Are Plastics Leaching Harmful Chemicals into your Family’s Food?
A lot of us with kids or planning to have kids have spent the past few years throwing out sippy cups and bottles, searching for food containers labeled “BPA-free,” and giving up bottled water to keep ourselves and our children safe from the risks posed by BPA. But a new study suggests that the plastics we’re using instead of BPA may pose the same risks. Here’s what you need to know about this study and a few simple ways to limit your family’s exposure.
Since 2008, there’s been a growing consensus that BPA, an organic compound found in certain plastics, is harmful to the health, especially for children, infants, and fetuses. BPA mimics estrogen in the body and has been linked to obesity, problems with brain development, problems with the development of the reproductive system, adult sexual dysfunction, thyroid problems, and certain kinds of cancer. Also, some other things, too. That’s a lot. While some countries like Canada have banned many uses of BPA, in the US, it’s still legal in most places, but many producers have stopped using it in things like baby bottles.
Because of concerns about BPA, manufacturers have started to replace it with other compounds, which many of us have flocked to with the understanding that “BPA-free” means “safe.” The new study casts doubt on that assumption. The researchers took common plastic consumer products–from baby bottles to deli wrappers, soaked them in saltwater or alcohol, and recorded what happened as the plastics broke down. What they found was that these plastics, too, released chemicals that mimic estrogen, meaning that concerns about BPA may hold for other plastics, too.
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