Stand Up For What You Believe

Campbell’s soups made my day. Not because I use mushroom soup for tuna casserole or particularly enjoy a cup of hot chicken noodle, but rather for a reason that should put some oumph into everyone’s step. Campbell’s has agreed to phase out BPA in can linings. Supposedly this effort has already started. The article by Amy Westervelt in Forbes explains that the FDA will establish new “acceptable” levels by March 31. France voted to uphold a ban on BPA last month, which hopefully will influence greedy food manufacturers in the USA, hoping to sell products in Europe. Westervelt explains that pressure from consumer groups also played a role in this turnaround, magnificent news for future children raised in America. Less risk of the chemical in their body burden!

For three years Cape Codders have urged NStar to refrain from spraying herbicides under the power lines because the toxic chemicals will filter into our sole-source aquifer. Who wants to drink water that contains traces of endocrine disruptors? Not I. Perhaps the recent decision to leave the 15 Cape towns off the YOP is evidence the executives at the utility company have been influenced by the outcry?

If you feel encouraged by these two unexpected developments and would like to add your voice to the outcry regarding another issue of critical importance to Cape Cod, join the nuclear safety rally on Sunday, March 11, anniversary of the disaster in Japan. The march starts at 1 pm at Lobster Pound, 252 Manomet Point Road in Plymouth. Should you be unable to come demonstrate but desire to protect Cape Cod from an accident similar to Fukushima all the same, take the time to write your senators after reading the Natural Resources Defense Council press release. Wellfleet is directly opposite Plymouth, and the woman in the above photo could be looking out, thinking of the nuclear reactor on the other side of Cape Cod Bay. The prevailing winds blow from the west. The owners will not close down this forty-year old plant by choice. We must make them, so please sign the NRDC letter. Thanks to movement at Campbell’s soups and possible movement at NStar, I like to think closing down Pilgrim is possible.

Protest of this type is new to me, although I was a member of the generation that stopped the war in Vietnam. Is protest a part of your regular agenda? Do you stand up for what you believe? What's your take on the petitions that are circulated? Do they make a difference?

BPA Primer: How to Avoid BPA (in Wellfleet)

What I want to talk about today is BPA. The acronym stands for bisphenol-A, a chemical that has attracted a lot of attention over the past few years. Above, one of the last cans of salmon I will buy. Note the white coating and beware: BPA lurks here.

What is BPA? From Wikipedia: “Bisphenol A, commonly abbreviated as BPA, is an organic compound with two phenol functional groups used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, along with other applications. Known to be estrogenic since the mid 1930s, concerns about the use of bisphenol A in consumer products were regularly reported in the news media in 2008 after several governments issued reports questioning its safety, thus prompting some retailers to remove products containing it from their shelves. A 2010 report from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) raised further concerns regarding exposure of fetuses, infants, and young children.”

Are your red lights flashing? “Known to be estrogenic since the mid 1930s.” Wow! 75 years that this chemical has been recognized as disruptive to hormone systems, and yet it is still out there, destroying lives.

How does BPA relate to Wellfleet? Well, at Marketplace, you can find canned goods lined with BPA. At the transfer station, we collect and recycle plastic bottles, carried by many tourists and known to leach BPA if left out in the hot sun. Abiyoyo sells children’s toys made of plastic that may contain the chemical. Town Pizza's take-out boxes probably use recycled cardboard contaminated with BPA. Sea Babies must have a few toddler books and toys, coated with the substance. Some of the shops have it on cash register receipts. At Outer Cape Health, there’s a good chance of finding medical supplies made of plastic containing BPA. Dunkin’ Donuts offers polycarbonate travel mugs that release BPA when heated in the microwave. And, then there’s you and me. 93% of Americans tested have measurable amounts in their bodies, so chances are Wellfleetians have it, too.

So, if this chemical was known for 75 years to be estrogenic, ie. capable of disrupting hormones by mimicking estrogen, how come it’s so prevalent? What were people thinking?

Chances are those in charge of such things thought BPA would not escape from the plastic, and that, if it did, the dose would be so small it could do no harm. Guess what? They were wrong on both counts. BPA, and other estrogenic chemicals, are wreaking havoc on hormone systems, and all it takes is a trace amount.

What say the folks at the FDA, those meant to protect us?

"The agency now considers BPA to be of some concern for effects on the brain, behavior and prostate glands of fetuses and the very young. Scientific studies have raised concerns about the chemical's link to breast and prostate cancer, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, reproductive failures and behavioral problems."

BPA has been banned in baby bottles in Canada, Denmark, France, and a few states in the USA, but the chemical lobby is working hard at defending its product. Last week the European Food Safety Authority proclaimed BPA poses no proven threat in food products. After reading Our Stolen Future, by Theo Colborn, I don't believe this for one minute.

So, what can you do? Stop exposing yourself and your loved ones. If you know any pregnant women or mothers of young children, pick up the phone and warn them now. Spread the word and insist legislators ban BPA and other toxic chemicals, which do not belong in our bodies. Read more in this month’s issue of The Atlantic.

Are you conscious of the risks BPA poses? Have you changed your habits to protect yourself and your family? Does it bother you that the FDA has not taken action to protect the children of America?

Plastic, Plastic Everywhere ....

Yesterday felt like a marathon. I’m not going to post about all the things I did but think of a whirlwind in a blue T-shirt, and that would be me. I didn’t even have time to go to Snow’s for a metal coffee machine. (Slow Death by Rubber Duck made me realize modern coffeemakers are mostly plastic, and the makers do not indicate which type.) After shopping at Trader Joe’s in Hyannis, forty minutes each way, a great store but one which still wraps most foods in plastic, I spent the afternoon in the garden, in preparation for the rain that finally fell last night. All afternoon the phone rang, as people scrambled for last-minute summer accommodations. After dinner, when I finally decided it was time to put my feet up, I checked the stat counter and discovered a link to a blog I did not recognize. I followed said link to a Svelte Gourmand post from January. The blogger wrote about BPA, a substance that needs to be banned. Her post reminded me of an email I received two days ago from Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow. Only 346 people had submitted a comment to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health at that point. Apparently, the Public Health Council (PHC) met three weeks ago to hear a presentation from the DPH about a proposal for a limited ban on reusable food and beverage containers containing BPA and intended for use by children three and under. The PHC has not yet recommended further action. Please take a moment to add your voice to the growing chorus here. If you do not live in Massachusetts, find out whether your state has similar legislation pending, and, if not, ask why not. You can also forward this petition to friends and family in Massachusetts. There’s a ground swell building to stop the chemical industry from imposing toxic chemicals on our lives. Join it today!