Climate, Toxics, and Health
Climate, Toxics, and Health is an actionable, educational initiative dedicated to empowering individuals with knowledge about the intersection of toxic chemicals, fossil fuels, and human health.
By shedding light on the pervasive presence of hazardous substances—such as pesticides, parabens, phthalates, PFAS, and flame retardants—in everyday products, this work aims to foster healthier lifestyles while simultaneously reducing harms to our environment. Through accessible resources and practical tools, Climate, Toxics, and Health helps consumers identify and avoid these toxicants in everyday personal care and cleaning products, contributing to both improved personal well-being and a smaller carbon footprint.
- The Links Between Fossil Fuels, Chemicals, and Health
Fossil fuels are not only the primary drivers of climate change, but also the source of numerous toxic chemicals that we encounter daily. Petrochemicals derived from fossil fuels are found in plastics, and are key ingredients in personal care products and household items. Many of these substances are endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which interfere with hormonal systems and have been linked to serious health issues such as cancer, neurodevelopmental disorders, infertility, and metabolic diseases (like obesity and type 2 diabetes). Alarmingly, only a small fraction of the 350,000 chemicals approved for global use have undergone rigorous safety testing. Read more here & here, and learn more about EDCs below.
The production and use of fossil fuel-derived chemicals also exacerbate environmental degradation. Pollutants from burning fossil fuels contaminate air and water supplies, leading to respiratory illnesses and groundwater pollution. For instance, fracking has been associated with methane contamination in drinking water. These environmental harms disproportionately affect marginalized communities already burdened by health disparities.
Because they share the same fossil fuel root, climate change and widespread exposure to toxic chemicals are often called the “twin crises.”
- Why Avoiding Toxic Chemicals Matters
Reducing exposure to toxic chemicals is not just a personal health choice—it’s actually a very real way to mitigate climate change and reduce environmental harms. By choosing personal care and cleaning products without petrochemical-derived ingredients (and avoiding plastic consumption and use), individuals can lower their risk of exposure-related health harms while also reducing demand for fossil fuels. This shift supports cleaner air and water systems and lessens the ecological footprint of manufacturing processes.
Even though harmful chemicals are used ubiquitously in our environment, new tools like the ones on this page make it easier than ever before to choose healthier, safer products for you and your family.
- What are Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals and How Do They Impact Health?
Many chemicals used as ingredients in personal care products (such as makeup, lotions, soap, deodorant) and cleaning products are known to be endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). This quality of certain chemicals makes them “hormonally active,” meaning they can mimic hormones that our bodies produce that serve critical functions to health, disease development, fertility, metabolism, and more. (What are Hormones, and why are they important? Learn more here.)
Here are a few ways in which EDCs can influence your health:
Reproductive Disorders:
- Infertility:
A significant body of research points to EDCs as contributing factors to infertility in both men and women. Studies have specifically linked pesticide exposure to reduced sperm count and quality in men, as well as lower fertilization rates during in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures.
- Endometriosis:
Exposure to certain organochlorine pesticides has been consistently associated with an increased risk of developing endometriosis in women. Specific pesticides, such as beta-hexachlorocyclohexane and mirex, have been identified as potential contributors to this increased risk.
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS):
EDCs, particularly plasticizers like bisphenol A (BPA), have been linked to the development and progression of polycystic ovary syndrome.
- Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI):
The possibility of EDCs, including certain pesticides, acting as risk factors for premature ovarian insufficiency has also been suggested by research.
- Abnormal Sexual Maturation:
Exposure to a variety of pesticides and other EDCs has been shown to potentially affect normal sexual development and maturation in both males and females. This can manifest as either early or delayed puberty, as well as abnormalities in the development of reproductive organs.
Metabolic Issues
- Diabetes:
A strong association has been found between exposure to EDCs and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders.
- Obesity:
Similarly, EDCs have been implicated in the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome, contributing to the growing global prevalence of these conditions.
- Thyroid Dysfunction:
Certain EDCs, such as some flame retardants and industrial chemicals, have the capacity to interfere with the normal function of the thyroid gland, which is essential for regulating metabolism.
Developmental Problems
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders:
EDCs have been increasingly linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease.
- Developmental Malformations:
Exposure to EDCs during critical developmental windows can lead to a variety of developmental malformations. These can include issues such as low birth weight, an increased risk of preterm birth, and alterations in the normal development of organs and systems.
Cancer
- Hormone-Sensitive Cancers:
EDCs have been strongly implicated in increasing the risk of hormone-sensitive cancers, such as breast, prostate, testicular, and ovarian cancers. The tragic example of diethylstilbestrol (DES) highlights the potential for prenatal exposure to certain EDCs to lead to the development of rare cancers later in life.
Citations:
- Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement - PMC, 2009
- Latest Science Shows Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Plastics, Pesticides, and Other Sources Pose Health Threats Globally, 2024
- Disease Burden & Costs Due to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals | NYU Langone Health
- Pesticide-Induced Diseases: Endocrine Disruption
- Endocrine Disruptor Chemicals and Children’s Health, 2023
- Environmental Endocrine-Disrupting Chemical Exposure: Role in Non-Communicable Diseases, 2020
- Fetal Exposure to Low Levels of the Plasticizer DEHP Predisposes the Adult Male Adrenal Gland to Endocrine Disruption, 2016
- Pesticide Consumption May be Linked to Male Infertility, Harvard Study Suggests | News, 2024
- Adult Organophosphate and Carbamate Insecticide Exposure and Sperm Concentration: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Epidemiological Evidence | Environmental Health Perspectives | Vol. 131, No. 11, 2023
- Pesticide Exposure May Reduce IVF Success, 2024
- Pesticides in produce linked with reduced fertility in women | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 2017
- Pesticide exposure from fruits, vegetables could lower male fertility | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 2024
- The impact of endocrine disruptor chemicals on oocyte/embryo and clinical outcomes in IVF - PMC, 2020.
- Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs), 2022
- From Environmental to Possible Occupational Exposure to Risk Factors: What Role Do They Play in the Etiology of Endometriosis? - PMC, 2021
- Organochlorine Pesticides and Risk of Endometriosis: Findings from a Population-Based Case-Control Study, 2013
- Reproductive Health | Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network (PAN)
- Exposure to Pesticides Increases Risk of Endometriosis, 2013
- Plastics, EDCs & Health: Authoritative Guide | Endocrine Society, 2020
- Endocrine Disruptors: What Are They and How Do They Affect Us? - Blog - ISGLOBAL, 2023
- Reproductive Health Risks Associated with Occupational and Environmental Exposure to Pesticides - PMC, 2021
- Theo Colborn and Endocrine Disruption
- The Latest in the Fight Against Endocrine Disruptors | International Joint Commission, 2017
- "Developmental Effects of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals in Wildlife and Humans" (1993), by Theo Colborn, Frederick S. vom Saal, and Ana M. Soto | Embryo Project Encyclopedia, 2014
- Adverse Effects of Plasticizers and Pesticides on Female Reproductive Health, 2022
- Plasticizers and Cardiovascular Health: Role of Adipose Tissue Dysfunction, 2021
- Endocrine Disruptor Exchange | Theo Colborn
- A review of the endocrine disrupting effects of micro and nano plastic and their associated chemicals in mammals, 2023
- Endocrine Disruptors | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
- Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals: Threats to Human Health | IPEN, 2024
- Overview of Endocrine Disruption | US EPA
- Assessing the Risks of Pesticide Exposure: Implications for Endocrine Disruption and Male Fertility, 2024
- Infertility:
The average person uses 14 unique personal care products every day potentially exposing them to over 100 unique chemical ingredients. Here’s what you can do now to reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals:
- Read labels and avoid products with harmful ingredients like parabens, phthalates, or oxybenzone.
- Avoid plastics numbered 3, 6, and 7. Never microwave plastic, no matter what number.
- Opt for fragrance-free products to avoid hidden toxicants in synthetic fragrances.
- Use fewer products overall or switch gradually to safer alternatives as items run out.
- Replace non-stick cookware with ceramic coated, stainless steel, or cast iron.
- Leverage tools like the ones below to identify safer options.
Toxic chemicals from personal care products contribute to pollution and harm ecosystems during extraction, production, and disposal. Choosing non-toxic alternatives helps reduce demand for petrochemical-derived products and supports sustainability!
Resources
Clearya
Clearya can alert on ingredients linked with cancer, infertility, baby developmental harm, hormone imbalance, chemicals that are banned in Europe, ingredients that may cause an allergic reaction and more. This app and browser extension vets ingredients’ safety by matching them against thousands of hazardous chemicals identified by scientists and regulators around the world. When you browse products that contain toxics, Clearya can suggest safer alternatives sold by the same store. You can also take a photo of the ingredient list and have it analyzed by the Clearya app on the spot
Environmental Working Group
Skin Deep Database In 2004, EWG launched Skin Deep to fill the gap by educating the public about the ingredients in their cosmetics and personal care products. Skin Deep makes it easier for shoppers to understand potential hazards and health concerns related to ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products.
EWG’s Healthy Living App From snacks to shampoos: We are exposed to chemicals every second, yet we know very little about them. To help you navigate this complicated world and make safer choices, EWG combined two of their most popular resources, the Skin Deep and Food Scores databases, to form the Healthy Living App. Now EWG's trusted ratings for more than 120,000 food and cosmetics products are at your fingertips.
Silent Spring Institute
DetoxMe app
Silent Spring’s Detox Me app is a clean lifestyle guide that walks you through simple, research-based tips on how to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals where you live, work, and play. The free mobile app draws on more than 20 years of research by Silent Spring Institute on the health risks associated with toxic chemicals in our everyday environment, turning this vast knowledge into practical advice for healthier living.
PFAS Central
PFAS Central: Find a list of PFAS-free products here. PFAS Central provides current and curated information about PFAS, including press, peer-reviewed scientific articles, meetings, job listings, and consumer information.
Continue learning about chemicals, the environment, and human health.
Collaborative for Health and Environment
CHE amplifies the latest, peer-reviewed science to support changes in policy and practice that protect people and the planet. Check out their Toxicant and Disease Database for literature on specific contaminants and their impact on health, as well as these factsheets.
The Children’s Environmental Health Network
CEHN is a national multi-disciplinary organization whose mission is to protect the developing child from environmental health hazards and promote a healthier environment. In addition to CEEE’s Good Neighbor Iowa initiative, CEHN’s course, Eco-Healthy Child Care, is a very useful resource for child care professionals who want to improve the environment of the children for which they care. Please reach out to the Environmental Health Program Director to request a scholarship to take the course.
The Silent Spring Institute
Silent Spring Institute is a mission-driven scientific research organization dedicated to uncovering the environmental causes of breast cancer. Their work advances science on the links between environmental chemicals and women's health and supports the development of safer chemicals, market shift away from toxics in products, and more health-protective regulatory policies.
Pesticide Action Network of North America
PAN uses grassroots science, strategic communications and coalition organizing to build power with communities across the U.S. and around the world to confront the harms of industrial agriculture and build solutions. They are one of five regional centers who cooperate to transform systems of food and farming across the globe.
The Cancer Free Economy Network
CFE is a dynamic network of diverse teams, experts and stakeholders from the environmental, social justice, health, science, policy, legal, labor, business and communications sectors working together to prevent cancer and accelerate progress towards a healthy, regenerative and equitable economy for all.
Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination
CHEEC is a multidisciplinary environmental health research center composed of faculty and researchers located in the University of Iowa Colleges of Public Health, Engineering, and Liberal Arts and Sciences, and State Hygienic Laboratory. CHEEC supports and conducts research to identify, measure and study adverse health outcomes related to exposure to environmental toxins.
PFAS Central
PFAS, sometimes referred to as PFCs or highly fluorinated chemicals, are used in many consumer products and industrial applications because of their oil-, stain-, and water-repellent properties. Examples of chemicals in this class include PFOA, PFOS, and more than 3000 related compounds.
Heartland Health Research Alliance
HHRA studies how food and farming impacts the health of people and the planet, supports research to determine whether widely-used weed-killing herbicides affect reproductive and children’s health, and shares data and scientifically sound findings to equip farmers, the food industry, and policy makers to adopt farming-system practices that promote the health of people and the planet. An especially useful tool is the Heartland Study’s Project Bibliography where you can browse the extensive body of literature linking pesticides with negative health impacts, as well as the Dietary Risks Index -- developed to determine which food-pesticide combinations account for the most worrisome risks in the food supply, and which do not.