Household chemicals that cost Europe €157-billion a year in health conditions including autism, obesity, diabetes and infertility

Report from world's leading experts reveals endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) ‘contribute substantially to disease and disability’

(PA)

A new report on endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) reveals they are linked to a shocking list of serious disorders potentially costing €157-billion a year in Europe.

The report shows ‘at least a probably causation’ for a list of mind-related problems including autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and a general loss of IQ.

It also shows a link between the chemicals and obesity, infertility, cryptorchidism – a birth defect where a child is born with one of both testes missing – and ‘mortality associated with reduced testosterone’.

The chemicals interfere with the actions of hormones in the body and can be found in household goods such as plastics, food containers, carpets and cosmetics.

One of the authors also claimed the chemicals can leak into food from plastic food containers and tins.

The study, by the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, aimed to quantify the cost of EDC exposure to the EU and estimated it at €157-billion – equivalent to 1.23% of its GDP.

One of the report’s authors, Professor Philippe Grandjean of Harvard University, told the Guardian: “The shocking thing is that the major component of that cost is related to the loss of brain function in the next generation.”

“I would recommend that pregnant women and children eat organic fruits and vegetables and avoid using plastic containers and canned food, especially in the microwave, because containers are usually treated on the inside with substances and compounds that can leak into the tomato soup and may act as endocrine disruptors.”