Mike Adams, the Health Ranger See article keywords and concepts |
More than 200 animal studies show that bpa is toxic at very low doses, and the Centers for Disease Control explains that it has found bpa in alarming concentrations in 95 percent of patients being tested. The Environmental Working Group (www.EWG.org) recently released a shocking report describing the very high levels of bpa contamination in canned foods at: http://www.ewg.org/reports/bisphenola/newsrelease.php
Clearly, bisphenol A is a chemical we don't want in our bodies, and infants have proven to be even more susceptible to the long-term health consequences than adults. |
Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts |
Canned foods, food storage containers, pacifiers, baby teethers, and dental sealants may contain bpa.
The plastic industry will tell you that small amounts of bpa are nothing to worry about. A study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, however, suggests that when mice are exposed to low levels of bpa for several days, they develop insulin resistance.204 What is so alarming about this discovery is that the levels of bpa used in the experiment would be considered safe for humans by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger See article keywords and concepts |
BPA could still be present in liquids from canned sources, however, so if you use canned infant formula and empty it into these Born Free baby bottles, it doesn't mean the bottle will filter out the bpa chemical, it just means the bottle won't contribute more bisphenol A.
Currently, 95 percent of baby bottles sold today contain bisphenol A. That means the majority of infants are being exposed to this toxic chemical through their feeding. Switching to a BPA-free baby bottle is extremely important for protecting infant health. |
| BPA contamination in canned foods at: http://www.ewg.org/reports/bisphenola/newsrelease.php
Clearly, bisphenol A is a chemical we don't want in our bodies, and infants have proven to be even more susceptible to the long-term health consequences than adults. But when it comes to baby bottles -- all of which seem to be made of plastic -- how do you avoid bisphenol A?
The BornFree company has an answer with BPA-free baby bottles. No matter how frequently babies drink from these bottles, they won't be exposed to bpa from the bottle. |
C. W. Randolph, M.D. See book keywords and concepts |
Plastics made from polycarbonate resin can leach bisphenol-A (BPA), a potent hormone disruptor. bpa, a chemical found in epoxy resin and polycarbonate plastics, may impair the reproductive organs and have adverse effects on tumors, breast tissue development, and prostate development by reducing sperm count.
BPA can leach into water bottles through normal wear and tear and exposure to heat and cleaning agents. This includes leaving your plastic water bottle in your car during errands, in your backpack during hikes, and running it through your dishwasher or using harsh detergents. |
| What's more, a 2003 study conducted by the University of Missouri published in the journal, Environmental Health Perspectives, found that detectable levels of bpa leached into liquids at room temperature. This means just having your plastic water bottle sitting on your desk can be potentially harmful. The best thing to do is to avoid plastic altogether. (Side note: Baby bottles made from polycarbonate plastics have quietly disappeared from the market despite industry assurances that polycarbonate plastics are safe.)
There are two approaches to take to avoid exposure to bpa. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger See article keywords and concepts |
With the health hazards of chemical exposure just beginning to emerge (and additional health problems likely to be discovered in the years ahead), it's a no-brainer to spend a few extra dollars to eliminate a common source of bpa ingestion by babies. As the well-worn question puts it, "Isn't your baby's health worth it?"
Where to get these BPA-free baby bottles
Whole Foods is apparently carrying the bottles now, so you can check retail stores for inventory. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger See article keywords and concepts |
Given widespread human exposure to bpa and hundreds of studies showing its adverse effects, the FDA and EPA must act quickly to revise safe levels for bpa exposure based on the latest science on the low-dose toxicity of the chemical," according to the Environmental Working Group.
Fred von Saal is a professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri, Columbia and speaks frequently on the lecture and seminar circuit. He is the author of a groundbreaking paper in Environmental Health Perspective on risk assessment concerning low-dose effects of bisphenol A. |
Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts |
What is so alarming about this discovery is that the levels of bpa used in the experiment would be considered safe for humans by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We don't know whether bpa is contributing to the ever-increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes, but we sure wish scientists would find out before it's too late.
Preventing Type 2 Diabetes
No one knows whether reducing high-fructose corn syrup in the diet or limiting bpa exposure will reduce the risk of diabetes. But we do know that there are certain risk factors that make people more susceptible to type 2 diabetes. |
Michael Friedman, ND See book keywords and concepts |
The estrogenic properties of bisphenol-A (BPA) was known as early as 1936, yet children now have their teeth coated with plastic containing bpa. The ADA denies any problem and goes on coating teeth. Food and drink cans are lined with it. Some plasfic baby bottles contain it and other plasticizers. In April 1999, Consumer Reports Special Report advised parents to dispose of soft vinyl teethers and toys that infants sometimes suck or chew, and all clear, shiny plastic baby bottles, unless the manufacturer tells you they're not made of polycarbonate, which leaches bpa. |
Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts |
A study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, however, suggests that when mice are exposed to low levels of bpa for several days, they develop insulin resistance.204 What is so alarming about this discovery is that the levels of bpa used in the experiment would be considered safe for humans by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). We don't know whether bpa is contributing to the ever-increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes, but we sure wish scientists would find out before it's too late. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger See article keywords and concepts |
Click here to read our articles on bpa, a chemical widely believed to contribute to certain cancers. This contamination factor, however, is true for all products stored in plastic bottles, not merely water. Sports drinks, sodas, fruit drinks and even "healthy" smoothie drinks packaged in plastic all share a common risk of bpa contamination.
Bottled water vs. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger See article keywords and concepts |
Given widespread human exposure to bpa and hundreds of studies showing its adverse effects, the FDA and EPA must act quickly to revise safe levels for bpa exposure based on the latest science on the low-dose toxicity of the chemical," according to the Environmental Working Group.
Fred von Saal is a professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Missouri, Columbia and speaks frequently on the lecture and seminar circuit. He is the author of a groundbreaking paper in Environmental Health Perspective on risk assessment concerning low-dose effects of bisphenol A. |
Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts |
The plastic industry will tell you that small amounts of bpa are nothing to worry about. A study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, however, suggests that when mice are exposed to low levels of bpa for several days, they develop insulin resistance.204 What is so alarming about this discovery is that the levels of bpa used in the experiment would be considered safe for humans by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger See article keywords and concepts |
What's clear today is that bpa is a chemical of justified concern, and consumers who wish to protect themselves from the detrimental effects of bpa exposure should limit their exposure to plastics products that come into contact with their food and beverages.
Action items
Never microwave foods in plastic containers. Heating plastics greatly increases the potential for leaching of chemicals into your food.
Avoid drinking beverages out of plastic containers. This includes bottled water, juice drinks, and others. Drink out of glass or stainless steel. |
Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith See book keywords and concepts |
BPA is commonplace—found in copious brands of fruit, vegetables, soda, and other frequendy eaten canned goods. It migrates from the can or plastic into the contents, which are then ingested.
What's most troubling about the recent reports of BPAs prevalence, which emerged in 2007 and was featured prominently in the media, is that it remains entirely without safety standards. It is allowed in unlimited amounts in consumer products, drinking water, and food, the top exposure source for most people. |
Mike Adams, the Health Ranger See article keywords and concepts |
Awareness about the health dangers of bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical in many plastics, has been growing among consumers. bpa is a known estrogen mimicker, and can cause hormone-disrupting effects, toxicity, neurotoxicity, low sperm counts and even cancer. Some of these effects occur in concentrations as low as two parts per billion, and yet various studies have shown that plastic bottles or canned foods can often expose consumers to far higher concentrations (sometimes hundreds of times higher). |
Donna Jackson Nakazawa See book keywords and concepts |
BPA per kilogram of body weight. Since then, investigative techniques for determining cell dysfunction in the lab have dramatically improved, allowing researchers to look at many chemicals' subtler effects. As it turns out, a number of studies show that bpa alters the activity in animal and human cell cultures at just one twenty-five-thousandth of the dose that the EPA deemed caused adverse health effects twenty years ago. |
Brenda Watson and Leonard Smith See book keywords and concepts |
Almost all food and water supplies contain some amount of aluminum, for
FACT
BPA is at unsafe levels in one of every ten servings of canned foods (11 percent) and one of every three cans of infant formula (33 percent). bpa, found in everything from baby bottles and water cooler jugs to bicycle helmets, CDs, and the inside lining of tin cans, is associated with a number of health problems and diseases that are on the rise in the United States population, including breast and prostate cancers and infertility. |
David Steinman See book keywords and concepts |
The latest study showed that women with a history of miscarriages were found to have higher levels of bpa in their bodies. The women who had miscarriages were found to have bpa levels on average about three times higher than women who had successfully given birth, according to an online food industry Web site.22 The scientists concluded that while a high level of bisphenol-A did not in itself predict subsequent miscarriage, exposure to the chemical is associated with recurrent miscarriage. |
Andreas Moritz See book keywords and concepts |
Earlier studies linked low dose bpa to female reproductive-tract disorders, as well as early-stage prostate and breast cancer, as well as decreased sperm counts in animals.
BPA is found in polycarbonate plastic baby bottles, large water-cooler containers and sports bottles, microwave-oven dishes, canned-food liners, and some dental sealants for children.
The disastrous impact plastic has on the environment is difficult to determine. Currently, there are more plastic particles in the oceans than there are plankton. |
| The statement, published online by the journal Reproductive Toxicology, was accompanied by a new study by researchers from the National Institutes of Health finding uterine damage in newborn animals exposed to bpa. The researchers indicated that such damage is a possible predictor of reproductive diseases in women, including fibroids, endometriosis, cystic ovaries and cancers. Earlier studies linked low dose bpa to female reproductive-tract disorders, as well as early-stage prostate and breast cancer, as well as decreased sperm counts in animals. |
Donna Jackson Nakazawa See book keywords and concepts |
BPA, which is also used in baby bottles and in the resins that line food cans, has been discovered by the CDC in 95 percent of human urine samples tested and has been detected in newborn umbilical cord blood the world over.
In 1988, the EPA set a daily safe limit for humans of 0.05 milligrams of bpa per kilogram of body weight. Since then, investigative techniques for determining cell dysfunction in the lab have dramatically improved, allowing researchers to look at many chemicals' subtler effects. |
| THE DANGER OF TINY DOSES
Dioxin, along with pesticides, insecticides, and plasticizers such as bisphenol A, or bpa, a plastics building block used in everything from safety helmets, dental sealants, and eyeglass lenses to everyday food packaging, are what are also known as endocrine disrup-tors, a group of environmental contaminants that can affect our immune system and our resistance to disease in another particularly insidious way—and in particularly small doses—by disrupting our bodies' natural hormonal signals. |
David Steinman See book keywords and concepts |
The women who had miscarriages were found to have bpa levels on average about three times higher than women who had successfully given birth, according to an online food industry Web site.22 The scientists concluded that while a high level of bisphenol-A did not in itself predict subsequent miscarriage, exposure to the chemical is associated with recurrent miscarriage. This report suggested that however it is happening, whether from baby bottles or other sources, certainly bisphenol-A is being absorbed by humans. |
Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D. See book keywords and concepts |
We don't know whether bpa is contributing to the ever-increasing incidence of type 2 diabetes, but we sure wish scientists would find out before it's too late.
Preventing Type 2 Diabetes
No one knows whether reducing high-fructose corn syrup in the diet or limiting bpa exposure will reduce the risk of diabetes. But we do know that there are certain risk factors that make people more susceptible to type 2 diabetes. Changing those conditions may help people avoid this disease.
It is estimated that as many as 40 million Americans might have prediabetes. |
Mark Schapiro See book keywords and concepts |
Phthalates, bpa, lead, chromium, cadmium, everything is there for a reason, for its particular properties. They work, they answer a question. Now, as we're becoming more aware of their other attributes, questions are arising as to whether they are the right answer."b
Kirschener chuckled nervously. "We've been in reactive hell," he said. "It's been unnerving not to be part of all these changes. Companies in this industry have been going through a twelve-step process. First step is to admit that you make electrical products." He laughs. "Then you reject that these new standards exist at all. |
Donna Jackson Nakazawa See book keywords and concepts |
At the University of Tokyo, a team of eight Japanese imrauno-toxicologists recently demonstrated that in mice, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, such as bpa, promote a significantly increased production of autoantibodies—antibodies that set out to destroy one's own tissue. Other lab research confirms that environmental estrogens, including plastic additives, exert a direct effect on immune cells, suppressing the function of some immune cells and overstimulating others. |
| Chemicals like PCBs, plastic additives such as bpa, and common pesticides are among the numerous chemicals that, upon entering our bloodstreams through daily exposure, can mimic estrogen by occupying our cells' estrogen receptors.
You might think of estrogen being secreted in the body as something akin to a radio signal that's being sent out from a station, and its receptor—a protein on the surface of a cell elsewhere in the body—as the antenna. The proper signal has to reach the antenna in order for the signal to be received—and for music, rather than static, to come out of the radio. |