Reduce Your Exposure To This Toxic Chemical
“Plastic is a gut wrenching story. Literally!”
~ Anthony T. Hincks
Just when you thought your hormone levels couldn’t get disrupted any further, it turns out you may be absorbing high quantities of a dangerous, estrogen-mimicking chemical into your body almost on a daily basis.
Found in dust, water, food, and in our bodies, it’s one of the more harmful toxins out there. It’s been linked to a sluggish thyroid and hormonal imbalances that can trigger symptoms such as fatigue, brain fog and weight gain. It’s banned in several countries and one I’ve been actively trying to avoid for years.
This widespread toxic chemical is in so many products we encounter every day, it’s virtually impossible to eliminate our exposure to it.
If you haven’t already heard of it, I’d be extremely concerned about these three letters:
B-P-A.
What Is BPA?
Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial compound that is added to harden plastics. It’s found in many consumer products including water bottles, baby bottles, dental fillings, eyeglass lenses, cell phones, CDs and DVDs, food cans, receipts, flyers, magazines, food cartons, and toilet paper.
This ubiquitous toxic chemical leaches into our bodies through food and water supplies and when we touch BPA-laden products. We are widely exposed to it.
Why Is BPA Dangerous?
BPA is an endocrine disruptor. It mimics estrogen and other hormones in the body by altering and disrupting the proper function and elimination of natural hormones. This negatively impacts our bodily growth, cell repair, fetal development, energy levels and reproduction.
This health-damaging chemical is commonly found at low levels in peoples’ blood but elevated levels can lead to dangerous hormonal and neurological disruptions.
BPA is linked to a wide range of health problems1 including:
- Obesity and diabetes
- Cardiovascular disease
- Breast and prostate cancer
- PCOS, infertility, premature delivery, miscarriage and other reproductive abnormalities in women
- Reduced libido and sperm quality and altered sex hormone concentrations in men
- Impaired liver and kidney function
- Impaired immune function
- Inflammation
- Autism
- Behavior problems such as aggressiveness, hyperactivity and impaired learning
Top 6 Common Sources Of BPA
Our bodies are sensitive to hormonal changes. The good news is that once you reduce your exposure, BPA levels quickly decrease in the body!
Here are the top 6 commons sources of BPA and simple ways to decrease your risk of exposure:
1. CANNED FOODS
To prevent corrosion, the majority of metal (aluminum) food cans are lined with BPA-containing epoxy resins, which migrate into its contents. Even organic, high quality foods sold in BPA-lined cans are not exempted.
Solution:
Buy fresh, frozen or dried food, which are higher in nutrients anyway. If this isn’t possible, then choose foods sold in glass, cardboard or even plastic containers, all of which contain substantially less BPA than canned foods.2
2. PLASTIC BOTTLES AND CONTAINERS
Polycarbonate plastics are rigid and transparent. They’re often used for reusable water bottles and food storage containers. When heated, these chemicals leach into our food and increase our chemical exposure. Storing acidic foods (citrus, tomatoes, etc.) in plastic containers accelerates plastic breakdown.
A product labeled as “BPA-free” doesn’t mean it’s free of toxic chemicals. Many manufacturers that switched to BPA-free products simply replaced the BPA with bisphenol S (BPS) or bisphenol F (BPF). Studies have shown that even small concentrations of BPS or BPF can still disrupt the functions of our cells similar to BPA.3
If you see the recycling numbers 3, 6, 7 or letters “PC” on a plastic product, they most likely contain BPA, BPS or BPF and should be avoided.
Solutions:
Choose glass, porcelain, ceramic or stainless steel containers whenever possible.
If you must use plastic, stick with those marked with #1, 2, 4 or 5, which don’t contain BPA and may be better choices.
3. CANNED BEVERAGES
Beer, soda, juice etc, use BPA in their linings. A recent study found that 69 out of 72 tested canned drinks including diet and non-diet soda, fruit flavoured and energy drinks contained BPA.4
Solution:
Choose beverages sold in glass bottles whenever possible. Invest in a stainless steel bottle when sipping on-the-go.
4. PLASTIC WRAP
Often contains BPA and other plastic chemicals, which greatly increases your risk of it leaching into your food.
Solution:
Use glass storage containers, parchment paper, natural unbleached wax paper, beeswax food wrap or soy wax paper.
5. PLASTIC AND PAPER CUPS
Plastic cups usually contain BPA but also paper cups are lined with it too. If you buy your morning coffee in a paper cup, think about all that BPA you’re ingesting.
Solution:
Use a reusable cup or mug made of glass, ceramic, porcelain or stainless steel (the planet will thank you too).
6. CASH RECEIPTS
Most printed cash receipts you get at the gas pumps, ATM’s and grocery stores use BPA-coated, heat-sensitive, thermal paper. When you handle thermal cash receipts, the BPA seeps from the paper and into your skin. A study by the Journal of the American Medical Association showed that subjects who handled thermal paper receipts for two hours tripled their BPA levels in their urine.
Read more about the dangers of BPA in cash receipts here.
Solutions:
Avoid using hand sanitizers, sunscreens or lotions before handling receipts. These dermal enhancers increase the BPA absorption through the skin.
Wear gloves if you must handle receipts for long periods, even with dry hands.
Store cash receipts in an envelope with the printed side facing in. Don’t keep them loose in your purse or wallet as the BPA rubs off the paper and onto other items that it is in contact with.
Wash your hands with soap and water after handling receipts.
The Bottom Line
Today’s society does not require thoroughly testing a new chemical before introducing it into our environment. So it’s left largely to us to do our best to determine the toxicity of chemicals after they are already present.
The key to reducing our risk associated with BPA exposure is to be aware of the common sources and use safer alternatives. BPA carries a lot of potential health hazards and BPA-free substitutes can even be more harmful. The best option is to avoid plastics and other BPA-containing substances to reduce levels and avoid exposure as much as possible.
Do your research and learn what products contain BPA and take steps to avoid them.
The good news is that we can greatly reduce our exposure and our risk of possible health problems by taking these simple precautions.
Because when you know better, you can do better. And it will be worth it for you and your family in the long run.
What are you doing to reduce your BPA exposure?
FOOTNOTES
1 Rochester, Johanna R. “Bisphenol A and Human Health: A Review of the Literature.” Egyptian Journal of Medical Human Genetics, Elsevier, 30 Aug. 2013, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890623813003456.
2 Liao, Chunyang, and Kurunthachalam Kannan. “Concentrations and Profiles of Bisphenol A and Other Bisphenol Analogues in Foodstuffs from the United States and Their Implications for Human Exposure.” Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry., American Chemical Society, 24 Apr. 2013, pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf400445n.
3 Rochester, J R, and A L Bolden. “Bisphenol S and F: A Systematic Review and Comparison of the Hormonal Activity of Bisphenol A Substitutes.” Advances in Pediatrics., U.S. National Library of Medicine, July 2015, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25775505.
4 Cao, Xu-Liang, et al. “Levels of Bisphenol A in Canned Soft Drink Products in Canadian Markets.” Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry., American Chemical Society, 26 Jan. 2009, pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf803213g.