Plastic products are involved in everything we do in our daily life. They hold and store our food, drinks and many of our other household items.We are subjected to them since birth in the form of cups, bottles, toys and rattles and pacifiers. Our phones, eyeglasses and trinkets are now all formulated thanks to the technological advances made in the realm of plastic...but at what cost to our health are these conveniences?
Scientists and researchers are carefully looking into the evolution of plastics and giving special time and consideration to one chemical in particular, Bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is used in a variety of plastic items and is now thought to lead to exposure of this chemical through the items use. In some cases, the plastics made from BPA and other chemicals are thought to be the cause for increased cancer rates, breathing disorders, brain disorders and bouts of infertility as well as other problematic health issues.
Thanks to the findings from a study by the National Toxicology Program, the first acceptance of the troubles surrounding BPA have been revealed as offering “some concern” in the field of potential health risk. These concerns surround the possible behavioral and neurological effects the plastics created with BPA could pose upon our unborn and newborn children.
Some of the leading producers of plastics and vinyl are saying these results are nothing more than a campaign to scare consumers to believe something that is simply untrue. The results, only shown on animals subjects thus far, are being labled “flimsy” at best.
BPA is an inexpensive additive for plastic production and in replacing this chemical with another less harmful one would create a speed bump in the $379 billion plastics industry. The interest in the health of our children may fall second to the time and expense involved in removing products manufactured with BPA off the shelves.
Food WarningsThe main products BPA is used to create are those that come in contact with the mouth or the body in some form, dinnerware and baby toys being the most common. Tests run on urine samples of more than 2,500 people are showing a 93% rate of BPA exposure. These stats may mean one of two things. Either the body is collecting BPA in the cells or the body knows how to get rid of the BPA through urine. Either way, BPA is entering the body and this is a huge concern for every consumer.
Scientists are now focusing on the question, how did the BPA get into the body? There is clear evidence that the BPA is there but researchers have been stumped as to the pathway taken by this plastics additive into the body.
Those who remain skeptical about the possible side effects of BPA claim that the levels humans are confronted with are a mere fraction of those used in the animal studies. The Coalition for Consumer Choice is one of the groups that believes these results are nothing more than an over exaggeration of the truth.
Phthalate and PlasticAnother possible trouble maker in the plastics industry is phthalate. Phthalate is used in the production of plastics to increase the life of the plastic and the flexibility of the product. This chemical, like BPA, is used in a plethora of every day items that consumers never think twice about when purchasing. The vinyl flooring they place in their homes, deodorants and nail polishes all contain phthalate. The Food and Drug Administration claims the chemical is placed in these products in a very low amount and thus poses no harm to individuals.
The negative impact of Phthalates, as with BPA, are centered on findings related to animal studies and not human studies. Yet, last year alone, the Environmental health Perspectives study found a negative reaction in men to Phthalates. Men who were exposed to the chemical are thought to have abnormalities in thyroid function.
The Final OutcomeThere is little doubt that chemicals in plastics will come in contact with the human body and may even be ingested from their usage. The effects of the ingestion of these products are at the center of a worldwide debate with entire countries, like Canada, now choosing to outlaw certain chemicals. The debate is in need of serious scientific proof that chemicals like BPA and Phthalates are just as harmful to humans as they are to the animals subjects they are tested upon.
