Plastic World: How Safe Are We.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is the building block for one of the most widely used plastics. BPA can be found in the inside lining of soda and food cans to the clear brittle plastic pieces found on many cooking appliances. It has been proven thought research with lab rats that BPA can cause reproductive problems, sugar regulation problems, and obesity. Japanese manufactured have eliminated BPA from the lining of food cans but this isn’t so in America. BPA is FDA approved.
BPA overtime brakes down and finds its way into our body. Products like Nalgene® water bottles use BPA based plastic. One of the most worrisome goods out today is the wide use of plastic baby bottles. Also dental sealant used to harden the enamel on your teeth leaks BPA into your system.
Other then human effect, plastic has taken a devastating toll on the ecosystem. Plastic floats in the ocean creating huge plastic landfills found in remote location all over the ocean. If the everyday use of plastic allows BPA to break down and enter our system imagine what years of floating plastic is doing to the animals and not only that but there habitat is totally taken over by plastic impairing the aquatic animals from doing their regular duties.
It would be impossible to eliminate plastic from our life but you need to be more aware of the harmful effects it has on your body There are ways to avoid it. Many people recommend that you use glass bottles or polyethylene, which is a plastic that does not leak BPA. Some major brands have released BPA free products for infants and toddlers, some companies have even gone as far as producting aluminum sippy cups.
There is no reason for BPA to be used if there are other safer plastics. I think that we should start to smarten up and pay attention to what other people around the world are saying. It is true that the effect of BPA on the body isn’t deadly but there is no reason to still uses it and if Japan agrees with this statement then why doesn’t America?
Posted by Julie Hachey (1B)
posted by PWH @ 3:06 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
The issue you present here IS a major concern for all. I never realized that the plastic lining used for soda and food cans could be potentially hazardous to our systems. After reading your blog, I am definitely as confused as you are about why this ingredient is FDA approved, and can see the larger danger BPA can present to the environment. Good job explaining the initial concern and making connections to the larger picture!
Posted By: Helen Thi
I am beginning to hear more and more about this topic and the deleterious effects of BPA. It is interesting how something that is seemingly so safe (a baby's bottle) actually has potentially significant health hazards. Who knows how many other things we use in our daily lives will be found to have chemicals that are detrimental to our health. It's scary to think about. I enjoyed reading your post. It was well written and nicely constructed. I would like to hear about possible recommendations to alleviate people's concerns over BPA. What are some alternatives to its use?
- T. FitzGerald
I found this post to be very interesting. I didn't realize that BPA was in so many products and all of the harmful effects that it has. It seems strange that the FDA would approve such a dangerous product especially when it is so commonly used amongst the general population. Hopefully some sort of alternative to this product can be manufactured that is both better for humans and our environment.
Posted by: Meaghan Elliott
I find this article interesting but not surprising. American corporations probably dont find this evidence strong enough to switch over and BPA might be cheaper. I think links to evidence about BPA effects in the lab mice would reinforce the article well. Also adding a know list of BPA users could give it an eye opening effect.
Posted John Reilly
Interesting material. Research has shown that BPA affects rats, but have there been any reports of disease or sickness in humans yet? In addition, perhaps you could look deeper into whether or not there are any significant actions being done to replace BPA with safer materials. Nevertheless, this is definitely an issue that needs attention. Even if it discovered that BPA does not affect humans seriously, the research with rats shows that it is damaging to other aspects of the natural world. What could be some of the serious consequences and repercussions of BPA leaking into an aquatic ecosystem, as you have mentioned?
Posted By: Nate Pitcher
The use of plastics is something that should definitely come to the front of everyone's minds when we think about global warming and climate change. It's scary that something that has improved our quality of life so much may actually be causing more health hazards than anyone would think. However, I've heard arguments that claim BPA isn't as hazardous as some believe it is, and that it only leaks out under conditions of high temperature and pressure - much more extreme than daily conditions. I don't know how valid this claim is - did you come across anything about this in your research?
Posted by: Nicole Eckart
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