STUDY
Researchers at the University of Illinois, who conducted their study on mice, showed how exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical commonly found in plastic water bottles and soup cans, in the womb could increase prostate cancer risk. Per the study, Studies of expectant mothers in the US showed that more than 95 per cent of them had BPA in their urine, which means they recently ingested these compounds.
DETAILS
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a man-made carbon-based synthetic compound. Currently there are no BPA labeling requirements for plastics. In general, plastics that are marked with Resin Identification Codes 1 to 7 are very unlikely to contain BPA.
BPA exhibits hormone-like properties that raise concern about its suitability in consumer products and food containers. In the early 1930s the British chemist Charles Edward Dodds recognized BPA as an artificial estrogen. A 2010 report from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned of possible hazards to fetuses, infants, and young children. In September 2010, Canada became the first country to declare BPA a toxic substance. The European Union, Canada, and recently the United States have banned BPA use in baby bottles.
Early developmental stages appear to be the period of greatest sensitivity to its effects, and some studies have linked prenatal exposure to later physical and neurological difficulties.
A recent study demonstrated a link between environmental estrogens and insulin resistance. Studies found that BPA imitates the sex hormone 17B-estradiol which leads to a rise in insulin and eventually resistance. This resistance can lead to type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
A 2008 study by the Yale School of Medicine demonstrated that adverse neurological effects occur in non-human primates regularly exposed to bisphenol A.
A 2010 review concluded that bisphenol A may increase cancer risk. And a 2009 study discovered adverse reaction to thyroid function due to BPA.
Want more damning evidence? In 2006, the US Government sponsored an assessment of the scientific literature on BPA. Thirty-eight experts in fields involved with bisphenol A gathered to review several hundred studies on BPA. At the end of the meeting, the group issued the Chapel Hill Consensus Statement, which stated "BPA at concentrations found in the human body is associated with organizational changes in the prostate, breast, testis, mammary glands, body size, brain structure and chemistry, and behavior of laboratory animals."
So WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Bisphenol A is leached from the lining of food and beverage cans where it is used as an ingredient in the plastic used to protect the food from direct contact with the can. Consumption of canned foods and beverages and restaurant meals were the most likely sources of exposure to BPA in their usual diets.
Free BPA is found in high concentration in thermal paper and carbonless copy paper, including receipts, event and cinema tickets, labels, and airline tickets.
Consumer groups recommend that people wishing to lower their exposure to bisphenol A avoid canned food and polycarbonate plastic. To avoid the possibility of BPA leaching into food or drink, the National Toxicology Panel recommends avoiding microwaving food in plastic containers, putting plastics in the dishwasher, or using harsh detergents.
So you would think, let’s try BPA-Free Plastic. The industry has responded to criticism of BPA by promoting "BPA-free" products, which are made from plastic containing a compound called bisphenol S (BPS). BPS, which shares a similar structure and versatility to BPA, is now being used in everything from currency to thermal receipt paper. According to a 2013 study, BPS shares similar problems to BPA in that it has been found to be an estrogen hormone disruptor even at extremely low levels of exposure.
Simple solution: Throw out all your plastics and tin cans. Use ceramic, stainless steel or Plastic containers only. Avoid anything made with plastic. Evidence of BPA in participants’ urine decreases by 50% to 70% during the period you eat fresh foods;
