Play It Safe
The chemicals may have us surrounded, but we're not doomed. We can limit our exposure to some of the most dangerous toxins -- and take steps to help our bodies flush out the rest.

Green your cleaners. "Look under your sink," says Davis, and scan the labels on all your household cleaning products for ingredients that contain alkyphenols, which mimic estrogen in the body. Also avoid names like methoxyphenol and nonylphenol. If you're uncertain, make your own products or opt for natural brands.

Make over your medicine cabinet. Scour your makeup bag and medicine cabinet for products with questionable ingredients: Phthalates (often a component of fragrance, but not listed on ingredients), parabens, and ethylene oxide are estrogen mimickers. As Davis points out, the skin is our largest organ, and anything we put on it can seep through (consider patch-delivered drugs such as nicotine). With that in mind, says Davis, put things on your body that you can eat," such as oils, plant extracts, and vitamins.

Watch what you eat. Limiting your consumption of grilled meats and fish will curb your exposure to PAHs and aromatic amines, which have caused mammary tumors in rodents and can affect cell division in ways that might enhance the development of breast tumors. Keep in mind that the fattier the meat is, the more likely it contains stored-up chemicals. When you do buy meat and dairy, choose organic. The same goes for fruits and vegetables: Eating organic helps you avoid pesticides, which cuts the chance of ingesting dioxins and atrazine, a known endocrine disruptor.

Make progress on plastics. Now take stock of the plastic in your life. To avoid estrogenic effects, avoid hard plastics that contain bisphenol A. Also avoid softer, more flexible plastics made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which can contribute to cancer by damaging DNA. Swap in stainless steel or glass containers instead, and look for natural beauty brands that use glass jars as well as yoga mats and shower curtains made from natural materials or labeled "PVC-free."

Breathe easier. As for avoiding air pollution, Gray suggests closing your car's air-circulation vents (especially on highways or near construction zones, where diesel-fueled vehicles are more common) to decrease your exposure to PAHs, as well as to two carcinogenic fossil-fuel byproducts, 1,3-butadiene and benzene. These byproducts also lurk in cigarette smoke, so avoid secondhand smoke whenever possible (and if you smoke, quit). When walking, biking, or jogging, avoid busy streets to reduce your chemical intake. If you live near a highway and enjoy keeping your windows open, invest in an air purifier.

Detox. Building in regular detox strategies can help ensure that the cancer-causing chemicals you do take in don't get too comfortable. Fitness should head up any detoxification plan, says Davis, since "exercise lowers the amount of unbound estrogen in women." This indirectly cuts our exposure to the hormone, which is the key to cutting breast cancer risk. Eating antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables such as broccoli and berries, as well as omega-3 fatty acids from fish like wild salmon or ground flaxseed, can help the body flush out toxins. If you're overweight, reducing your body mass index (BMI) to 30 or below can help your cells release some of the chemicals lingering in them. (To calculate your BMI, visit nhlbisupport.com/bmi/.)

Finally, consider cleaning the slate with traditional detox methods such as saunas and panchakarma, an ancient Ayurvedic purification technique. They have little science behind them but lots of anecdotal evidence, says Davis.

Saunas induce sweating, one of the ways our bodies release toxins. Panchakarma, offered at some Ayurvedic health centers, incorporates warm oil massage and steam therapies to loosen toxins from organs and muscles, as well as herbal enemas and cleansing of the nasal passages and sinuses. Visit ayurveda.com/panchakarma or chopra.com/panchakarma for more information.

Being vigilant about avoiding chemicals takes effort, says Gray, but the long-term benefits outweigh the initial challenges. Make changes that fit into your lifestyle, she suggests, and they'll soon become healthy habits.

Text by Janice O'Leary