Plasticizing Chemicals: Scientific Perspective

The movie documentary Tapped has opened not only mine, but a group of society’s eyes to what harm we are actually causing upon on ourselves with an action so little as to drinking out of plastics bottles. People have been drinking out of bottle waters assuming that what the are drinking out of is safe but once over thousands of plastic bottles were tested huge concerns grew. Studies show that varieties of bacteria and chemicals were found, causing cancer and other illnesses. One of the many harmful chemicals found in these plastic bottles is Styrene which causes a cancer causing agent and also could possibly cause adverse reproductive effects. Investigators also found three different types phthalate, Diethyl phthalate, Dioctyl phthalate that

Phthalates are used in almost every product, from foods to plastics (Fda, 2014). However, not all the health effects of this have been studied, and the ones that have been done, show that it is harmful. Why is it still around then? This essay will investigate the biochemical effects of phthalates as well as the advantages and disadvantages of its use to answer the following question: Should phthalates be allowed to be used in children’s toys? This paper, will be looking at the uses for phthalates, and then looking at the possible health effects that it may have. Then, it will be determined if the benefits out way the bad, or the other way around.

Everyone one at some point in their life has drank from a plastic bottle, whether it was a baby bottle, a plastic disposable water bottle, or just a water bottle you have used for exercise. If you were to show someone one of these thing they would know what it is, but what they might not know is that it can be harmful to them. A while back a lot water bottles used to be made with something called BPA, which has been proven to have many side effects on people when it get absorbed into from the plastic to your water. In this paper I will be informing you on BPA, what it is on how it gets into your water, what side effects it can have on you, and are water bottle safe for you now.

Once you open your eyes to it, it’s everywhere, from the Tupperware you eat out, the cans that your food is packaged in, to the helmets you put on your head and the laptop that you’re using. BPA has been used as a plastic hardener for the past 40 years now and is now deeply engrained in our products of modern consumer society. Although it’s children and unborn babies that are the most affected by this toxic chemical, adults are not exempt form

BPA can be found in plastics assigned with the recycle number of 7 and the lining of canned goods. Products of this designation number usually appear as clear and hard plastics, which represent most of our stuff in the kitchen—bottles, containers, disposable utensils, etc. Besides bisphenol A, there are other types of phthalates, chemicals used as softening agents for manufacturing soft plastics that are identified as endocrine disrupters. Endocrine disrupters have been studied for decades in order to find links between the chemicals and negative health effects. Though not all materials contain either BPA or phthalates, some types of plastics are still as dangerous as those made with the chemical.

As mentioned above BPA, NP and DEHP have previously been shown to be ER agonists. In fish, gonad development and reproductive activity is associated with sex steroid hormones such as 17β-estradiol (E2), testosterone (T) and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT, a non-aromatizable form of T). Hence environmental contaminants that interfere with steroid hormone receptors function and synthesis have a potential to impair endocrine control of reproductive functions. Therefore, a part of our study is directed toward the effect of these compounds on the reproductive system by investigating the expression of genes involved in reproduction, gonadal differentiation and steroidogenesis (Vtg, DMRT, estrogen receptor subtypes, AR, STAR, aromatase, LHR, FSHR, activin, follistatin) in gonad and hepatic

BPA is a synthetic organic compound which is also known as Bisphenol A and can be found in many items that we use everyday (Withcott & Laposata, 2012). Some of items that the compound can be found in consists of the lining of metal food cans, drink cans and the pipes that supply our water. Also, it is used in plastic water bottles, baby bottles, food containers, our food utensils and electronics. This same compound can move into our food, air and body just by using these products. Research has found that it is detected in an individual's urine and that we are exposed to BPA continuously.

Five years ago, the FDA banned the sale of baby bottles containing BPA, a chemical that mimics estrogen. Since then, bottles, food containers and products labeled BPA-free have been popping up all-over store shelves. Now research reveals, the compound, which replaced BPA could actually be just as harmful.

Women who work in factories who are in contact with BPA have a higher chance of being exposed to it. According to the scholar journal “New Solution: A Journal of Environmental & Occupancy Health Policy” there are more women than men who work in factories where the workers handle plastic material. These women have a higher chance of

Often do we purchase canned food, bottled water or soap without a second though in regards which chemicals are used to produce these items. Chemical such as bisphenol A (BPA), triclosan (TCS) and triclocarban (TCC) are used by manufacturers in their products. BPA is used to produce polycarbonate plastics, epoxy resins and in the manufacturing process of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) organosols (Paloma, Quesada, & Nadal, 2015). Water bottles, food storage containers, baby bottles and other products are designed using polycarbonate (Cao, et al., 2011). BPA is also used in the coating of metal food and beverage cans and metal lids in glass jars (Cao, et al., 2011) . Previous studies have determined that BPA can be released into

Endocrine Disruptors are chemicals that mimic the hormones or blocks cellular responses in the body. They are known to be present in plastic bottles, food additives, and pesticides (Young, 2010). Some examples of endocrine disruptors are BP-A (Smith, 2008). These chemicals at certain dose, can interfere with the endocrine (or hormone) system in mammals. These disruptions can cause cancerous tumors, birth defects, and other developmental disorders. This paper will describe the different forms of endocrine disruptors in the environment

During the early 1990s, Dr. Feldman became the first researcher to identify the possible impact of low levels of BPA. Feldman and his team discovered an estrogenic molecule while growing yeast in plastic flasks in 1992. They discovered the yeast wasn’t synthesizing the estrogen, but rather it was leaching from the plastic. The team then performed a control experiment without the yeast in the flask, and they found there was still an estrogenic molecule present, which they later identified as BPA. Once they made the connection between polycarbonate, BPA and estrogenic activity, Feldman and his team contacted a major producer of polycarbonates. It turns out, the company had already looked into the leeching issue, but after using their own methods, they said they “couldn 't find any estrogenic activity.” Other studies soon popped up, including the University of Missouri-Columbia that found low-level exposure to BPA may harm the prostate. Over the next decade, reports on low-dose BPA toxicity will grow to include more than 100

It is frequently used to make plastic more flexible in objects such as food storage containers, toys and tools which are used daily by majority of the population (PHSDP, 2015). There has not been a substantial amount of research done on this particular chemical and the public does not know much about this substance’s effects. Although there has not been any studies conducted on how diethyl phthalate directly affects humans, some have been conducted on laboratory animals. It was revealed that large amounts of diethyl phthalate consumed by mouth, is lethal to test animals while small amounts at brief exposure times appeared harmless (PHSDP, 2015). Therefore, with this limited information on diethyl phthalate, this experiment will provide more insight on the potentially hazardous chemical that is constantly exposed to the human population. After studying the effects of diethyl phthalate on the development and mortality rates of Artemia salina, a conclusion can be reached regarding how different exposure times and concentrations can affect a common primary consumer that is necessary in many

One of the most disturbing scientific findings of recent years was the extent of the influence upon the endocrine system of various common chemicals, industrial products, and common pharmaceuticals such as birth control pills. To track the presence of endocrine disruptors within the bodies of fish, which have been shown to be particularly vulnerable to the changes caused by such products in the environment, scientists genetically-engineered zebra fish embryos "to glow in places where an endocrine-disrupting chemical is present" over the course of the fish's development "and thus show where it may be harming the body" (Handwerk 2012). The genetic engineering using proteins found in glowing jellyfish naturally in the wild is specifically designed to not interfere with the fish's natural systems, yet still provides a way of tracking how the chemicals act in the body using a fluorescent microscope.

One of the unseen causes of death in American, and the rest of the world, is cancer. One popular statement about plastic bottles is the theory of the causing cancer. When being transported, plastic waters are not refrigerated. Creating the possibility of the plastic slightly “melting,” releasing possible cancer causing chemicals into the water. “ People have claimed chemicals inside plastics leach into food or drink causing cancer. In particular there have been concerns about Bisphenol A (BPA) and dioxins in plastic bottles or plastic containers “ ( Plastic Bottles And Food Containers ). But this claim is