
Dangerous: Bisphenol A (BPA) is found in plastic containers and water bottles, on the inside of food cans and in till receipts
Credit: Mike Flippo/Shutterstock
Almost 90 per cent of teenagers have gender-bending chemicals from plastic in their bodies, according to a study.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is found in plastic containers and water bottles, on the inside of food cans and in till receipts.
The chemical, used since the 1960s to make certain types of plastic, mimics the female sex hormone oestrogen, and has been linked to low sperm counts and infertility in men, as well as breast and prostate cancer.
A study by the University of Exeter, whose researchers tested urine samples from 94 teenagers, found 86 per cent had traces of BPA in their body.
Experts fear it is all but impossible to avoid the chemical, given the widespread use of plastic packaging for food.
The study’s co-author Professor Lorna Harries, from the university’s medical school, said: ‘Most people are exposed to BPA on a daily basis. In this study, our student […]
Nearly ten years ago when the problems associated with BPA’s were first making traction in the organic press, a whistleblower released a tape of a meeting of packaging executives planning defense to attack on BPA lining of cans. Besides the normal denial, counter-research, etc. their plan was simply to replace BPA’s with other coatings. They noted that there was no reason to believe those coatings would be any safer and could be even more dangerous….Remember there are some 76,000 chemicals in use that have little or no testing. Then think of the interactions and long term effect of those chemicals in our environment and bodies. Mind-boggling.