BPA awareness — you know the toxic crap in hard plastic that we eat and drink out of…

This was my latest project just as it is this woman’s who writes this article for the LA Times. Getting rid of BPA in our kitchens. I’m still in progress frankly.

BPA is coming to be known as a potent estrogenic substance that harms everyone and animals too. See these articles for more info:

• Plastic (Not) Fantastic: Food Containers Leach a Potentially Harmful Chemical
• Study: Most plastic products trigger estrogen effect
• F.D.A. Makes It Official: BPA Can’t Be Used in Baby Bottles and Cups
• BPA may boost obesity in kids, study finds
• BPA’s Real Threat May Be After It Has Metabolized: Chemical Found in Many Plastics Linked to Multiple Health Threats

I’ve been cleaning my kitchen, and it’s a frustrating process. The problem isn’t spills or grease. I’m trying to get rid of bisphenol-A (BPA), used to make hard polycarbonate plastic. Every time I open a cupboard, I find something else that might harbor the chemical.

Last week, the California Senate approved a ban of BPA in baby bottles, sippy cups and some food containers. The bill now moves to the Assembly, where it will face opposition from industry lobbyists. National legislation is in the works, and six companies recently announced they’ll no longer use BPA in U.S. baby products.

But stores that have stopped selling BPA baby bottles still have many other polycarbonate products on their shelves. Last week I went to buy a coffee press, and the salesperson presented a new “unbreakable” model, made of polycarbonate, even though pouring boiling water into that plastic is not recommended because of the BPA that may leach from it.

There have been hundreds of studies concluding that trace amounts of BPA may have ill effects throughout our bodies.

Babies and young children appear to be particularly vulnerable. Some research suggests that BPA exposure in utero or infancy can set the stage for future health problems, including breast and prostate cancer, neurological damage and diabetes, or that BPA may interfere with the ability of chemotherapy to do its job. (read the rest)

As this post was waiting for it’s scheduled time (midnight) another article on BPAs turned up. This is WHY you don’t want to eat BPAs. I’ve talked about this before, but it bears repeating and given that hormone problems are at the root of many womens mental health issues this is very very important for us.

From USA Today:

Hormone-like chemicals in plastics, pesticides and other products pose “significant concern for public health,” possibly causing infertility, cancer and malformations, a medical society announced Wednesday. There is strong evidence that chemicals that interfere with the hormone system can cause serious health problems, according to a scientific report from the Endocrine Society, now meeting in Washington, D.C. Although scientists still have many questions about the chemicals, the report says that it’s important for people to take a “precautionary approach” by reducing their exposures. Hormone-disrupting chemicals include bisphenol A, or BPA, often used in plastic baby bottles and the linings of metal cans. (rest of article)