Guest guest Posted December 12, 2007 Report Share Posted December 12, 2007 I am posting this for our readers. Bisphenol A which is used in plastics (baby bottles, drinking water) is a known hormone mimicker. I often see individuals harmed and ill from sick buildings drinking from plastic bottles. Wrongfully, the bottled water and plastic industries claim that their water is purified and Bisphenol A is harmless. A replete of animal studies show differently. Because of the presence of Bisphenol A, which leaks from the plastic, I personally urge individuals to not use such products. If you wish to drink bottled water, find a product that uses glass as the container. The other area of concern is that this chemical has also been shown to interfere with thyroid function leading to thyroiditis. Jack D. Thrasher, Ph.D. What's in the plastic? The Globe and Mail December 10, 2007 If the day of reckoning has arrived for bisphenol A, it has taken its own sweet time. The industrial chemical, used in the creation of the rigid polycarbonate plastic of many water bottles and baby bottles, has been known since the 1930s to mimic the human hormone estrogen. It has been in widespread commercial use for almost 50 years, and no countries have restricted its use. Increasingly, however, independent studies on animals have associated trace amounts of the chemical with breast and prostate cancers, the early onset of puberty and other developmental changes. A geneticist at Washington State University said she began throwing away her polycarbonate products after finding that minute amounts of bisphenol A altered the eggs of laboratory mice. At the same time, the plastics industry says that its studies havefound no ill effects and that traces of bisphenol A in humans are far below the level at which health might be compromised. What is a retailer to do? Mountain Equipment Co-op, a supplier of outdoor clothing and equipment, is clearly conflicted. As recently as Friday, its website was still defending the sale of polycarbonate water bottles: " [D]o these bottles have an impact on our health? We don't believe so. " It cited studies " by the European Food Safety Authority, the Japanese Research Centre for Chemical Risk Management and the United States Environmental Protection Agency " that concluded " polycarbonate is suitable for food-grade use. " It said it would hang tight unless Health Canada determined there was a danger. But then it reversed its position. It decided last week to remove polycarbonate water bottles and food containers from its shelves and said it would await guidance from the federal government. Customer pressure may have played a part - a company representative spoke of " an increasing concern among some members " - but it issued a statement attributing the change of heart to " inconclusive science and regulatory uncertainty. " Translation: Someone must have realized Health Canada is a long way from providing guidance. Although it placed bisphenol A on a list of possible hazards for review last year, it isn't expected to provide even a preliminary view of the product's safety until next spring, and its final report won't arrive until 2009. Considering all the independent studies that have found bisphenol A a threat even at trace levels, and considering how many Canadians use bisphenol- assisted products daily - in bottles, in the linings of baby- formula containers, in dental sealants - half a year seems an eternity, let alone two years. The plastics industry has accused Mountain Equipment Co-op of overreacting, but erring on the side of safety until the government pronounces on the controversy seems entirely responsible. © 2007 CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 12, 2007 Report Share Posted December 12, 2007 Okay, so how do we get are water? We can't drink water from are taps, we can't drink from plastic bottles. I can't afford glass bottle water. All the filtration systems use plastic. What do we do? a toxicologist1 <toxicologist1@...> wrote: I am posting this for our readers. Bisphenol A which is used in plastics (baby bottles, drinking water) is a known hormone mimicker. I often see individuals harmed and ill from sick buildings drinking from plastic bottles. Wrongfully, the bottled water and plastic industries claim that their water is purified and Bisphenol A is harmless. A replete of animal studies show differently. Because of the presence of Bisphenol A, which leaks from the plastic, I personally urge individuals to not use such products. If you wish to drink bottled water, find a product that uses glass as the container. The other area of concern is that this chemical has also been shown to interfere with thyroid function leading to thyroiditis. Jack D. Thrasher, Ph.D. What's in the plastic? The Globe and Mail December 10, 2007 If the day of reckoning has arrived for bisphenol A, it has taken its own sweet time. The industrial chemical, used in the creation of the rigid polycarbonate plastic of many water bottles and baby bottles, has been known since the 1930s to mimic the human hormone estrogen. It has been in widespread commercial use for almost 50 years, and no countries have restricted its use. Increasingly, however, independent studies on animals have associated trace amounts of the chemical with breast and prostate cancers, the early onset of puberty and other developmental changes. A geneticist at Washington State University said she began throwing away her polycarbonate products after finding that minute amounts of bisphenol A altered the eggs of laboratory mice. At the same time, the plastics industry says that its studies havefound no ill effects and that traces of bisphenol A in humans are far below the level at which health might be compromised. What is a retailer to do? Mountain Equipment Co-op, a supplier of outdoor clothing and equipment, is clearly conflicted. As recently as Friday, its website was still defending the sale of polycarbonate water bottles: " [D]o these bottles have an impact on our health? We don't believe so. " It cited studies " by the European Food Safety Authority, the Japanese Research Centre for Chemical Risk Management and the United States Environmental Protection Agency " that concluded " polycarbonate is suitable for food-grade use. " It said it would hang tight unless Health Canada determined there was a danger. But then it reversed its position. It decided last week to remove polycarbonate water bottles and food containers from its shelves and said it would await guidance from the federal government. Customer pressure may have played a part - a company representative spoke of " an increasing concern among some members " - but it issued a statement attributing the change of heart to " inconclusive science and regulatory uncertainty. " Translation: Someone must have realized Health Canada is a long way from providing guidance. Although it placed bisphenol A on a list of possible hazards for review last year, it isn't expected to provide even a preliminary view of the product's safety until next spring, and its final report won't arrive until 2009. Considering all the independent studies that have found bisphenol A a threat even at trace levels, and considering how many Canadians use bisphenol- assisted products daily - in bottles, in the linings of baby- formula containers, in dental sealants - half a year seems an eternity, let alone two years. The plastics industry has accused Mountain Equipment Co-op of overreacting, but erring on the side of safety until the government pronounces on the controversy seems entirely responsible. © 2007 CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc. . --------------------------------- Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Mobile. Try it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 12, 2007 Report Share Posted December 12, 2007 I have seen people heat the baby bottles in the microwave and I know that isn't good. --- In , " toxicologist1 " <toxicologist1@...> wrote: > > I am posting this for our readers. Bisphenol A which is used in > plastics (baby bottles, drinking water) is a known hormone mimicker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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