Observations

Ok, so some of you may think I’m paranoid, but I have a growing skepticism that plastic is really bad for people.   Most recently I discovered that the really expensive Nalgene plastic water bottles I bought awhile back where made from a plastic known as polycarbonate.

Polycarbonate plastic (Recycling code of “7″) contains a chemical known as BPA, which is a chemical that once in your body mimics estrogen.   I knew shortly after buying those bottles that something wasn’t quite right.   If you have one at home, fill it half full of water and cap off the container then wait 3 days and smell the water.  It tastes and smells very plastic-like.  This concerns me, especially since the Nalgene bottles I bought we “BPA free”.   If the water smells like and tastes like plastic, then chemicals from the bottle are most definitely leeching from it.   Since almost all plastic is made from petroleum which is toxic if ingested, it’s got me questioning the safety of plastic in general.

Other things have raised my suspicion of plastic as well.  I went to the grocery store while back and noticed a massive sale on Gladware, and Ziplock containers.  Hy-vee had pallets of this stuff out on the sales floor marked at 80% off its normal price, with no explanation as to why.   I purchased tons of it, paying like 25 cents per container.  Then about a month later I went to buy some more because I liked the smaller containers, only to realize the price had adjusted back to its original pricing.  When carefully looking at the label, these NEW containers where marked “BPA free”.  I was under the impression that only very tough, transparent plastics like polycarbonate contained it.   I noticed that many other companies are going BPA free as well, but while quietly slashing costs on all of their back stock.

This, in combination with several studies that show evidence that plastic is not only hurting the planet in terms of garbage and pollution, but also in terms of poisoning lakes and rivers, which then poison the fish we eat, was enough to make me switch to only drinking water from glass or stainless steel.

So today while feeling proud of myself for making a switch to a stainless steel bottle caught myself filling it up from a Culligan water cooler…  dispensing water that is stored in a POLYCARBONATE JUG.   I felt like a fool.  Reasonable, considering today is April Fools Day, but this isn’t a joke.

BE CAREFUL and BE AWARE of what you eat and drink, and what things are made out of.  BPA is a chemical that is BANNED in many other countries.   I have always wondered why Americans are so stupid at times, and why we live in a pretty violent country for a civilized society.  People always joked that it’s “probably something in the water” (or food) and now that seems to be a real possibility.   Autism, mental retardation, ADHD, Alzhemers, dementia and many other mental disabilities or disorders are spiking to record highs in recent years.  I really believe that this isn’t a fluke, but instead directly correlated to the foods we eat, the things we drink, and the chemical makeup of the things we cook with, the synthetic dyes, and the pesticides we dump by the ton on our crops.  It’s got me seriously thinking and changing my habits.

In the same way that 1 pack of cigarettes wont guarantee lung cancer later in life, I believe that the chemicals in foods don’t show immediate dangers.  It’s over time these chemicals build up in the body and start effecting and corrupting cells, DNA, hormones, your immune system, and your brain chemistry, which lead to these diseases.

Here are some things to read and watch in your downtime…
BPA (Wikipedia) Direct links to obesity, ADHD, Cancer, long-term adverse reproductive health, (Shocking)
Food Rules and Eaters Manual (Fora.tv)

Avoid all plastics with the recycling code of “7″.  Educate yourself especially when it comes to the food your eat!
Just because its sold in stores or is approved by the FDA DOES NOT MEAN ITS SAFE!

According with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which supports BPA ban, after lobbyists for the chemical industry met with administration officials, the EPA delayed BPA regulation and had not included the chemical in action plan released December 30, 2009.

Sadly, this is just one case out of the thousands yearly where money comes before the safety of the public, and serves as a prime example of how large companies and organizations control the country by “buying out” politicians and legally bribing regulators through the use of lobbyists, to continue to push toxic chemicals and substances to the market in the effort to make more money and avoid lawsuits while simultaneously poisoning customers, and slashing health coverage for their employees.  We live in a really screwed up society.  If you don’t believe me, I encourage you to look this stuff up on your own.