Rankings / Toxins
Toxins
Air, water, food, and lifestyle exposures with evidence for harm, ranked on harm magnitude, evidence quality, and exposure prevalence.
| # | Compound | Ev | Mag | Prev | Concern · Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chronic sleep deprivation Lifestyle | 10 | 10 | 10 | CRITICAL 10 |
| 2 | Loneliness / social isolation Lifestyle | 10 | 10 | 10 | CRITICAL 10 |
| 3 | Sedentary behavior / sitting Lifestyle | 10 | 10 | 10 | CRITICAL 10 |
| 4 | Tobacco smoke (direct / secondhand) Combustion complex | 10 | 10 | 10 | CRITICAL 10 |
| 5 | Lead Heavy metal / neurotoxicant | 10 | 10 | 8 | CRITICAL 9.4 |
| 6 | PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) Air pollution | 10 | 10 | 8 | CRITICAL 9.4 |
| 7 | PFAS (PFOA / PFOS / GenX) Forever chemicals | 8 | 10 | 8 | CRITICAL 8.8 |
| 8 | Benzene Volatile organic compound | 10 | 8 | 8 | CRITICAL 8.6 |
| 9 | Chronic psychological stress Lifestyle | 8 | 8 | 10 | CRITICAL 8.6 |
| 10 | Nitrite poppers (amyl/isobutyl nitrite products) Recreational inhalant / vasodilator | 8 | 8 | 10 | CRITICAL 8.6 |
| 11 | Yellow oleander-adulterated weight-loss supplements Botanical adulterant / cardiac glycoside | 8 | 8 | 10 | CRITICAL 8.6 |
| 12 | Alcohol (ethanol) Neurotoxic psychoactive | 10 | 10 | 5 | CRITICAL 8.5 |
| 13 | Radon Radioactive gas | 10 | 10 | 5 | CRITICAL 8.5 |
| 14 | DMAA / DMHA stimulant adulterants Illicit stimulant adulterant | 8 | 8 | 8 | HIGH 8 |
| 15 | Formaldehyde VOC / IARC Group 1 | 8 | 8 | 8 | HIGH 8 |
| 16 | Nitrous oxide (recreational inhalation) Recreational inhalant / dissociative gas | 8 | 8 | 8 | HIGH 8 |
| 17 | Organophosphate pesticides (chlorpyrifos / malathion) Acetylcholinesterase inhibitor | 8 | 8 | 8 | HIGH 8 |
| 18 | TCE (trichloroethylene) Chlorinated solvent | 8 | 8 | 8 | HIGH 8 |
| 19 | NO2 (nitrogen dioxide) Air pollution | 8 | 8 | 6.5 | HIGH 7.6 |
| 20 | Ozone (tropospheric) Air pollution | 8 | 8 | 6.5 | HIGH 7.6 |
| 21 | Aflatoxins Mycotoxin | 10 | 10 | 1 | HIGH 7.3 |
| 22 | Arsenic Metalloid / IARC Group 1 | 8 | 8 | 5 | HIGH 7.1 |
| 23 | Phthalates (DEHP / DBP / BBP / DEP) Endocrine disruptor | 7 | 6.5 | 5 | MODERATE 6.2 |
| 24 | Fluoride (high-dose) Controversial | 8 | 8 | 1 | MODERATE 5.9 |
| 25 | Mercury (methylmercury) Heavy metal / neurotoxicant | 8 | 5 | 5 | MODERATE 5.9 |
| 26 | Blue light (evening artificial light at night) Circadian disruptor | 8 | 5 | 3 | MODERATE 5.3 |
| 27 | Cadmium Heavy metal / nephrotoxicant | 8 | 5 | 3 | MODERATE 5.3 |
| 28 | PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons — grilled meats, air) Combustion carcinogen | 8 | 5 | 3 | MODERATE 5.3 |
| 29 | PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers) Flame retardant | 8 | 5 | 3 | MODERATE 5.3 |
| 30 | Neonicotinoids (imidacloprid / clothianidin) Neurotoxic insecticide | 8 | 5 | 1 | MODERATE 4.7 |
| 31 | Acrylamide (high-heat cooking) Maillard byproduct | 6 | 3.5 | 5 | MODERATE 4.7 |
| 32 | BPA / BPS / BPF (bisphenols) Endocrine disruptor | 6 | 5 | 3 | MODERATE 4.7 |
| 33 | DBPs (disinfection byproducts — trihalomethanes, haloacetic acids) Chlorination byproducts | 6 | 3.5 | 3 | MODERATE 4.1 |
| 34 | Ochratoxin A Mycotoxin | 6 | 3.5 | 3 | MODERATE 4.1 |
| 35 | Triclosan / triclocarban Antimicrobial | 6 | 3.5 | 3 | MODERATE 4.1 |
| 36 | EMF / RF exposure (cell phones, Wi-Fi) Non-ionizing radiation | 4.5 | 4 | 3 | LOW 3.9 |
| 37 | Glyphosate (Roundup) Broad-spectrum herbicide | 3 | 5 | 3 | LOW 3.8 |
| 38 | Parabens (methyl / propyl / butyl) Preservative / weak estrogen | 4.5 | 3.5 | 3 | LOW 3.7 |
| 39 | Microplastics / nanoplastics Emerging contaminant | 3 | 4 | 3 | LOW 3.4 |
| 40 | Aluminum Widespread metal | 4.5 | 3.5 | 1 | LOW 3.1 |
This category uses a different scale from intervention pages. Exposure concern blends harm magnitude, strength of evidence, and prevalence. A higher number means the documented harm is stronger, better supported, more widespread, or some combination of the three; it is not an individualized verdict.
Highest exposure-concern scores
Tobacco smoke, excess alcohol, chronic sleep deprivation, a sedentary lifestyle, and social isolation sit at or near the top because they combine large evidence bases, substantial harm estimates, and high prevalence. Their scores exceed those of many newer environmental concerns, including microplastics.
Real environmental hazards
Air pollution (PM2.5), lead, radon, PFAS, and benzene have substantial evidence of harm. Their pages describe exposure sources and mitigation contexts such as air filtration, water testing, and radon testing, alongside the strength and limitations of the evidence.
Where the worry outruns the evidence
Some popular concerns — EMF and RF from phones and Wi-Fi, evening blue light, acrylamide from cooking — rank lower here because either the harm magnitude or the human evidence is weaker than the headlines suggest. That does not mean “harmless”; it means the current evidence signal is weaker than for the entries above.
Frequently asked
Which exposures have the strongest evidence of harm?
Familiar exposures top the list: tobacco smoke, excess alcohol, chronic sleep deprivation, sedentary behaviour, and social isolation. They combine comparatively strong evidence, large harm estimates, and high prevalence.
How do microplastics and EMF compare with higher-scoring exposures?
Their current scores are lower than those for air pollution, lead, or major lifestyle exposures because the estimated harm magnitude or human evidence is weaker. The pages show the remaining uncertainty and sources.
How is the toxins ranking scored?
By exposure concern — a blend of harm magnitude, strength of evidence, and how common the exposure is. It is a separate descriptive scale from the intervention rankings.
Scores reflect the published evidence, not a recommendation to use any compound or protocol. Nothing here is medical advice. How we score →