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 public 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 infiltrate our daily lives. Petrochemicals derived from fossil fuels are found in plastics, 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. Alarmingly, only a small fraction of the 350,000 chemicals approved for global use have undergone rigorous safety testing. Read more here and here.
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.
- Why Avoiding Toxic Chemicals Matters
Reducing exposure to toxic chemicals is not just a personal health choice — it’s a step toward mitigating broader environmental challenges. By choosing safer alternatives in personal care and cleaning products, individuals can lower their risk of hormone-related diseases while also reducing demand for petrochemical-based products. This shift supports cleaner air and water systems and lessens the ecological footprint of manufacturing processes. Furthermore, adopting green chemistry principles — such as using biodegradable or non-toxic substances — can lead to safer consumer goods while protecting ecosystems from chemical disruption.
Through collective action and informed decision-making, we can address the dual crises of environmental toxicity and climate change while fostering healthier communities for future generations.
Even though harmful chemicals are used widely in our environment, new tools make it easier than ever before to choose healthier, safer products for you and your family.
- What are Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals?
Many chemicals used in the production of personal care products (such as makeup, lotions, soap, deodorant, cleaning products, paints, adhesives, and plastic) 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 Health Impacts
- Over 50 pesticide ingredients are confirmed endocrine disruptors, linked to infertility, endometriosis, and reduced IVF success rates.
- Prenatal exposure to phthalates is associated with 40% higher odds of preterm birth.
- Women exposed to EDCs face risks of ovarian dysfunction and hormone-sensitive cancers, with studies showing these chemicals alter oocyte quality and uterine health.
Developmental and Neurological Effects
- ADHD and cognitive deficits in children correlate with prenatal exposure to EDCs like organophosphate pesticides and PBDEs (flame retardants).
- Phthalate exposure increases ADHD-related behaviors in adolescents by 2- to 3-fold, while DES grandchildren show heightened ADHD susceptibility.
Metabolic and Immune Disorders
- PFAS exposure reduces children’s vaccine efficacy by up to 50%, while arsenic disrupts glucose metabolism, elevating diabetes risk.
- Obesity and thyroid dysfunction are strongly tied to EDCs like BPA and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), with studies showing altered fat storage and hormone regulation.
Cancer Risks
- EDCs contribute to breast, prostate, and thyroid cancers.
- Occupational pesticide exposure raises prostate cancer risk, while early-life EDC contact may increase lifetime cancer susceptibility.
Transgenerational and Lifelong Effects
- Animal studies reveal gestational exposure to EDCs causes reproductive aging disorders and metabolic issues persisting across generations.
- Even low-dose EDC exposure during critical developmental windows can irreversibly alter organ systems, with no safe threshold identified for many chemicals.
Scale of Exposure
- Humans encounter EDCs daily through food, cosmetics, and household products, with biomonitoring detecting these chemicals in 90% of pregnant women.
- Only ~1% of 350,000+ commercially used chemicals have been rigorously tested for endocrine effects, leaving vast gaps in safety data.
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!
- Citations
Beyond Pesticides. (n.d.). Endocrine disruption. Beyond Pesticides. Retrieved from https://www.beyondpesticides.org/resources/pesticide-induced-diseases-database/endocrine-disruption
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). Overview of endocrine disruption. EPA. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/endocrine-disruption/overview-endocrine-disruption
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. (n.d.). Endocrine disruptors. NIH. Retrieved from https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine
European Parliament. (2019). Endocrine disruptors: From science to regulation. Retrieved from https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/STUD/2019/608866/IPOL_STU(2019)608866_EN.pdf
World Health Organization. (2013, February 19). Effects of human exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals examined in landmark UN report. WHO. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news/item/19-02-2013-effects-of-human-exposure-to-hormone-disrupting-chemicals-examined-in-landmark-un-report
Diamanti-Kandarakis, E., Bourguignon, J. P., Berg, C., Bonefeld-Jorgensen, E. C., Rauscher, G., Repetti, S. A., ... & Gore, A. C. (2009). Endocrine-disrupting chemicals: an Endocrine Society scientific statement. Endocrine Reviews, 30(4), 293–342. https://doi.org/10.1210/er.2009-0002.
Gore, A. C., Chappell, V. A., Fenton, S. E., Flaws, J. A., Nadal, A., Prins, G. S., ... & Zoeller, R. T. (2015). EDC-2: The Endocrine Society’s second scientific statement on endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Endocrinology, 156(6), 1941–1950. https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2015-1010.
The Endocrine Society. (2024, February 26). Latest science shows endocrine-disrupting chemicals pose health threats globally. Retrieved from https://www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2024/latest-science-shows-endocrine-disrupting-chemicals-in-pose-health-threats-globally
Safe Cosmetics. (n.d.). Safe cosmetics. Retrieved from https://www.safecosmetics.org/
Colborn, T., vom Saal, F. S., & Soto, A. M. (1993). Developmental effects of endocrine-disrupting 1 chemicals in wildlife and humans. Environmental Health Perspectives, 101(5), 378–384.
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
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.
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
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.