Newly Released Report Says Two Out Of Three Food Cans Test Positive for BPA. How To Protect Yourself

New Report Says Two Out of Three Food Cans Tested Have Toxic BPA in the Linings

A new report released today by six nonprofit organizations that tested nearly 200 food can linings for the toxic chemical, Bisphenol-A (BPA) just verified what many of us knew already, but the results are still sobering. The report found that two out of three cans tested have the chemical, Bisphenol-A (BPA) in the lining.

I have written many times about BPA and its impacts on consumer health but as a reminder, BPA is an endocrine-disrupting chemical that negatively impacts our hormonal systems. Think about how many people you know that have had a hard time getting pregnant or how many of your friends and family have had breast cancer and this hormone disrupting BPA becomes not a friend to consumers but an enemy to us all and perhaps even our future survival.

Think I am exaggerating? Read On... 

There's More in That Can of Soda Than You Paid For: Part Two, What The Coca-Cola® Company Is Doing to Protect Consumers

Yesterday in Part One of our series on soda, There's More in That Can of Soda Than You Paid For, we discovered that drinking soda from a can can mess with your hormones.  Bisphenol-A (BPA) in the lining of the cans and the sweetener fructose, which is found in many sodas, inappropriately cause the pancreas to release too much of the hormone, insulin which can lead to diabetes.

Today in Part Two we look at what The Coca-Cola® Company is doing to protect consumers.

Unlike the PepsiCo site (where I couldn't find anything), a simple search of BPA on the Coca-Cola website revealed 30 documents about the harmful hormone disruptor BPA.  That's a clue to me that they are, at least, in the BPA conversation as they certainly should be.  Just look at how many of their beverages are consumed in a typical day by 10:25pm.

Although all of these beverages are not being consumed in cans, I wonder just how many are?

The document that I found most interesting from my BPA search on the Coca-Cola site was the Responses to Common Questions Submitted on The Coca-Cola Company Shareowner Forum for the 2011 Annual Shareowner Meeting.  Of specific interest to me were questions #7 and #8:

There's More in That Can of Soda Than You Paid For: Part One, Hormones

New research shows that when you drink soda from a can, you are getting more than you paid for.  You are also getting a shot of a common pollutant as well as a dose of sweetener that combine to produce a toxic cocktail that messes with important hormones.  Bisphenol-A (BPA) in the lining of the cans and the sweetener fructose (found in fruit, honey and HFCS), which is found in many sodas, inappropriately cause the pancreas to release too much of the hormone, insulin.  And that's not good.

As Number of Americans with Diabetes Hits Almost 26 Million, Study Says BPA is a Culprit. How to Decrease Your Type 2 Diabetes Risk

The number of Americans with diabetes has risen to nearly 26 million while the CDC reports that more than a third of adults are estimated to have prediabetes.  Even more disturbing is the news that Type 2 diabetes already appears to be a sizable and growing problem among U.S. children and adolescents.  As I reported yesterday,  HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) may be leading to the increase in numbers of diabetics while new research suggests that low doses of BPA (Bisphenol-A) found in plastics, the lining of food and drink cans as well as on receipts is also a culprit. The new research adds credibility to previous studies linking type 2 diabetes and low-dose exposure to BPA.

“I don’t think that anyone can say now that low-dose effects don’t occur,” says endocrinologist Ana Soto of the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, who was not involved in the new work. “It shows that changes happen in human cells — and at concentrations comparable to current levels of human exposure.”

Pregnant? 5 Ways You Can and Should Avoid BPA

Pregnant? 5 Ways You Can and Should Avoid BPA 

Did you know that bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the most widely used chemicals of all time?  In fact, it is probably circulating through your body right now.  It is found in the cord blood of newborns and was present in 93% of 2,517 Americans age 6 and over, tested by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Researchers have linked developmental exposure to BPA to reproductive harm, increased cancer susceptibility, and abnormalities in brain development and fat metabolism.

Canadian and European leaders have already banned BPA for use in baby bottles and in 2009, Sunoco (a Philadelphia based leading gas and chemical company) told investors that the company would no longer be selling BPA to companies for use in food and water containers for children under age 3. The company reportedly told investors that it could no longer vouch for the safety of BPA when used in those products.  Now, a government-funded study published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics is adding to the large body of evidence that BPA is harmful not only to children and adults, but also to the unborn.

In this latest study, Harvard researchers took urine samples from 244 pregnant women living in Cincinnati twice during their pregnancies and once directly after giving birth and measured the BPA concentration.  The study concluded that mothers with high levels of bisphenol A in their urine were more likely to report that their children were hyperactive, aggressive, anxious, depressed and less in control of their emotions than mothers with low levels of the chemical.  While several studies have linked BPA to behavioral problems in children, this report is the first to suggest that a young girl’s emotional well-being is linked to her mother’s exposure during pregnancy rather than the child’s exposure after birth.

Although a total reduction of BPA is impossible, there are things that you can easily do to have a healthier, greener, BPA free pregnancy and life.

Latest Research on BPA or Bisphenol-A by University of Missouri Professor, Frederick Vom Saal, Says Rates of Human Exposure are Higher and More Harmful than Previously Thought from Household Products

Since his lab made frightening discoveries about the plastic lining of aluminum cans, MU professor Frederick Vom Saal drinks his beer from glass bottles.*

So I am sitting in front of my computer in absolute and utter disgust with the top five makers of Bisphenol A: Dow Chemical, Bayer Material Science, Sunoco Chemicals, SABIC Innovative Plastics and Hexion Specialty Chemicals.  Frankly, I don't know how their CEO's sleep at night.  As a mother, I think what they have been doing to consumers, and in particular to children, is reprehensible.  These companies should be held accountable for their complete and total disregard for the future health of our children.

Now You Can Always Have Safe, Filtered Water at Home and On the Go with Water Geeks Environmentally Friendly, Colored, Stainless Steel, Filtered Water Bottles

 

Water Geeks environmentally friendly, BPA free, food grade stainless steel bottles come in red, pink, green and blue

 

You probably have seen a ton of choices in stainless steel water bottles being sold everywhere from bookstores to  supermarkets but have you been introduced to the Water Geeks?  The Water Geeks

Update on Plastics - Current information that you should know for yourself and your family.

I wanted to update you on plastics and BPA's with a new study from the University of North Carolina, Simon Fraser University, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital  which has linked aggressive behavior in two year old girls to their mother's exposure of BPA's.  Boys whose moms had the highest BPA levels exhibited slightly

What's Wrong with Bottled Water? Tapped the Movie - a Must See for Everyone!!!!!!!!!!

Pick up your Peace logo stainless steel water bottle HERE for just $4.99!!!

Global Warming Isn't True and Smart Legislators Get BPA's Banned!

My Lord my head is exploding today with all of the Environmental News!!! First My Rushie. Boy does he have some people riled up...Oh wait, that's Politics. It's Glenn Beck, he is the one that has the many in the Environmental Community pissed as hell because of his comments about "Global Warming" or the lack thereof. His comments this morning , which I listened to live (is it live or recorded live? I don't know.) were based on a Discovery Channel News article titled Global Warming: On Hold?.

It is no secret that Glenn Beck does not believe in Global Warming and he certainly does not believe that Human's carbon emissions are causing it. When he latched onto the Discovery News article , which I believe was based on a study paid for by Exxon, he bit hard. Those of you who follow this blog know that I am in discovery mode on Global Warming and am not sure it is something that has actually been cyclically occurring for a long time. I certainly am not sure we are the cause. Anyway, bloggers are blogging and people are having heated discussions and I think it is great. God at least people are paying attention to ways in which we can all save energy! Let's just keep it respectful folks -K?

The other fab eco-news is that Connecticut's attorney general says six companies have agreed to stop manufacturing baby bottles that contain Bisphenol-A, a chemical we know well here at EHWB. Studies suggest BPA may be harmful to infants as well as the rest of us. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says Avent, Disney First Years, Gerber, Dr. Brown, Playtex and Evenflow have agreed to the request. The companies stopped manufacturing bottles with BPA a couple of weeks ago.

This is so wonderful. Doesn't the FDA website still say this stuff is safe? Guess what? People are getting smart, waking up and letting their voices be heard through with their wallets and voices! Tons of moms and dads stopped buying plastic baby bottles and started talking to their legislators. Guess what? Our legislators really do have backbones...they can make the right choice to stand up to Big Business and their Lobbyists.

Well done people.

Overlooking Evidence: Media Ignore Environmental Connections to Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is now epidemic, affecting one in eight women, according to the American Cancer Society and others. The leading cause of death in women in their late 30s to early 50s, it's estimated to have killed 40,000 people in 2008.

Known risk factors for breast cancer-such as age, genetics, reproductive history and alcohol consumption-account for only half the cases. (Genetics, the culprit du jour in the media, accounts for just 5 to 10 percent of all cases.) What about the other 50 percent?

In the 1950's, women in industrialised countries were at a one in twenty risk of developing breast cancer over their lifetime. Today that risk has skyrocketed to one in eight.

A growing body of private, university and government environmental health research on animals and human populations is implicating the chemicals and radiation to which women are unwittingly exposed every day. The suspects include scores of toxic and hormone-disrupting substances that are listed as known, probable or possible carcinogens-and thousands of others that (in the U.S., at least) remain untested for their safety. Among others, they include pesticides, plastics, consumer-product additives and industrial byproducts.

Moreover, science is finding the causes of breast (and other) cancers are complex and multi-factored, and the timing and pattern of chemical exposure are proving as important as dose. While these findings, focused on causes and prevention, are relatively new and few compared with much better-funded work on detection and treatment, they merit further research and a place in the headlines.

For the rest of the article please visit http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/02/26/overlooking-evidence-media-ignore-environmental-connections-breast-cancer

Watch Out for Toxins in Your Personal Care Products

While it goes without saying that we do not want our children breathing polluted air, drinking contaminated water, eating foods sprayed with harmful pesticides or playing with toxic toys, most of us are unaware of dangers posed by chemicals contained in our own personal care products. Most consumers do not understand what the continual use of these products has on our own overall health.

Here's a reality check... the average consumer can use more than two dozen personal care products containing hundreds of chemical ingredients each day.Most of these lotions and potions are filled with unregulated, toxic chemicals. These constant small exposures have a much bigger impact on your health and our environment than you might imagine.

I know it's hard to imagine that your favorite makeup, perfume, and personal care products could also be a threat to your health. But walk into any nail and hair salon and take a deep breath and think about what is entering your lungs and what is being applied to your body. As scientists search for the cause of diseases and chronic illness, a pattern continues to emerge. In a growing number of studies, researchers are beginning to link the adverse effects caused by many of the same chemicals found in commonly used personal care products.

Phthalates (dibutyl phthalate, or DBP), for example, are used as a plastisizor to make children's toys soft and pliable. It is also a hormone disruptor. For over 20 years, scientists have known that phthalates could interfere with reproduction and cause birth defects in animal studies.
In a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives (2000), high levels of phthalates were found in 68 percent of blood samples from young girls who began to develop breasts prematurely (before age eight). In another study, published in 2005, researchers found males exposed to phthalates, while in the womb, had an increased risk of impaired testicular function and other genital abnormalities.

Recognizing the potential health risks associated with phthalates, the European Union banned DBP use in cosmetics in 2004. In this country, Congress approved a nationwide ban on phthalates from products used by children under the age of 12. Retail giants Wal-Mart, Toys 'R' Us and Target announced that they will no longer sell children's products that contain phthalates starting this month. Both decisions are scheduled to begin this month.

While these responsible policies will go a long way towards reducing phthalate exposure in young children, the same dangerous chemical can still be found in many cosmetics, nail polishes, shampoos, hair sprays, body lotions and fragrances even though manufacturers often fail to disclose this information on the label. Because of this omission of information, millions of pregnant women and women of childbearing age could be unknowingly exposing their babies to this very dangerous chemical through a variety of personal care products.

The use of parabens and aluminum-based compounds in antiperspirants have been a health concern for years. Parabens, widely used as preservatives, can accumulate in the body and mimic estrogen in the body's cells. In 2004, a study found parabens in 18 of 20 tissue samples from human breast tumors.

Aluminum, a known neurotoxin, can also cause estrogen-like changes in the body. Used in antiperspirants, only a small amount is applied to the skin. However as in most daily use personal care products, daily use results in persistent low-dose exposure. Some scientists suspect the aluminum can bind to estrogen, potentially damaging cell DNA, triggering abnormal growth, which may also increase the risk of developing breast cancer. In another study, researchers suggest the use of antiperspirants containing aluminum can increase the risk of Alzheimer's by 60%.

It's not only your own personal health at stake. Each time you shower or cleanse your face, you're sending all the ingredients in your shampoo and soap down the drain, and recycling these chemicals back into the environment.
Right now you must be thinking, it's just impossible and too complicated to avoid all of these toxic exposures by making wholesale changes to your personal care routine and too time consuming to figure out what products are truly safe.

Realistically, it is impossible to avoid all toxic chemical exposure and I'm not suggesting you throw out every product in your bathroom cabinet and replace them with expensive alternatives. I also wouldn't suggest you settle for a shampoo that doesn't clean your hair or shaving gel that clogs your razors just because it's "natural."

In the same way you can promote better health by making small simple changes to your diet, choosing one or two reduced or chemical-free personal care products, like yourlipstick and deodorant. This will also help reduce the amount of damaging toxins entering your body. Just like the foods we purchase, there are cleaner, safer alternatives.

By Diedre Imus

Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins - Toxins and Cancer

Please see http://www.snopes.com/medical/disease/cancerupdate.asp before you read this as fact!
By Bria Vona
HELLO EVERYONE… THIS IS VERY GOOD INFORMATION…PLEASE READ.AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY (TRY THE KEY WORD) AND ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY .

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime

3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.

9 When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.

How Environmental Pollutants Are Causing Reproductive Problems

Across the U.S., female animals exposed to toxic chemicals are suffering from a flurry of health problems, from shrunken ovaries to spontaneous abortions. What does this mean for female humans? You won't believe the answer...for the entire article click on the title above.

I have to share when I come across info that really explains how toxins in our environment are making us sick and could inevitably end the human race. There's a picker upper for ya'... Anyway, there are easy ways to make our toxic burden lower included in the article. The first step is actually facing the idea head on that our environment is making us sick and we are making our environment sick. Once you really accept the gravity of it, you will begin searching for ways to change your choices to healthier ones for yourself and our world. This is not about making anyone feel guilty. It is about empowering yourself with info which gives you the tools you need to make changes to improve your health and our environment's health. A little at a time and we will eventually see our world begin to heal and the rate of illness begin to fall instead of increase.

Panel: EPA must consider effects of chemical barrage

By Liz Szabo, USA TODAY
Chemicals that interfere with the male hormone system are so common — and so potentially damaging — that the government should stop studying them one by one and consider their combined effect, an expert panel said Thursday.

Phthalates and other hormone-disrupting chemicals pollute the air, water and dust and are found in hundreds of consumer products — including bug spray, perfume, pesticides, shower curtains, food containers, and plastic toys, according to a report released today from the National Research Council, which advises the government on science policy. Studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and independent scientists have found phthalates in virtually everyone, including pregnant women and babies.

The Environmental Protection Agency typically studies the impact of these and other chemicals individually. But that approach may underestimate the effect of being exposed to many different chemicals with similar effects, says the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry's Deborah Cory-Slechta, chairwoman of the committee that wrote the report.
The best way to protect people — especially infants and fetuses, whose reproductive systems are still developing — is to measure the cumulative impact of this hormonal barrage, Cory-Slechta says. In fact, she says that the EPA should always consider cumulative effects — not just for hormone disruptors, but for all potential toxins.

That will allow the EPA to figure out the maximum level to which humans can safely be exposed and create regulations to protect Americans from exposures that could be harmful, says Sarah Janssen of the National Resources Defense Council, an environmental group. Janssen says she hopes that other government agencies — such as the Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission — will also consider the cumulative effect of hormone disruptors in food additives, medical equipment, toys and other products.

"We're exposed to a complex soup of chemicals," Janssen says. "It's a warning we can't ignore."
There's enough evidence to start that assessment right away, instead of waiting until additional studies are finished, Cory-Slechta says. Although the report focused primarily on phthalates, Cory-Slechta note that other products, such as pesticides used in food, also lower testosterone levels. Animal and human studies link all of these chemicals to a wide spectrum of problems, from reduced sperm counts to genital malformations. Scientists are also studying the chemicals' link to testicular cancer and other problems, the report says. Although most of the research has been done in animals, there's no reason to think that the substances wouldn't affect humans the same way, says report co-author Paul Foster, of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

But the American Chemistry Council, an industry group, says that considering the risks of so many chemicals that affect male hormones would be "remarkably ambitious" — and maybe impossible. "This essentially could result in a study without limits, financially or otherwise," says the council's Chris Bryant in a statement. Lawmakers and business around the world already have taken steps to limit phthalate exposure. The European Union has restricted phthalates in cosmetics and children's toys. A growing number of hospitals are phasing out phthalates in neonatal intensive care units, hoping to protect premature and sickly newborn boys.
Congress last summer passed a ban banning several phthalates in children's products. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has said that it will allow stores to continue selling toys made with phthalates, as long as they were manufactured before the law takes effect Feb. 10th.

Healthy sperm: Improving your fertility

Your lifestyle and your exposure to certain environmental factors may affect your sperm and your fertility. Here are some things to boost your sperm quality and improve your fertility.
Do your sperm pass muster? Despite several months of effort, you and your partner haven't yet conceived. You're not ready to seek a fertility evaluation, but you might be wondering whether you're doing all you can to make sure you have healthy sperm.

To view the entire article please click on the post above. This information comes from the Mayo Clinic of which I am not a huge fan. They have a very narrow view of various environmental health topics; very Western and dare I say commercialized. Nonetheless, I went through my own issues with conceiving and, as a result, did extensive research about what makes sperm viable. I find this information to be good. I especially like that the Mayo Clinic is finally (as in my research they had not in the past) viewing environmental toxins as the serious threat to our health and very survival that they are.

Thirteen years ago when trying to get pregnant, I discovered early research about synthetic hormones that are given off as Saran Wrap is heated in a microwave causing hormone disruption and resulting infertility in men. Back then whenever I told anyone abut this, they looked at me like I had two heads. Fast forward 12 years and Bisphenol A and its hormone disrupting damage is finally being taken seriously...perhaps even by the FDA...although I will believe it when I see it. Now, thankfully, people are listening and becoming informed.

We as a society are not scientists. We do not have to wait until every single organization's individual studies have been proven scientifically accurate or not and wait until scientists hash it out. You see that could take too long as the majority of the studies (it seems) are backed by various organizations with a financial stake in the outcome of the study. Is it truly a good idea to take the research done by a scientist on the payroll of the Polycarbonate/BPA Global Group as blind fact? You and I can make precautionary decisions based upon solid scientific evidence from all of the studies...or just one. It's our choice. This is our health and the health of our environment at stake. It's time to stop waiting for someone else to protect it by telling us what we should believe or not believe.

Use This Guide From The Environmental Working Group to Feed Your Baby Safely!

EWG’s Guide to Baby-Safe Bottles and Formula
Breast milk is best, but whether you’re feeding breastmilk or formula in a bottle, use this
guide to feed your baby safely.
Nipple: Start with a clear silicone nipple.
Latex rubber nipples can cause allergic reactions and can contain
impurities linked to cancer.
Bottle: Use glass.
Plastic bottles can leach a toxic chemical called bisphenol A (BPA)
into formula and breast milk. Avoid clear, hard plastic bottles marked
with a 7 or “PC.”
Plastic bottle liners: Don’t use them.
The soft plastic liners may leach chemicals into formula and breast
milk, especially when heated.
Water: Use filtered tap water.
If your water is fluoridated, use a reverse osmosis
filter to remove fluoride, which the American
Dental Association recommends avoiding when
reconstituting formula. If your water is not fluoridated use a carbon
filter. If you choose bottled water make sure it’s fluoride-free.
Formula: Choose powdered.
A toxic chemical called bisphenol A (BPA) leaches into liquid formulas
Powdered formula does not have BPA.
FORMULA BUYING GUIDE
Choose powdered formula when possible, or liquid formula in
glass or plastic containers.
Avoid all liquid formula in metal cans.
Heating: Warm bottles in a pan of hot water.
Microwaving can heat unevenly and cause chemicals to leach from
plastic bottles into formula.
For more information, visit www.ewg.org/
babysafe.
ewg.org/babysafe