Info on the bad stuff in plastics

In response to the Media Dude's "kind" request for further information, I had my servants compile the following:

1) Phthalates (and DEHA): These are found all over the place -- perfume, iphones, plastics, shower curtains, nail polish, lots of things that have "fragrance" on their ingredient list (cosmetics, baby lotions, household cleaners, paint, etc.). In plastics, they are used to make the item "flexible." (Some of you, ahem, may also need to know that they are commonly used in jelly-rubber sex toys.) As usual, Europe is ahead of the U.S. on dealing with these substances -- many of them are already banned in children's toys and cosmetics. Studies are being conducted on the effects on metabolic, endocrine and reproductive functions. For instance, a study this year on baby care products containing phthalates showed that among infants using the products, researchers found the levels of phthalate-concentration had increased. And a 2005 study on baby boys whose mothers were exposed to phthalates during pregnancy showed "a shortened anogenital distance." And the authors of a study of Finnish boys with undescended testis hypothesized, based on their findings, that exposure to a combination of phthalates and anti-androgenic pesticides may have contributed to their condition. And in 2007, a study of men conducted by researchers at Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry concluded that urine concentrations of four phthalate metabolites correlate with waist size and three phthalate metabolites correlate with the cellular resistance to insulin, a precursor to Type II diabetes. All that being said, no one has said conclusively that this stuff can mess with your body, and there are lots of organizations out there (like the Phthalate-Users Association of America, otherwise known as NAMBLA), that says they are perfectly safe.

2) BPA: Bispenol-A is used to make plastics hard, and it's also found in the lines of most canned goods (including organic canned foods), soda cans and plastic water bottles. From The Green Guide, "According to its critics, BPA mimics naturally occurring estrogen, a hormone that is part of the endocrine system, the body's finely tuned messaging service. 'These hormones control the development of the brain, the reproductive system and many other systems in the developing fetus,' says Frederick vom Saal, Ph.D., a developmental biologist at the University of Missouri. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals can duplicate, block or exaggerate hormonal responses. 'The most harm is to the unborn or newborn child,' vom Saal says." And recent studies on rodents have linked bpa to cancers, early-onset of puberty, obesity and type-II diabetes. The U.S.'s National Toxicology Program found that even low levels of bpa can alter brain behavior and can cause changes in the prostate and mammary glands. Based on these findings, Canada is banning bpa use in baby bottles. And now our favorite NY senator, Chuck Schumer, is trying to do the same in the U.S.