CAN PLACTICS MAKE YOU SICK ????

It seems like every week there's another news story linking common plastic products to dangerous chemicals. Many of these chemicals seem as hard to understand as they are to pronounce, so how are we to know if products with phthalates are really safe? Should you avoid bisphenol A, and where would you start?

Your product choices, simple as they may seem, can make a big difference for your family. While you may not need to get rid of everything made of plastic, a few small, careful decisions can go a long way.

WHATS THE TROUBLE ??

A host of recent studies have found associations between chemicals in countless widely used plastics to disorders including birth defects, diabetes and cancer. Here's a look at the products and health issues.

The plastics and the products

A. Bisphenol A (BPA). This compound has been used for half a century in hard polycarbonate plastics and in epoxy resins. BPA is found in the lining of food and beverage cans and in plastic goods including baby bottles, water bottles, food containers, eyeglasses, bike helmets, DVDs, electronics and car parts.

B. Orthophthalates. Better known as phthalates (pronounced tha-lates), this group of chemicals is used to soften vinyl and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Phthalates are found in products such as soaps, shampoos, deodorants, cosmetics, water pipes, shower curtains, toys, electrical wires, medical tubing and vinyl flooring.

Another place these chemicals can now be found: in human blood and urine. Critics say they can break down and leach out of products, especially if heated. We're exposed to them not just through plastics but also through the food we eat and even the air we breathe, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says

Some researchers describe BPA and phthalates as environmental estrogens because they may act like female hormones. They are also sometimes called endocrine disruptors because of their effect on the endocrine system, which regulates reproduction and growth.

'Some concern'
The plastics and chemical industries say that BPA and phthalates have a proven record of safety. Many large-scale reviews and studies have not shown a health hazard.

The FDA says it "does not have compelling evidence" of health risks. But elsewhere in the federal government, the National Toxicology Program reported in 2008 that exposure to BPA posed certain risks to human development and reproduction.

"We express 'some concern' that current estimated exposures of BPA to fetuses, infants and children could cause neural and behavioral effects, effects on the prostate and mammary gland and an earlier age at which females attain puberty," testified John Bucher, associate director of the National Toxicology Program, at a congressional hearing in June 2008. "We express 'negligible concern' or 'minimal concern' that current exposures to BPA could cause adverse health effects in other segments of the population."

Also testifying at that hearing, FDA official Norris Alderson said "the current level of exposure to adults and children is safe."
Another federal agency, the National Institute of Environmental Health, has published dozens of studies indicating associations between phthalates or BPA and health concerns including:
- Breast, testicular and prostate cancer
- Obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes
- Allergies and asthma
- Early puberty in girls
- Decreased ovarian function in women
- Damage to DNA in sperm
- Potential disruption of boys' genital development
- Decreased levels of sex hormones in boys and men

Despite this list, there's still no proof that these chemicals cause disease. Many of the studies that identified these associations were performed on laboratory animals, which may or may not translate to humans. Additional research is under way. In the meantime, some consumers, agencies and businesses are taking precautionary actions.
Should you join them? With a lack of consensus from the experts, you need to decide for yourself whether it makes sense to avoid these products when possible. Get some tips on reducing your exposure to plastics.

I found this on:

http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/plastic-problems.html
What is your opinion on the potential health hazards of plastic products?