according to scientists, is no longer just about the unsightly litter
we see just about everywhere we go.
Increasingly concern is growing about the toxic contaminants
with and attracted to plastic debris.
contain many toxic chemicals, such as flame-retardants, aromatic
hydrocarbons, Bisphenol A,
and phthalates in their manufacture.
The concern now is that
these chemicals may be leaching out of the
plastic into the environment and into the food chain.
It has also been suggested that Bisphenol
A may be leaching into sea
waters from the epoxy resins on boats.
Bisphenol A (BPA)
(BPA) is an industrial chemical that’s been used since the 1960s in the
manufacture of polycarbonate (PC) plastics, polyester resins, epoxy
resins and those two part paints.
BPA is also used to make thousands of other products from safety
equipment to eyeglasses to computer and cell phone casings.
It is also used in food
packaging, such as the epoxy resins lining on
the inside of metal food and beverage cans.
has been suggested that BPA (even in trace amounts) may result in an
array of health problems, such as chromosomal and reproductive system
abnormalities, impaired brain and neurological functions, cancer,
cardiovascular system damage, adult-onset diabetes, early puberty,
obesity and resistance to chemotherapy.
The concern now is not so
much that it is imbedded in plastic but that it can leach out.
Should We Be Concerned about Plastic Pollution?
I'm afraid that I
I have had no scientific training (apart from making stink bombs as a
best that I can do is to highlight the fact that there is growing
concern among the environmental health lobbies and in some governmental
The use of BPA in
baby bottles and ‘sippy cups’ has been banned in
Europe and Canada.
Great Lakes and Environment Committee of the Michigan House of
Representatives approved a bill that will eventually ban the
manufacture, sale, and distribution of several plastic items found in
the average American pantry.
In May 2009, Minnesota became the
first state in the USA to ban BPA from plastic baby bottles and sippy
Connecticut, Chicago, Suffolk County, NY, and other areas have imposed
And several plastic bottle manufacturers
and retailers have stopped or decreased production of the
in response to lessening demand from concerned consumers.
Data Safety Sheets and Technical Data Sheets are notoriously
inconsistent in their level of detail and generally fail to reveal
proprietary blends and processes.
The manufacturer’s response is usually that any toxicity levels in
their products are well below safety standards.
where studies have been made into the levels of BPA contamination in
the environment is has been noted that levels seem to be rising.
normal conditions the BPA in that plastic pollution it does not readily
degrade in the environment, it just continues to accumulate.
Unfortunately scientific research has only recently begun to address
the subject is highly political, with environmental political pressure
groups on one side, manufacturers on the other and us consumers as the
'guinea pigs' in the middle.
But lest we forget, Bisphenol A
is an endocrine disruptor,
DDT, is also an endocrine
disruptor, it was once
touted as a wonder product untill it was eventually banned, after a
great deal of damage had been done.
the mean time Plastic Pollution is still creating unsightly litter and
seen just about everywhere we go.