Thursday, June 11, 2009

BPA's

Hello Everyone,

From time to time there's things that come across my awareness that I feel are important for you to become aware of, as well.

Today's topic is BPA's. You can click on the link and learn what BPA's are and what they are used in. For our discussion, they are primarily used in plastics - enormous quantities of them and they are ubiquitous. According to Wikipedia:

"Bisphenol A is used primarily to make plastics, and products containing bisphenol A-based plastics have been in commerce for more than 50 years. It is used in the synthesis of polyesters, polysulfones, and polyether ketones, as an antioxidant in some plasticizers, and as a polymerization inhibitor in PVC. It is a key monomer in production of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins.[4] Polycarbonate plastic, which is clear and nearly shatter-proof, is used to make a variety of common products including baby and water bottles, sports equipment, medical and dental devices, dental fillings and sealants, lenses, CDs and DVDs, and household electronics.[5] Epoxy resins containing bisphenol A are used as coatings on the inside of almost all food and beverage cans.[6] Bisphenol A is also a precursor to the flame retardant, tetrabromobisphenol A, and was formerly used as a fungicide.[7]

Global production of bisphenol A in 2003 was estimated to be over 2 million metric tonnes (t).[8] In the U.S., it is manufactured by Bayer MaterialScience, Dow Chemical Company, General Electric, Hexion Specialty Chemicals, and Sunoco Chemicals. In 2004, these companies produced just over 1 million t of bisphenol A, up from just 7,260 t in 1991. In 2003, annual U.S. consumption was 856,000 t, 72% of which was used to make polycarbonate plastic and 21% going into epoxy resins.[5]"

For you to do: switch to glass or stainless steel, but stop using those water bottles. That's for starters. Change the containers for your children, as well.

Since they are used on the inside of almost every packaged food, stop buying and using packaged foods. When you microwave something, do it in glass, take it out of the packaging or trays.

These are only starters, but the more you are aware, the more you can avoid them.

They are endocrine disruptors. This is the most insidious of preys, as the endocrine system: your hormonal system runs your body - all of it. This means not just your reproductive system, your adrenals, your heart beat; the endocrine system is your master switch.

Folks, what you can do is weed the toxins out where you can as you become aware of the. Don't go into fear, just simply choose again and move on.

Thanks for reading!

Kath