Struggling with Hashimoto's? 3 Common Household Substances Attacking Your Thyroid
You’ve heard of endocrine disruptors–natural or man-made chemicals that interfere with the functioning of human hormones–but what does that really mean? Endocrine disruptors are seemingly innocuous ingredients, materials, and substances that hide within our daily lives. These substances are in our personal care products, our water, our cookware, and our food. In this article, we’ll explore: Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis plus three common household substances attacking your thyroid.
What is Hashimoto’s Disease?
Hashimoto’s Disease, also called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, is an autoimmune condition that impacts thyroid function. Individuals with Hashimoto’s suffer from chronic hypothyroidism–that is an underactive thyroid which produces inadequate amounts of thyroid hormone.
The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland at the base of the throat. This gland is responsible for regulating metabolism, body temperature, weight, and energy. When the thyroid fails to produce enough hormones to work properly, the metabolism slows, leading to fatigue, weight gain, trouble regulating body temperature, and even an abnormally low heart rate (bradycardia).
Hashimoto’s can be caused by: iodine deficiency and genetic predisposition, in combination with other factors such as exposure to environmental toxins and smoking.
Hashimoto’s Disease Symptoms
Common symptoms of Hashimoto’s include:
- Fatigue
- Weight gain
- Feeling cold
- Constipation
- Dry skin
- Bradycardia
- Hair loss
- Muscle pain
- Depression
- Infertility
- Heavy or irregular periods
- Brain fog
- Low libido
What is Toxic Load?
One of the causes of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, alongside genetics, is exposure to environmental toxicants. Environmental toxicants, or toxins, are chemicals we encounter in our day-to-day environments that can be harmful to our health. They are in our food, our water, our air, our clothes, our personal care products, and even our furniture.
In general, our livers, lungs, kidneys, and other critical organs have ways of filtering out the toxins we take in, and as long as they’re healthy, they do a pretty good job–at least, for a little while.
The problem is when our bodies are chronically exposed to toxins in our environment. Our organs may not be able to keep up with the demands of detoxification, and over time, toxin levels in our bodies may build up. The level of toxins in our bodies, plus the damage they’ve caused, is called our toxic load.
High toxic load often becomes a trigger for autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. The immune system, responding to damage from chronic exposure to environmental toxins, produces antibodies, which may turn against the body’s own tissues. In individuals with Hashimoto’s, these antibodies attack the thyroid, limiting the production of essential thyroxine (T4) hormone.
For individuals suffering from Hashimoto’s–or those concerned about metabolic or reproductive health–reducing your toxic load is essential. Looking for a place to start? Here are the three most common household substances attacking your thyroid.
3 Common Household Substances Attacking Your Thyroid
BPAs
Bisphenol-A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor found in many plastics. That includes: water bottles, plastic food wrap, and food can linings. BPA is a known endocrine disruptor that acts directly on the thyroid.
In animal studies, BPA was found to lower the uptake of iodine by the thyroid gland, limiting the production of essential hormones. Additionally, BPA exposure during pregnancy has been linked to lower thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in newborns.
Heavy Metals
Heavy metals are naturally-occurring metals such as cadmium, mercury, arsenic, chromium, and lead. Most people ingest heavy metals in the form of contaminated food, water, or low-quality supplements. Heavy metals are extremely toxic and can cause damage to multiple organs even at low exposure levels. The thyroid is exceptionally vulnerable to heavy metals, which are chemically similar to essential trace minerals like iodine and selenium.
One study, conducted among workers with documented heavy metals exposure, showed that heavy metal exposure can alter thyroid homeostasis and thyroid hormone production. Additionally, a 2025 literature review concluded that cadmium, arsenic, and lead significantly impacted thyroid hormone production, autoimmunity, and dysfunction.
PFAs
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” are present in numerous household items including non-stick cookware, water-proof food wrappers, and flame retardant coatings on fabric and furniture. PFAs are also present in our food and water supply due to widespread environmental contamination.
PFAs are both endocrine and thyroid disruptors. In vitro studies show consistent cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, and interference with TSH synthesis.
