10 Things to Know About BPA

There are 10 things about BPA each one of us should know to help us protect our most important resource—our children—from a number of horrible health conditions we would never wish on our worst enemies. These facts include information on health conditions caused by this substance along with practical steps that every mother can take to protect her children from this unnecessary, toxic substance.

First, we need to get a clear picture of what this substance is. BPA stands for “Bisphenol A.” Its name derives from the combination of carbolic acid, polystyrene, and acetone that comprise its molecular constitution. This chemical is heavily used in the manufacturing of polycarbonate plastics. Since the 1930s, various scientists have questioned its safety. Recent studies have produced overwhelming evidence that this substance is both toxic and completely unnecessary.

Important Facts for Expectant and Young Mothers

This article focuses particularly on those things about BPA that make it particularly dangerous to women and children, even when ingested in low quantities.

1. BPA leaches into plastic baby bottles when they are heated in microwaves. 99 percent of all plastic bottles in North America contain BPA.
2. BPA exposure is so widespread that some studies are now finding effects in fetuses that appear to be related to this chemical.
3. BPA has been linked to breast cancer. Studies in China shows that it increases estrogen receptors that are known to play a role in hormone related cancers like breast cancer.
4. Infant brain development can be damaged by BPA. Dr. James Brown from the Mental Health Clinic at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine reported that “sufficient information now exists for a comparison of the neurotoxicological and behavioral pathology associated with exposure to BPA and other endocrine disruptors to the abnormalities observed in schizophrenia.”
5. BPA appears to cause early puberty in girls.
6. BPA is connected with obesity. It has been thought to increase body fat by speeding up the formation of fat cells.
7. Society does little to shield children from the effects of Bisphenol A. The powers that be appear to see children as little adults, not realizing that toxic chemicals can impair their growing bodies with more damaging results than they can produce in adults. Damage can being in the womb from the moment of conception if the toxins are present in the body of the mother.
8. In spite of all we know about BPA, the government still allows the linings of canned foods to be made with this chemical. Studies have shown that it leaches into foods stored in these cans.
9. BPA is not essential to industry. Baby bottles and food containers can be manufactured without it. There is nothing but pure profit motive behind its continued use—a profit motive that YOU do not have to financially support.
10. You can eliminate BPA from your world. You can replace plastic baby bottles with glass bottles, and you can stop using plastic food containers in the microwave. It goes without saying, too, that you will not need to worry about BPA in canned foods if you purchase only fresh, organic produce and natural, organic meats.

5 Companies That Don’t Use BPA

References:

1. Julie Gabriel. 10 ugly facts about Bisphenol A (BPA). Green Tot Come. 2008 June 25.
2. Department of Health and Human Services. Indirect food additives: polymers. Food and Drug Administration, HHS. 2012 July 17