By now I hope most of you have thrown away your refillable, polycarbonate plastic water bottles. You know the ones that were almost too good to be true when they hit the market--hard and clear like glass, but don't shatter. However, more and more recent studies are linking the bisphenol A (BPA) found in polycarbonate plastic to health problems, including cancer and birth defects.
Building a stronger case against the wide-spread use of this synthetic chemical, a new U.S. study has found that when normal breast cells are exposed to trace amounts of BPA their behavior is dangerously altered. The cells take on gene activity that closely resembles those found in highly aggressive breast cancer.
BPA, also found in the epoxy resins lining most tin cans, babies bottles, some dental sealants, sports helmets and compact discs, is a known estrogen-mimicking chemical. Given the strong evidence linking prolonged exposure to estrogen with breast cancer, BPA's leaching into consumer goods had already raised red flags among scientists.
BPA may not be conclusively proven to cause cancer (yet), but the numerous links are too hard to ignore.
Source: The Globe and Mail
Related Article: Toss Out Your Plastic Water Bottle!
Friday, April 18, 2008
BPA in Plastic Alters Genes in Breast Cells
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3 comments:
Thanks for writing this! I keep telling my friends and family to stop using their Nalgene bottles.
Another unfortunate place where Bisphenol A resides = Brita Pitchers :(
Be well!
Liz
Vishen Health Guru
My pleasure! Thanks for bringing to my attention that those Brita pitchers are made with BPA too. It makes sense now that you pointed it out. The material really begins to break down after about 6 months of wear and tear from washing and using. The longer someone uses their Nalgene bottle or Brita pitcher, the more BPA is leached. High heat cleaning will cause BPA to leach out even faster!
It's freaky to know that BPA is so harmful to the human body and yet it is produced as daily products. We can easily purchased one without knowing about it.
Not too long ago, the news reported BPA are found in baby bottles, too!
Anyway, thanks for the heads up on the Brita Pitchers. I didn't know that they too made with BPA. Geez..
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