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In case you didn’t already get the news flash: BPA plastic is no good. Yet, it’s still found in many consumer products, from soup cans to store receipts, and it’s been linked to potential problems like obesity and neurological issues. Others have noted the possibility of BPA to cause cancer, drawing indirect links found via other studies.
But now, researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health claim to have found a direct link between BPA and cancer.
As reported by Fast Company, “The study exposed mice to BPA in early life via their mothers’ diet during gestation and nursing and then maintained the mice on a controlled diet until they were 10 months old. The mice were then euthanized. That’s when the researchers noticed that a significant proportion of the test subjects had liver tumors. The mice who received the highest BPA dosage were a staggering seven times more likely to have liver tumors than mice whose mothers had not been exposed to BPA. Overall, 27% of the mice exposed to BPA ended up with liver tumors. The more BPA they were exposed to, the more likely they would get tumors.”
Caren Weinhouse, one of the paper’s authors, claims this is the “first study showing a statistically significant link between early life BPA exposure and later life tumors in any organ when the exposure is to BPA alone.”
From this work, which, unfortunately cost the life of mice, we can note that BPA may play a key role in tumor development.
We aren’t fans of animal testing here at One Green Planet, but the news does give us one more reason to avoid BPA.
What can you do to steer clear of this dangerous BPA stuff?
Avoid canned goods, unless the label designates the can is BPA-free. Wash your hands immediately after handling receipts, or, better yet, save the paper and tell the clerk you don’t even need it printed in the first place. Avoid plastic bottles of all kinds (BPA does note certain numbers – but plastic bottles in general should be avoided). Opt for your own stainless steel or glass containers and refill. You’ll save money, the planet, and possibly your health!
Let’s #CrushPlastic! Click the graphic below for more information.
Image source: nerissa’s ring/Flickr
By switching to a glass and re washing the bottle I cut down by approx 186 plastic bottles p/ year and saved hundreds of dollars on plastic bottled water.
The chemical that replaces BPA is equally toxic. Everyone needs to watch the documentary Plastic Planet.