Posted on 10/27/2010 12:06:46 PM PDT by Kaslin
Canada has announced it will ban the chemical bisphenol A -- known as BPA -- which is used to make plastic water and baby bottles.
The head of the Canadian environmental group Environmental Defence is thrilled:
"Kudos to the federal government. ... We look forward to seeing BPA legally designated as 'toxic' as soon as possible."
But the evidence doesn't actually show that BPA is toxic. Europe's equivalent of the FDA concluded: "(T)he data currently available do not provide convincing evidence of neurobehavioral toxicity."
Richard Sharpe of the University of Edinburgh explained:
"Some early animal studies produced results suggesting the possibility of adverse effects relevant to human health, but much larger, carefully designed studies in several laboratories have failed to confirm these initial studies."
The initial studies injected BPA into animals, rather than giving it by mouth, which is how we humans are exposed. Since BPA degrades in the gut when we consume it, very little gets to our cells.
Yet many people are sure BPA causes not only breast and prostate cancer but also obesity, diabetes, attention deficit hyperactivity, autism, liver disease, ovarian disease, disease of the uterus, low sperm count and heart disease. When a chemical is said to cause so many disorders, that's a sure sign of unscientific hysteria. But a documentary called "Tapped" says it's true. It quotes experts claiming "BPA may be one of the most potent toxic chemicals known to man."
Nonsense. Not only is there no good evidence that BPA locked into plastic can hurt people, it actually saves lives by stopping botulism.
"Since BPA became commonplace in the lining of canned goods, food-borne illness from canned foods -- including botulism -- has virtually disappeared," says the American Council of Science and Health.
You never hear the good news about BPA in the mainstream media. Fear-mongering gets better ratings.
"Tapped" also asserts that other dangerous chemicals poison bottled water. In the film, toxicologist Dr. Stephen King says that we should be "horrified" at all those chemicals. But when we called King, he sent us a study saying "testing" reveals a surprising array of chemical contaminants in every bottled water brand analyzed -- at levels no different from those routinely found in tap water.
"Tapped" claims cancer rates are up because of these chemicals, but that's another myth. Cancer incidence rates are flat. They would have declined if not for new screening methods. Life spans are up, too.
Not every mom has fallen for the BPA scare. "Truth or Scare," the blog of a woman who calls herself "Junk Science Mom," recently called out one of the people behind the anti-BPA campaign: scaremonger/hustler David Fenton:
"If you believe what you see and hear in the media, those fighting an unnecessary battle against bisphenol-A (BPA) are altruistic individuals concerned about health and safety. ... But there is an ugly truth behind the scenes that you will never hear about in the media. Greed, propaganda, political agendas, profits, lies and scams. And it all can be tied to one person and one powerful PR firm. David Fenton and Fenton Communications. ...
"He is the puppet master, and we moms are his puppets. He orchestrates the scare, and we, being fearful for our children, unknowingly carry out his plan for him. He comes out a winner, and we are duped into wasting our time, money and energy fighting a battle that never needed to be fought."
Good for you, Junk Science Mom, whoever you are. "Truth or Scare" is a wonderful addition to the debate.
But if BPA isn't toxic, why will Canada ban it? And why have Connecticut and Minnesota already done so? Because scientifically illiterate legislators are quick to panic. When the media sensationalize, legislators respond. Two FDA scientists -- Ronald J. Lorentzen and David G. Hattan --[AZ1] note the bias toward sensationalism: "The disquieting public invocations made by some ... about the perils of exposure (to BPA) ... galvanize the public debate."
When even notoriously risk-averse FDA scientists speak out against the BPA panic, the scaremongers must have gone absurdly far.
They can if they are filled with gravel and hurled at your head.
Trust me on this one!
But the evidence doesn't actually show that BPA is toxic.
Don't bother the greenie zealots with science dammit!
Neither did DDT but the liberal morons got it banned anyway, thereby causing who knows how many thousands/millions deaths from malaria.
Has fat ass Gore jumped on this band wagon yet?
I drink a huge amount of beer and of course beer cans are lined with this crap.
I’m fine. Case closed. 8^P
I truly wish these idiots would shi$ or get off the pot and make a damn decision and stick with it. In the 70's it was save the rain forest and stop using paper bags for groceries and use the new plastic ones, now it is plastic grocery bags are bad for the environment and we need to go to an eco friendly bag (paper).
A few days ago Glenn Beck was showing some videos they’re indoctrinating children with on PBS. They appear as a test with a right (green) choice and a wrong choice.
Apparently the threats posed by plastic water bottles and juice boxes cannot be taken too seriously.
Yep, this a system that works over and over again -and the taxpayers usually pay for it.
1.Gin up public hysteria using pseudo science.
2.Demand legislators “do something” (usually benefitting a particular group)
3.Stick the taxpayers with the bill.
Of course this has been done with AGW on a large scale, but it’s also done on smaller scales under the radar.
IIRC Maryland has banned it too.
I think we should make our own shopping bags from the animal skins of roadkill.
I have recently been trapping and killing raccoons that killed a few of my ducks and chickens... I’m thinking hats and shopping bags.
It makes a guy like me feel so green and one with nature.....
“Did you know that your socks could kill you?”
“Death lurking in your bureau draw.”
“Film at eleven.”
“Oh, sorry. Socks, after all, are harmless(blush).”
I remember Cyclamates!!!
Your beer cans don’t sit out in the Sun or the heat. Beer & food companies do everything they can to be sure that their products (liquid) are not exposed to sunlight.
Did I miss the memo on “hydration”? I could never figure out why the populace needs to carry what amounts to a modern-day canteen around with them everywhere. Did some study come out that says you’ll live longer if you take a sip of water every 2 minutes? For me it’s pretty simple—go drink a cup of water when you’re thirsty. Repeat several times a day when necessary. The added benefit of this “hydration” strategy is that I get to keep both hands free all day.
I ordered some pet beds off of ebay....they come directly from China. Should I be concerned?
Bad news worse
ALL canned food is touched this stuff - part can linings for years. It is a hardner used in the can linings.
And ya, if the Spagetti-Os won’t kill ya - neither will BPA.
The hard greens disapprove of bottled water. This is the first shot in making it too expensive to sell. It has nothing to do with BPA.
http://www.heartland.org/policybot/results/26444/The_Truth_about_RealClimateorg.html
Fenton works closely with Environmental Media Services. Their head is Gore’s former press secretary.
I recall from some research I did years ago that ALL of EMS staffers at that time were former Gore staffers.
You can trace ALL enviro media scares to these 2 organizations.
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