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86 per cent of teenagers have traces of Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical compound used to make plastics, in their body, an Engaged Research public engagement project in collaboration with the University of Exeter has found.
Measurable levels of BPA, an endocrine-disrupting chemical, were found in the urine of the vast majority of the 94 17-19 year olds tested, according to research at the University of Exeter led by Professor Lorna Harries, Associate Professor in Molecular Genetics, and Professor Tamara Galloway, Professor of Ecotoxicology.
They called for better labelling of packaging to enable consumers to choose BPA-free products.
The citizen-science project was carried out in a real-world setting to provide young people with first-hand experience of all aspects of scientific research.
https://m.medicalxpress.com/news/2018-02-exposure-bisphenol-hard-everyday-life.html
(Score: 4, Insightful) by mobydisk on Tuesday February 06 2018, @05:37PM (6 children)
The term "BPA-free" implies that the plastic is the same, but it just doesn't have BPA. But BPA is often a necessary component. So when you see BPA-free, you should ask "what did they replace the BPA with?" Unfortunately it varies based on the plastic, and we don't always have good information about the alternatives. Really, glass is just a better material for anything you are going to ingest.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday February 06 2018, @05:47PM (2 children)
I haven't seen many problems with polypropylene [wikipedia.org] or polyethylene [wikipedia.org].
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by driverless on Wednesday February 07 2018, @10:41AM (1 child)
A number of women would tend to disagree [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday February 07 2018, @06:03PM
Less of a chemical health issue than a physics one. Irrelevantit.
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(Score: 4, Touché) by Freeman on Tuesday February 06 2018, @06:21PM (1 child)
I would also suggest not ingesting glass. That would be much worse for your health than the side effects from the BPA in the plastic.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 2, Touché) by mobydisk on Tuesday February 06 2018, @07:18PM
touché!
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 06 2018, @06:28PM
They replace it with BPS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_S#Use [wikipedia.org]
and from the same page,
In addition to glass, you can use use stainless steel. But steel coated with plastic (in cans) is a few cents cheaper hence they don't use stainless steel in cans. You know, money before health.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 06 2018, @06:23PM
Once again, we see the xenophobia inherent in contemporary science.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday February 06 2018, @06:58PM (1 child)
"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ended its authorization of the use of BPA in baby bottles and infant formula packaging, based on market abandonment, not safety.[4][dead link]The European Union and Canada have banned BPA use in baby bottles.
The FDA states "BPA is safe at the current levels occurring in foods" based on extensive research, including two more studies issued by the agency in early 2014.[5] The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) reviewed new scientific information on BPA in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2015: EFSA's experts concluded on each occasion that they could not identify any new evidence which would lead them to revise their opinion that the known level of exposure to BPA is safe; however, the EFSA does recognize some uncertainties, and will continue to investigate them.[6]
In February 2016, France announced that it intends to propose BPA as a REACH Regulation candidate substance of very high concern (SVHC).[7] The European Chemicals Agency agreed to the proposal in June 2017.[8]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bisphenol_A [wikipedia.org]
So, progress at the speed of Bureaucracy? Which means, we won't know for sure for another decade.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 3, Insightful) by takyon on Tuesday February 06 2018, @07:03PM
The U.S. government doesn't have a monopoly on safety/health knowledge. In fact, they may be in deliberate ignorance of it.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by bzipitidoo on Tuesday February 06 2018, @08:03PM (7 children)
Drinks just plain taste better in glass containers, without straws. Next best is a wax coated paper cup. I have always been able to taste the plastic when drinking from a plastic cup, and I think most people can. It's very faint, but it is there. Aluminum cans also impart a taste, from the plastic lining, which I have read is made of, yes, BPA. If it can be tasted, it's in the drink. I used not to dwell on the taste differences because they were so faint. Grew up with the plastic gallon milk jug, instead of old time glass milk bottles.
I hope no one thinks drinking cups made out of lead is a good idea, believes no lead at all would leach into the drink or skin of the drinker. Wouldn't surprise me that future generations will be appalled that we used so much plastic on our food. You have to feel a bit sorry for the Romans for using so much lead in their plumbing projects, not knowing how toxic the stuff is.
One thing I wonder about is the 86% figure. Takes a lot of work to avoid plastic, why isn't that number 99%? What's different about the 14% who don't have BPA in the body?
(Score: 4, Funny) by c0lo on Tuesday February 06 2018, @08:21PM
Hypothesis: higher wanking rate, exhausts older stocks of sexual hormones in shorter times.
(grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Tuesday February 06 2018, @08:39PM (3 children)
Breast fed longer?
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 06 2018, @10:38PM (2 children)
Still breast feeding while a teenager may be a bigger problem than BPA exposure, a problem for the teenager and the mother.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 06 2018, @11:46PM
Why do you hate the nuclear family? Everyone knows that "the family that plays together, stays together!"
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Wednesday February 07 2018, @02:01AM
Ewwwww, the breast feeding teen who also 'eats out'.
:-\
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by frojack on Tuesday February 06 2018, @10:41PM (1 child)
Just how much research have you done on this "without straws" angle?
Sounds like something you threw out there to try and kill two birds with one unfounded assertion.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Tuesday February 06 2018, @11:48PM
I always throw out the straws. Not because they're plastic, but because I prefer drinking beverages without them. I find it (and glass containers) much more aesthetically satisfying.
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday February 06 2018, @08:23PM
BPA exposure - sleepless night and all that, it sounds like "British Paedo Association exposure"
(grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Wednesday February 07 2018, @01:38AM (3 children)
"86 per cent of teenagers have traces of Bisphenol A (BPA)" -- backed up by data. Good.
"BPA, an endocrine-disrupting chemical" -- At what dose? What's the LD50 vs. how much they found in the teenpee? This seems like important, missing, data.
"They called for better labelling of packaging to enable consumers to choose BPA-free products." -- And documented why? Or just made an unfounded assertion?
Look, I am not saying that BPA is a yummy health food that we should all eat on crackers, but I do note that there appears to be quite the deficiency in useful data here.
(Score: 2) by Wootery on Wednesday February 07 2018, @10:11AM
Seconded. Is it concerning that they found trace amounts of this compound? Or are we alarmed simply because "Bisphenol A" happens to sound like a chemical weapon?
RationalWiki has a term for this nonsense: https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Chemophobia [rationalwiki.org].
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @11:10AM (1 child)
I bet they also found dihydrogen monoxide. Note that drinking large amounts of dihydrogen monoxide can kill you. [wikipedia.org]
(Score: 2) by requerdanos on Wednesday February 07 2018, @04:19PM
They aren't talking about this result much because of its explosive implications, but the leaked chart below should alarm any good chemophobe.
/---------------------+----------------------------------------------------------\
|.Evil.Chemical.......|.Percent.of.teen.pee.samples.containing.the.evil.chemical.|
|---------------------+----------------------------------------------------------|
|.Bisphenol.A.........|.....................86%..................................|
|.Dihydrogen.Monoxide.|....................100%*.................................|
|---------------------+----------------------------------------------------------|
|.*.even.after.recalibrating.and.checking.lab.equipment!..Huge,.huge.poison......|
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------/