[HW] Chemical Usage

Living in a time and age where science and technology advance faster than a turn in monopoly, it is difficult to keep up with how discoveries are affecting the things we use, the places we live in, and our physical selves. We encounter various types of chemicals that we are told aid our standards of living. There are chemicals that aid how we clean, how we deal with food, and in the products we use on a daily basis. With the consumer-driven mindset, we may often be blinded to the concerns of chemical usage. It sometimes is hard for me, personally, to understand that not everything sold in supermarkets, malls and stores are safe for you. There may be harmful levels of chemicals that you may be exposed to that can affect you, possibly in detrimental ways. 

This week's homework assignment was to reflect on an article published by CQ Press titled Regulating Toxic Chemicals: do we know enough about chemical risks? The article presents the argument that we may not be proactive enough in testing the toxicity of chemicals in the products we use everyday. The article then discusses various topics that are of concern, for instance, nanotechnology, green chemistry, environmental impacts and laws and regulations. One topic that the article discusses, and that I have had a growing interest, in was exposure to Bisphenol A, or more commonly known as, BPA.

BPA is a chemical that is used in plastic production. According to FDA.org, BPA is used to produce hard plastics, like reusable water bottles. It is also used in the lining of canned foods. According to the article, the health risks of BPA have been scientifically known since the 1930's when animal testing discovered endocrine disruption. A result of such a disruption, they observed reproductive and developmental issues. As later stated, within the 1990's BPA toxicity is strong enough to affect humans even in low quantities (though the FDA reports differently). 

Regardless of the health hazard, BPA is still in use today, but thankfully the market demand for BPA-free products has risen due to the continued research and wide-spread knowledge of the disadvantages. 

After reading about how the US has dealt with BPA use, so far, I decided to check out how Europe has handled it. Within the article there is a short section explaining how some regulations are more "precautionary," in that, they will prevent products with chemical risks to even market and if there is no substitute for a certain chemical, that chemical use must be justified in some logical way. 

In 2010, The Independent published an article called Government 'must follow Europe's lead and ban BPA'. The article informs of Denmark's decision to ban BPA in young children products (i.e. baby bottles, etc.). Denmark is noted to be the first European nation to take this sort of initiative against the chemical use; regardless of the popular opinion of BPA safety shared by the US FDA as well as the British Government. 

Do you have an opinion on the chemical usage of BPA?