Certain Plastics May Hurt Male Sexual Functioning

Certain Plastics May Hurt Male Sexual Functioning

The more you’re exposed to the bisphenol A (BPA), the more trouble you’ll have getting erections and enjoying your sex life, suggests new research.
By Adam Bean

Protect yourself from unhealthy BPA effects by keeping the chemical out of your food and drink.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—The chemcial bisphenol A, or BPA, has been widely used in plastic products for more than 50 years. It's found in countless items we come in contact with every day, including water bottles, sports equipment, medical devices, dental fillings and sealants, eyeglass lenses, even CDs and DVDs. But the chemical has been getting a lot more attention lately as research points to BPA's unhealthy effects—so much so that both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have expressed concern. Now male sexual functioning can be added to the list of health problems linked to BPA exposure, a list that already includes cancer, diabetes, liver problems, and developmental problems and aggressive behavior in children.

READ THE ARTICLE: http://www.rodale.com/bpa-effects?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2010_06_09-_-Top5-_-NA

President's Cancer Panel: Eat Organic, Avoid Plastics

President's Cancer Panel: Eat Organic, Avoid Plastics
A landmark report says the government has been grossly underestimating the effect of environmental toxins on our cancer risk.
By Leah Zerbe

Eat pesticide-free organic food, drink from stainless steel or glass containers, and never heat plastic in the microwave or dishwasher.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Finally, the U.S. government's talking prevention. Real prevention. Not a scan to detect a disease already growing in your body, but rather, the idea of reducing exposure to environmental toxins—like chemicals used in farming and in plastics—to reduce the risk of cancer. The newly released Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk, What We Can Do Now report from the President's Cancer Panel urges the public to eat foods grown without chemical pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, and antibiotics, while suggesting practical advice such as not heating plastic in the microwave and not using water bottles that may contain BPA, or bisphenol A, a chemical linked to cancer, reproductive problems, and heart disease.

It's likely industrial foodmakers, plastic makers, and biotech companies aren't happy about the report. In fact, there were rumors flying just last week that the food industry threatened to block legislation that would ban BPA from food packaging. But with this report, for the first time in a long time, observers say it feels like human health may come before corporate interests. "This is an enormously important document from a highly credible source. For the past 30 years, there has been systematic effort in the U.S. to downplay the importance of environmental factors in carcinogenesis," says internationally recognized public and preventive health expert Phil Landrigan, MD, professor and chair of the department of community and preventive medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. "There has been disproportionate emphasis on lifestyle factors and on cancer screening, and not enough attention paid to discovering and controlling
environmental exposures."

Read the full article: http://www.rodale.com/presidents-cancer-panel?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2010_05_07-_-Top5-_-NA

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Bisphenol A exposure could affect male hormone levels - study

Bisphenol A exposure could affect male hormone levels - study
By Rory Harrington
06-May-2010

New research has suggested that bisphenol A (BPA) could be responsible for altered hormone levels in men.

The US study by John D Meeker et al measured urinary concentrations of BPA and compared them to levels of serum thyroid and reproductive hormone levels in 167 men from an infertility clinic.

Continue reading: http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Science-Nutrition/Bisphenol-A-exposure-could-affect-male-hormone-levels-study/?c=NAUpDVS3q2ph0wG9DDAQ0w%3D%3D&utm_source=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BWeekly

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We Kill Nature With Our Plastic

More than a million seabirds, 100,000 marine mammals, and countless fish die in the North Pacific each year, either from mistakenly eating plastic or from being ensnared in it and drowning.

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Canned Food Carries a Hidden Health Risk

Canned Food Carries a Hidden Health Risk
The linings of canned food and vegetables may be exposing us to plastic chemicals that pose a serious health threat.
By Emily Main Link to full article below

Eat fresh vegetables and homemade soups, reheat your food in glass, and tell your congressman to regulate plastic chemicals.


RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Your can of soup may the last place where you'd expect to find plastic chemicals. But thanks to an epoxy liner commonly used to prevent canned products from reacting to the metal, everything from canned fruit to canned salmon to canned peas is exposed to plastic chemicals for as long as it remains on the shelf. And that could be exposing you to a risk that's been largely ignored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The liner is manufactured with a chemical called
bisphenol A (BPA), which has been linked to a variety of health problems, including hormone disruption, prostate cancer, diabetes, and obesity, as well as aggressive behavior in children. A new analysis by Consumer Reports confirms that BPA that lines cans ends up in the food that we eat.

Please read the full article: http://www.rodale.com/plastic-chemicals-and-canned-products?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2009_11_11-_-Top5-_-NA

Plastic? Time to Bag It.

Plastic? Time to Bag It.
The D.C. Council has a creative plan to tackle a big source of pollution.
Friday, March 27, 2009; Page A16

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/26/AR2009032603466.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/26/AR2009032603466_pf.html

[Read comments:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/26/AR2009032603466_Comments.html ]

ELEVEN OF the 13 members of the D.C. Council are endorsing legislation that would place the District in the forefront of national efforts to reduce local pollution. The proposal is a creative attempt to discourage the use of plastic and paper bags that end up littering the area's roads and waterways. But it faces some fierce opposition.

The legislation, authored by council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), would impose a five-cent tax on every plastic and paper carryout bag from a variety of food establishments, including grocery, drug and liquor stores. Customers would be encouraged to bring their own reusable bags to the supermarket. Businesses would retain one or two cents of each nickel, depending on whether they offered a credit for reusable bags, and the rest would go toward the cost of cleaning up the Anacostia River. Mr. Wells coordinated his approach with similar legislation introduced this year in Virginia and Maryland. The Virginia legislature, alas, killed the legislation, but Maryland is still considering its bill, which would earmark proceeds for Chesapeake Bay protection efforts.

To read the full article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/26/AR2009032603466.html

Kick the Plastic Water Bottle Habit

Kick the Plastic Water Bottle Habit
Ever wonder where most of those plastic water bottles go that we knock back from every day? Into landfills, where they live on and on and on and on.
By Brian Clark Howard

http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/tips/1935?src=nl&mag=tdg&list=dgr&kw=ist

Save resources by drinking from a glass whenever you can, or use a refillable, stainless steel bottle when you are on the go.

Ever wonder where most of those plastic water bottles go that we knock back from every day? Into landfills, where they live on and on and on and on. Exempt from many state deposit laws, and most often used away from home, where recycling bins are scarce, the majority of water bottles do not make it into the recycling stream.

Not only do they accumulate and stress landfills, they are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a petroleum product, and their manufacturing process uses oil, a nonrenewable energy source, and increases CO2 emissions.

So kick the plastic water bottle habit. That way you can avoid the controversy over chemicals leaching from both hard and soft plastics into your water, even at room temperatures.

6 Studies Confirm Health Dangers of Plastic

ANOTHER REASON TO JUST USE GLASS & CERAMIC!!!!!

Six New Studies Confirm Health Dangers of Plastic
by www.SixWise.com

http://www.sixwise.com/Newsletters/2008/November/12/Six-New-Studies-Confirm-Health-Dangers-of-Plastic.htm?source=nl

The most up-to-date research shows that exposure to chemicals released from various plastic products and flame-retardant materials cause "adverse health effects in humans and laboratory animals." An entire section of the October 2008 issue of Environmental Research, "A Plastic World," was devoted to the results of a series of six environmental research studies.

These research studies investigated the health effects of chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA), polyvinyl chlorate (PVC), phthalates, and polybrominated diphenylether (PBDE). Results showed that plastics contain "endocrine disrupting chemicals" that can interfere with the thyroid hormone, block the production of testosterone, and mimic the action of estrogen in your body.

These studies specified that fetal exposure to phthalates caused changes in male reproductive organs of humans and rats. Fetal exposure of rats and mice to BPAs and PBDEs showed a disruption in normal brain development and behavior. Research also provided evidence to show that great harm is being done to aquatic wildlife because our oceans are being polluted by enormous amounts of these plastic-related chemicals.

"For the first time a series of articles will appear together that identify that billions of kilograms of a number of chemicals used in the manufacture of different types of plastic can leach out of plastic products and cause harm to the brain and reproductive system when exposure occurs during fetal life or prior to weaning," according to Dr. Frederick vom Saal, guest editor of the "Plastic World."

This most recent research reported that prenatal exposure to rats, and exposure around the time of gestation to even small amounts of BPA led to abnormalities in the development of mammary tissue, which led to an increase in pre-cancerous lesions and mammary tumors. Adult exposure to BPA led to an increase in mammary tumors as well.

BPA mimics estrogen in the body. As a result of this, research involving cultures of human breast cancer cells showed that BPA causes changes in cell growth and proliferation as well as damage to cellular DNA -- potential precursors to cancer.

Some Facts About These Toxic Chemicals

BPA

Highly toxic
Used to make many plastic consumer products
Toxins released over time and when heating liquids in plastic containers
Found in plastic water bottles, drinking glasses, food containers, baby bottles, lacquer lining of metal food cans, microwave ovenware, plastic utensils, etc.

PVC (polyvinyl chlorate)

Highly toxic
Found in many toys, building supplies, plastic piping, shower curtains, various soft plastic products, etc

Phthalates

Mimics the effects of estrogen in the body
Causes skin irritations
Found in many cosmetics and shampoos, PVC products (i.e. toys), etc.

PBDEs (polybrominated diphenylether)

Highly toxic
Found in flame-retardant materials, furniture foam, back coatings for draperies and upholsteries, electronics, small appliances, etc.

Protecting Yourself From Plastic

The safest way to prevent adverse health effects from these chemicals is to avoid exposure to the plastics and products that contain them.

Use glass and paper products instead of plastic.

Avoid drinking bottled water.

Replace toxic plastic products with safer plastics, such as bio-based materials.

Be aware that a "3" or a "V" stamped underneath the recycling symbol of your plastic product indicates that the product contains PVC.

Smell your plastic! PVC products give off a distinct odor from toxic gases being released, such as the smell from a vinyl shower curtain.

During the construction process -- when building a house, for instance -- make sure to avoid installing PVC plastic piping.

Choose only natural, phthalate-free personal care products.

Not only is bottled drinking water a source of the toxic chemical BPA, but it also has potentially more contaminants than regular tap water due to weaker regulations, and up to 40% of the time it actually is just bottled tap water. Consider using a safe water bottle with a portable water filter small enough to fit inside as an alternative. The Wellness H2.O enhanced water bottle provides a healthy solution to bottled water:

The ultimate environment product. Eliminates 1,100+ plastic bottles, reduces carbon emissions and conserves natural resources

Saves you up to $1,000 in bottled water purchases per year

Only bottle to produce nourishing, better-than-bottled-quality, "enhanced" water without the cost or waste associated with bottled water

Assures you and your family of safe and healthy water ... no matter where you go

Another option is to have purified drinking water at home. The Wellness Kitchen Water Filter provides the purest and most natural tasting water available. Its state-of-the-art filtration and enhancement technologies effectively reduce harmful contaminants, while at the same time enhancing the water with important wellness "ions and minerals" that your body needs. Consider grabbing a re-usable glass bottle -- just fill up with purified water from the Wellness Kitchen Filter and you're ready to go!

Is It Time To Give Up Bottled Water? Facts, Marketed Illusions, and Health Risks you May Not Know About

Is it Time to Give Up Bottled Water? The Facts, Marketed Illusions, and Health Risks You May Not Know About
by www.SixWise.com



Americans love bottled water. In fact, in the United States residents drink more bottled water than any other beverage except for soft drinks. In all, that translated to 29 gallons of bottled water, per person, in 2007, for a total volume of nearly 9 billion gallons, according to the Beverage Marketing Corporation.

Why do we drink so much bottled water? Because of an illusion that it is somehow safer, more pure or more convenient than the water we can get at home. In reality, as many consumer and environmental groups are now pointing out, bottled water is not a good choice for your health or the environment.

The Bottled Water Crises

Would you believe that it takes three liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water? It's true, according to the Sierra Club, and the massive withdrawal of water from springs and aquifers is actually depleting household wells in rural areas while damaging wetlands and lakes.

Perhaps even more concerning are the vast amounts of waste. In the United States, more than 30 billion plastic water bottles are thrown away each year, and most are not recycled. A plastic bottle can take up to 1,000 years to decompose, and as a result of all of the plastic waste there is now a massive patch of garbage called the "Eastern Garbage Patch" floating in the Pacific Ocean. In fact, 90 percent of all floating marine litter is plastic.

Meanwhile, in order to produce the bottled water consumed by the United States in 2006 it required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil, according to the Pacific Institute. When you add in the energy it takes to transport the water to bottling plants, then transport the bottles to stores, your home and ultimately landfills, it equals filling a plastic bottle one quarter full of oil.

A gallon of bottled water can cost you up to $10, which is more than twice the cost of gasoline.

Are Your Risking Your Health by Drinking Bottled Water?

Ironically, while many people think bottled water is safer than tap water, drinking bottled water may pose a risk to your health. To start, bottled water is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has weaker regulations than the Environmental Protection Agency requires for tap water. While tap water is not allowed to contain any E. coli or fecal coliform, for instance, bottled water is allowed some contamination.

Further, FDA rules exempt waters that are packaged and sold within a single state -- which describes between 60 percent and 70 percent of all U.S. bottled water. About one out of five states don't regulate these waters, either, and carbonated water and seltzer are also exempt.

Even bottled water that is regulated may still be contaminated. The Sierra Club reports that the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) tested 103 brands of bottled water and found contamination exceeding allowable limits in about one-third of the brands, including toxins such as arsenic, synthetic organics and bacteria.

As we pay from 240 to 5,000 times more for bottled water than tap water (no wonder Americans spend about $11 billion on bottled water every year, according to the Beverage Marketing Corp.), it may irk you to know that the NRDC found that about one-fourth of bottled water is actually bottled tap water (some say it's as much as 40 percent). And just because a bottled water is labeled "Spring," "Pure," or "from a pristine source," doesn't mean it is.

The NRDC found one bottle labeled "Spring Water" that was actually from an industrial parking lot next to a hazardous waste site.

How About Some BPA With Your Bottled Water? Health WARNING!

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a chemical widely used to manufacture plastic water bottles. The chemical is capable of leaching from the plastic into the water you drink, and it's known that both heat and age increase the leaching of chemicals from the plastic. Why is this concerning?

Because BPA mimics the female hormone estrogen, impacting fertility, reproductive health and potentially promoting cancer. Recent studies also linked BPA to heart disease, diabetes and liver problems. What's worse is that chronic exposure to very low levels of BPA, such as might occur when drinking bottled water, is potentially very harmful.

"An expert panel of scientists has concluded that exposure to extremely low doses of bisphenol A is strongly linked to diseases such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and diabetes, and to reproductive and neurological development," the Sierra Club reports.

And single-serve bottles are not the only ones to be concerned about. Consumer Reports found in 2000 that eight of 10 5-gallon water jugs they tested contained residues of BPA.

Superior Water, Convenience and Zero Waste: The Wellness H2.O

Wellness H2.OThe Wellness H2.O enhanced water bottle is the next evolution in water technology. Not content with merely replacing wasteful bottled water, the Wellness H2.O combines the best portable filtration technology with rare Japanese stones and a patented enhancement process to produce an unparalleled quality of water.

*

The ultimate environment product. Eliminates 1,100+ plastic bottles, reduces carbon emissions and conserves natural resources.
*

Saves you up to $1,000 in bottled water purchases per year.
*

Only bottle to produce nourishing, better-than-bottled-quality, "enhanced" water without the cost or waste associated with bottled water.
*

Assures you and your family of safe and healthy water ... no matter where you go.

Order Your Wellness H2.O Now!

BPA is so widely used that it may be nearly impossible to avoid exposure entirely, however you can greatly reduce your exposure by avoiding BPA-containing products as much as possible, including one of the biggest BPA predators: plastic water bottles.

Plastic containing BPA may be called:

*

Polycarbonate
*

Lexan
*

Polysulfone

Though it is generally clear, it can be tinted in various colors. Plastic that contains BPA carries the #7 recycling symbol, as well, so never use those bottles.

A Convenient, Healthy and Environmentally Friendly Alternative to Bottled Water

Given the immense environmental toll, the health risks, the potentially poor water quality, and the fact that you can pay up to 5,000 times more for the privilege of drinking bottled water instead of tap water, many people are looking for an alternative ... and Sixwise has found it.

The Wellness H2.0 combines the convenience of bottled water without the waste and with superior water quality; it is the next generation of water!

The guiding principle behind the Wellness H2.O is that water should be free ... free from harmful contaminants, free from plastic bottles, and free from the tap.

The Wellness H2.O is a personal, reusable water bottle that features a unique filtration system that not only purifies ordinary tap water, but also enhances the water for better absorption and hydration. With this special filtration process you'll have access to high quality water wherever you go.

Over the life of a single Wellness H2.O water bottle you will eliminate the need for over 1,100 plastic bottles and all of the monetary and environmental costs associated with collecting, bottling, warehousing, transporting and retailing of water that is already available from any tap around the globe.

Superior Water Right From the Tap

There's no need to order expensive bottled water for your home use either. The Wellness Kitchen Water Filter reduces chlorine, chloramines, cysts, VOCs, pesticides, and herbicides -- including DEET -- below detectable levels for the life of the filter. It even has a digital LED display that tells you when it needs to be changed (to assure it is working and effective).

The Wellness Kitchen combines the best filtration and enhancement technologies to deliver the purest and most natural tasting water available. It effectively reduces harmful contaminants, while at the same time enhancing the water with adding important yet delicate wellness "ions and minerals" that your body needs.

So instead of buying bottled water, you can get superior water in your own kitchen. And when you're on the go, the Wellness H2.O ensures that you'll have clean, healthy water no matter where you are.

For the sake of the environment, your health and even your wallet, join the countless people who are doing their part to end the bottled water crises -- by ditching bottled water once and for all.

Recommended Reading

Bottled Water: Which City's Tap Water System is Making a Flood of Cash off of You?

Warning: Diabetes, Liver, and Heart Disease Linked to Everyday Plastics

Shopping for Safer Produce

Shopping for Safer Produce

http://www.seventhgeneration.com/learn/news/shopping-safer-produce

Unlike organic foods, conventional produce is often treated with pesticides and other chemicals while it´s being grown and after it´s been harvested. The pesticides are typically made from some of the most toxic substances available, and their residues often remain on the foods we buy in the supermarket.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) examined over 100,000 federal government pesticide residue test results and found that 192 different chemicals were present in varying amounts on common fruits and vegetables. Based on this analysis, the EWG ranked these 10 foods as the most contaminated, starting with the worst (peaches).

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Sweet Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Lettuce
9. Grapes (Imported)
10. Pears

Best on the list were onions, avocados, and frozen sweet corn.
For the complete list see FoodNews from the EWG.

Regardless of where your favorite fruits and vegetables fall on the EWG list, all conventional produce should be washed before being eaten. Although washing can´t completely eradicate pesticide contamination, it can make your food much healthier to eat.

Steps for washing produce:
1) Use a glass bowl or your sink for washing produce. The stuff you´re removing will leave behind residues, and glass bowls and sinks are much easier to clean than plastic.

2) Most pesticides are oil-based so you´ll need some soap for the job. Your choices include products like Clean Greens and other specifically formulated washes, or a vegetable-based product like Seventh Generation dish liquid.

3) Fill the bowl with lukewarm to semi-hot water. The temperature you choose will depend on the fragility of the produce you´re cleaning. Generally, the warmer the water, the more effective the cleaning will be, so don´t be afraid to add a little heat if your produce can take it. Always finish with a cold water rinse.

4) Add a teaspoon of soap, agitate the water until it gets sudsy, toss in the produce, and soak it for a few minutes. Use less time for thin-skinned foods like berries, more for hard skinned foods like celery.

5) After soaking, start scrubbing!. Hard skinned foods like peppers and apples can be scrubbed with a vegetable brush. Soft-skinned foods like peaches will require a gentle hand washing. Delicate items like berries won´t be able to take either so just agitate them gently.

6) Rinse the food thoroughly in as warm water as possible, finish with a cold water rinse, and place the food on a rack or other surface to dry. Or use a salad spinner for faster results. Again, be careful with berries!

7) Scrub clean whatever container you used. You´ve just washed off some nasty stuff, and a good cleaning gets it out of your kitchen.

Even food you´re planning to peel, from bananas to eggplants, should be washed first because you can easily transfer pesticide residues from its skin to the edible portions inside.

8) Make sure the counter where you will put your washed produce is free of chemicals, including those found in many conventional kitchen cleaners.