Originally published April 8 2010
BPA Has Not Gone Away
by Aaron Turpen
(NaturalNews) Most readers of NaturalNews are well aware of the health concerns around bisphenol A (BPA). Most parents know that everything their baby comes in contact with should be BPA-free. BPA has been linked to heart disease, sexual dysfunction, and more.1 Yet despite all of this, as well as concerns from the FDA, the chemical can be found everywhere - usually in places you don't suspect.
Even with all of the reasons to be worried about what BPA could be (or is known to be) doing to us, however, it is still all over the food supply world-wide, including here in the U.S. This is evidenced by the recent study which was also highlighted here at NaturalNews where 90% of cord blood from babies was found to contain BPA.2
What most people are unaware of is that BPA is still widely used in the food industry. If you consume anything in a can (soda, canned foods, etc.) or anything in polycarbonate plastic containers (not labeled as BPA-free), or if you regularly microwave those plastic containers, put them in the dishwasher at high temperatures, or put hot foods directly into them after cooking,... you are being exposed to BPA.
If you have a baby that you are formula feeding, you are likely exposing your child to BPA through the formula itself, which is almost assuredly packaged in a BPA-lined can.
It is estimated that most Americans consume up to 1.5 nanograms per kilogram (rated by blood) per day. Bottle-fed infants have a rate up to ten times that and even breast-fed infants have an exposure similar to their nursing mother or maid.3
This translates to significant internal exposure to BPA for everyone. This is all because it is still commonly used in many food containers and is one of the toxins being dumped into oceans and landfills along with the huge amount of plastics we discard daily - which eventually wind up in our water.
In most countries, BPA is legal in food storage - including baby bottles, containers, and so forth. Very few companies are using BPA-free containers for anything. In fact, very few national governments have done anything on the question of BPA.
On the other hand, market forces have responded quickly. The demand for BPA-free baby bottles, pacifiers, and other infant items has been responded to with fast action from the companies who make these baby items. Most are now proudly labeled BPA-free in order to encourage parents to buy them.
While governments drag their feet, everyday people (who make up the market to which these companies sell their goods) are demanding BPA-free goods of all types. Some companies are beginning to respond, with at least one baby formula and food manufacturer now offering all products as BPA-free. Some companies which offer bottled (versus canned) foods are now touting their BPA-free status as well.
How about you, reader? Are you demanding that BPA be kept out of contact with your food?
Resources:
1 - Feature articles on BPA, NaturalNews
2 - 90 Percent of Cord Blood from U.S. Babies Tests Positive for BPA by E. Huff, NaturalNews
3 - Bisphenol A Wikipedia
About the author
Aaron Turpen is a professional writer living in Wyoming in the USA. His blogs cover organic/sustainable living and environmental considerations (AaronsEnvironMental.com) and the science debunking mainstream medical and proving alternatives (HiddenHealthScience.com).
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