Could your soap be messing with your hormones?
I told my husband the other day, “We need to get rid of the plastics in our house.” His response was, “No.” Just flat out "No," ha! If anyone knows my husband, it takes a lot to convince him of anything at all, let alone things in the natural world. We’ve talked a lot about this area and he makes some convincing arguments refuting the hysteria about plastics and chemicals in general. The EPA’s job is to prove that a particular substance or chemical is “safe.” That takes a LOT more research than proving something is unsafe. This is true, and when it comes to plastics like BPA and phthalates, they are still approved by the FDA and EPA at low concentrations. More recently, however, the EPA has deemed a particular substance called PHTHALTES, a "chemical of concern" because of some recent studies, and it's safety is now under investigation (https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/risk-management-phthalates#action). Okay if you're not into the research and details, read the next paragraph and then skip to the bottom under "What to do about this?" to save yourself.
So what are Phthalates? They are a group of chemicals that are found in hundreds of products from cosmetics, shampoos, and deodorants to detergents, food packaging and even children's teething toys. It is a colorless and odorless liquid that helps make plastics flexible and provides a lubricant in cosmetics. So here's the deal, we know a lot about these chemicals in how they affect animals and aquatic life, but we don't have definitive research on humans that prove health risks at the "acceptable level" of phthalates.
What are the health concerns with phthalates?
Animal studies have shown that males exposed to phthalates while in utero had anti-androgenic effects (caused lower testosterone) which affected the fetus's ability to reproduce later in life. According to the EPA’s website, “The most sensitive health outcomes following exposures of some phthalates in animal studies are the phthalate syndrome effects, which consist of changes in the fetal development of the reproductive system. (NAS, 2008; NTP-CERHR, 2003a-e, 2006; EC, 2003a-b, 2003-4, 2008a-b; Australian Government, 2008a-h).” This studyshows phthalates reduce sex and thyroid hormones and affect sperm quality when phthalates are exposed to male fetuses in utero. This article is the EPA’s response to all of the above claims and they acknowledge and agree with the concerns. Look at page 3 in particular if you're interested.
Another study showed that pubescent children have endocrine disrupting effects from phthalates at much lower concentrations than do adults (NAS 2008). This means all those pimple faced teens freaking out beauty and and fitting in with the cool crowd. Sadly they seem to be more susceptible and are also using higher doses of this product compared to adults. This same study reports that fetuses and newborns are even more susceptible at even lower concentrations than deemed safe for adults.
Lastly is the concern about the cumulative effects of using so many products containing phthalates at low doses all at the same time. Another quote from the EPA's website, "Biomonitoring data from amniotic fluid and urine have demonstrated that humans are exposed to phthalates in utero, as infants, during puberty, and in adult life, and that people are exposed to several phthalates at once. In addition, recent studies in animals evaluating the cumulative effects of mixtures of several active phthalates on testosterone production, fetal mortality, and male and female reproductive development later in life showed all mixtures were cumulative for all endpoints (Rider et al., 2008, 2009; Howdeshell, et al., 2007,2008a, 2008b; Gray et al., 2006; Hotchkiss et al.,2004). In other words, the more you use, the more it builds up in the body and the worse the effects on testosterone production, fetal mortality and male and female reproduction.
What to do then? Even though studies point to the concerns above, many were poorly designed and unable to be reproduced which make their validity questionable. This is why the EPA hasn't made steps to ban it all together, but instead are continuing to investigate. My take on it? The jury's still out. Personally I'm a little concerned about the correlation with reproductive harm so we've made steps to avoid phthalates as much as we can. It seems reasonable that reducing the amount of exposure would make it less likely to cause issues since there is evidence that the more products used containing phthalates, the higher the concentrations are in the body. If you're having problems with hormone imbalance in general, it may be worth getting rid of this for several months to see if it makes a difference.
How to get rid of phthalates. The environmental working group (EWG) has put together a website called Skin Deep which has an entire database of products that are free of chemicals like phthalates. You can find many of these products at places like Target and Amazon. If you’re looking for something a little higher end that has a good balance of actually working (aka, not making your hair feel like sand paper) and maintaining a safer profile, Beauty Counter is a great resource.
Now I'd like to hear from you. Have you noticed effects from avoiding products like phthalates? Do you have some favorite products you use?