What is the first thing that comes to your mind when someone says estrogen? We know it’s a hormone. Particularly a female hormone even though men have it also but in lower concentrations. If you are on birth control pills you are probably taking some sort of estrogen every single day. And like with all chemicals everything is fine if it is taken in moderation. But if you are taking too much of course there will be consequences. But when we talk about estrogen birth control pills are not the only source of estrogen we are exposed to. Every day we are exposed to this hormone without even knowing it. From our tap or bottled water, fruits, and veggies. meat and dairy. So what happens to our bodies when we take up so much of this hormone? And most importantly why is it happening?

If we are talking about high estrogen levels in males and females the health risks will be different. Elevated estrogen levels in women have been linked to conditions such as polyps, fibroids, PCOS, endometriosis pain, and ovarian tumors. Other conditions associated with high estrogen levels include dementia, heart disease, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, insulin resistance, and uterine cancer.

Although the male body needs estrogen to function correctly, too much estrogen can cause health problems. Increased levels of estrogen can cause symptoms such as infertility, erectile dysfunction, and depression.

Estrogen pollution

Since the inception of global industrialization, steroidal estrogens have become an emerging and serious concern. Worldwide, steroid estrogens including estrone, estradiol, and estriol, pose serious threats to soil, plants, water resources, and humans. Indeed, estrogens have gained notable attention in recent years, due to their rapidly increasing concentrations in soil and water all over the world. Concern has been expressed regarding the entry of estrogens into the human food chain which in turn relates to how plants take up and metabolize estrogens.

Estrogens at polluting levels have been detected at sites close to wastewater treatment facilities and in groundwater at various sites globally. Estrogens at pollutant levels have been linked with breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. Estrogens also perturb fish physiology and can affect reproductive development in both domestic and wild animals. Treatment of plants with steroid estrogen hormones or their precursors can affect root and shoot development, flowering, and germination. However, estrogens can ameliorate the effects of other environmental stresses on the plant.

What are the sources of estrogen pollution?

You probably know that estrogen is the “female” hormone that makes things like puberty and pregnancy possible, but did you know all humans—both male and female—need estrogen? It helps regulate bone health, metabolism, and cholesterol.

In addition to the estrogen both male and female bodies produce naturally, we are also exposed to environmental estrogens. Many chemicals we come into contact with in our environment or food supply are known as xenoestrogens — “xeno” meaning foreign. Although they are chemically different than the estrogen we naturally produce, our bodies tend to react to them similarly. Therefore, depending on exposure levels, we can suffer the effects of excess estrogen.

So where are all these xenoestrogens lurking? Sadly, everywhere. First, take a look at the most common non-food sources of xenoestrogens, and ask yourself how many of them you have in your home right now.

Parabens. Often found in shampoos, lotions, soaps, cosmetics, and other healthcare items, parabens are used as preservatives. Because parabens usually come into direct contact with our skin, they do not get detoxified by the liver, meaning this exposure is one of the most potent.

Phthalates. Used in the manufacture of soft plastics, including cling wrap and disposable food containers. Phthalates make plastic more flexible and harder to break and are often called plasticizers. They can also be found in detergents, plastic raincoats, inflatable toys, and plastic packaging.

BPA. Yes, BPA (bisphenol A) is still abundant in consumer goods, most notably in plastic water bottles, plastic food storage containers, and the lining of metal cans. Exposure to heat (the sun, microwave, or dishwasher) increases the amount of BPA that will leach out into your food.

PCB. Polychlorinated biphenyls are a mixture of individual chemicals. They were used as lubricants and coolants in electrical equipment but were banned in 1977 because of their harmful side effects. However, they are still found in the environment as they do not break down easily. Humans are often exposed to the seafood we eat.

Weed killers. Popular herbicide atrazine has been shown to turn male frogs female — and at extremely low levels (far lower than those recommended as safe by the EPA). It is the most common pesticide found contaminating U.S. drinking water. It is banned in the EU.

Aside from the BPA in your plastic water bottle or the parabens in your lipstick, there are many sources of estrogen in our food. In addition to xenoestrogens, which are manmade, some foods naturally produce their estrogen. These are known as phytoestrogens. Here are the biggest food sources of unwanted estrogen:

Commercially raised meat and dairy. Many animals (including dairy cows) are injected with growth hormones to speed growth and increase size. These hormones can be in everything from our burgers to the milk in our coffee or even the yogurt our kids eat.

Insecticides. Our most significant exposure to insecticides is probably through food and its residue can be on everything from our fruits and vegetables to nuts, beans, and grain.

Tap water. It’s full of all sorts of contaminants, including run-off from manufacturing plants that use products containing xenoestrogens. While water utilities filter out a lot of those harmful particles, there is a large body of evidence supporting the likelihood that there is estrogen in your drinking water.

Soy. Soy sauce, tofu, edamame, and tempeh all contain isoflavones, a weak form of estrogen, but studies on its overall impact on the human body have provided mixed results. Some studies show soy decreases your body’s natural production of estrogen and increases the rate of estrogen degradation.

Estrogen in our water and food supply

In the U.S, around 15 million women regularly take birth-control pills, which typically rely on a synthetic form of estrogen known as EE2. Since it’s an endocrine disruptor, EE2 can interfere with reproductive hormones and development if consumed in excess or by vulnerable individuals like infants.

Birth-control pills add more than 10 million doses of synthetic estrogen to America’s wastewater every day. That estimate is based on the number of women who take oral contraceptives in the US, and assumes those women take the pill 21 days of the month and excrete around 90% of the dose into wastewater.

Very little of that estrogen makes its way into our taps since most water-treatment systems filter it out along with other contaminants. A 2010 study determined that birth-control pills account for less than 1% of the total amount of estrogen found in US drinking water. But since local water systems don’t test for EE2, it’s hard to say for sure how much of the hormone is in our water.

The food you eat can impact the way your body produces hormones or even contains hormones. Different vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, animal products, and even herbs have chemicals in them that contain, engage with, or imitate hormones.

Phytoestrogen is a common compound that imitates estrogen in foods. This is because phytoestrogens are essentially the plant version of estrogen. Human bodies will process them the same way as regular estrogen, but it is weaker than synthetic or natural estrogen. Another source of estrogen in foods is animal estrogen. Products like eggs or milk contain high estrogen levels because they are produced in parts of the animal’s body that regulate its hormones.

A discovery that two commonly used food additives are estrogenic has led scientists to suspect that many ingredients added to the food supply may be capable of altering hormones. More than 3,000 preservatives, flavorings, colors, and other ingredients are added to food in the United States, and none of them are required to undergo testing for estrogenic activity, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The first food additive, propyl gallate, is a preservative used to prevent fats and oils from spoiling It can be found in a range of foods including baked goods, shortening, dried meats, candy, fresh pork sausage, mayonnaise, and dried milk.

The second additive, 4-hexyl resorcinol, is used to prevent shrimp, lobsters, and other shellfish from discoloring.