756. Advance online publication.