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Unsafe levels of chemical leaching into drinks, U.S. panel says

MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT

From Wednesday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 1:12 AM EDT 08/08/07

New assessment finds estrogen-like chemical used to make plastic is present in humans at levels similar to those shown to be harmful in animal experiments ...Read the full article

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  1. globefan EH from Canada writes: This is not new information. There were reports about declining male fertililty in Britain at least five years ago which they were linking to the increased levels of oestrogens produced in the manufacture of plastics.

    Every beach on the planet in the most remote of areas is covered with plastic junk.

    Why oh why do we take so long to get it?
  2. Elena Pintilie from Toronto, writes: Urge Canada to ban Bisphenol A

    http://www.environmentaldefence.ca/toxicnation/join/petition.php
  3. David K from Guelph, Canada writes: Until recently tests have been structured to find out how much of a chemical it takes to kill a lab animal. Now, at last, they are starting to test to find how little it takes to alter growth, behaviour etc.. This is made even more interesting by the number of chemicals including pharmaceutical products showing up in drinking water. The number of fish species that are being affected is growing and there is no reason to think that we are immune. Better living through chemistry?
  4. Dr Demento from Canada writes: I'm surprised there haven't already been several posts from indignant right-wingers claiming that this is just another round of scare-mongering by those evil, know-it-all scientists, and that the government better not interfere with their God given right to grow boobs.
  5. Jason Thorne from Vancouver, Canada writes: "Over all, claims that bisphenol A, in particular [ biologically active] bisphenol A, is present in blood at significant levels are not supported by the weight of the evidence," said Steven Hentges, spokesman at the American Plastics Council, which represents major makers of the chemical.

    Where is the evidence to back up this statement? Did he conduct and tests to support his statement? I would rather trust the scientists who worked on this study than an off-the-cuff and biased statement.

    I have reduced how many products I use that come in plastic, but it is so wide spread that I think it will have little effect. Also, I want to know about the other types of plastic and the chemicals found in them.
  6. Sarah Bee from Canada writes: Not to sound paranoid, but I'm very curious to hear more about the impact of Bisphenol A on horomonal disruption. It has been found to be a hormone inhibitor in women especially. Anecdotally, illnesses linked to hormone imbalance (post-partum, pituitary tumours etc.) are rising in numbers every year. I can't imagine this to be coincidental.

    All products made with oil are scary. We need to reduce dependence. It is killing everything, including us.
  7. Tony . from Waterloo, Canada writes: Having seen some of the overly testosteroned meatheads at the gym, I can't help but wonder if maybe a little extra estrogen isn't exactly what we need?

    Then again, I'm really not looking to grow a pair of man-boobs. Somehow they just aren't nearly as attractive as the female variety.
  8. Rick Drysdale from Calgary, Canada writes: globefan EH from Canada

    "Every beach on the planet in the most remote of areas is covered with plastic junk"

    I travel a lot and that statement is not true. There are beaches around populated areas where there is a lot but to say every one is , is not true.

    The beaches around here have some but not a lot. There is other garbage left by people .

    I just looked at a bunch of the plastic things here and couldn't find one article with a seven. Water bottles and other containers had 5 for the most part.

    And Dr Demento I do have the right and plan to use it.
    The problem is I probably won't want to leave the house if I do :)
    and Tony , in the dark who can tell?

    2 parts per BILLION this is so small an amount and why is this story being reposted. It ran about 6 months ago and was given the reception it deserved.
  9. Dr Demento from Canada writes: Rick - hope you enjoy your new assets!
  10. J Luft from Calgary, Canada writes: Too much estrogen.....hmmm, that'll explain everything.
  11. Erica Paiero from Toronto, Canada writes: Rick generally the products that contain BPA are things like reusable hard plastic water bottles. The kind you would wash and use again and again. BPA is used to stop the bottles from giving your drink a plasticky taste. I for one would rather drink something plasticky tasting than die of breast cancer.
  12. Frank Black from Syrian Arab Republic writes: Holy crow!!!! I'm utterly speechless and given the length of some of my posts - that's sayin' something.
  13. Matthew K from Halifax, Canada writes: Well now I know why I cry at the end of girly movies... It's not me it's the Bisphenol A.

    Wake up people... the industry is saying there isn't a problem but isn't that what the manufacturing and energy sectors said about climate change a few year back...
  14. P Martin from St. John's, NL, Canada writes: They have been saying this for years. I have tried to cut out as much plastic as I can for many years and especially those with the 7 symbol. May not help but you never know.
  15. ed pipeline from Coquitlam, Canada writes: I've been having my "Google Alerts" pick up stories on BPA for the past few months, and I think it is one scary chemical. Trying to eliminate BPA from personal use is frustrating, particulary since virtually all canned goods are lined with it. I have been searching in vain for stainless steel water bottles to replace the plastic ones we use, although I know there must some available. I had to smirk when one of the posters above said he couldn't find any "Number 7" (i.e. possible BPA ) products. Our major drugstore chain carries loads of colourful water bottles with "Number 7" clearly stamped on the bottom. And like another poster above, I am not convinced about some of the other numbers, either. I have found aluminum water bottles in the same drugstore chain, but I don't particularly want them either. Anyone know where one can find stainless steel personal water bottles in B.C.?
  16. Jorly fuster from Canada writes: The real losers in all of this are the American Dairy association and the Cattleranchers association who can no longer claim soy is responsible for the boobs on your 8 year old son.
  17. shandy cat from Canada writes: Last year I replaced my plastic water bottles with a small stainless steel thermos. The bonus factor is that the water stays cool when you leave the thermos in your hot car. The manufacturer says not to put it in the dishwasher, but I do. This makes the outer plastic coating of the thermos peel off but is a better choice than the BPA dangers and the icky taste and questionable sources of bottled water. Finding canned goods without BPA liners and worrying about the fillings in my teeth are next on the list.
  18. Cryin Outloud from Canada writes: From what I can see, Harper approves of man-boobs and will not be making any changes to regulations any time soon.
  19. Leslie Symes from Canada writes: I just bought a SIGG swiss water bottle at my local health food store. They're expensive, but no plastics, they look better and the water tastes so much better. The website says they've been tested extensively and result in 0.0% leeching of chemicals into water. I'm happy with this bottle... yet I fill it from the HDPE plastic cooler bottle at work... :)
  20. ed pipeline from Coquitlam, Canada writes: Thanks, I will look for those SIGG bottles. BTW below is a pretty good site for basic understanding of the symbols on the bottom of plastic containers (scroll down on the page).

    http://www.earthodyssey.com/symbols.html
  21. Rick Drysdale from Calgary, Canada writes: Leslie Symes from Canada

    What is 0.0%? Why do they only take the number to one decimal place when in fact the leaching could be .000.000,002 %.

    No one can say with certainty that there is none.

    FYI even stainless and other bottles leach off chemicals . What are the implications of drinking water with nickel in it?
  22. Leslie Symes from Canada writes: Rick,
    I'm not saying it's necessarily better, clean, safe or chemically inert, what I'm saying is that there are options other than plastics - and it's about minimization, if you can minimize the impact, then that's better than nothing right?
    I like the taste better, and chemicals from plastics have repeatedly been shown to be endocrine modulators - hormones are too powerful and too ubiquitous to mess with.
    And forgive me for not trusting the head of the "plastics" council or whatever his position is; he may be biased...
    Anyway, we're all gonna get cancer... but we should try to clean up the crap that's in our environment before it starts making us (or our foodstock animals) sterile...
  23. harry carnie from Northern, B.C., Canada writes: globefan EH You have it.... good post.
  24. Rick Drysdale from Calgary, Canada writes: Leslie Symes

    I agree with you to a point but why do you limit your distrust to the plastic manufacturers?

    IMHO they all have an agenda. The people doing the study are saying there can be harm from plastic leaching chemicals, they do not say they are hormones, they say hormone like and other weasle words.

    Nothing that I know of doesn't interact with its environment.

    Heres where my cynicism shows. I don't really believe anything if they don't show the numbers and explain the methodology.

    To simply say water from a container will have x in it that leached from the container means nothing. To say it has .000000002 percent means nothing . How long was the water in the bottle and what was the temp of the water?

    Do these people believe in homeopathy? This is the same kind of numbers they throw around.

    Who did this study and why was it done. Are these people financed by the stainless steel water bottle cartel?
  25. harry carnie from Northern, B.C., Canada writes: Rick Drysdale............sorry Rick but you are wrong........NorthWest
    of Hawaii there is a huge area in the Pacific where plastic and garbage, from all over the world
    (several tens of square Kms.) eddy in the ocean currents..one huge garbage dump.........look it up on the net.
    You may travel in areas where the beaches are clean...but in the third world, this is NOT the case. For example Manila in the Phil. once they HAD beautiful beaches, close by ...now for a hundred kms. the is so much garbage they have a problem keeping even a small area clean...and the water.... when the tide comes in ......YUK!!........
  26. Rick Drysdale from Calgary, Canada writes: harry carnie
    This was the statement from the first post.

    "Every beach on the planet in the most remote of areas is covered with plastic junk."

    It is not true.
    I have not been to every beach but I have been to some and they are not all covered with plastic.
  27. Rick Drysdale from Calgary, Canada writes: What gets me is that when someone makes a statement like that some people will jump in and say in effect that the plastic is the problem when in reality it is the morons who throw out their junk , litter the landscape etc.

    True there are local problems that need to be cleaned up but there again it is not the junk that is the problem but the lack of will or finances or whatever to do something about it.

    Plastic , garbage and all the other stuff is not the cause of pollution people are the cause of pollution.
  28. harry carnie from Northern, B.C., Canada writes: YES..Rick you are correct there are still some reasonable pristine areas in the world beaches ..and other areas.
    First of all I AM NOT AN ENVIRONMENTALIST..but I am not "in denial" either..as you appear to be..you are either working for a chemical company..
    or just an optimist..and this is NOT meant to deride you.
    We as mankind, Are CHANGING OUR PLANET..this is occurring whether we accept it or not.
    Mama nature is a mean old b tch and has done this in the past(changed the planet) with asteroids..so the fact it is "us" that is doing it this time is perhaps a NATURAL process in itself. If we are stupid enough to allow these chemicals into our environment ..whether it gives us cancer ..or makes us sterile
    so be it. Like any other animal if we formulate our own eventual demise as a species..it matters little in the overall universe
    Just do what we do..do our best for our own conscience... to keep our environment protected..but in general..just enjoy the ride.
  29. Rick Drysdale from Calgary, Canada writes: Harry there is a huge difference between denying and questioning.

    And what the heck does this mean?
    "Mama nature is a mean old b tch and has done this in the past(changed the planet) with asteroids..so the fact it is "us" that is doing it this time is perhaps a NATURAL process in itself"

    What does anthropomorphising the earth accomplish? And how would the earth if it could , cause an asteroid to collide with it??????
  30. Kyle McIver from Canada writes: Rick: The term 'hormone like' is used because BPA is not at all in any way similiar to estrogen in terms of chemical structure. If you use wikipedia you can find diagrams of the molecular structure. BPA is TINY compared to estrogen. if you are trying to pin a piece of paper to a wall, a roofing nail (estrogen) works just as well as a pin (BPA) and results in the exact same thing.
    br
    In terms of how a measly little 2 parts per billion can have an effect, some materials are known to have effects when they are only 2 parts per trillion. It may not sound like much, but gene experssion is unbelievably sensitive and extraordinarily delicate. Every wonder why Downs Syndrome has been steadily rising in the West for several decades?
  31. Rick Drysdale from Canada writes: Kyle McIver
    Where do you get info that the incidence of Downs syndrome is rising in the west?

    What are you implying that BPA has anything to do with DS?

    If you are, how do you explain the incidences in the past before the invention of plastics?

    This is not a new condition.
  32. Byron Rottweiller from vancouver, Canada writes: The good news is that you can find alternatives quite easily - ceramics, glass, wood, stone are all available to replace plastic storage containers.

    You can avoid polycarbonate (hard, clear plastic) water bottles and instead us stainless steel or polyethylene (soft, opaque) products. This is a better alternative than buying bottled water, which is incredibly expensive and wasteful.

    Consider renewable products to replace petroleum-based ones in general - this is a more sustainable approach, and more healthy, IMHO.
  33. Byron Rottweiller from Canada writes: Here's another article about the controversy - no need to panic, of course, but it does make sense to be aware of potential health risks. Developing fetuses and infants are the most vulnerable to side effects. http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/114/bpa
  34. Byron Rottweiller from Canada writes: Here's another article about the controversy - no need to panic, of course, but it does make sense to be aware of potential health risks. Developing fetuses and infants are the most vulnerable to side effects. http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/114/bpa
  35. harry carnie from Northern, B.C., Canada writes: Hi Rick..........still avoiding the the facts are we?.....good spin on your part...take off with questions in another direction.

    I) There ARE harmful toxins(introduced by us) in our environment
    Proven FACT. causing .cancer in us and destroying fellow animals, on our planet.
    2) This MAY( or MAY NOT) in the long haul, result in our species dying out. (who gives a rat`s A$$ one way or another..not me)


    3) Nature ..natural event... has allowed asteroids in the past to collide with our planet resulting in dramatic killing of life, and changing the planets climate.
    4) This time it MAY be OUR efforts that is changing the planet.........
    as WE ARE AN ANIMAL (species) this can still be considered a NATURAL EVENT............if we are stupid enough to allow it to happen...(and this appears to be so.)
    Can you see what I am getting at? If you are a creationist..sorry if you are offended.....As an Atheist I still respect the belief of others.
    Hope this answered your question..you still have not answered mine
    Are you an Optimist..still do not recognize what we are doing?(To our environment.)
    OR..a chemical company employee?..........This is NOT a serious situation does not matter what your reply..just want to yank your chain a bit.Have a good evening.
  36. harry carnie from Northern, B.C., Canada writes: P.S...Rick.. as for the trash that idiots leave about that IS a people problem.. and a matter of aesthetics...but the toxic chemicals introduced into the environment ..that IS the question..H.
  37. Just the Truth from Canada writes: Anybody gotta problem with . . . just pretending that this problem doesn't really exist ?
  38. J. LeFave from Las Vegas, United States writes: To the extent that this study adds to the research, it is welcome.
    If it weren't for the horrid taste, and yes, in some areas, low quality of tap water, bottled water would not have gained such popularity. It just so happens that the Hollywood-Beverly Hills-West Los Angeles area has tap water that tastes like a wet newspaper, so perhaps the movie stars and models have set a trend with a plastic water bottle as a fashion statement. Marketing hustlers add to the sizzle, getting willing suckers to pay big money for something that costs them pennies.
    Water quality needs to be addressed, but ALL the issues and toxins (some of them natural) have to be looked at.
    I wonder if BFA could account for some of the growing obesity problem in the West.
  39. ed pipeline from Coquitlam, Canada writes: J. LeFave, interesting you bring up bottled water, as Pepsi has just had to admit publicly that it's popular Aquifina bottled water is nothing more than tap water. Anyone buying bottled water may be interested in this eye-opening report. (Check this out (read the transcript or, better yet, listen or watch):

    http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/01/1435240
  40. J. LeFave from Las Vegas, United States writes: Yes, Ed, of course not all tap waters are created equal. Where I lived near Seattle, the tap water was REALLY GOOD. When I stopped in Odessa, Texas, the tap water tasted like salty mud. But none of it is worth $1.50 a pint. I don't want to accuse Pepsico/Aquafina of fraud, but the mountainous background on their label is, well, misleading. Consumers don't have to wait for gov't regs, they can start by sparing their wallets as well as the landfills and litterpiles of those pesky bottles. If you have good tapwater, use it. If it is awful, buy that distilled (very pure) water in PE gallon bottles (PE is much more benign) and use that.-jlefave
  41. Alistair McLaughlin from Ottawa, Canada writes: I wonder if this can explain the early onset of puberty we're seeing, especially in girls.
  42. J. LeFave from Las Vegas, United States writes: Early puberty in North America is a real phenomenon. There is probably more than one cause, a big part of it is improved nutrition, and a general population shift to warmer climates, wherein it happens sooner anyway. But other possible contributors should be carefully examined. BFA is one possibility, another may be modern farming practices, where hormones are sometimes fed to livestock to promote rapid growth. Trace amounts are very low, but still need to be studied. For the consumer, I would suggest avoiding certain organ meats such as liver that tend to concentrate these things. I also avoid things like hot dogs and sausage that have everything from pituitaries to udders ground up in them. Organically raised meat is a step in the right direction, if you can afford it. My personal opinion, which I admit I don't have any data for, is that the sheer amount of calories we consume may be a contributor to this problem. -jlefave
  43. ed pipeline from Coquitlam, Canada writes: Good points, J. Lefave. This is mere speculation, but besides the suggestion that these hormone-like chemicals are linked to the epidemic of prostate and breast cancers, and the huge number of adults discovering they have type-2 diabetes, I have never seen so many young men who are balding. Has anyone else noticed this? I seem to remember that years ago it was unusual to see a young bald man. Now, at least it seems to me, a huge number of balding young men are in evidence. Fortunately for them, the look is "in". Admittedly, this is a stretch, but if it is true that there are indeed many balding young guys (and I have no real evidence that this is true) , could this phenomenon be related to homone imitators in the environment? Also, I have read men's sperm count has dropped considerably just in the last 30 years or so....
  44. ed pipeline from Coquitlam, Canada writes: Ok, I got a couple of the SIGG bottles. Pretty neat with the Switzerland cross on a deep red bottle to replace my worn-out (unsafely reused) plastic bottles. I thought they were identical, but one had a slightly different graphic, and was $6.00 cheaper (which I failed to notice before I paid for them). Just thought I'd let you know....

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