Study: Most #Plastics Leach #HormoneLike #Chemicals
by Jon Hamilton
March 2, 2011
"Most plastic products, from #SippyCups to #FoodWraps, can release chemicals that act like the sex hormone #estrogen, according to a study in Environmental Health Perspectives.
"The study found these chemicals even in products that didn't contain #BPA a compound in certain plastics that's been widely criticized because it mimics estrogen.
"Many plastic products are now marketed as BPA-free, and manufacturers have begun substituting other #chemicals whose effects aren't as well known.
"But it's still unclear whether people are being harmed by BPA or any other so-called estrogenic chemicals in plastics. Most studies of health effects have been done in mice and rats.
"The new study doesn't look at health risks. It simply asks whether common plastic products release estrogen-like chemicals other than BPA.
"The researchers bought more than 450 plastic items from stores including Walmart and Whole Foods. They chose products designed to come in contact with food — things like baby bottles, deli packaging and flexible bags, says George Bittner, one of the study's authors and a professor of biology at the University of Texas, Austin."
Read more:
https://www.npr.org/2011/03/02/134196209/study-most-plastics-leach-hormone-like-chemicals
