BPA Dangers

I didn't know much about BPA or even what is was until recently, which sparked something in me to go green. I am not looking back at all! I want a healthier life for my family, but I thought I should share what I have learned because there are a lot of things the FDA is not telling us!

First, what is BPA? This is what I wondered and this is what I found out!:

BPA is a synthetic sex hormone that mimics estrogen, and it is used to make hard polycarbonate plastics. Studies conducted on laboratory animals and cell cultures have linked low doses of BPA to obesity, diabetes, thyroid disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer and other illnesses including reproductive mutations.


Ninety-five percent of all baby bottles on the market are made from BPA (this statistic was from 2008), and many companies are making BPA free versions now, thank God. I personally will be sticking with glass. I just don't trust plastic anymore. What else could possibly be unsafe about it? Everyone thought BPA was safe, just like they used to think Lead was safe. I am not taking any chances with my children!

BPA is also found in some toddler sippy cups, polycarbonate water bottles, dental sealants, and the linings of many food and beverage cans, including all infant formulas.

A study was done where tap water was tested and almost all tap water has BPA in it and the researchers had a hard time finding sources of water that does NOT have BPA in it. I obviously cannot ban water, but I will be filtering it. I can reduce other products leeching BPA into my foods byt reducing plastic use in the kitchen. They say low doses of BPA are harmless, but we are exposed to MANY low doses of it and that all adds up!

The most dangerous period for BPA exposure is before birth and during infancy and early childhood when human body systems are still being developed and can be adversely affected by hormone disrupters. Boys AND girls are both affected by BPA exposure. Animal studies have shown that when female animals were exposed to BPA, they had reproductive abnormalities later in life. They also found changes in breast tissue, which can lead to cance rin these animals. These studies are significant to humans!

Here are a few useful websites that I have found a lot of information on BPA.

http://www.thegreenestdollar.com/2009/03/the-dangers-of-bpa/

www.babystoxicbottle.org

http://www.kleankanteen.com/about/bpa.html