--- description: A suite of new studies puts a price tag on health problems linked to certain chemicals in our food, makeup and even couches—and it's steep.... title: Here’s the Staggering Healthcare Cost of Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt68a2a356055f8c51/69877f35cd1bba17bd6f534b/perfume-bottle-spraying.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Health](/section/health/) ## Health Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [toxins](/tag/toxins/) ## toxins Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Here's the Staggering Healthcare Cost of Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals  by [Mandy Oaklander](/author/mandy-oaklander/)  ## Mandy Oaklander Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME. Mar 5, 2015 5:09 PM CUT  Perfume spraying from bottle Perfume spraying from bottleGetty Images  by [Mandy Oaklander](/author/mandy-oaklander/)  ## Mandy Oaklander Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME. Mar 5, 2015 5:09 PM CUT A suite of new studies puts a price tag on health problems linked to certain chemicals in our food, makeup and even couches—and it’s steep. The series of papers, just published in the _Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism_, convened expert panels who reviewed laboratory and population-based evidence that certain endocrine-disrupting chemicals—including pesticides, bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, which are said to interfere with hormones in the human body—contribute to disease and disability. The cost in the European Union, they concluded, is likely €157 billion ($209 billion U.S.) per year, and may be as high as €270 billion ($359 billion) a year. [**MORE** Plastic Chemicals During Pregnancy Linked to 70% Increased Asthma Risk](http://time.com/3686484/beauty-products-may-trigger-early-menopause/ "undefined") The scientists looked at 5% of known endocrine disruptors and estimated costs of exposure, including loss of economic productivity through disability and disease, in the European Union. They focused on three categories of health issues for which they felt the evidence was strongest: impacts on the developing brain and neurodevelopmental disabilities, obesity and diabetes, and male reproductive disabilities. Their estimates were approximately €157 billion per year—more than 1% of the European GDP, the researchers note. [**MORE** You Asked Is Perfume Safe?](http://time.com/3703948/is-perfume-safe/ "undefined") Organophosphate pesticide exposure accounted for the biggest chunk of the cost, at €120 billion. Plastics, cans, phthalates and BPA came in second at €26 billion. Neurological health problems including ADHD were by far the most impactful, researchers concluded, at €132 billion per year. ### You Asked: Your Top 10 Health Questions Answered  You Asked: Are Cleanses Healthy? Potions that claim to clear your body of toxins might sound alluring, but do they deliver? Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Eating Dessert Really That Bad For Me? Bad news for sweet-eaters—except if you end your meals with this kind of treat. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What’s the Best Way to Whiten My Teeth? Yes, teeth whitening actually works—but here's why you have to dish out major bucks to see results. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: Is Meditation Really Worth It? From easing stress to lowering heart disease risk, focusing your mind can do some amazing things for your body. Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME  You Asked: What’s the Healthiest Sweetener? 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Illustration by Peter Oumanski for TIME “Our findings suggest potentially that endocrine-disrupting chemicals are replacing lead and methylmercury as leading contributors to neurodevelopmental disease and disability in children,” says Dr. Leonardo Trasande, lead author on the papers and associate professor of pediatrics and environmental medicine at New York University School of Medicine. By comparison, he says, the cost of lead exposure in Europe is roughly €50 billion. [**MORE** Beauty Products May Trigger Early Menopause](http://time.com/3686484/beauty-products-may-trigger-early-menopause/ "undefined") Trasande adds that the cost estimates would likely be similar in the United States, though because of U.S. efforts like the [Food Quality Protection Act](http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/regulating/laws/fqpa/ "undefined") to lessen pesticide exposure, pesticide-related costs would probably be lower. There are proven ways to lower your exposure to the major endocrine-disrupting chemicals, Trasande says, including eating organic to cut out organophosphate pesticides and not microwaving plastic to limit phthalates. But real change will need regulation reform, he says. “Except for the Food Quality Protection Act, the regulatory model in the United States assumes innocent until proven guilty, resulting in broad and widespread experimentation on humans with exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals,” he says. “We’re just trying to put information into the hands of decision makers, so that we can consciously and openly decide whether it’s appropriate to allow for a 50% probability that the use of a chemical may contribute to a condition and lead to billions of dollars of costs.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3733486/chemicals-phthalates-disease-costs/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3733486/chemicals-phthalates-disease-costs/"},"headline":"Here's the Staggering Healthcare Cost of Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals","datePublished":"2015-03-05T17:09:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:05:13.376Z","description":"A suite of new studies puts a price tag on health problems linked to certain chemicals in our food, makeup and even couches—and it's steep....","url":"https://time.com/3733486/chemicals-phthalates-disease-costs/","keywords":["toxins","chemicals","BPA","phthalates"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt68a2a356055f8c51/69877f35cd1bba17bd6f534b/perfume-bottle-spraying.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mandy Oaklander","jobTitle":"Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mandy-oaklander/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt68a2a356055f8c51/69877f35cd1bba17bd6f534b/perfume-bottle-spraying.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Perfume bottle spraying","caption":"Perfume bottle spraying","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/toxins/","name":"toxins"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3733486/chemicals-phthalates-disease-costs/","name":"Here's the Staggering Healthcare Cost of Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals"}}]}] ```