Plastics & BPA – What you don’t know CAN hurt you!

There has been much discussion and controversy lately regarding the safety (or lack of) of plastics in our environment, as well as, in our food and water supplies.  As an environmental scientist I can assure you that it is much more insidious with far more negative impacts than most people realize.

Is this intended to scare you? Well, let’s hope so!  It would be great if you get concerned enough to actually take actions that can help protect you and your family from plastic ‘pollution’ as much as possible and perhaps allow you to live longer and healthier lives. Many of us have been complacent for far too long assuming that ‘business’ and government agencies have been looking out for our best health interests.  Unfortunately, that is just not always the case.

Who cares, what’s the big deal anyway? The big deal is that there are components in plastic containers that break down and leach into the liquid and food they contain. One of major concern is BPA or bis-Phenol A.  BPA is a building block of plastics and has long been known to be an endocrine disruptor. That means the human body ‘sees’ this man-made substance as a hormone that can be taken up by our endocrine system and used in place of one of our many human hormones that are essential for so many of our proper body functions. 

Our endocrine system includes our gonads,  hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, pancreas, adrenal, and pineal glands. These are all critical components of our endocrine system and their proper functioning is essential for good health. Imagine what could happen if a little piece of BPA is mistakenly taken up by your body to be used in place of a human produced hormone.  It certainly could ‘disrupt’ your endocrine system and cause untold havoc in your body.

Bisphenol A is found in hundreds of household products, including plastic bottles, as well as, baby bottles and food containers.  It is also present in the linings of canned goods such as sodas,  soup, baby formula and canned fruits and vegetables.

According to a recent The Washington Post article a growing body of scientific studies has linked BPA to breast cancer, testicular cancer, diabetes, hyperactivity, obesity, low sperm count, miscarriage and other reproductive problems in laboratory animals. More recent studies using human data have linked BPA to heart disease and diabetes. And it has been found to interfere with the effects of chemotherapy in breast cancer patients.

Furthermore, researchers have found that BPA leaches from containers into food and beverages, even at cold temperatures. A study by the Harvard School of Public Health published recently found that subjects who drank liquids from plastic bottles containing BPA had a 69 percent increase in the BPA in their urine.

Things you can do to minimize your exposure to BPA from your food and water:

1.  DON’T buy or use plastic water bottles!  Remember – The longer they’re stored and the higher their temperatures get the more BPA will leach into the liquid.
2. Buy a non-plastic bottle instead of using plastic and REUSE it (on average every American uses about 150 disposable water bottles a year)
3. Refill your non-plastic water bottle from home  (tap water is better regulated than bottled water anyway)
4. Use a filter like Shaklee’s BestWater® pitcher to filter your tap water
5. DO NOT store foods in plastic
6. DO NOT microwave anything in plastic. Microwaving will drive BPA from the plastic container or plastic wrap into your food.
7. DO buy foods in glass instead of plastic whenever possible.  Most Canned foods and sodas are lined with plastic containing BPA.
8. Purchase only BPA free toys and other consumer products

Plastics are not only detrimental to your health but to our environment also. Eight out of ten plastic water bottles end up in landfills and take centuries to breakdown.  So anything you can do to minimize using plastic bottles will not only help your health but will help the health of our planet also.  For more everyday solutions to health challenges you may not even be aware of check out more information at  Environmental Working Group.

Good Health IS Your Greatest Wealth!