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Bisphenol A may impair learning and memory

MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 9:35 AM EST 09/09/08

Exposure to the chemical may alter brain function ...Read the full article

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  1. C R from Canada writes: My dad worked for a chemical company in chemical vally (Sarnia) and made this product. They always knew that there were serious problems (from their own studies) yet never did anything. It is sad that this has been going on for so long and yet little has been done. The government needs to step on it and get moving through this as soon as possible.
  2. Eat Your Weedies from Canada writes: It's yet another example of how ignoring the obvious can bring you not-so immediately obvious problems down the road. Nothing is better for babies than breatsmilk straight from the source. Food is not "natural" if it comes from a can. The best thing to do is eat from fresh, local and organic sources.
  3. Stewart Midwinter from Calgary, Canada writes: Mountain Equipment Co-op stopped selling drink containers made with BPA earlier this year and has set up free recycling depots at all its stores to recover containers (sold by MEC) made with this material. This seems like a prudent action given the increasing bad news about BPA. Meanwhile, the Harper government is sitting on its hands with regard to this public health issue.
  4. harry carnie from Northern, B.C., Canada writes: Gee! and I was blaming it all(my problems) on old age!
    Eat Your Weedies.......you have hit the mark. GOOD POST
  5. R. M. from Regina, Canada writes: C R,.....sounds like your dad is a criminal, sharing in criminal negligence. How wonderful. What a legacy.

    The real threat is not terrorism but ourselves.
  6. C R from Canada writes:
    R.M. : Grow up! I didn't say my dad was in control, I said that the company was aware. Not sure if it has occured to you in your infinate wisdom (or unfounded personal insults) that many times workers are privy to information, yet the government and companies are in line with policy that makes action impossible (or do you not understand what big business is like?). Further, the press was also in line (why do you think that there are all of these "all of a sudden we know" studies?
    Again, I am not sure if you have ever been a hard working blue coller employee, but these guys (even today) have a great understanding of health and safety risks, yet have little control because they do not make the rules. Until the time is right and people take notice there is little they can do.
    Try to get the point instead of engaging in pointless nonscence: The companies have known for a long time and so has the government...that is the Canadian legacy that we have seen over and over again.
  7. R L from Canada writes: There is no need for the use of these plastics lining the inside of cans. Traditionally, metals have been used, such as tin. This use of plastic (to line the inside of cans) is a recent phenomenon, for cost savings. It should be banned from canned food cans (because companies surely will not do it voluntarily).
  8. Yakatarina Verbosovich from aslowlydyingprovincialcity, Canada writes: It appears that the have not countries that can no afford canned goods may be the winners here.

    This should be married to the Listeria debacle and shoved in the PM's face...and made an election issue....coordinate the injustices....save your kids now if you care - get involved.
  9. C R from Canada writes:

    Now is definately the time, and both should be an election issue. However, take a look at things like Aspartame that we know are unhealthy and cancer causing and stores itself in the fat cells of the body, yet the minimum is done to control it.
  10. Steve Church from Canada writes: R L, plastic liners wasn't used to save money (it adds cost and another step to the process). It's done to insulate the liquid from the metals. Grab a can of pineapple, open it up and pour half out; fridge it for a day or two. You can see the interaction effect. Job 1 right now is to find a plastic without the consequence, and find out if brain and body function recovers after the BPA exposure is removed. As for the guy in the chemical factory who knew something was wrong, the good news is he can remember it.
  11. C R from Canada writes:

    Some studies done in the past:

    Changes in Breast Tissue
    http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/Plasticizers/Phthalates-Bisphenol-A-Development27may05.htm

    Contains a list of BPA info from 1998
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BisphenolA

    The History of BPA (assumptions by science/gov'ts etc)
    http://www.defendingscience.org/case    studies/Battles-Over-Bisphenol-A.cfm

    Suspected of being hazerdous since the 1930's
    http://www.caymanmama.com/2008/08/22/artificial-hormone_200808223033.html

    This is not new. The questions now are: What is going to be done (now that we all agree) and what else is out there that the average joe doesn't know about?
  12. Wayne Spitzer from Faywood, United States writes: The objection to the study - that the monkeys were given BPA by injection rather than by diet - should not be summarily dismissed. Since it is both easier and more relavant to dose the monkeys by diet rather than by injection, one has to wonder why the people running the study chose to report the results of dosing BPA by injection. Is this because if they dose BPA in the diet they don't get the same result? More information is needed.
  13. Richard Hawrelak from Sarnia, Canada writes: C R, I appreciate your comments about BPA. I know that Dow was involved in it in the U.S. but not in Sarnia having worked there for 33 years. This leaves Bayer as the other producer, our next door neighbor. Did your father work at Polysar?

    BPA problems have been known for many years. The interesting question is why nothing was ever dodne about it. I attribute this to governmental incompetence, one of my primary bitches about our elected representatives.
  14. C R from Canada writes: Richard Hawrelak

    Actually he was at Dow...maybe you knew him. He was a Chief Process Operator, then spent some time in the lab right before retirement. Perhaps he was referring to the Dow in the US when he spoke about making the product (the "we" being the company). I just remember him always being "all about safety" as there were so many products being made in the plant that were hazerdous for human consumption (in any form). He often talks about it, though having little control within the company, as a concern.
    Thanks for your reply.
  15. C M from Calgary, Canada writes: I would suggest that getting behind the wheel of a car alters brain function even more than BPA might, epsecially considering how many idiotic drivers there are out there.....so let's ban all vehicles while we're at it, eh?
  16. L I from Canada writes: You have to wonder how many other seemingly innocuous substances like this we've got kicking around the kitchen. The damage is probably overstated, nevertheless, it makes you wonder.
  17. Ed Op from Canada writes: Actually Spitzer, I'm quite comfortable ruling the injection objection out. Stuff we ingest tends to find its way into our bloodstream - that's how we get all our nutrients and energy. I'm sure the only reason they injected was to know for sure exactly how much is getting into the blood. It's a pretty weak argument to say, "yeah, we know it causes problems when it gets into the blood, but we're pretty confident eating the stuff isn't so bad".
  18. Wayne Spitzer from Faywood, United States writes: Actually, stuff that we injest has to cross the gut and get past the liver before it can get into the blood stream, so a whole lot of things we eat never get into the blood stream, or get there in very reduced amounts. Obviously BPA is dangerous by injection, but since that is not how people are exposed to BPA, it would be illogical not to assume that the researchers also ran or at least thought about running a parallel BPA study in the diet. There is clearly some information missing ( such as, why didn't you run the study in the diet?, or where is the information from the diet study?) - good reporting should ask the obvious questions.
  19. J S from Canada writes: Just to keep up in the latest fad - who do I name in a new class action law suit to compensate anyone suffering a mental disease or disorder that also come in contact with BPA?
  20. J S from Canada writes: Oh ya, I already commented. Sorry - I forgot...
  21. whatevah D from Canada writes: Eat your weedies. This has nothing to do with breastfeeding (which btw, some women actually have HUGE difficulties with)

    What about sippy cups? Some kids are off bottles at a year. Please don't make this into a leftwing Leche League discussion when it's not.

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