BPA-free water bottles have popped up everywhere. They come in a rainbow of colors. You can acquire them basically everywhere, from the corner Walgreens to the merchandise stand at your favorite band's concert. They keep you hydrated. They last. They are good for the environment, and evidently, for you as well.
A startling conclusion was revealed in 2008. BPA, or Bisphenol A, is hazardous to your health. BPA is a common organic molecule found in plastics and is linked to neurological damage, thyroid disease, certain cancers and heart disease. The safety frenzy began for good reason. BPA is also found in baby bottles and children's toys. Children are the most susceptible to neurological damage as their young brains develop. Mothers across Wisconsin can breathe a sigh of relief though. On March 3, thanks to efforts by WISPIRG, Gov. Doyle agreed to sign the BPA Free Kids Act, which banned the toxic chemical from all manufacture and sale in the state. Wisconsin is the third state in the country to do so.
But BPA is not just harmful to our bodies, it also takes a toll on the environment, especially from our wastewater leakage into natural water sources and the incredible amount of plastics we throw away every day. Low levels of BPA in water systems have been shown to have harmful effects on fish and amphibian reproductive organs, and they do not just affect animal reproductive systems. Low BPA levels have been shown to cause miscarriages in women and low sperm counts in men. Scary fact of the day: Scientists found levels of BPA in women with a history of recurrent miscarriage three times higher than in women who had normal pregnancies. Extremely low BPA levels in lab mice even caused Down Syndrome.
With so many known harmful effects, it is disturbing to know that a study conducted in 2007 found that the average human has more BPA in his system than the levels that are harmful to laboratory test animals. In fact, 95 percent of humans showed traces of it in their urine, and only low levels of exposure are needed to cause some serious problems. BPA has a weak chemical bond, and thus can break apart and leach very easily into our water and food, exposing us to its harmful effects on a daily basis.
Because BPA is an endocrine system disrupter, meaning that it throws off the body's natural hormone levels by mimicking them, it is especially dangerous when exposure happens during child development and puberty. I don't know about you, but I played with a lot of plastic toys as a child (especially Legos!). It makes me wonder what my IQ would have been if I was only allowed to play with cardboard TV boxes instead. I might have been a Harvard grad or a lead scientist working at NASA or some other super-cliche job that smart people have. That got me thinking: If my plastic childhood toys are so dangerous, what else is?
It is not surprising that many of the household items we use daily, including cleaners that kill harmful viruses and bacteria, are fueling the fire for numerous cancers and diseases. Almost everything we use today has been chemically created or involves a chemical process, so is it any wonder that it seems every person today beyond the age of 60 is almost guaranteed cancer? What can we do about it? Ban all plastics? Ban cleaners? Live in plastic bubbles? Oh wait, those probably have BPA too.
At least we are starting with the most vulnerable cases. Wisconsin: 1. Bad BPA: 0. But unless you get your meal out of a baby bottle every day at lunch, you are still being exposed this very minute. Hopefully someday soon, we will successfully ban all BPA. But until then, we might have to start living in trees and eating acorns if we want to stop toxins from leaching into our bodies for good.
Samantha Egelhoff is a junior majoring in zoology with a certificate in environmental studies. We welcome all feedback. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
