Estrogenic Activity (EA) Chemicals Lurk in ALL Plastics.
Most Plastic Products Release Estrogenic Chemicals: A Potential Health Problem That Can Be Solved
By General Maddox.
A study by the University of Texas published in the Environmental Health Perspectives by the National Institute of Environmental Health Science has proven that products advertised as Bisphenol A (BPA) Free, such as baby bottles, still released chemicals having estrogenic activity.
EA chemicals like BPA have been linked to a host of negative health effects especially on children and infants. Chemicals like BPA are endocrine disruptors and actually mimic the hormone estrogen in the human body. Health-related problems, such as early puberty in females, reduced sperm counts, altered functions of reproductive organs, obesity, altered sex-specific behaviors, and increased rates of some breast, ovarian, testicular, and prostate cancers can result in exposure to these EA chemicals.
The most shocking part is that these types of plastics don’t have to be used and there are in fact safe alternatives. Plastics that have no detectable estrogenic activity, are just as easy to make on a commercial scale that is also cost effective. This would easily eliminate a potential health risk posed by most currently available plastic products that leach chemicals having EA into food products. So if the big plastic manufacturers know about the hazards of Bisphenols and other EA chemicals that are being used, why continue to use them?
Popular brand Décor, a plastic products manufacturer was recently contacted by Real News Australia. Please see the letters below:
To whom it may concern,
I currently own and use many of the products from your decor range. Especially food containers.
Your products were initially chosen due to your company’s position on maintaining a BPA Free status on said products. Which is great by the way.
I understand this course of action was likely chosen either because public perception and demand necessitated such action or health and scientific advisors urged your manufacturing arm to move away from BPA due to scientific studies on these Estrogenic Activity Chemicals. Personally I hope it was the latter.
What I would like to confirm is the names of the substituted chemical compounds used in your products now that BPA is no longer being used.
I would also like to know if these chemicals used have been thoroughly tested and are completely safe for human use.
If you could please provide an electronic copy of the MSDS’s (Material Safety Data Sheets) for these products too that would be greatly appreciated.
I would very much love to continue purchasing Decor products and promoting their use amongst family and friends.
Please contact me via email or phone anytime. I will follow-up this email with a call to the number listed on this site on Friday July 5th 2013 if I haven’t heard from you guys first.Sincerely,
Lee Maddox
Here was their seemingly stock standard reply.
Dear Lee,
Thank you for your email,
The chemical BPA is a rare compound only ever used in polycarbonate within the plastics world. Its main use is in welding of tin cans.
Décor has never used Polycarbonate in a food contact application in its 54 year history. Décor has always used Polypropylene and Polyethylene base polymers to manufacture it products.
Our labelling of “No BPA” is to answer recent public concern regarding this chemical.
Our website has a lot of information regarding this chemical in our customer service section if they would like some more information.
They did however admit to only labelling their products as BPA Free or NO BPA as part of a public relations effort to manage the perception of the company in the eyes of consumers.
I followed up that response with another containing a link to the above mentioned study:
Hi Julie,
Thank you for your prompt reply.
I don’t know if people in your organisation have seen the results of a recent study by the University of Texas. Link here… http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222987/
There is now new scientific evidence that proves ALL plastics leach Bisphenols. Even polyethylene and polypropylene. It is now also evident that BPA isn’t the only culprit.
BPA and a swag of other BP’s concern us because they have Estrogenic Activity (EA), meaning they mimic the hormone estrogen in the body. Chemicals with EA have been linked to all kinds of health problems, including early puberty in females, reduced sperm counts, altered functions of reproductive organs, obesity, altered sex-specific behaviors, and increased rates of some breast, ovarian, testicular, and prostate cancers.
Below is an excerpt from the study linked above. I implore the decision makers within your company take on board what the scientists who authored and conducted it to heed a new course of action in order to keep us all safe from these EA chemicals (Estrogenic Activity).
“Many scientists believe that it is not appropriate to bet our health and that of future generations on an assumption that known cellular effects of chemicals having EA released from most plastics will have no severe adverse health effects (Gray 2008; Talsness et al. 2009; Thompson et al. 2009). Because we can identify existing, relatively inexpensive monomers and additives that do not exhibit EA, even when stressed, we believe that plastics having comparable physical properties but that do not release chemicals having detectable EA could be produced at minimal additional cost.”I look forward to your or another representitive of Decors reply.
There has since been no reply. That was sent in the beginning of July 2013.
That last paragraph warrants repeating:
“Many scientists believe that it is not appropriate to bet our health and that of future generations on an assumption that known cellular effects of chemicals having EA released from most plastics will have no severe adverse health effects (Gray 2008; Talsness et al. 2009; Thompson et al. 2009). Because we can identify existing, relatively inexpensive monomers and additives that do not exhibit EA, even when stressed, we believe that plastics having comparable physical properties but that do not release chemicals having detectable EA could be produced at minimal additional cost.”
Is it safe to assume that plastic manufacturers around the world are knowingly poisoning us? I’ll leave it to you to speculate the reasons why.
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