BPA on Cash Register Receipts - D'OH!

Bisphenol-A, or "BPA", is a key component in plastics. It has been fingered by scientists as an endocrine disruptor and in studies has shown to mimic the effects of the female-centric hormone estrogen... And...scientists and biologists agree that when you mess with a person's hormones, you are asking for trouble, so bottom line: stop eating & drinking from items that leach this BPA (all plastics leach these chemicals). Fun Fact: plastic drink bottles contain and leach this BPA Chemical.

NEWS FLASH: Sadly, now BPA is a key component in cash register receipts! Hel-lo! Yep, it's that powdery-feeling stuff on the ubiquitous "thermal" cash register receipts - so pretty much ALL receipts that you get from any establishment nowadays is coated with waaaaay more BPA than is proven to be harmful to developing babies, in clinical studies. Experts claim that these receipts give off waaaaay more BPA than you can get from drinking from plastic bottles - so much so that several restaurant chains are banning the use of this type of "paper" receipt in their restaurants.

Taco Bell, KFC & Pizza Hut are all dumping the BPA receipts - and you thought that they didn't care about your health...tsk-tsk - THEY ARE MAVERICKS - BRAVO! Read one of the articles about it here. We here at RAP HQ have even heard that the ENTIRE COUNTRY of JAPAN has already banned this type of receipt paper-poison-stuff.

Watch out for stuff labeled "BPA Free" too - this nasty BPA is often being replaced in plastics with something called..."BPS"...we can only imagine what this yet-to-be-studied compound will do to our bodies - stay tuned for more on that as we get more info!

HAVE A GREAT MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, ALL Y'ALL!

Is BPA Free Plastic Safe? Do You Want to Take the Chance?

Out of the UK comes an article wondering if BPA free plastic is safe. Well, we do know that it isn't safe for our oceans and other water bodies but is it safe for our bodies? The article points to a US report published on March 2 that tested BPA free plastic items and still found them to release harmful chemicals. And yeah, plastics industry this is a National Institutes of Health report not something someone did in their garage.

Read the study here.
And the article here.

BPA Avalanche

I followed my own advice after yesterday's BPA/EPA post, and JEEZ - seek a little information about BPA (and we’re not talking about the British Parachute Association) and you'd better get ready for the flood gates to open on you. A little poking around unearthed these verrrrry interesting items:

==> Business is more worried about their $$$ than your health. Pushback, Baby, Pushback!

==> Two states have already banned BPA and a Senator from California has proposed banning it across the country. Ban the BEEP!

==> Canada and Denmark were the first countries to blanket-ban this toxic chemical in food containers...the dominoes are starting to fall... Dominoes!

==> Consumer reports finds BPA in most all tin-can liners – including organic products AND cans labeled as “BPA Free”. That just ain’t right.

It's definitely info to keep an eye on, and the list is ennnndlessss, fer sher…but don’t let it ruin your weekend – try parachuting, it may be safer than drinking from a plastic bottle!!

EPA (re)Discovers BPA - YAY!

The EPA has finally recognized bisphenol-A (BPA) as a “chemical of concern” – whew, and we thought that they didn’t even care. Go get ‘em, EPA! Let’s hope that it’s not too late for us – but the article in Natural Foods Merchandiser quotes a study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which declares that 93% of humans studied, ages 6 and up, have BPA in their urine. 93% = you. :(

Frankly, this shouldn’t be all that surprising (93%?! - WT*?), considering that BPA is delivered to you, at no extra charge, by way of sources like plastic drink bottles and even the liners of the majority of canned foods! You pretty much have to be Amish to avoid the stuff…

What’s the fuss? BPA is a “reproductive, developmental and systemic toxicant”, according to the EPA’s own Action Plan Summary. Translated: BPA can cause lab frogs to change sexual orientation (not meaning that they 'go gay' - it's more of a sex-change operation) as they grow through adolescence, among other things, so the thought of what it may do to humans is well, scary. The fact that the EPA is just now getting on the bandwagon with/against BPA, now that we all have it in our bodies, is even scarier.

Why does Rise Above Plastics care? BPA is a poison that is very useful as a "binder & stabilizer" for plastic formulas, and it leeches into our oceans as plastics photodegrade there (see: North Pacific Gyre)...and absorb other Persistent Organic Pollutants, which fish then inadvertently eat, which we then inadvertently eat...and well, as you can see, it's complicated...!

Read the NFM article here…its is packed with helpful links to more info about BPA and all of the organizations involved in this recent revelation.

Other BPA fun-links:

Another report of the new EPA plan, from a plastics industry website.

Wikipedia entry for BPA.

Product description by a company that produces BPA for sale.

Ancient articles about concerns of BPA are easy to find...just internet search "BPA" or "bisphenol-A".

Looking forward to a plastics-free day - have a good'un!

Wash it GREEEN!

The latest from C.R.A.P.P. - remember: Think "Look! Dolphins!!" to distract your mind from evil thoughts, and see true value in seeing the word "recyclable" on everything plastic:

Time Mag: Perils of Plastic

A new article about “Environmental Toxins” from a special edition of Time Magazine is kicking up some dust in the plastics world this week - and it (re)substantiates one of the main reasons to Rise Above Plastics. It details the poisons (mainly BPA and phthalates) used in making food-grade plastics and how our government and industry control – or don’t control – their eventual "release", as consumer products. It’s a quick read, chock full of great info…and stellar quotes, here are a couple:

“If you don't have BPA in your body, you're not living in the modern world.”

“The dose may still make the poison, but we'll never know unless we test the chemical soup we actually experience in the world — unless, that is, we find the environmentally relevant dose. There's been a tendency to ask the old questions in the old way," says Linda Birnbaum [head of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences]. "But if it's dark and you only look for your keys under the lamppost and they're not right there, you'll never find them." “

...don't forget the mind-boggling revelations, like this one, either:

“If you want to market a new drug, you need to convince the FDA — in multiple tests, over the course of years — that it won't cause serious harm. But if you want to market a new chemical for use in a product — even one that will come into contact with children or pregnant women — it's up to the EPA to prove that it's unsafe, using whatever data are provided by the chemical company…”

Read it and you'll find that the current administration in Washington may act to breath life back into the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) – a 34 year-old law set that has sat largely dormant since its inception and lacks needed updates that accommodate chemicals that have come into widespread use since then.

Bon appétit!

CDC Criticizes FDA on BPA in United States

Scientists from CDC, EPA Criticize FDA on Chemical Used in Plastic Bottles

Written by E. Sizemore

October 30, 2008

This week a seven-member scientific panel, including toxicology and environmental health experts from the EPA and CDC, issued a strongly worded report criticizing the FDA on their response to concerns over products containing bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical used in the making of plastic water bottles, baby bottles, food containers and other products from which BPA could leach into food and drinks.

According to the panel the FDA ignored strong evidence to the contrary and used flawed methods when determining that BPA is not harmful. Comprised of scientists from government and universities the report claims that the FDA did not consider dozens of studies linking BPA to diseases and conditions like diabetes, prostate cancer, early puberty and sexual dysfunctions in animals.

Many of the studies pointed out were reviewed by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), which did find that BPA could possibly harm brain development and cause behavioral problems in infants and small children.

In response to the report the FDA, which is in charge of regulating the chemicals used in plastic food containers, agrees that “…due to the uncertainties raised in some studies relating to the potential effects of low doses of bisphenol-A that additional research would be valuable.”

According to the CDC, more than 90% of Americans are exposed to trace amounts of bisphenol, which leaches out of water bottles, the lining of cans and other plastic food containers. The level of exposure may increase if such containers are used when microwaving food or heating up milk.

Canada and many other developed countries have already banned the use of BPA in baby bottles and other plastic food and drink containers. The United States has yet to do so, despite overwhelming evidence of BPA’s potentially harmful effects.

The United States’ free-market economy doesn’t always wait for government to regulate the safety of products. Many retailers and manufacturers are already offering non-BPA alternatives like steel drinking water bottles and glass baby bottles. Maybe soon the FDA will catch up with corporate America’s own response to concerns raised by citizens who just want healthy products for themselves and their children.

Below - Female reproductive effects linked to BPA exposure - Environmental Working Group

Canada's Possible Plastic Baby Bottle Ban

Canada says BPA toxic, to ban baby bottles with it

By CHARMAINE NORONHA – Oct 18, 2008

TORONTO (AP) — Canada declared a chemical widely used in food packaging a toxic substance on Saturday and will now move to ban plastic baby bottles containing bisphenol A.

The toxic classification, issued in the Canada Gazette, makes Canada the first country to classify the chemical commonly used in the lining of food cans, eyeglass lenses and hundreds of household items, as risky.

"Many Canadians...have expressed their concern to me about the risks of bisphenol A in baby bottles," Environment Minister John Baird said in a statement. "Today's confirmation of our ban on BPA in baby bottles proves that our government did the right thing in taking action to protect the health and environment for all Canadians."

Canada's announcement came six months after its health ministry labeled BPA as dangerous. Health Minister Tony Clement said a report on bisphenol A has found the chemical endangers people, particularly newborns and infants, and the environment, citing concerns that the chemical in polycarbonate products and epoxy linings can migrate into food and beverages.

Baby bottles frequently contain BPA, used to harden plastic and make it shatterproof.

Several U.S. states are considering restricting BPA use, some manufacturers have begun promoting BPA-free baby bottles, and some stores are phasing out baby products containing the chemical. Wal-Mart Canada and other major retailers in Canada in recent months have begun removing BPA-based food-related products such as baby bottles and sipping cups from store shelves.

The scientific debate over BPA could drag on for years. The European Union and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration say the chemical is safe. However, the FDA is awaiting word from a scientific panel expected to deliver an independent risk assessment later this month.

The chemicals industry maintains that polycarbonate bottles contain little BPA and leach traces considered too low to harm humans.

Robert Brackett, chief science officer for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, said Friday that Canada's precautionary action regarding the use of BPA is disproportional to the risk determined by public health agencies.

The biggest concern with this widely used chemical, traces of which can be found in more than 90 percent of Americans, has been over BPA's possible effects on reproductive development and hormone-related problems.

Please Come to Boston

Dave Loggins had a 1974 hit with the above-titled song. City Councilor John R. Connolly has hit upon examining the health risks posed by bisphenol A. A hearing will be held at Boston City Hall this Thursday, May 29 at 3:00 PM, EDT. In 1776, Boston rose against tyranny when the Declaration of Independence was read from the balcony of the old state house. In 2oo8, will Boston help the rest of the nation Rise above Plastics?

FDA: BPA is A-OK!

A Food and Drug Administration official told Congress that

[A] large body of available evidence indicates that food contact materials containing BPA currently on the market are safe, and that exposure levels to BPA from these materials, including exposure to infants and children, are below those that may cause health effects.

FDA's stance runs counter to the National Toxicology Program, Health Canada and scientists including David Feldman, of Stanford University, who published findings as long ago as 1993 regarding the effects of Bisphenol A.