Is Dangerous Plastic Harming You?

It is intriguing how some products ultimately become an integral part of our daily routine. Once people get used to their usage, the adverse side effects of that product come into the lime light. Dangerous plastic is one such item that has its traces in almost every kitchen commodity: in cutlery, bottles, wraps, oil containers, water bottlers, baby bottles — the list is never ending. Our usage of plastic has become such a routine that we forget to reflect on its disadvantages. Not only is it harmful for the environment, it is also dangerous for our bodies.

We shifted to using paper bags when plastic bags were deemed dangerous, but what about the endless other products that have plastic packaging? Various studies have been conducted regarding the dangerous nature of plastic – specifically, its key element Bisphenol-A.

The dangers of BPA in adults: The compound termed also as BPA has been used in the plastic manufacturing business since 1891 and in the US alone, 23 billion pounds of the matter is manufactured annually. BPA mimics the human hormone estrogen. This mimicry does a truckload of harm to the human body. The BPA leeching causes obesity and low sperm count. Also it is responsible for infertile sperm, breast and prostate cancer amongst other harmful effects. Particularly in girls this can cause early puberty as well as miscarriage. Other known effects are: hyperactivity, diabetes, altered immune systems and schizophrenia. So how are these multitude of problems basically caused?

In essence, BPA is an unstable compound. When exposed to heat, the compounds break up into subsequent particles that are then leeched into the food or the drink. Therefore, whenever you heat food in the microwave in a plastic container, or with a plastic wrap around it, you are basically initializing the germ that then enters your body and starts the destructive cycle.

How BPA threatens infants: However, it is not us the adults who are most prone to the harmful nature of BPA, but the infants. Whenever the mother heats the plastic bottle in an attempt to sterilize it, BPA is leeched into the milk or water. Children remain prone to the harmful side effects owing to the greater exposure they face, per pound of body weight. The brain and body of the child is immature, it is still in the learning phase. The intervention of BPA into this learning phase makes deep gashes on the well being of the child: with adverse effects on their intellectual growth and their social being. Being at a risk from such a young age can make the cause of disease extremely difficult to detect.

Escaping the dangers posed by BPA leeching in plastics can be achieved simply by altering your plastic-dependent life style. Look for alternatives, use glass instead of plastic bottles; purchase cartons instead of plastic packaging. And if the usage of plastic is inevitable, then avoid heating the plastic to initiate the BPA effect.[source]

What are your thoughts on the ubiquitous use of dangerous plastic?