Hormones

Issue date:
February 13-15, 1998

Are common chemicals scrambling your hormones?

Ingredients in shampoos, dyes and detergents may be mixing up your hormonal signals. No one knows for sure, but the EPA is stepping up research.

OZENS OF synthetic chemicals found in our food, environment and everyday products have proven harmful to wildlife and lab animals. Now there's a new focus on whether they're putting people at risk, too, by playing havoc with hormones that control reproduction and development.

2 possible signs of trouble: Lower sperm counts in men Earlier puberty in girls

"Hormone disruption has emerged as one of our top research priorities over the past couple of years," says Lawrence Reiter at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. After reviewing nearly 300 studies, the EPA concluded in 1997 that hormone-disrupting chemicals "can lead to disturbing health effects in animals, including cancer, sterility and developmental problems."

The agency said the jury is still out on whether these chemicals -- many originating in pesticides, plastics and industrial pollutants -- are causing similar problems in humans. But it called for stepped-up research because of potential risks, especially for children.

Ways to play it safe People concerned about exposure to suspected hormone disruptors can take a number of steps, say advocacy groups. Among their suggestions: Change your diet. Limit your intake of meat and dairy products, or switch to leaner or lower-fat versions. This reduces your exposure to industrial pollutants, such as dioxin, that concentrate in the fat of animals. Buy organic food to avoid pesticide residues. Avoid vinyl. Don't give children pacifiers or teething rings made from vinyl. Go natural with bugs. Use herbal or scent-based, not pesticide-based, insect repellents. Read shampoo labels. Choose hair-care products without "octoxynol" or "nonoxynol" among their ingredients. Avoid polystyrene foam. Don't use plastic foam containers for fatty foods, alcohol, or hot foods or beverages. For more information The EPA's Web site on hormone disruptors is www.epa.gov/ endocrine For a free parents' guide, write to: Center for Health, Environment and Justice, P.O. Box 6806, Falls Church, Va. 22040 World Wildlife Fund of Canada has an in-depth Web site: www.wwfcanada.org/ hormone-disruptors/ index.html

THE RISK FOR BOTH SEXES

The stakes are high because hormones play such a crucial role in body functions. Produced by the endocrine glands, hormones act as chemical messengers that tell cells in organs and tissues what to do. Hormones like estrogen and testosterone, for example, help determine how sex organs develop and function.

Scientists want to know if man-made chemicals that can interfere with the hormonal system are responsible for plummeting sperm counts in men in many parts of the world and for other problems such as the dramatic increase in a defect of the penis in U.S. newborns.

Also of concern: whether girls are reaching puberty unnaturally early. A recent study of 17,000 U.S. girls showed that 48 percent of black girls and 15 percent of white girls showed signs of puberty by age 8. Doctors offer several explanations, some benign. One is that "normal" development ages may be based on flawed data, or that better nutrition in recent decades has had an impact. But some researchers worry that ingredients in some shampoos, dyes and detergents are absorbed through the skin and then scramble hormonal signals.

INDUSTRY CAN'T IGNORE IT

A number of people believe there's already ample evidence to indict several chemicals. "At what point do you say there are enough red flags?" asks University of Missouri biology professor Frederick vom Saal, one of several experts working with the National Academy of Sciences on the issue. Vom Saal says his research shows a chemical in the lining of cans leaches into food in amounts capable of disrupting hormones in humans.

The chemical industry sees things differently. Hormone disruption "is a plausible hypothesis; you can't walk away and ignore it," says Jon Holtzman of the Chemical Manufacturers Association. But so far, he says, "the replicated, peer-reviewed research has not turned up significant problems." His group is spending $4 million in the next two years to research the issue.

As the debate continues, some consumers choose to play it safe. Jerry Peters, a lawyer from San Rafael, Calif., heard from news reports and friends that some plastic containers might leach chemicals. He now uses glass, not plastic, when microwaving, and avoids water bottled in plastic. He says: "I can't think of why not to [take precautions], given the potential risks."

Brenda Biondo is a free-lance writer based in Virginia.