Friends don't let friends take receipts.

Five common hormone disruptors and how to avoid them.

Our endocrine system is a beautiful network of hormone producing glands that play a vital role in development, metabolism, reproduction, and cellular communication. There are specific substances that negatively impact our endocrine system by interfering with the production, release, transport, and elimination of the body’s natural hormones.

I put this list together to promote awareness and education, not to instil fear of our environments. We will never be able to avoid all things that are potentially damaging to our bodies (unless we live in a bubble, and at that point we aren’t really living), but we can limit the stressors on our body by eliminating a few unnecessary products.

Endocrine disruptors can be found in plastic goods, personal-care products, fragrances, certain foods, and even tap water. Below are the five most common endocrine disruptors you might be using, and how to avoid them.

1. BPA (Bisphenol A)

Bisphenol A is used to manufacture certain plastics and resins. Thankfully BPA has been banned from many products due to studies that have linked it to breast cancer, infertility, and early puberty. “BPA-Free” is now something you commonly see marked on plastic water bottles and canned foods.

However, BPA has not been banned from thermal receipts and is used in large quantities on this paper to allow letters and numbers to show up. Shockingly, there is more BPA found on one single receipt than the total amount that would leach out from a plastic water bottle used for several years. I think back to my days as a cashier and how many receipts I handled in one hour (let alone an 8 hour shift)… oy vay!

Here’s how to reduce your exposure to BPAs:

• Say no to thermal receipts or opt for email copies. If you touch them, be sure to wash your hands afterwards - not with an alcohol hand sanitizer (this will increase the absorption rate).

• Avoid using plastics (especially when storing food or liquids that could leach from these materials) marked with a “PC” (for polycarbonate), or recycling label #7. Not all of these plastics contain BPA, but many do.

• Only buy canned foods that are marked “bpa-free”. Never heat food in the can or in plastic, always use glass or stove-top.