Are We Contaminating Our Own Food And Water With Plastic?
 (Read 500+ times)
By Sam Chucky
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I vividly recollect as a teenour family using empty margarine bowls to save leftovers and other food. When it was time to warm the food, we left it in the margarine bowl and put the entire thing in the microwave. Reusing the old margarine bowls in this way was our way of not only saving money, but also keeping one more plastic container out of the landfill.
Fast forward about 2 decades. Our family is now very much aware that many plastics are made with a harmful compound called Bisphenol A (or BPA) and can free this substance into our food or drink. Eating the tainted food or drink exposes our body to excessive amounts of this dangerous compound. BPA has been linked to various maladies, such as cardiovascular problems, diabeties and obesity.
BPA can leach into foods or liquids at any temperature. Scott Belcher, PhD and his team at the University of Cincinnati found that BPA was released into liquid up to 55 times faster when the liquid was heated. What this means is that warming up food in these plastic containers is even more unsafe that just using them for food storage.
It's still somewhat unclear what level of BPA is unsafe in the human body. Luckily, our bodies do a pretty good job of filtering out a large portion of our daily toxic exposure. And, it's true that each of us has our own degree of tolerance for toxins and other chemicals that enter our bodies. Nevertheless, what makes BPA so dangerous is the fact that it mimics hormones naturally found in the body which is more difficult for the body to filter.
It's even more alarming to grasp that BPA is not only in plastic food containers, but also in refillable water containers, the linings of aluminum cans, dental composites and sealants and a host of other items. It is actually pretty difficult to avoid this harmful substance.
In Canada, it has been unlawful to use baby bottles that contain BPA since 2008. At the time of this writing, there is no such rule in the United States, as it seems to be perfectly conventional to pay off members of the FDA to keep dangerous toxins in our food supply (just Google Charles Gelman and Martin Philbert). Luckily, some of the more forward-thinking manufacturers in the US have voluntarily eliminated BPA laden plastics from their products.
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Author Bio Box: Sam Chucky
For the wellbeing of you and your family, please purchase only bottles and containers that allege to be BPA-Free. This is very important in food and drink containers. Our family uses Pyrex storage containers, but if you in love with plastic, Rubbermaid food storage containers are also BPA-free. Since babies are still devoloping and more susceptible to these toxins, it's essential that you only use baby bottles, sippy cups, pacifiers, and other toys (which end up in the baby's mouth) that are BPA-free.
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