The System is Broken ...

80 Years of Chemicals Changing Our Bodies: What We Need to Know

For the past 80 years, chemicals that mess with our hormones have been used in almost everything—from the food we eat to the air we breathe. These chemicals are called endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), and they can be found all around the world, even in places like the Arctic, where they shouldn’t be. But what does this mean for us? How do these chemicals affect our bodies, especially the babies still growing inside their mothers?

How Chemicals Affect Babies

Scientists have found that these chemicals can change how our bodies grow and develop, even before we are born. One of the scariest things these chemicals can do is affect how babies develop their sexual characteristics. This means that the chemicals can change how boys and girls grow, even before birth. For example, these chemicals might make it harder for a baby to develop properly as a boy or a girl, or they might cause changes in things like how their bodies produce certain hormones when they get older.

It’s not just sexual development. These chemicals can also affect the brain, behavior, and the way our bodies fight off diseases. Scientists believe these chemicals are linked to health problems later in life, like cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.

 

The Big Questions

So, here’s the big question: What are these chemicals doing to our future?

These chemicals have been linked to many changes in how our bodies work. They can affect our sexual development, how we think, and even how we behave. And the worst part is, these chemicals are everywhere. They spread to places all around the world, even in places that are very far away from where they were first used. So, this isn’t just affecting a few people—it’s affecting everyone.

Who's Responsible for All of This?

When we look at all the changes that are happening to our bodies, we have to ask: Who allowed this to happen? How did these chemicals get into so many products and spread so far that they’re now part of our air, water, and food? This didn’t happen by accident—it’s because of decisions made by people in charge.

For years, these chemicals were used without thinking about how they could harm us. Now, we need to face the fact that they’ve had a big impact on our health, especially on unborn babies. So, when we look at what’s happening to our world and our bodies, we need to ask ourselves

What are we going to do about it?

Time for Change

The good news is, we can still fix the problem. It’s not too late to make a change. But we need to act now. We need to make sure that companies stop using dangerous chemicals and that we find safer ways to protect our health and the health of future generations. This means asking for stronger rules and laws to protect people from harmful chemicals.

If we want our children and grandchildren to grow up healthy, we need to start making changes today. We can’t keep ignoring the problem and hoping it will go away. It’s time to do something about it.

 

The Price of Progress: How Corporations Contribute to Disease, and the Cost of Trying to Escape It

For over 80 years, certain corporations have produced and profited from chemicals that have now been linked to a wide range of serious health issues. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) like phthalatesbisphenol A (BPA), and others have quietly made their way into our everyday lives, often without us fully understanding their impact. From food packaging to household products, these chemicals have been widely used and marketed as safe—until, years later, the health consequences began to surface.

But here’s the grim reality: many of the people affected by these chemicals—whether they develop reproductive problems, cancers, neurological disorders, or other diseases—often find themselves on a long, expensive road to recovery. The cost isn’t just in physical pain but in financial devastation. People spend their life savings on medical bills, treatments, and the hope of getting better, often to no avail. Worse yet, the very companies responsible for the chemicals may have known of the risks all along, hiding the truth or downplaying the dangers to protect their profits.

The Vicious Cycle: Health Crisis, Financial Despair

What happens when exposure to dangerous chemicals leads to disease, and those affected then have to struggle against not only their illness but also the system that profits from it? Many people find themselves financially ruined while trying to access healthcare, pay for treatments, or get justice through legal avenues. What should have been an issue of public health becomes a personal battle for survival—and it’s a battle where the odds are often stacked against the victims.

Corporations get away with it by using the same strategy they’ve used for decades—delaying, deflecting, and denying. They release products into the market with little regard for long-term consequences, knowing that by the time the damage is clear, they’ve already made their money. And for those whose health has been impacted, the legal and financial hurdles can be insurmountable.

Lawsuits are expensive, and even if people win, the payout often doesn’t cover the years of lost wages, medical treatments, or mental anguish that result from being exposed to harmful chemicals.

A Call for Change

This isn’t just about corporate greed or corporate negligence—this is about human lives. It’s about people whose only "crime" was trusting that the products they used were safe, and whose bodies are now paying the price for that trust. It’s about the children and unborn babies exposed to harmful chemicals before they even took their first breath, their futures unknowingly altered because of corporate choices made years earlier.

So, while we must recognize the environmental and health impact of these chemicals, we also need to demand accountability from those who profit from causing harm.

And we must create systemic changes—regulations, transparency, and real accountability—to ensure that corporations can no longer make profits at the expense of human health.

People shouldn't have to lose everything just to stay alive or fight for their rights.

 Here are some studies... don't take my word for it. 

1. The Effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals on Human Development

  • Study: "Endocrine Disruption and Human Health: An Assessment of the Evidence"
  • Published by: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
  • LinkNIEHS Website
  • Findings: This report from the NIEHS outlines how chemicals like phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), and certain pesticides can interfere with the normal development of sexual organs and hormones in babies. For example, BPA, found in many plastics, has been linked to early puberty and other hormonal disruptions. The document provides a broad overview of how these chemicals affect both fetal and postnatal development, including impacts on sexual differentiation.

2. Phthalates and Fetal Development

  • Study: "Phthalates and Human Health: A Review of the Literature"
  • Published inEnvironmental Health Perspectives (2011)
  • DOI10.1289/ehp.1103670
  • Findings: This study reviews the impact of phthalates—commonly found in plastics, cosmetics, and personal care products—on fetal development. Phthalates have been shown to alter the development of male sexual organs, as well as reduce testosterone levels in male fetuses, leading to problems with sexual differentiation. The study concludes that phthalates are a significant risk for disrupting fetal development, particularly in terms of sexual and reproductive health.

3. Bisphenol A (BPA) and Reproductive Development

  • Study: "Bisphenol A and Human Health: A Review of the Literature"
  • Published inEnvironmental Health Perspectives (2008)
  • DOI10.1289/ehp.11670
  • Findings: Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in plastics, has been found to interfere with hormone signals in both male and fem

1. The Effects of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals on Human Development

  • Study: "Endocrine Disruption and Human Health: An Assessment of the Evidence"
  • Published by: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
  • LinkNIEHS Website
  • Findings: This report from the NIEHS outlines how chemicals like phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), and certain pesticides can interfere with the normal development of sexual organs and hormones in babies. For example, BPA, found in many plastics, has been linked to early puberty and other hormonal disruptions. The document provides a broad overview of how these chemicals affect both fetal and postnatal development, including impacts on sexual differentiation.

2. Phthalates and Fetal Development

  • Study: "Phthalates and Human Health: A Review of the Literature"
  • Published inEnvironmental Health Perspectives (2011)
  • DOI10.1289/ehp.1103670
  • Findings: This study reviews the impact of phthalates—commonly found in plastics, cosmetics, and personal care products—on fetal development. Phthalates have been shown to alter the development of male sexual organs, as well as reduce testosterone levels in male fetuses, leading to problems with sexual differentiation. The study concludes that phthalates are a significant risk for disrupting fetal development, particularly in terms of sexual and reproductive health.

3. Bisphenol A (BPA) and Reproductive Development

  • Study: "Bisphenol A and Human Health: A Review of the Literature"
  • Published inEnvironmental Health Perspectives (2008)
  • DOI10.1289/ehp.11670
  • Findings: Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in plastics, has been found to interfere with hormone signals in both male and female fetuses. Research has shown that BPA exposure during pregnancy can alter the development of the fetus’s reproductive organs and increase the risk of health problems later in life, such as infertility, early puberty, and an increased risk for certain cancers. This study highlights concerns about fetal exposure to BPA, which can cross the placenta and affect sexual development.

4. The Legacy of DDT Exposure

  • Study: "In utero DDT exposure and risk of breast cancer in adult women"
  • Published inEnvironmental Health Perspectives (2010)
  • DOI10.1289/ehp.0901336
  • Findings: DDT, a pesticide banned in many countries, has been shown to affect fetal development. This study explored how prenatal exposure to DDT was linked to an increased risk of breast cancer later in life, showing that chemicals disrupting endocrine systems during fetal development could have long-lasting health consequences. DDT has been linked to altering sexual development in both males and females, as well as increasing susceptibility to cancer later in life.

5. Endocrine Disruptors and Developmental Neurotoxicity

  • Study: "Developmental Neurotoxicity of Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals"
  • Published inThe Lancet Neurology (2016)
  • DOI10.1016/S1474-4422(16)30021-X
  • Findings: This review discusses the broader impacts of endocrine-disrupting chemicals on brain development in fetuses and young children. It notes that EDCs, such as lead, mercury, pesticides, and BPA, can alter brain development, leading to problems like learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, and other cognitive issues. While this study focuses more on neurotoxicity, it emphasizes how EDCs can impact not just sexual development but also brain function and behavior.

Key Points from These Studies:

  • Fetal Exposure to EDCs: Chemicals like BPA, phthalates, and DDT are able to cross the placenta and affect the fetus during critical stages of development.
  • Sexual Development: EDCs have been shown to interfere with sexual differentiation, which is the process by which male and female characteristics develop in the fetus. For example, exposure to certain chemicals can reduce testosterone levels in male fetuses, leading to changes in genital development.
  • Long-term Health Effects: The effects of these chemicals can be lifelong, leading to developmental disorders, increased cancer risks, and issues with fertility or sexual function later in life.

Conclusion

The research shows that endocrine-disrupting chemicals are not just a short-term problem—they can affect the very development of fetuses, particularly their sexual and reproductive systems. These chemicals can cause lasting damage that can be passed on through generations. Understanding these risks is essential for protecting future generations from the harmful effects of EDCs.