BPA free plastics still leach toxins
You may be careful to buy only BPA-free toys, clear wrap, travel mugs, and other plastics. Doing so is supposed to spare your family from hormone-disrupting chemicals. But these items still aren’t safe (if by safe you mean products that don’t leach other hormone-disrupting chemicals). A new study indicates that nearly every plastic product (including BPA-free) is made up of chemicals that stimulate estrogenic activity (EA) in human cells.
Estrogen made by our bodies in the right quantities at the right time is a good thing. But chemicals with EA have been linked to a whole slew of frightening problems like increased rates of reproductive cancers, premature puberty in girls, lowered sperm counts, obesity, and more.
To perform the study, University of Texas researchers purchased 455 widely available plastic products. Although most were labeled “BPA-free” it wasn’t possible to determine exactly what chemicals they contained. Apparently this is proprietary information closely guarded by industry. To determine if the products had estrogenic effects, researchers exposed extracted versions to solvents meant to mimic food and beverage items these plastics were likely to contain. Then, they exposed these extracts to a type of human breast cancer cell that’s highly receptive to estrogen. Cells that multiplied in the presence of plastic extracts indicated that those particular chemicals were estrogenic.
The results? Nearly every plastic product they tested leached EA chemicals. Some BPA-free products actually released more EA than other plastics. That included eco-friendly plastics made from plant products, which apparently released EA due to the additives used.
In addition, the researchers checked the effect of sunlight, microwave use, and dishwasher use on the products being studied. They determined plastics leach more EA after these ordinary stressors.
I’m not sure about some of the methodology used in this study, for example, to simulate a dishwasher they heated plastic in an autoclave to a temperature much hotter than average household appliances reach, possibility making the plastic degrade in ways it wouldn’t from normal use. But I prefer to avoid taking a chance. I’ve read too many studies showing there are markers of plastic-derived endocrine disruptors in some species of amphibians, the same ones manifesting a range of dysmorphic features.
We aren’t plastic-free here by any means, but a few years ago I started using heavy glass storage dishes of all sizes (some vintage ones found in resale shops and some new
Are plastics a necessary convenience or a risk you’d rather avoid? Check out these and other resources and us know what you think.
Resources
Eliminating Plastic From Our Lives
Nine Ways To Reduce Plastic Use
Attainable Sustainable: Reviving the Lost Art of Self-Sufficiency
even co-friendly plastics made from plant products leaches chemicals
A Monday Mania, Simple Lives, Traditional Tuesdays, and Real Food Forager post.
Oy vay! I’ve always preferred glass, and generally use it, but some of my favorite glass containers have PLASTIC lids, and I do use the odd baggie, and so forth and so on. . .is it really possible to get away from it altogether? Or even a lot? Aren’t our cars mostly plastic these days? Computer components? Pens we write with? Remotes? How do we get away from the stuff? Yikes!
Thanks for caring, and sharing the latest; I’m just not sure what to do about it, and will love ideas. . . Please.
I guess it’s all about being at peace with the choices we make while staying informed. I know how important plastic can be for medical and industrial purposes, and have trouble imagining a wood/glass/steel TV remote so I’m guessing that we can only do so much.
Often overlooked for lunch wrapping is unbleached waxed paper. Available in rolls of flat paper and also as sandwich sized bags we use these in place of plastics for many foods. Wet foods will need something else but they are great for sandwiches, dried fruit, cheese, salt and pepper to go with that hard boiled egg and many other snacky kinds of foods.