Bisphenol-A.. it just keeps getting worse
November 17, 2008 by admin
Filed under Bisphenol-A & Phthalates, environment science, Food, science & technology
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinal sure is becoming the lead periodical for Bispenol-A research, as found in their latest watchdog report: BPA leaches from ‘safe’ products
The newspaper published scientific findings today revealing that “microwave safe” is not that.
many products with toxic levels of Bisphenol-A
Lab tests of 10 items’ containers found that all of the advertised “microwave safe” containers allegedly released toxic doses of the chemical known as BPA, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Saturday.
The newspaper said according to the tests it commissioned, the detected levels of the chemical were allegedly identical to levels previously blamed by scientists for causing neurological and developmental damage in lab animals.
I have written extensively about BPA, which is a chemical commonly found in plastic and canned goods. BPA is a chemical that acts on the endocrine system, which is instrumental in regulating metabolism, growth, development and puberty, tissue function, and also plays a part in determining mood. As a result, it does not act like another toxin might, in that more exposure leads to more harm. Instead, BPA mimics estrogen, which in abundance can cause cancers, birth defects (seen mostly in male genitals), and learning disabilities. Studies have also shown that while BPA can cause cancer, it can also prevent chemotherapy from being efficacious. It is a double edged sword.
The FDA allowed for the approval of this chemical in products, under pressure from the Bush Administration and its love of the chemical corporations; i.e. Dow, DuPont, etc. It has also been revealed that the FDA even allowed for those chemical companies to write the safety and efficacy reports, after extremely limited testing occurred. An independent panel of scientists has concluded that the FDA acted unethically and all approvals should be reversed and BPA taken off the market immediately.
The sad fact of all of this is that the products with the highest level of BPA are the same products targeted to infants and children. We have no idea what kind of impact this is going to have on our youth.
The point to all of this is that you really should move away from plastic, as much as possible. This means water bottles, storage containers, pre-packaged foods, and the like.
Here are some helpful links to updating your kitchen:
My favorite glass containers come from The Container Store
I highly recommend getting either a SIGG bottle or a Klean Kanteen for your water.
I also have been told that Brita is the only filtration system that is specially coated to prevent leaching into the water.
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Harmony on Thu, 20th Nov 2008 2:17 pm
First of all–love the new site! Thank you for this information, Shelley. I knew a little about BPA, but had no idea the problem was so widespread. I’m definitely going to check out getting some of those glass containers–and they’re cute, too! Good thing I already use a Brita pitcher and have a steel water bottle. I’ve sent a link to the Milwaukee JS report to my sister, since she has two small children. Scary that this chemical is so prevalent in products made for little ones.
Erin in Indy on Mon, 29th Dec 2008 2:08 pm
I am so happy to see info like this finally really getting out to the media and getting “heard” – read Living Downstream or other similar titles and one can see this is not new news, just so rarely known. The more people see info like this the sooner it starts to sink in, and people react, and finally companies react. There are so few options for glass storage containers, for example, but this should start to change. Just like Nalgene finally caved and is getting off polycarbonate. (Although not while acknowledging WHY! Click on my name to see their statement.)
Thanks for spreading the word!