Is BPA Really That Bad?

Here at Triangle Acupuncture Clinic a large part of our practice is working with infertility.  For years now we have known about the negative fertility effects of BPA, a chemical found in most plastics until a couple years ago.  Now, it seems that every time I turn around yet another study is proving just how bad BPA is for our health.  Most recently a study from University of Texas at Galveston found that women who had higher levels of BPA in their bloodstream were more likely to have preterm babies. 

They attribute this to the abnormal inflammation caused by BPA exposure that contributes to problems during pregnancy. 

BPA is all around us.  Even though some companies who make water bottles and baby products have started using alternative (albeit just as questionable and as yet untested) chemicals in their plastics, we still have a vast amount of BPA in our daily lives.  Receipts generated by cash registers and credit card machines are coated in a layer of BPA that rubs off on your fingers and then absorbs into your skin when it’s handed to you.  If your vegetables and fruits at the grocery store aren’t already packaged in plastic, we grab a plastic bag and fill it up.  All of our meats get pre-packaged with plastic or wrapped in plastic at the deli counter.  Most canned foods come in a can lined with BPA.  Think about yogurt cups, bags of chips, bags of coffee, blocks of cheese – is there anything that doesn’t come in a plastic container?! 

Why is BPA bad?  BPA binds to our estrogen receptors and this is a concern for both men and women.  When a chemical binds to our estrogen receptors the result is that our own natural estrogen can no longer bind where it needs to.  Also, when BPA binds to and activates a receptor it influences gene expression and regulates cell signaling.  The main effects that we see on the rise because of this includes breast and prostate cancer, regional decline in sperm counts, early sexual maturation in females, increasing neurobehavioral problems, increasing prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes, and immune system effects.  

Are you alarmed yet?  I think we all should be.  The collective problem of being exposed unknowingly to BPA and other chemicals – phthalates and parabens to name a couple - is quite large.  You see a commercial for laundry soap that smells like oranges or household cleaners that leave a lemon scent and you want to have that, but the real price is that the scent is actually a chemical residue that when you breathe it in, it harms your health.  How is it that this conveniently unspoken truth in the sunny commercial is not a factor in what we as a public get a chance to base our decisions on?   Why and how is this allowed if the pervasive health problems listed above may be in some part a result of constant chemical exposure?    

Lacking an answer to these questions, it is up to us to make sure we limit our exposure.   In counseling infertility patients on optimizing their health when trying to conceive, we have a few basic suggestions on ways to avoid BPA that are easy to incorporate if not all at once, over time as you can.  We have another set of suggestions for the other chemicals in our environment but let’s just think about plastic for now:

• Avoid using plastic in the kitchen.  Switch to glass storage containers, glass, stainless steel or ceramic for plates, utensils, serving bowls, and water bottles.   Don’t buy water in plastic bottles.
• Try to cook at home primarily and avoid take-out containers made of plastic.  Think of the hot Indian take-out you get in a softened, partially melted plastic container – not good.   
• Never microwave food in a plastic tray or wrapper.  Heating plastic increases it’s leaching rate and so you get more of the plastic in your food.  Many restaurants utilize microwaves in their kitchens and often zap food in a plastic dish before serving it. 
• Avoid coffee machines that run boiling water through plastic parts and instead switch to a French press or Italian style stove top system like the Bialetti.
• Wash your hands after touching receipts.  The thermal paper used in credit card and cash register machines is coated in BPA.
• Shop with a basket at the grocery store and avoid items that are wrapped in plastic.  Avoid things like frozen veggies that encourage you to “microwave them right in the bag” and convenience items that are cooked in their packaging.   

As you begin to notice all the plastic around you, it will be easier to start choosing how much you’re exposed to.   Plastic may be convenient but when it comes to things we put into our bodies, plastic should not be one of them.