As I step into my morning routine, I pause before choosing breakfast— opting for fresh food over packaged food that may contain phthalates or bisphenols from food wrappers. I know that a simple decision — choosing a product with or without endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) — is more than a personal choice. It is a choice that ripple through my body, my family’s health, the environment, and even the wildlife that depend on clean ecosystems.
This awareness is at the heart of the One Health concept — the recognition that human health, environmental health and wildlife health are deeply interconnected. Every day, through the products we use, the food we eat, and the materials we choose, we either contribute to a healthier world or fuel the silent crisis caused by harmful chemicals.
One Health: a scientific truth, not a theory
As For over two decades, my work as a medical scientist has taught me that we cannot separate human health from the environment and wildlife. The water we drink, the air we breathe, and the food we eat are shaped by the choices we make as consumers and by the chemicals that industries introduce into our daily lives.
The One Health approach, endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the United Nations (UN), is a holistic strategy that acknowledges these interdependencies and calls for coordinated action across the human, animal, and environmental health sectors (Destoumieux-Garzón et al., 2018).
Yet, while governments debate regulations, our daily choices have the power to create change right now.
The silent saboteurs: how EDCs affect us all
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are everywhere — hidden in cosmetics, plastic food containers, household cleaners, and even baby products. As a biotechnologist, I know it is almost impossible to avoid them completely, but reducing exposure is within our control. And it is worth the cost to protect ourselves – every day, everywhere, for everyone.
Examples of the cost to human health of exposure to EDCs:
✔️ Hormonal imbalances – leading to infertility, early puberty, and metabolic disorders (Gore et al., 2015).
✔️ Increased risk of breast and prostate cancer (Diamanti-Kandarakis et al., 2009).
✔️ Neurological effects in children, including ADHD and lower IQ scores due to prenatal exposure (Ejaredar et al., 2017).
✔️ Metabolic dysfunction such as obesity and insulin resistance (Heindel et al., 2017).
As a mother, I feel the weight of these findings. Knowing that something as simple as choosing a phthalate-free moisturizer for my child could reduce their lifetime risk of hormonal disorders gives me both power and responsibility.
Wildlife’s struggle with human choices
While I take steps to protect my family from EDC exposure, I know that wildlife has no choice but to suffer the consequences. The very same chemicals that disrupt human hormones flow from our homes into rivers, oceans, and soil, affecting entire ecosystems.
The scientists have proven:
📌 Reproductive failure in animals – Studies of marine life show that whales, dolphins, and polar bears exposed to high levels of persistent EDCs suffer from infertility and abnormal development (Desforges et al., 2016).
📌 Feminization of fish – Scientists have found that male fish are developing female reproductive organs due to estrogen mimicking chemicals in water sources (Kidd et al., 2007).
📌 Declining bird populations – EDCs disrupt the reproductive cycles of birds, affecting species such as kestrels and peregrine falcons (Giesy et al., 2014).
Every time we buy a new T-shirt, perfume, sunscreen or plastic-wrapped food, we are either contributing to this damage – or helping to reverse it.
My daily choices, our collective impact
I used to think that avoiding EDCs required extreme effort, but small, science-backed changes have made a significant difference in my life, for my children and for wildlife.
🔹 I’ve swapped plastic for glass and stainless steel — this reduces exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a known endocrine disruptor linked to breast cancer (LaKind et al., 2015).
🔹 I choose fragrance-free cosmetics — many contain phthalates, which can affect reproductive health (Hauser et al., 2006).
🔹 I filter my tap water and carry it in a stainless steel bottle — research shows that tap water can contain endocrine disruptors from pesticides, pharmaceuticals and industrial waste (Schug et al., 2011).
🔹 I buy organic whenever possible — pesticide residues contain EDCs that persist in food and the environment (Mnif et al., 2011).
One Health is a movement – and we’re all part of it
Protecting ourselves from EDCs is not just about personal wellbeing; it’s about reducing the toxic burden on the planet. The change starts at home, but it extends to the choices we make in stores, the brands we support, and the policies we demand.
As a scientist, a mother, and a global citizen, I know that what we do today will determine the health of future generations — not just for humans, but for every living being on this planet. The question is not whether we will be affected by endocrine disruptors, but how we choose to respond.
And that choice begins now.
Whatever you do not change, you choose… Choose wisely and be a change!
For more information – follow Dr Aleksandra on Instagram: @AskDrAleksandra
or contact via e-mail: askdrAleksandra@detoxed.eu
Scientific references:
Destoumieux-Garzón, D., Mavingui, P., Boetsch, G., Boissier, J., Darriet, F., Duboz, P., … & Voituron, Y. (2018). The One Health Concept: 10 Years Old and a Long Road Ahead. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 5, 14.
Diamanti-Kandarakis, E., Bourguignon, J. P., Giudice, L. C., Hauser, R., Prins, G. S., Soto, A. M., … & Gore, A. C. (2009). Endocrine-disrupting chemicals: an Endocrine Society scientific statement. Endocrine Reviews, 30(4), 293-342.
Ejaredar, M., Nyanza, E. C., Ten Eycke, K., & Dewey, D. (2017). Phthalate exposure and children’s neurodevelopment: A systematic review. Environmental Research, 158, 684-693.
Giesy, J. P., Kannan, K., & Jones, P. D. (2014). Global contamination trends of persistent endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Environmental Science & Technology, 48(3), 1103-1114.
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. Endocrine Reviews, 36(6), E1-E150.
Kidd, K. A., Blanchfield, P. J., Mills, K. H., Palace, V. P., Evans, R. E., Lazorchak, J. M., & Flick, R. W. (2007). Collapse of a fish population after exposure to a synthetic estrogen. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(21), 8897-8901.
Schug, T. T., Janesick, A., Blumberg, B., & Heindel, J. J. (2011). Endocrine-disrupting chemicals and disease susceptibility. The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 127(3-5), 204-215.
Rutkowska, A. Z., & Diamanti-Kandarakis, E. (2016). Polycystic ovary syndrome and environmental toxins. Fertility and Sterility, 106(4), 948-958
