Safeguard Your Health - Avoid Plastics

It's very hard not to use anything that is made of plastic nowadays. Nearly all products sold in the market are packed or contained in something made of plastic. We use them in our everyday living, for storing food or liquids and even for preparing food. In this age of plastics, glass containers seem to have faded away. You can hardly find one. More and more illnesses have surfaced that can be linked to plastic use, affecting everybody, young and old. Eight year old girls having menses never actually happened during my teenage years. Today, that is not surprising considering BPA mimics the female hormone, estrogen. Research and studies show that a surprising 90% of the people have BPA trace residues in their bodies. In 1891, Bisphenol was created but its production was introduced in the market only in the 50's. The chemical Bisphenol or BPA was leaking from some containers that's why its release to the public was delayed. Bisphenol as defined is a chemical substance that is synthetically made and generally used in the production of polycarbonate plastics. It was discovered that BPA has a great risk factor in animal developments (even in small doses) by functioning like the estrogen hormone. Bisphenol A, branded as "environmental hormone", with traces of it in subjects involving animals and test tube experiments, it was found to be the cause of imbalances in their hormones. Breast cancer, prostate cancer, premature menses and structural changes in the brain are among its effects. Babies being fed on plastic bottles nowadays, that's really something to worry about! Bisphenol A is in fact regarded as a very hazardous chemical. Canada and with its Ministry of Health, was the first country to advocate safety measures in the utilization of BPA and regulate its exposure. Everyone knows the danger the chemical poses when contact is made, that information is already too old. Dodds and Lawson in 1936 and 1938 were the first to establish estroginicity when they tested it on ovariectomized rats. They added BPA in their consumption. These experiments were shown to even underestimate the affects of BPA on humans. It's purpose is to harden the plastic and provide a lightweight, clear, heat and electrical resistant, and shatter resistant container. Polycarbonates are in just about anything you can think of, from eyeglass lenses, CD's, DVD's, computers, tools, car headlights, sports safety equipment, medical devices, incubators, and reusable drink and food containers - and even the linings of beverage and food cans. Almost 3 million metric tons of Bisphenol A is consumed by the entire world in 2003 as shown in the Chemical Economics Handbook, SRI Consulting of August 2004. To reduce your exposure to Bisphenol A, there are various ways to do that. If at all possible, buy your foods in glass jars such as tomato/spaghetti sauce, pickles, but especially tomato because the acid in the tomatoes causes more leakage of the BPA's. Have vegetables and fruits that are freshly picked as these have no BPA content. Pick soft drinks and juices that are packed in glass bottles. And for your baby, use glass bottles. I use glass or ceramic whenever I can. And don't forget your pets. Use ceramic, glass or stainless food and water (the toilet doesn't count!) dishes. Birdbaths too are available in the market made of glass or ceramic which are very colorful by the way. It makes the garden look very pretty and lessens the risk of wildlife and domestic animals getting exposed to BPA. Besides, glass can be reprocessed and reused. In any case, glass still prevails!  Buy a ceramic bowl for your pets. They deserve the best from you. At Best Pet Products, they've got plenty of ceramic bowls to decide on from. Acquire one now.