Photo from Lunchbox Photography on Flickr through Creative Commons

Now that a quarter of our world’s oceans are floating landfills of plastic waste, the issue of plastic is gaining more public scrutiny than ever before.

Many risky toxins and chemicals go into the making of plastic. These substances are all around us—in the products we consume, in the air, and in a countless number of every day items we come into contact with.  In the ocean, the poisons from plastic waste leak into the environment, causing water and seafood contamination, which then brings it back to us in the food we eat. 

We produce about six billion pounds of BPA per year; so it is no surprise that it has been found in every single person who has ever been tested in the United States. This chemical has been shown to wreak havoc on the endocrine system - messing up your hormones.

Despite the health concerns, on February 16 the Oregon State Senate voted down a second proposal to ban BPA (Bisphenol A) in drinking cups and other baby utensils:

• The federal Food and Drug Administration recently raised concerns about the chemical’s potential effects on brain, behavior and prostate-gland development in fetuses, infants and children and is working with manufacturers to reduce its use.
• It’s the second time environmentalists backed a ban in Oregon. Last year, environmental groups supported a bill to ban the chemical from all children’s products, but the bill never made it out of committee.
• …Several senators raised concerns about unintended consequences of the bill and preferred to wait for the results of the FDA’s $30 million study in the next two years.
• Sen. Jason Atkinson, R-Central Point, said he had concerns whether the fear is valid and urged the Senate to wait for the FDA’s study. In the meantime, he said, parents have options.”

(GO here for the original article)

At the February 2010 hearing, a concerned Oregon mom testifies for a BPA ban on baby products.

Additional Resources:

Kahn, Jennifer. “Plastic. Fantastic?” Mother Jones: Smart, Fearless Journalism May-June 2009: 57-59.