91% of Canadians contain BPA...

[Glacier]

...and we wonder why we have early puberty, reproductive problems, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity in ever increasing numbers?

New data shows that more that approximately 9 in 10 Canadians have detectable levels of BPA in their systems. Yummy! The scary part is that PBA only lasts in our bodies for 6 hours, so in essence, 91% of us have ingested this estrogen mimicking compound within the last 6 hours. In other words, only 9% of the population at a time is able to go BPA free for 6 hours in a row. Nothing says potential health problems like getting repeated daily exposure to a pretty nasty substance decade after decade.

Here are a few of the ways I could have have been exposed to PBA in the past 6 hours:

1) Coffee maker at work. Can you believe that we keep hot liquids in plastic!!!? Nothing like adding heat to plastic to increase its leaking levels.
2) Can of beer. Okay, I didn't really have one, but looking at the forecast made me think about one.
3) Canned tomatoes in my left-over dinner. Yes, I take lunch early around here.
4) Drinking water - be it from the plastic water jug at work or tap water that runs through plastic pipes (Although, I doubt tap water has detectable levels of BPA).
5) ATM receipt from depositing my paycheque.

More reading:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/hea ... le1674153/

[strwbrrydvl]

It's no wonder why puberty is hitting girls at such a young age now, all the BPA in darn near everything and hormones added to chickens etc...

[eMeM]

Didn't CatherineC touch on this in her transsexual thread? I recall my dad saying something along the lines of plastic being to blame for hermaphrodites (sp?) or something like that. It would have been years ago that he said that and I hadn't thought anything of it until reading this and the other thread just today.

[eMeM]

Okay, so I couldn't get it out of my head and did a bit of googling.

BPA is an endocrine disruptor:
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&sourc ... e&gs_rfai=
Click on just about any one of the "hits" and you'll see that.

What is an endocrine disruptor?
http://www.epa.gov/endocrine/#eds
"Endocrine disruptors are basically chemicals with the potential to interfere with the function of endocrine systems...
...Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have been defined as exogenous agents that interfere with the production, release, transport, metabolism, binding, action, or elimination of the natural hormones in the body responsible for the maintenance of homeostasis and the regulation of developmental processes.
EDCs can include man-made chemicals such as pesticides and plasticizers, natural chemicals found in plants (phytoestrogens), pharmaceuticals, or hormones that are excreted in animal or human waste."

In case you're not sure what the endocrine system is:
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=end ... +&gs_rfai=

http://www.innerbody.com/image/endoov.html#
"The hormones regulate metabolism, growth and sexual development."

Just one more reason to try and lower your exposure to this stuff.