More bad news about BPA

BPA harms the developing brain. Especially if you have kids in the house, try to avoid anything that comes in a can or a plastic bottle. You should also shun receipts at stores. BPA is most harmful to the developing brains of female children.

If the mechanism discussed in the linked article occurs, "it can damage neural circuits and compromise a developing nerve cell's ability to migrate to its proper position in the brain." You don't want to risk your child's health, so be careful. Here are the culprits:

BPA, a molecule that mimics estrogen and interferes with the body's endocrine system, can be found in a wide variety of manufactured products, including thermal printer paper, some plastic water bottles and the lining of metal cans. The chemical can be ingested if it seeps into the contents of food and beverage containers.

That the use of this chemical isn't banned categorically in the U.S. reflects our brainless American culture. We shouldn't have to yell at the FDA to get a harmful substance banned. But corporate culture rules, and to hell with the people. U!S!A!, U!S!A! American life is turning into a cartoon.

Solution as bad as problem?

I assume readers are familiar with the danger posed by BPA in plastic bottles and food cans. To fix the problem, the powers-that-be have substituted BPS for BPA. Problem solved, right? Not so fast.

The industry responded by creating "BPA-free" products, which were made from plastic containing a compound called bisphenol S. In addition to having similar names, BPA and BPS share a similar structure and versatility: BPS is now known to be used in everything from currency to thermal receipt paper, and widespread human exposure to BPS was confirmed in a 2012 analysis of urine samples taken in the U.S., Japan, China and five other Asian countries.

But guess what?

Like BPA, the study found, BPS disrupts cellular responses to the hormone estrogen, changing patterns of cell growth and death and hormone release. Also like BPA, it does so at extremely low levels of exposure.

It's a good thing we have a food industry that does everything it can to protect our health, eh? This stuff is everywhere.

So what can we do? It seems it would be prudent to avoid contact with store receipts. You don't need to touch them; just toss them in the garbage. Don't buy anything that comes in a plastic bottle. And eat no food that comes in a can. This is especially important for children and women of child-bearing age.

And a big "meh" to the FDA. Thanks for nothing, guys.

"On its own, though, this study shows us that very low levels of BPS can disrupt natural estrogen hormone actions in ways similar to what we see with BPA. That's a real cause for concern."

Read more at: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-bpa-substitute-bisphenol-disrupts-hormone.html#jCp