Cursed Tongue: Formula, With a Side Order of Neural Damage

Posted by CursedTongue on August 14, 2007

A report released earlier this week by the National Toxicology Program Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (NTP), brings news of the potential dangers of bisphenol A (BPA), a common chemical in hard polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resin. A chemical that the federal government had already established an exposure limit for. (A level of exposure, which most Americans exceed). A chemical that may adversely affect infants, and happened to be common in baby bottles. A chemical that manufacturers assure is “A-okay.”

But the National Toxicology Program Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction and a group of research scientists felt the need to warn the public about risks of exposure to BPA. The NTP report claims that the panel of scientist investigating BPA have “some” concern of the effect of the chemical on the neural systems of developing fetuses.

The research scientists, independent from the NTP go beyond the wishy-washy to say that low-level exposure can cause damage to the human reproductive system. Evidence suggests that contact with BPA may invite reproductive health issues such as fibroids and cancer to the chemical exposure party in modern bodies. The U.S. Department of Regulating the Unwieldy Names of Governmental Agencies declined to comment.

Children in the U.S. are practically swathed in plastic from the moment they are born, because it is “safe.” Supposedly non-toxic and with no sharp edges, plastic keeps cooties off of food, seals in freshness and it’s cheap. BPA is present in everything from the lining of cans to water pipes.

Manufacturers using the chemical to produce their fine products insist that BPA is harmless. I’m sure that it’s not because they have everything to lose if we decide that our children deserve better than to be constantly exposed to a chemical that causes neural and behavior problems in developing fetuses and infants and could harm their chances of reproduction.

I’m sure that the research scientists who are cautioning us about the evils of BPA just wanted to get their pictures in the paper. It’s not as if they could get attention by posting pictures of themselves in thongs on MySpace.

Who do we blame for the insidious seeping of dangerous substances like BPA into our homes? Is it the fault of chemist, Aleksandr Dianin, for synthesizing the chemical? Is it the fault of the company who decided to use the compound in the formation of polymers without doing extensive research on the potential risks? Can we blame the manufacturers who decided to use the chemical in products, which would have prolonged contact with food, water and skin? Is it the fault of the consumer who decided to choose plastic over paper, glass, metal or wood, because it was perceived as safer?

Shame on us! How could we put so much trust in suspicious plastic artifacts that will linger on this Earth long after the Clone Wars, the rule of robotic overlords and future enslavement by a race of hyper-intellectual psychic beings with eyes like Precious Moments dolls?

In this world infused with BPA, who will create the next synthetic that will kill everyone if BPA damages the brains of the current crop of babies and dwindling generations to come? Why aren’t the adverse effects of BPA on the reproductive system working faster on people like Britney Spears? And should we be sending Rubbermaid to Third World countries as a form of birth control?

When Rome fell it was a decadent and indulgent empire, arrogant and unwilling to listen to reason at the end. If they had plastic, I’m sure it would have been in their keyboards, suede microfiber couches and cans of baby formula, too.

Some historians credit the popularity of bathhouses for the decline in population, which certainly contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. What or whoever we chose to blame, there’s little doubt that in the U.S. we’re up to our necks in hot synthetic water now.

- Sarah Letnes

Filed Under: Cursed Tongue, Guest Blog - Comments: Be the First to Comment



top