Carpet (PBDEs), vinyl flooring (PVC), mattress (PBDEs), toys, (BPA), waterproof clothing (Phthalates, PFOA)

One study found that children who live in homes with vinyl flooring in the bedrooms are twice as likely to have autism. To further avoid EDCs in your bedroom: 1) Make sure the mattresses and mattress covers you buy aren't treated with brominated flame retardants. 2) Avoid clothing that's been coated with a water-, stain-, or dirt-repellent. 3) Throw out plastic toys that aren't designated "BPA free" (old plastic leaches more toxins). 4) Buy PVC-free, BPA-free, and phthalate-free toys. You can find some at

Raincoats (phthalates), rain boots (phthalates), faux leather coats, shoes, purses, and briefcases (phthalates)

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PVC might be an obvious component of rain slickers and Wellies, but the phthalate-laden material is almost always found in soft fake-leather accessories as well. To avoid exposure: 1) Buy real leather accessories. 2) Try waxed canvas rain gear instead.

Laundry Room
PVC pipes, detergents, and dryer sheets (phthalates)

Most cleaning products contain phthalates, and their containers have BPA. But SC Johnson, the maker of Windex, Shout, Pledge, and Scrubbing Bubbles cleaning products, has started to list ingredients on its products and began a two-year program in 2008 to phase out phthalates from its products. So far, other major manufacturers have not followed SC Johnson's lead. In order to make your cleaning area cleaner: 1) Buy fragrance-free cleaning products. 2) To reduce the amount of laundry detergent you need to use, add baking soda: It softens the water, increasing the detergent's power, according to the Center for Health, Environment, & Justice.

Living Room
Carpet (PBDEs), air fresheners (phthalates), furniture (PBDEs), electronics (PBDEs)

Flame retardants are especially harmful to children. Human exposure comes from contact with treated products such as electronics, but the majority of our exposure is from dust. A recent study found that the average level of PBDEs in dust is more than 4,600 parts per billion. To reduce exposure: 1) Choose electronic brands that don't contain PBDEs. 2) Use a HEPA-filter vacuum to trap the most dust particles. 3) Open your windows when vacuuming and make sure your home has good ventilation.

Toothbrush (BPA), toothpaste, vinyl shower curtain, water from the shower comes through PVC pipes, soaps, shampoos, deodorants, creams, powders, and makeup (Phthalates), nail polish (Phthalates, PFOA)

Bathrooms can shower you in EDCs, literally. Most soaps, lotions, and deodorants contain phthalates, listed on the ingredients as "fragrance." To decrease the toxicity of your bathroom experience: 1) Buy fragrance-free personal-care products (deodorant, lipstick, nail polish, or hand/face cream). 2) Use only two personal-care products at a time, which one study showed reduced people's phthalate concentrations fourfold. 3) Buy PVC-free shower curtains. 4) Put a filter on water taps to reduce exposure to toxins in your water.

Produce in the fridge (pesticides), meat in the freezer (PBDEs, PCBs, pesticides), canned food in the pantry (BPA), jars of peanut butter (phthalates), jars of tomato sauce (phthalates), jarred baby food (BPA), plastic cups, baby bottles, plates, and utensils (BPA)

To reduce your exposure: 1) choose plastics with the recycling code 1, 2, or 5. Recycling codes 3 and 7 are more likely to contain BPA or phthalates. 2) Use glass baby bottles. 3) Heat your foods in glass, not plastic. 4) Use bamboo, glass, pyrex, stainless steel, and cast-iron cookware. 5) Buy organic fruits, vegetables, and dairy and organic free-range meats.

Chemical Invasion

A synthetic estrogen found in safety equipment, eyeglasses, computer and cellphone casings, water and beverage bottles, plastic toys, glass bottle lids, jarred foods, canned foods, epoxy paint and coatings, dental composites and sealants, and pesticides. BPA has been linked to behavioral problems, brain abnormalities, reproductive problems, diabetes, and obesity.

A group of industrial chemicals used to make plastics, including polyvinyl chloride (PVC), more flexible or resilient; also used as solvents. They're found in food packaging, plastic toys, air fresheners, garden hoses, raincoats, vinyl shower curtains, vinyl flooring, wall coverings, and other consumer goods. Also, if the term "fragrance" is used in a product's ingredient list, it probably contains phthalates. Phthalates have been linked to reproductive problems, birth defects, brain abnormalities, diabetes, and obesity.

Many pesticides—such as organochlorines, DDT and its breakdown, DDE, atrazine (one of the most widely used weed killers), vinclozolin (a fungicide), tributyltin (used in ship paint, found in fish), carbendazim (a fungicide), HPTE (a breakdown product of a widely used insecticide), triclosan (found in antibacterial soaps)—are endocrine disruptors. Pesticides have been linked to reproduction and fertility problems, birth defects, and obesity.

Flame retardants added to textiles, furniture, plastics, car interiors, and electronics. These known endocrine disruptors leach out of products and into the environment. One Environmental Working Group study found 11 different flame retardants in a group of one-and-a-half to 4-year-olds. PBDEs have been linked to permanent learning and memory impairment, behavioral changes, decreased sperm count, and fetal malformations.

Perfluorooctanoic acid is a chemical used in manufacturing Teflon, Gore-Tex, Stainmaster, Scotchgard, and other nonstick and stain-resistant coatings. It's also found in packaging that needs to be oil-and heat-resistant, like microwave popcorn bags and pizza boxes. It is found in the blood of most Americans and has been linked to birth defects, infertility, weight gain, and impaired learning and development.

Polychlorinated biphenyls were banned in 1977, but they have lingered in our environment, leaching from landfills and industrial waste. PCBs still show up in our meat and fish and, because they cling to fatty tissue, accumulate in the body. They have been linked to low IQ, altered nerve function, behavioral problems, diabetes, and obesity.

Adapted From 'The New American Diet'