"Are the BPA-Free Alternatives Safe?"
Recent human studies indicate that exposure
to the plastics chemical BPA may be associated with infertility,
miscarriage, premature delivery, reduced male sexual function,
polycystic ovaries, altered thyroid and immune function,
diabetes, heart disease, and on down the list.
Yet, as recently as March 2012, the FDA stated that low levels
of BPA in food are considered safe,
but months later, to their credit,the agency banned
the use of BPA plastics in baby bottles and sippy cups.
Wow, regulators standing up to industry;
maybe I shouldn’t be so cynical.
Oh wait, the ban was at the behest of the plastics industry.
They had already stopped using BPA in baby bottles;
so, ban away— it was their idea.
What they did is switch from BPA to similar compounds
like BPF and BPS;
and so now, our diet contains everything from BPA to BPZ.
So now, the majority of us have these new chemicals
in our bodies as well— are they any safer?
Well, based on the similarities of their chemical structures,
they are all predicted to affect testosterone production
and estrogen receptor activity,
but only recently were they put to the test.
We've known BPA significantly suppresses testosterone production,
and now, we know so do BPS and BPF,
the first report describing adverse effects
on a physiologic function in humans.
Well, kinda.
These were experiments performed on the testicles
of aborted human fetuses.
But bottom line, BPS and BPF seemed to have similar anti-androgenic,
meaning anti-male hormone, effects to BPA.
So, when you’re assured that,
“Don’t worry, your sales slip at the store was BPA-free,”
it may just be BPS instead.
And, BPS receipts may contain up to 40% more BPS
than it would have had BPA;
so, BPA-free could be even worse.
In fact, all BPA-replacement products tested to date
released chemicals having reliably detectable estrogenic activity.
And, this includes Tritan, which is specifically marketed
as being estrogen activity free,
but drip an extract on human breast cancer cells in petri dish,
and you can accelerate their growth,
an effect that’s abolished by an estrogen blocker,
as you can see in the red lines.
Now, this was after exposing them to simulated sunlight.
Only 1 out of 3 Tritan products showed estrogen activity
in an unstressed state, not exposed to microwaving, heat, or UV rays.
Because there would be no value in trading
one health hazard for another,
we should urgently focus on the human health risk assessment
of all these BPA substitutes.
In the meanwhile, there are steps we can take to limit our exposure.
We can reduce our use of polycarbonate plastics,
which are usually labeled with recycle codes 3 or 7,
and opt for fresh and frozen food over canned goods,
especially tuna and condensed soups.
Canned fruit consumption didn’t seem to matter,
but weekly canned vegetable consumption
was associated with increased BPA exposure.
If you do use plastics, don’t microwave them,
don't put them in the dishwasher, don't leave them in the sun
or a hot car, and don't use ones that are scratched.
But using glass, ceramic, or stainless steel containers
are probably best.