Regular readers of Rantings already know where this is going. The dogma associated with what we think is healthy in society today is clearly killing us, and it begins with plastic.
Somewhere, somehow, the concept of needing to drink 8 glasses of water per day started. Maybe it was started for altruistic, but misguided reasons. Certainly dehydration is a bad thing. But that does not mean that taking it to its extreme is going to magically give health. After all, healthy kidney function is going to keep a pretty steady level of hydration in our blood. It’s not like drinking more water is going to magically override kidney function and allows us to retain more water. And while water (as a H2O molecule) is required for detoxification, water is NOT the limiting factor and drinking more water will NOT drive detoxification in the body.
This dogmatic drive to drink more water has invariably led to a massive increase in the amount of bottled water consumed. Besides being devastating for the environment around us, the Bisphenol A (BPA) that is used in the making of flexible plastics has clearly led to an increase in several chronic diseases.
The question I have is, just what is the breaking point when the evidence against BPA becomes so hard to ignore that the EPA finally shuts the use of BPA down?
Don’t think we’ve reached that yet, although the FDA has at least come out admitting that just MAYBE BPA is not good for us. While in the same breath stating that its use is so ubiquitous in industry that it is near impossible to restrain its use. So much for protecting us.
This particular article looks at the association of BPA exposure and heart disease and confirmed earlier studies that found a link between urinary BPA levels and coronary artery disease. While the increased risk was not Earth-shattering (around 13% increased risk), it is still an increased risk that can be eliminated only if someone is aware of it.
Besides plastic water bottles, there are many additional sources of BPA exposure that you need to be aware of. Following these tips can help reduce your exposure:
- Don’t microwave plastic food containers
- Avoid plastic containers when possible, especially those marked with recycle codes 3 or 7
- Reduce your use of canned foods
- Use glass, porcelain or stainless steel containers, especially with hot food or liquids
- Use baby bottles that are BPA free
- Be carfeul when handling thermal credit card receipts
- Avoid canned soda (which you should be doing anyway…)