A recent study questioned the use of some everyday chemicals. The study said, some everyday chemicals can increase the risk of cancers, diabetes, obesity, falling male fertility and a number of neurological problems in both humans and animals. In last May, the European Environment Agency (EEA) released a review which made a direct connection between endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and health problems. EDCs are chemicals that interfere with the body’s endocrine system, which regulates the hormones needed for all biological processes. EDCs exist in both natural and synthetic forms. Some are used in medications such as the birth control pill, while EDCs such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates are used in food packaging and plastic containers, and others are used in agricultural pesticides, lubricants and solvents.
Toxicologist Dr Peter Dingle said, “This is a big issue which we need to take very seriously. EDCs have now permeated every part of our lives, from food to baby toys, bedding to bags. While there is growing evidence against EDCs, there is just so much we don’t know and yet we are exposed to them everywhere, all of the time.
“This is not the first report to link endocrine disruptors with a whole lot of illness – and it won’t be the last. The increase in diabetes, obesity and cancers and the decrease in male fertility can definitely be linked to the growing prevalence of these chemicals in our lives.”
Adverse reactions are happening at much lower doses than previously considered safe, and the research also shows that it is the lower-income people who are most exposed and most affected. So it is not okay for a middle-class bureaucrat to say there is nothing to worry about.
The EDCs of today are no different to the DDT pesticides of the 1950s or the PCBs [found in paints and lubricants] in the 70s. These chemicals are introduced into our lives and later we find out how much damage they cause. If these chemicals are allowed to continue infiltrating our lives, we need to lower our own exposure.
Get rid of plastic. Never heat plastics in the microwave. Don’t store food in plastics and use glass where possible.
Dr Dianna Magliano, a senior epidemiologist at Melbourne’s Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, said, “It may all turn out that the current exposure levels pose no real dangers to humans, but I have seen the results of studies on what these chemicals do to worms and frogs.”