Sunday, May 15, 2011

Dr.'s Orders - No Plastic Toys, Balls, Bowls

My dear friend Butch, an electrician, was working at a friend's house when he noticed this very tender rash on this dog's mouth.  When he asked what it was, the owner explained that these sores around the dog's mouth are a mystery.  The vet has been treating this condition for some time and came to the conclusion that it is a reaction to plastic.  "No more plastic toys, bowls, or balls for this dog."  The vet is convinced it has to do with something in the plastic.

I gave a talk at the Wilmington Audubon Society meeting in January and described research that has been connecting some health problems to plastic additives such as BPA and phthalates.  Afterward an older man walked up to me and thanked me.  He said, "I had a cat that loved to lick plastic bags.  It died of jaw cancer. I never made the connection."  

We need to make these connections.  According to laboratory tests commissioned by Environmental Working Group, 9 out of 10 Babies' Umbilical Cords Tested Positive with BPA.  Studies I've read done by the chemical companies report that BPA is flushed out of the body within two hours of ingestion and doesn't bio accumulate.  So how do they account for finding it in the lifeline to unborn children?  

BPA is not found in glass so to avoid one of the ways of getting BPA in our bodies, try not to eat or drink out of plastic containers.