Why the plastic industry is allowed to poison our kids! Martina Berger, PhD

Why the plastic industry is allowed to poison our kids!

Martina Berger, PhD

Toxic Plastic Baby Bottles

Bisphenol A a toxic chemical found in plastic baby

bottles is leaking into the baby milk!

What is Bisphenol A?

Bisphenl A is known to be an estrogen-receptor agonist which can activate estrogen receptors leading to similar physiological effects as the body’sown estrogens.

What is an estrogen?

Estrogen is a hormone which is produced in women and men.

Estrogenic hormones are very important since they are uniquely responsible for the growth and development of female sexual characteristics and reproduction in both humans and animals.

In women, estrogen can be found in the bloodstream and binds to estrogen receptors on cells in targeted tissues. It is affecting the breast and uterus, and additional the brain, bone, liver, heart and other tissues.

In men balanced levels of estrogen are essential to encourage a healthy libido, improved brain function, protect the heart and strengthen the bones . . . high levels of estrogen can cause reduced levels of testosterone, fatigue, loss of muscle tone, increased body fat, loss of libido and sexual function and an enlarged prostate.

What does it cause:

1) Early onset of puberty, and stimulation of mammary gland development in females

2) Change in gender-specific behaviours

3) Change in hormones, including decreased testosterone

4) Increased prostate size

5) Decreased sperm production

6) Altered immune function

7) Behavioural effects including hyperactive, increased aggressiveness, impaired learning and other changes in

behaviours.

8) Miscarrage

9) Obesity

Which bottles are affected:

The following bottles were tested by the Environment California Research and Policy Center and all these bottles leached Bisphenol A:1) Natural Feeding bottle by Avent2) Classic by Evenflo3)Natural flow by Dr. Brown’s4) Ventair by Playtex5) Premium feeding System by Gerber

Baby bottle nipples are usually made of silicone or latex rubber. Silicon nipples are lighter in color and are safer, as lates rubber nipples may leach carcinogenic nitrosamines.

Safer alternative

Bottles: Evernflo glass or pastel polyethylene plastic, Gerber polypropylene opaque plastic, Medela breastmilk polypropylene storage bottles and polyethylen milk storage bags, disposable bottle systems with polyethylene plastic inserts (e.g. Playtex Nurser, Playtex Drop-Ins)

Sippy Cups – recommended by Non Toxic Kids (http://nontoxickids.blogspot.com/2007/11/sippy-cup-mania.html)

There are several choices now on the market of sippy cups that are not made from plastic that has BPA, or are not made of plastic at all.

Sigg Water Bottles: These aluminum water bottles come with a variety of choices for the spout, with very kid friendly designs.

Born Free Drinking Cups:! They are plastic sippy cups made without harmful BPA. These run between $10-12 each.

Kleen Kanteen: A stainless steel water bottle that you can attach a BPA free sippy spout (made by Advent) to.

Foogo Thermos: Another stainless steel cup, but this one can also act like a thermos (ah, hence the name) keeping warm liquids warm and cool liquids cool.

Advent makes a normal looking plastic sippy cup that is made without BPA.

? What else is affected?

Bisphenol A is also found in:water bottle lining of food cans compact discs, sunglasses, bicycle helmets, food storage,

tableware, plastic windows, bullet-resistant laminate, cell phones, car parts,

toys, medical devices such as incubators, dialysis machines, and blood oxygenators and some dental sealants

Plastic Guide:

“Good” Plastic:

#1 PETE or PET (polyethylene terephthalate): used for most clear beverage bottles.

#2 HDPE (high density polyethylene): used for "cloudy" milk and water jugs, opaque food bottles.

#3 PVC or V (polyvinyl chloride): used in some cling wraps (especially commercial brands), some "soft" bottles. Studies show that PVC can leach chemicals of concern into foods it comes into contact with, especially fatty foods when heated.

#4 LDPE (low density polyethylene): used in food storage bags, some cling wraps and some "squeeze" bottles.

#5 PP (polypropylene): used in opaque, rigid containers, including some baby bottles, and some cups and bowls.

#6 PS (polystyrene): used in Styrofoam "clam-shell"-type containers, meat and bakery trays, and in its rigid form, clear take-out containers, some plastic cutlery and cups. Studies indicate that PS may leach toxic styrene into foods with which it has contact. (See Unpalatable Plastics)

#7 Other (usually polycarbonate): used in 5-gallon water bottles, some baby bottles, some metal can linings. Studies show that polycarbonate has leached suspect chemicals into foods and liquids it contacts during storage and regular use.

“Bad” Plastic:

Reduce the risk for Plastic Use

1. Avoid single-use items such as disposable bottles, plates, and cutlery.

2. Carry a refillable bottle or mug for beverages on the go, and bring reusable cloth bags to stores. For leftovers and

takeout food, reusable containers are better than foam boxes or plastic wrap and bags.

3. If you regularly buy products that are only available in plastic packaging, buy the largest container available, rather than

the multiple smaller ones this dilute the toxin

4.If you have to use plastic choose #1, #2, (chemicals can still leak into food and beverages)

avoid #3,#4, #5, #6, and #7.

5. Avoid plastic bottled water, if possible.

If you do use plastic water bottles, do not use for warm or hot liquids, and do not freeze plastic bottles, and discard old

or scratched water bottles. avoid using harsh detergents that can break down the plastic and increase chemical

leaching.

6. Fetuses and children make them particularly susceptible to damage from toxins, so pregnant women and parents should

choosing cloth and wooden toys and avoiding plastic toys, which are often made of PVC and can leach harmful

chemicals when chewed on.

7. Avoid plastic baby bottles, if used avoid bottles which are generally clear and rigid and bear the #7 symbol, and choosing

bottles made of tempered glass or polyethylene and polypropylene (#1, #2, or #5); note that Medela and Evenflo make

bottles from safer plastics. CHEC also recommends using bottle nipples made of clear silicone rather than yellow

rubber, because the silicone hides less bacteria and is heat resistant.

Storage

Choose storage containers made of glass, ceramic or stainless steel (where appropriate). These can be reused endlessly.

Microwave foods and drinks in oven-proof glass or ceramic and cover with an oven-proof glass lid or plate. Never let plastic wrap touch food while in the microwave!

Avoid plastic cutlery and dinnerware. Use stainless steel utensils and look for recycled paper products.

When purchasing cling-wrapped foods from the supermarket or deli, slice off a thin layer where the food came into contact with the plastic and store the rest in a glass or ceramic container, or non-PVC cling wrap.

Do they?

It is now widely recognized that Bisphenol A

a) can leach out of plastic during normal use

b) and cause health affects

Plastic and Chemical Industries claim:

The concentration of Bisphenol A leaking into food and beverages is too low

to induce any health effects innormal healthy people

A panel of 38 scientists working for a EPA and NIH panel on bisphenol A, who surveyed "700 studies of bisphenol A". The scientists concluded: "human exposure to BPA is within the range that is predicted to be biologically active in over 95% of people sampled. The wide range of adverse effects of low doses of BPA in laboratory animals exposed both during development and in

adulthood is a great cause for concern with regard to the potential for similar adverse effects in humans."

Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-ColumbiaDepartment of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, Auburn University, Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics, Center for Environmental Genetics, University of Cincinnati, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, Biology Department, Maryville College, Maryville, Algalita Marine Research Foundation, Los Angeles, Department of Physiology, University of Siena, ItalyDepartment of Zoology, University of Florida, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Division of Extramural Research and Training, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati Medical School, Cincinnati, School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Institutes of Natural Science, Okazaki Institute For Integrative Bioscience Bioenvironmental Science, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, JapanDepartment of Biological Sciences, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UKDivision of Cellular & Molecular Toxicology, National Institute of Health Sciences, Tokyo 158-8501, JapanDepartment of Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, United StatesDepartment of Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, United StatesDepartment of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, United States

Department of Environmental and Molecular Toxicology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United StatesDepartment of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, United StatesCenter for Bioenvironmental Research, Tulane and Xavier Universities, New Orleans, LA 70112, United StatesEnvironmental Health Sciences, Charlottesville, VA 22902, United StatesInstituto de Bioingeniería, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Elche 03202, Alicante, SpainLaboratory of Molecular Toxicology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, United StatesCIBERESP Hospital Clinico-University of Granada, 18071 Granada, SpainDepartment of Urology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, United StatesUSGS, Columbia Environmental Research Center, Columbia, MO 65201, United StatesDepartment of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, Tufts Medical School, Boston, MA 02111, United StatesDepartment of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, United StatesDepartment of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, United States

Charité University Medical School Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Institute of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Department of Toxicology, 14195 Berlin, GermanyDepartment of Zoology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United StatesTufts University Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Boston, MA 02111, United StatesCarleton College, Department of Biology, Northfield, MN 55057, United StatesBiochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, United StatesDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, United StatesDepartment of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, United StatesBiology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, United States

“Now the industry was saying that animals are not humans, which you can say as much as you wish, but that brings us to a situation; in order to know what is happening to humans, what are you going to do? Intoxicate pregnant women on purpose?”

the American Chemistry Council [10/31/07 this site is now run by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association], has

a section called "Ask The Doctor", in which they pose questions and answers that parents might have about plastic baby bottles that contain bisphenol A:

"you may hear stories that glass bottles get too hot or plastic bottles leak dangerous amounts of harmful chemicals into the formula. Rest assured, there are no facts to support these claims.“

Note: This is based on people working and selling chemical products – it is not surprising that they try to tell us – no harm

Fredrick Vom Saal is a Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri:

The moment we published something on bisphenol A, the chemical industry went out and hired a number of corporate laboratories to replicate our research. What was stunning about what they did . . . was they hired people who had no idea how to do the work.” . Each of the members of these groups came to me and said, ‘We don't know how to do this, will you teach us?

A 1999, a flurry of studies appeared from AstraZeneca along with a collaborative effort sponsored by the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) from the labs of Dow, Shell, General Electric, and Bayer, the major bisphenol A producers .

Results:None of the studies found that low doses of bisphenol A harm the developing prostate.

(the same people did the study who ask Fredrick Vom Saal, a Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri for help)

Channda Gupta, a professor of pharmacology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine confirm Vom Saals study about the toxic affect of Bisphenol A.

Gupta's response “It is interesting to note that the studies that failed to find an effect of this chemical are funded by the chemical industries, whereas positive findings are reported by independent academic laboratories.

What is also clear is that scientists who choose to study a chemical of commercial importance are subjected to intense scrutiny by the chemical industry and by the scientists funded by these industries”

Remember – ERIN Brockovich – Did this company not say and do the same

Israel. The Health Ministry warned parents to throw away baby bottles that were over a year old or scratched, and to throw away plastic teething rings that were worn. According to the article the move was based on growing research about bisphenol A including a study from Japan showing that heating baby bottles releases BPA into formula

Bisphenol A - Market Research

PRODUCER

CAPACITY*

(Millions of pounds per year of bisphenol-A)

Bayer, Baytown, Tex. 350

Dow, Freeport, Tex. 420

GE Plastics, Burkeville, Ala. 166

GE Plastics, Mount Vernon, Ind. 585

Resolution Performance Products, Deer Park, Tex. 550

SUNOCO, Haverhill, Ohio 230

Demand:1999: 1,964 million pounds; 2000: 2,115 million pounds; 2004: 2,764 million pounds, projected. Demand equals production plus imports (1999: 18 million pounds; 2000: 6 million pounds) less exports (1999: 169 million pounds; 2000: 255 million pounds).GROWTH

DEMAND

1999: 1,964 million pounds; 2000: 2,115 million pounds; 2004: 2,764 million

pounds, projected. Demand equals production plus imports (1999: 18 million

pounds; 2000: 6 million pounds) less exports (1999: 169 million pounds; 2000: 255

million pounds).

GROWTH

Historical (1995 - 2000): 6.9 percent per year; future: 7 percent per year through

2004.

PRICE

Historical (1995 - 2000): High, $0.94 per pound

Why should these companies stop to produce it - it seems for them a very good

product. but let’s face it it is a very good product for them to make money but not

for us.

We had already problems in the past:The thalidomide story.

Sold and prescribed during the late 1950s and early 1960s to pregnant women, as an antiemetic to combat morning sickness and as an aid to help them sleep. From 1956 to 1962, approximately 10,000 children were born with severe malformities presents at birth such as very short or absent long bones and flipper-like appearance of hands and sometimes feet.

You can have thalidomide every day of your life and you will be fine. But [take it] at certain times during pregnancy, your child will end up with no arms.”

Diethylstilbestrol (DES) is a drug once prescribed during pregnancy to prevent miscarriages or premature deliveries. In the U.S. an estimated 5 to 10 million persons were exposed to DES from 1938 to 1971, including pregnant women prescribed DES and their children.

In 1971, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised physicians to stop prescribing DES because it was linked to a rare vaginal cancer.

After more than 30 years of research, there are confirmed health risks associated with DES exposure. However, not all exposed individuals will experience DES-related health problems.

Bisphenol A reminds us on the Tobacco Story:HISTORY OF TOBACCO

1492-10-12: Columbus Discovers Tobacco; “Certain Dried Leaves” Are Received as Gifts, and Thrown Away.

1761: Physician John Hill publishes “Cautions against the Immoderate Use of Snuff” -- perhaps the first clinical study of tobacco effects. Hill warns snuff users they are vulnerable to cancers of the nose.

1925: “American Mercury” magazine: “A dispassionate review of the [scientific] findings compels the conclusion that the cigarette is tobacco in its mildest form, and that tobacco, used moderately by people in normal health, does not appreciably impair either the mental efficiency or the physical condition.” (RK)

1940-1950: George Seldes exposes the suppression of tobacco stories by the nation’s press. As most tobacco-ad-laden newspapers refused to report the growing evidence of tobacco’s hazards, muckraking pioneer George Seldes starts his own newsletter in which he covered tobacco. “

1928 German scientist proposes that lung cancers among non-smoking women could be caused by inhalation of their husbands’ smoke. Schnönherr E. Beitrag zur Statistik und Klinik der Lungentumoren. Z Krebsforsch 1928;27: 436-50.

1929 Statistician Frederick Hoffman in the “American Review of Tuberculosis” finds “There is no definite evidence that smoking habits are a direct contributory cause toward malignant growths in the lungs.”(RK).

1970: World Health Organization (WHO) takes a public position against cigarette smoking.

1993-01 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) releases 510-page report, “Respiratory Health Effects of Passive Smoking: Lung Cancer and Other Diseases;” declares cigarette smoke a Class-A carcinogen.

1994-12: FDA gets letters from Congress. 124 members of the House sent a sharply worded letter to the FDA, claiming the agency’s tobacco proposal would put 10,000 jobs at risk and “trample First Amendment rights to advertise legal products to adults.”

1999-05: WHO launches Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. World Health Organization member countries unanimously back a resolution calling for an international attempt to regulate tobacco use;

Reduce the danger

Reduce the plastic

Or we all will haveNO GRANDCHILDREN

This is a helpful webpage:http://www.environmentcalifornia.org/uploads/Ve/AQ/VeAQsr6MMu4xA3-2ibnr_g/Toxic-Baby-Bottles.pdf