Microplastics: They are Just One of The Hormone Disruptors We Need to Worry About
- mariekesteen
- Aug 11
- 6 min read
#EDCs #microplastics #detox #toxicworld #howtoprotectyourself #hormonedisruptors #endocrinedisruptors #autoimmunedisease #chronicdisease #fatigue #detoxyourhome
We can’t outexercise toxic load!
We need to focus on reducing exposure and incorporating targeted detox on a regular basis
As world leaders convene to deliberate on limits or bans, microplastics are emerging as a clear and pervasive public health concern. These particles are now being detected virtually everywhere: floating in the air we breathe, contaminating our food, water and soils, and infiltrating nearly every organ in our bodies.
Did you know that 80% of the toxins we are exposed to come from the air we breathe?
Shocking right?! And mostly actually our indoor air is more toxic than the outside.
What You Need to Know About Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs)
If you’ve been struggling with fatigue, unexplained weight changes, brain fog, anxiety, or irregular periods - you’re not alone. Increasing evidence points to a class of toxins called endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) as major contributors to thyroid dysfunction, autoimmune disease, and hormone imbalance.
Let’s explore what these chemicals are, how they affect your body (especially your thyroid), and what you can do to reduce their impact.
What Are EDCs?
Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are substances that interfere with your body’s hormone system. Some mimic your natural hormones like estrogen or thyroid hormone. Others block hormone receptors, interfere with hormone production, or disrupt the detoxification and elimination of hormones, create inflammation, disrupt your microbiome and over time, increase your risk of chronic conditions and cancer.
Where Do We Find EDCs?
Unfortunately, EDCs are now a part of everyday life. Common sources include:
Plastics: BPA, BPS, and phthalates in water bottles, food packaging, synthetic fabrics (at home and clothes) and cling film
Personal care products: Parabens, synthetic fragrances, UV filters, triclosan
Cleaning products: Industrial solvents, disinfectants, air fresheners
Non-stick cookware: PFAS (also known as “forever chemicals”)
Pesticides and herbicides: Glyphosate, organochlorines, DDT residues
Tap water: Residues from pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and heavy metals
Household dust: Flame retardants, plasticizers, and other persistent pollutants
These exposures happen daily through food, skin contact, water, and even air.
Microplastics and nanoplastics have been detected in:
Organs & tissues: Lungs, liver, kidneys, heart, arteries, lymph nodes, testicles, stomach, brain, and olfactory bulb.
Circulatory & reproductive fluids: Blood, breast milk, semen, placenta, meconium, and stool.
The brain: A groundbreaking study found nanoplastics in human brains - 7 to 30 times higher than in kidneys or livers, especially concentrated in patients with dementia. Observed levels may even equal a plastic spoon’s worth of debris. Business Insider: Researchers found a spoon's worth of nanoplastics in human brains — the latest evidence that plastic is accumulating in our bodies
Arterial plaques: Stroke patients showed 51 times more plastic in their arterial plaques than healthy individuals—a disturbing sign linking microplastics to potential cardiovascular risk.
How Much Are We Exposed To?
The average person is exposed to over 100 EDCs daily
In the U.S. and Europe, BPA, phthalates, and parabens are detected in the urine of the vast majority of adults and children
Heavy metals like mercury, lead, and cadmium are also considered EDCs - they accumulate over time and have long biological half-lives
And let’s not forget about PFAS (Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) - they don’t just linger in the body (and environment, that’s why they’re called “forever chemicals”. They also interfere with the endocrine system, particularly thyroid function, sex hormones, and cortisol regulation. Exposure has been linked to irregular menstrual cycles, lower fertility, earlier menopause, and increased risk of hormone-sensitive cancers. What makes them especially concerning is that even low levels of PFAS exposure over time can dysregulate hormone receptors and signaling, contributing to fatigue, metabolic issues, and poor stress resilience.
It is estimated that the average person ingests/inhales about 5 grams of plastic per week - that’s roughly the weight of a credit card.
People with high seafood or packaged food intake, or who live in urban areas, likely ingest more than that.
These exposures can be silent but significant, especially when combined with genetic susceptibility or chronic stress.
Thyroid Health and EDCs: A Vulnerable Target
The thyroid gland is particularly sensitive to environmental toxins. It regulates metabolism, energy, brain function, mood, and reproductive hormones. Disruption here can lead to symptoms like fatigue, weight gain or loss, depression, sensitivity to cold, and fertility issues and thyroid autoimmune disease.
EDCs can:
Mimic thyroid hormones, leading to feedback disruption
Block iodine uptake, essential for thyroid hormone production
Alter T4 to T3 conversion, lowering active thyroid hormone
Bind to thyroid hormone receptors, preventing proper signaling
Autoimmune Thyroid Disorders: Hashimoto’s and Graves’ Disease
Both Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (underactive thyroid) and Graves’ disease (overactive thyroid) are autoimmune conditions where the immune system attacks thyroid tissue.
EDCs and heavy metals are now recognized as key environmental triggers for these conditions. Here’s how:
1. Immune System Confusion (Molecular Mimicry)
Some chemicals, like BPA or mercury, resemble thyroid or immune system proteins. This can confuse your immune cells into attacking your thyroid.
2. Intestinal Permeability
EDCs and heavy metals damage the gut lining, leading to “leaky gut,” which is a known factor in autoimmune development. When gut barriers break down, immune tolerance is lost.
3. Disrupted Detoxification
Your liver and lymphatic system process and clear hormones and toxins. When overloaded, detox slows, allowing inflammatory byproducts and toxins like mercury to accumulate, aggravating the immune system.
4. Heavy Metals
Mercury: Often found in dental fillings, seafood (but also a variety of other foods), and vaccines. It accumulates in thyroid tissue and alters immune responses.
Lead: Disrupts the HPT (hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid) axis and impairs thyroid hormone production.
Cadmium: Common in tobacco and cannabis and industrial pollution, but also found in chocolate, tea and coffee; linked to autoimmune thyroiditis in several studies.
These metals can stay in the body for years if detoxification isn’t supported.
How to Identify and Avoid EDCs and Heavy Metals
Start by checking labels and reducing daily exposure:
Avoid products with fragrance/parfum, parabens, triclosan, and specific UV filters like oxybenzone
Switch to glass or stainless steel containers and cookware
Avoid heating food in plastic or consuming hot drinks from plastic-lined containers (take away coffee cups for instance!)
Skip the fancy plastic/synthetic tea bags!
Filter your drinking water (choose systems that remove heavy metals, PFAS, hormones and pesticides like Aquatru)
Choose pesticide-free produce and responsibly raised animal products (ideally from areas with low soil contamination)
Replace non-stick pans with ceramic, cast iron, or stainless steel
Use HEPA-filter vacuums and damp mopping to reduce indoor dust and chemical buildup
Invest in a HEPA air filter for your home
Choose natural textiles over synthetics to minimize microfiber shedding.
By the way: Low temperatures (around 4–10 °C) generally result in minimal migration of harmful chemicals such as BPA, phthalates (DEHP, DBP, BBP), and nonylphenols into food or liquids. A controlled laboratory study found no detectable release of these endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) from polypropylene (PP) or polystyrene (GPPS) containers when held at such low temperatures Nature.
Storage and handling matter. Factors such as repeated reuse, surface abrasion, and contact with acidic or fatty foods can elevate the chance of contaminant transfer - even under cold conditions
Resources like the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and the Think Dirty app can help you assess product safety.
Key Supplements to Support Detox
Probiotics for heavy metal clearance: Certain strains, such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus GR‑1, may bind and aid excretion of cadmium and lead, while improving gut integrity.
Activated charcoal or bentonite clay bind toxins in the digestive tract.
Selenium helps to protect cells from oxidative damage and also participates in detoxification by interacting with heavy metals and mycotoxins, potentially reducing their harmful effects.
Magnesium needed for detox enzymes
Glutathione or NAC for phase II liver detox
The good old vitamin C also always is a great ally to bring in more antioxidants and support your immune system
Functional Testing - these are all at private cost unfortunately:
Urinary or hair tissue analysis of heavy metals
Detox pathway function (liver, methylation, glutathione status)
Total Tox Burden Test: This urine-based assay evaluates mycotoxins, heavy metals, and synthetic chemicals - offering a comprehensive picture of an individual’s toxic load.
You don’t need to eliminate all toxins to heal - but every small step can dramatically reduce the burden on your body.
If you're navigating Hashimoto’s, Graves’, or unexplained thyroid symptoms, identifying and removing endocrine-disrupting chemicals and heavy metals is a crucial part of the recovery puzzle.
Your body has a remarkable ability to rebound - when you remove the obstacles.