Plastic arguably has made the world a better
place – in some very important ways. Plastic allows us to preserve food, sterilize equipment, and create building
materials or safety products (think baseball helmets.) Plastic is
relatively inexpensive, … or is it? Read on. . .
Plastic is generally NOT
biodegradable. However, over time it will wear down into
microscopic pieces. Much of it finds it's way to the world's oceans
where it can release some potentially troublesome compounds (such as BPAs and PCBs.). The microscopic materials are consumed by plankton and microorganisms, which are then consumed by
other organisms, and eventually further up the food chain – we
Humans.
BPA and PCBs are two classes of
compounds known as Endocrine Disrupting
Chemicals.
EDCs are defined as “substances in our environment, food, and
consumer products that interfere with hormone biosynthesis,
metabolism, or action resulting in a deviation from normal
homeostatic control or reproduction.” In 2009 The Endocrine Society
published a Scientific
Statement reviewing the supporting scientific evidence of effects of
EDCs on reproduction, breast cancer, prostate cancer, thyroid
disease, metabolism/obesity, and cardiovascular disease. There
are literally thousands of known EDCs. They can be synthetic
such as PCBs, DDT, DES, or dioxin, or natural compounds such as
phytoestrogens.
EDCs
may not only affect one individual but also the children and
subsequent generations of that individual. This effect is not by way
of genetic mutation but rather by affecting how genes are expressed
(by DNA methylation and histone acetylation.) In other words, by way
of epigenetic expression.
There
is much debate on risk and significance of low dose exposure to BPA and EDCs in general. One
of the problems is that it may take years or decades of exposure
before the effects become apparent.
Can
we, or should we, avoid using plastic?
.We
can refuse a plastic shopping bag for purchase of a package of
chewing gum. Avoiding the use of plastic for most other things may be
fairly impractical and probably impossible. How we dispose of
plastic when we are though with it is another matter. We can be smart
about recycling not merely for the benefit of some rare species in a
remote corner of the world, but for us now. It is estimated by
The
CDC that 93% of Americans have BPA in their urine. I don't know about
you, but I would like to avoid dealing with cancer, diabetes,
thyroid, and prostate issues if possible. Certainly, I do not wish to
gift the same to my children or grandchildren either.
References:
Diamanti-Kandarakis,
Bourguignon, Giudice, Hauser, Prins, Soto, Zoeller, & Gore .
Endocrine-disrupting
chemicals: an Endocrine Society scientific statement
Endocr
Rev.
2009 Jun;30(4):293-342. doi: 10.1210/er.2009-0002
Maffini,
Maricel & S Rubin, Beverly & Sonnenschein, Carlos & Soto,
Ana. (2006).
Endocrine disruptors and reproductive health: The case
of bisphenol-A. Molecular and cellular endocrinology. 254-255.
179-86. 10.1016/j.mce.2006.04.033.
Le Corre L1, Besnard P, Chagnon MC.
BPA,
an energy balance disruptor.
Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2015;55(6):769-77. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2012.678421.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24915348
BPA and Obesity in Children
Eng
DS, Lee JM, Gebremariam A, Meeker JD, Peterson K, Padmanabhan V.
2013.
Bisphenol A and chronic disease risk factors in U.S. children.
Pediatrics 132(3):e637-e645.
Other Links:
E.P.A. Website:
N.P.R. Story on microplastics:
