01/29/2020 / By Darnel Fernandez
Before you start digging in your latest take-out purchase and taking a sip out of your soda can, it would be wise to make sure that you aren’t exposing yourself to plastics that contain toxic chemicals. Bisphenols are a group of industrial chemicals used to manufacture plastics and resins. Bisphenol-A (BPA), the most infamous of the lot, is found in a large number of hard plastics which we use every day. Products that contain BPA include water bottles, dental fillings, food containers and even sports equipment. Now, experts are claiming that exposure to these chemicals could bring harmful effects to your overall health. Here’s everything you need to know about bisphenol-A (and ways to avoid exposure).
One of the main sources of BPA exposure is through your diet. When BPA products are made, not all of the chemicals are sealed into the product. This allows these chemicals to break free and seep into the container’s contents. For example, a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found that BPA levels in urine decreased by 66 percent after participants avoided packaged food for three days. But what exactly makes it bad?
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there is concern towards BPA because it is a “reproductive, developmental, and systemic toxicant in animal studies and is weakly estrogenic, there are questions about its potential impact particularly on children’s health and the environment.”
Plenty of research has associated this chemical to a variety of health conditions in both human and animal studies. A study published in the journal Reproductive Toxicology found that exposure to BPA could affect the male reproductive system, brain and even metabolic provinces. Another study, conducted by Japanese researchers, linked exposure to BPA to recurrent miscarriages.
Because BPA exposure could lead to a myriad of negative health effects, it is important to develop strategies to reduce, if not completely avoid, your overall BPA exposure. Below you can find a few tips that can help you keep your exposure to this endocrine disruptor at an all-time low. (Related: Bisphenol A chemical commonly found in canned soup and food storage plastics.)
Learn more about bisphenol-A and how it affects your health at Toxins.news.
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