How Moms and Minorities are Deceived About Dangers of Plastic

In June, food and chemical lobbyists met in Washington, DC to save the toxic plastic chemical BPA. Their internal meeting memos revealed a dangerous and unethical strategy to keep your family eating and drinking from BPA-laden containers, despite the mounting scientific evidence that exposure to even extremely low levels of BPA can impact health, particularly during early infancy.

Notes from the meeting included a statement that, “Attendees believe a balance of legislative and grassroots outreach (to young mothers ages 21-35 and students) is imperative to the stability of their industry.” The notetaker added that, “Their 'holy grail' spokesperson would be a pregnant young mother who would be willing to speak around the country about the benefits of BPA.”

The notes went on to suggest that fear tactics regarding access to baby food would be a good ploy to use.

The lobbyists also decided that “focusing on the impact of BPA bans on minorities (Hispanic and African American) and poor is also important.”

While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not recommend discontinuing the use of products that contain BPA, The National Toxicology Program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a report in September 2008 concluding that there was cause for "some concern for effects on the brain, behavior and prostate gland in fetuses, infants and children at current human exposures."

Sources:

Environmental Working Group

USA Today October 29, 2008

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Food and chemical lobbyists know word has gotten out about bisphenol-A (BPA), an estrogen-mimicking chemical used to make hard plastics and epoxy resins that’s found in numerous products you probably use every day.

Of 115 published animal studies, 81 percent found significant effects from even low-level exposure to BPA, so there’s probably no real safe limit. Among the many health problems linked to this toxic chemical are:

• Structural damage to your brain

• Hyperactivity, increased aggressiveness, and impaired learning

• Increased fat formation and risk of obesity

• Altered immune function

• Early puberty, stimulation of mammary gland development, disrupted reproductive cycles, and ovarian dysfunction

• Changes in gender-specific behavior, and abnormal sexual behavior

• Stimulation of prostate cancer cells

• Increased prostate size, and decreased sperm production

• Diabetes

• Heart disease

• Liver damage

In response to these overwhelming dangers -- and the fact that BPA is widely used in canned goods, soda cans, plastic water bottles, milk jugs, baby bottles, pacifiers and more -- many people are looking to avoid BPA, and companies are coming out with BPA-free product lines.

Well, the manufacturers of BPA, which is, by the way, one of the world’s highest production-volume chemicals, will not let it go down without a fight, which is why they called their June meeting.

BPA Makers Resort to Trying to Scare You into Buying Their Toxic Chemical

The meeting, which was attended by companies such as Coca-Cola, Del Monte, Crown, and the Grocery Manufacturers Association, aimed to develop potential communication strategies to put BPA in a better light.

Well, it’s not easy to paint a rosy glow around a chemical that’s known to be toxic, so they have resorted to using tactics of deception, including:

• Fear tactics, such as suggesting that moms will no longer have access to baby food, and minorities and the poor will be worse off without BPA

• Misinformation, such as implying you’re better off buying a less expensive canned good (with BPA in the lining) than a more expensive frozen or fresh food

• Implying that BPA is not so bad and “it does not matter what the next material is, there will be issues with it”

Clearly they are grasping at straws here.

It’s very possible for BPA to be taken out of consumer products. Numerous companies have already removed it from their baby bottles and some have also gone a step further and taken it out of the lining of their baby-food can lacquers.

What BPA manufacturers are facing is not a lack of alternatives … it’s a lack of responsibility to acknowledge the chemical is toxic and should no longer be on the market at all.

Time to Ditch the Plastic and Other Tips for Reducing Your BPA Exposure

Scientists have found that 95 percent of people tested have dangerous levels of BPA in their bodies.

Some of the biggest victims of all are your children, who may be exposed to the chemical while in utero, and are literally “fed” the chemical via plastic baby bottles and toys (which they often put in their mouths).

In the event that you do opt to use plastic containers for your food, be sure to avoid those marked on the bottom with the recycling label No. 7, as these varieties may contain BPA.

Containers marked with the recycling labels No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4 do not contain BPA (however they may contain other unsavory chemicals that you’re best off avoiding by using glass instead).

To be fair, you probably can’t completely eliminate your exposure to BPA since it’s likely in the air, water, and food supply too, but you can certainly reduce it by eliminating the most obvious culprits.

The following tips will not only reduce your exposure to BPA, but also to many of the other dangerous plastics chemicals as well.

1. Only use glass baby bottles and dishes for your baby and yourself.

2. Give your baby natural fabric toys instead of plastic ones

3. Store your food and beverages in glass -- NOT plastic -- containers

4. IF you choose to use a microwave, don’t microwave food in a plastic container

5. Stop buying and consuming canned foods and drinks (including soda)

6. Avoid using plastic wrap (and never microwave anything covered in it)

7. Get rid of your plastic dishes and cups, and replace them with glass varieties

8. If you opt to use plastic kitchenware, at least get rid of the older, scratched-up varieties, avoid putting them in the dishwasher, and don’t wash them with harsh detergents, as these things can cause more chemicals to leach into your food

9. Avoid using bottled water; filter your own using a high-quality copper-zinc + carbon + fluoride removal filter system instead

10. Before allowing a dental sealant to be applied to you, or your children’s, teeth, ask your dentist to verify that it does not contain BPA

Now You Can Fight Back Against the Deception!

If you would like to let BPA’s industry lobbyists know how you feel about their blatantly deceptive attempts to mislead mothers and minorities about BPA dangers, now you can.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has posted Del Monte’s toll-free number along with a sample script to get you started. Please do not hesitate to give Del Monte a piece of your mind, and urge your friends and family to do so also!

Call Del Monte: 1-800-543-3090

EWG’s Sample script:

"Hello, My name is ______________. I'm shocked and disappointed in your unethical approach to business when it comes to BPA -- placing profits ahead of my family's health and resorting to fear tactics to mislead consumers about a clearly dangerous chemical. The BPA needs to go -- NOW. Thank you."

Source Dr. Mercola
September 12 2009

Posted: True Health Is True Wealth

10 Dangerous Everyday Things in Your Home

Even if you carefully monitor what you eat, and pay close attention to the household products and items you purchase, your chance of being exposed to hazardous toxins is still quite high. Lead, arsenic, mercury, PCBs, flame retardants, and an array of other chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects and neurological diseases are well represented in most people’s bloodstream.

These dangerous chemicals and toxins are in the air you breathe, the water you drink, the food you eat and the products you use. Over the last 50 years, from 70,000 to 100,000 different chemicals have been introduced into the world‘s markets with about 1,500 new ones added each year.

Household consumer products injure 33.1 million people in the United States every year. These incidents cost $800 billion in related expenses from death, injury or property damages. And many scientists are starting to believe that, in particular, the chemicals found in a wide variety of the goods you use every day may be more toxic than previously thought. Here are 10 of the most common products that may be hazardous to your health: 10. Mothballs Since moths chew holes through clothing and other textiles, people pack away these stinky repellents to kill them. But studies on one active ingredient in some repellents, paradichlorobenzene, found that it can cause cancer in animals. Other types of moth balls use naphthalene, which after prolonged exposure can damage or destroy red blood cells, and which can also stimulate nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. 9. Pesticides Ninety percent of households in the United States use some form of pesticide, a broad term that encompasses a variety of chemical formulas that kill everything from tiny microorganisms up to rodents. In 2006, the American Association of Poison Control Centers received nearly 46,000 calls regarding children under 5 years old who had been exposed to potentially toxic levels of pesticides. 8. Pressed Wood Products This faux wood takes bits and pieces of logs and wood leftovers and combines them together. Pressed wood products include paneling, particle board, fiberboard and insulation, all of which were particularly popular for home construction in the 1970’s. However, the glue that holds the wood particles in place may use urea-formaldehyde as a resin. The U.S. EPA estimates that this is the largest source of formaldehyde emissions indoors. Formaldehyde exposure can set off watery eyes, burning eyes and throat, difficulty breathing and asthma attacks. Scientists also know that it can cause cancer in animals. The risk is greater with older pressed wood products, since newer ones are better regulated. 7. Chemicals in Carpets Indoor carpeting has recently come under greater scrutiny because of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with new carpet installation. The glue and dyes used with carpeting are known to emit VOCs, which can be harmful to your health in high concentrations. However, the initial VOC emissions will often subside after the first few days following. 6. Laser Printers Chemicals A 2007 study found that some laser printers give off ultra fine particles that can cause serious health problems. Another study confirmed that laser and ink-jet printers can release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and ozone particulates. All of these have been linked with heart and lung disease. 5. Lead Paint In 1991, the U.S. government declared lead to be the greatest environmental threat to children. Even low concentrations can cause problems with your central nervous system, brain, blood cells and kidneys. It's particularly threatening for fetuses, babies and children, because of potential developmental disorders. Many houses built before 1978 contain lead paint. Once the paint begins to peel away will, it release the harmful lead particles that you can inhale. 4. Air Fresheners and Cleaning Solutions Air fresheners and cleaning solutions, when used excessively or in a small, unventilated area, can release toxic levels of pollutants. This comes from two main chemicals called ethylene-based glycol ethers and terpenes. While the EPA regards the ethers as toxic by themselves, the non-toxic terpenes can react with ozone in the air to form a poisonous combination. Air fresheners in particular are linked to many volatile organic compounds, such as nitrogen dioxide, and some fresheners also contain paradichlorobenzene, the same chemical emitted by mothballs. 3. Baby Bottles and BPA Canada has taken the first steps to outlaw the sale of baby bottles made from polycarbonate plastics, which are the most common type on the market. It has done so because the plastics are made with a chemical called bisphenol-a (BPA). BPA has a structure very similar to estrogen and for that reason is referred to as a "hormone disruptor." Hormone disruptors can interfere with the natural human hormones, especially for young children. 2. Flame Retardants Commonly used in mattresses, upholstery, television and computer casings and circuit boards, flame retardants use polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs for short. Two forms of PBDEs were phased out of use in manufacturing in the United States in 2004 because of related health threats, but the products containing them linger on. Studies have linked PBDEs to learning and memory problems, lowered sperm counts and poor thyroid functioning in rats and mice. Other animal studies have indicated that PBDEs could be carcinogenic in humans, although that has not yet been confirmed. 1. Cosmetic Phthalates Phthalates, also called plasticizers, go into many products including hair spray, shampoos, fragrances, and deodorants. Phthalates bind the color and fragrance in cosmetic products, and are also used to increase the durability and flexibility of plastics. Like BPA, these hormone-like chemicals are linked to reproductive and developmental problems in animals. Because of these findings, California and Washington state have banned the use of phthalates in toys for younger children. Sources: How Stuff Works