Dangerous hormone-disrupting chemicals found in everyday products

Dangerous chemicals (Newshub.)
Dangerous chemicals (Newshub.)

A new study has linked hormone-disrupting chemicals used in everyday products to serious illnesses and behavioural problems.

They're called endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and are used in products like plastic bottles, metal food containers, detergents, toys and cosmetics.

The fact they're harmful to health is nothing new, but a recent study in medical journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology has linked EDCs to conditions like ADHD, autism, diabetes and cancer.

Scientists also found a connection between EDC exposure and hormone-related conditions like endometriosis and male infertility.

The chemicals mimic the body's naturally occurring hormones such as oestrogen and androgen, locking on to receptors within cells and blocking natural hormones from building with them.

Health problems caused by EDCs are costing the US upwards of $470 billion a year.

Earlier this year the European Union set a broad criteria for identifying potentially harmful EDCs, but critics said it wasn't enough.

Newshub.