BPA (bisphenol A) is an industrial chemical that has been widely used since the 1950s in a large variety of products, from polycarbonate plastics — like those used to make water and baby bottles — to the lining of canned foods and, perhaps most commonly, in the thermal paper used to print store receipts.
by Mary Budinger —
Products labeled “BPA free” may be just as toxic as those made with this increasingly shunned original chemical, according to a study conducted by researchers at the University of Texas and published in the January 17, 2013, issue of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
BPA (bisphenol A) is an industrial chemical that has been widely used since the 1950s in a large variety of products, from polycarbonate plastics — like those used to make water and baby bottles — to the lining of canned foods and, perhaps most commonly, in the thermal paper used to print store receipts. A vast body of research has proven that BPA mimics estrogen in the body and has linked it to a variety of health problems, including breast and prostate cancer, reproductive and neurological defects, obesity and diabetes.
Consumer backlash over the health effects of BPA led to a plethora of BPA-free products on shelves. Canada, the European Union and finally the FDA banned its use in plastic bottles for infants. Many manufacturers replaced BPA with its chemical cousin, BPS (bisphenol S). However, the new study shows that BPS also functions as an estrogen mimic.
“I think we should all stop and be very cautious about just accepting [BPS] as a substitute for BPA,” lead author Cheryl S. Watson said. “People automatically think low doses do less than high doses. But both natural hormones and unnatural ones like [BPS] can have effects at surprisingly low doses.”
In the rush to label products BPA free, BPS has already become nearly as prevalent in our environment as its predecessor chemical. A recent study conducted in eight different countries found that 81 percent of urine samples contained traces of BPS, nearly equivalent to the 93 percent of U.S. urine samples that contained BPA.
Many consumer products are labeled BPA free, but no mention is made about BPS.
Source: naturalnews.com.
Mary Budinger is an Emmy award-winning journalist who writes about integrative medicine. 602-494-1999.
Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 32, Number 2, April/May 2013.
May 30, 2013
April/May 2013 Issue, Cancer, Chemical and Toxic Exposure, Diabetes, Environment, Food, Health Concerns, Weight issues