Plastics and Their Xeno-Estrogen Effects Part 1 of 2 – Your Health Detective

Many of the chemicals used to make and treat the plastic we wrap and bottle our food in may be carcinogenic, hormone-disrupting, and, at the very least, a cause of allergic responses ranging from skin irritation and brain-fog to respiratory problems.
Animal studies show unequivocally that plasticizers, used to soften normally hard plastic known as PVC or polyvinyl chloride, are harmful to pregnant mice and their babies…what can it do to pregnant women and their fetuses?
The plasticizer bisphenol-A (BPA) has been linked in studies to chromosomal abnormalities…oh great, no wonder our biological health is being constantly sabotaged, and we’re developing new and invisible illnesses never before experienced! The same studies confirm that exposure to this chemical creates hormonal imbalances causing problems such as high rates of spontaneous abortions to decreased sperm counts and early onset of puberty in females…could it be a major factor in contributor to why girls as young as age 9 are developing breasts? Professor Frederick S. vom Saal, of the biology department at the University of Missouri in Columbia and coauthor of several of these studies, believes the research raises very disturbing questions. “It’s worth asking how concerned you should be about potential harm in humans from a chemical that can do all these things in our studies with mice.”
According to the senior scientist for Consumers Union in New York, Ned Groth, studies have indicated that under certain circumstances – exposure to high heat, harsh soaps, or simply repeated use over time – chemicals from many plastics degrade and do, in fact, make it directly into our food and water.
Bisphenol-A acts as a “xeno-estrogen” – its activities are like the female hormone estrogen except for two things: it’s foreign to the body which is why its “xeno” and it’s much more harmful than natural estrogen for males and females. Breast cancers are a significantly higher risk for both sexes when they carry a toxic body burden of xeno-estrogens. Additionally, the beta cells in the pancreas are disrupted – creating a pre-diabetic-type condition of high blood insulin and insulin resistance. Is it any wonder blood sugar disorders are at epidemic levels in our modern world? Bet you never thought your plastic dishes, water bottles, and plastic wrap could be a large part of the cause.

One of the worse exposures to these toxic xeno-biotic chemicals emerges when we leave plastic water bottles in the car where the temperature escalates – phthalates, used in manufacturing these plastics, leach into the water that is then consumed. Studies have recently found that when exposing polycarbonate bottles to even room temperature, bisphenol-A leaches into the water. How many bottles of water have you consumed in plastic without knowing what temperatures they were subjected to from manufacturer to consumer? When plastic water bottles or plastic containers are reused, notice the fine line scratches – these increase the surface exposed to the liquid or contents inside and release even more xeno-estrogens into what’s contained within.

Some of the 100,000 registered chemicals for use in the world have hormonal effects in addition to toxic and carcinogenic effects.
DDT was banned in the U.S. However, world production of DDT has never been higher – the U.S. manufacturers it and ships it to developing countries. DDT is metabolized to DDE in the human body within a few months and may last in the human body for decades. Medical doctors have detected DDT regularly in the blood serum of patients following intensive sauna. Where is it coming from? The DDT that the U.S. ships to developing countries in then sprayed on vegetables and fruits. These agricultural products are then shipped to the U.S. where Americans consume the DDT, unknowingly.

Food for Thought – in 1991, the U.S. exported 96 tons of DDT to other countries! Additional sources can be from buildings built near or on old agricultural land; DDT will persist in the soil for several centuries.

At Tufts Medical School in Boston, Soto and Sonnenschein discovered that plastic test tubes, thought to be inert, contained a chemical that stimulated breast cancer cells to grow and proliferate wildly. They were experimenting with malignant breast cancer cells that were sensitive to estrogen. When exposed to estrogen, the cells grew and multiplied, and when isolated from estrogen, they stopped multiplying. During the course of their experiments, they found the test tubes they used were changed by the manufacturer in the formulation of the plastic. The manufacturer had used p-nonylphenol, one of the families of synthetic chemicals called alkylphenols to make these plastics more stable and less breakable. These new plastic test tubes caused their estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells to proliferate (multiply and grow). This led them to the conclusion that p-nonylphenol acts like an estrogen.

If the above facts and studies aren’t enough to motivate you to get rid of all your plastics stay-tuned; in a future article I’ll provide you with more proof.

Please don’t wait until you or a loved one is diagnosed with an immune system or hormonal disorder before you make the commitment to make healthy changes!

Definitions

Xeno-biotics (xe·no·bi·ot·ic): Foreign to the body or living organisms; a chemical compound. They include plastics, drugs, pesticides, and carcinogens. Detoxification of these chemicals should normally occur in the liver.

Xeno-estrogens: Synthetic substances that differ from those produced by living organisms and imitate or enhance the effect of estrogens. Simply keep in mind that “xeno” means foreign.

The Way I See It

Begin saving glass containers; I did – everything from glass baby-food jars to jars from your favorite foods in all shapes and sizes. Use them for left over’s and for freezing too – be sure to not fill the container all the way to the top to allow room for expansion once contents freeze.

Your Health Detective:

Uncovering Clues to Add LIFE to Your Years…NOT Merely Years to Your Life, Naturally

Dr. Gloria Gilbère (aka Dr. G), N.D., D.A.Hom., Ph.D.,

EcoErgonomist, Wholistic Rejuvenist

Creator of certificated courses to become a Wholistic Rejuvenist™ (CWR) and for post-graduate education for health professionals. Go to www.gloriagilbere.com and click on Wholistic Skin & Body Rejuvenation (WSBR™) for course outline. Available on-site at worldwide locations, and via distance-learning at your convenience globally.

Dr. Gilbère is renowned worldwide for her work in identifying and finding natural solutions to chemically-induced and inflammatory disorders, multiple chemical sensitivities, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, Gulf War Syndrome, and digestive disorders that defy conventional diagnosis and treatment. She consults worldwide via telephone and at her Institute in north Idaho. Visit her website at www.gloriagilbere.com for details about

consulting with her.

Ref: Wagner et al. Endocrine disruptors in bottled mineral water: total estrogenic burden and migration from plastic bottles. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2009; DOI: 10.1007/s11356-009-0107-7

http://nutrition-news.blogspot.com/2009/04/xeno-estrogen-in-plastic-water-bottles.html

http://www.endo101.com/xeno.htm

Vom Saal F, Hughes C. An extensive new literature concerning low-dose effects of bisphenol A shows the need for a new risk assessment. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2003:111. pp. 926-933. See: http://www.ehponline.org/
members/2005/7713/7713.html

Toxicol Lett. 2006 Sep 3. Laboratory of Structure-Function Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty and Graduate School of Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.

Hunt P, Koehler K et al. Bisphenol A cause meiotic aneuploidy in the female mouse. Current Biology. 13: pp. 546-553

Akingbemi B, Sottas C, et al. Inhibition of testicular steroidogenesis by the xenoestrogen bisphenol A is associated with reduced pituitary luteinizing hormone secretion and decreased steroidogenic enzyme gene expression in rat Leydig cells. Endocrinology 145. pp. 592-603.