True America: Got Estrogen?

Plastics. The one word given to inspire Dustin Hoffman's alienated character in the classic film, The Graduate. Plastics, a multi-billion dollar industry, are environmentally ubiquitous and generally thought to be a harmless boon to humankind. But as science delves into the effects of plastics on wildlife and human development, evidence is being collected that some plastics disrupt the mammalian endoncrine system. Bisphenol-A was the first ingredient in polycarbonate plastics to be identified as an estrogen-like substance in 1937, when it was first synthesized. Despite this knowledge BPA was grandfathered in as safe when Congress passed the Toxic Substances Control Act in 1976. In 1996, zoologist Theo Colborn finds that synthetic hormones in plastics, pesticides, and other manufactured products disrupt the endocrine system in animals, leading to disease and reproductive problems. Yet it was not until 2006 that the EPA convened a panel of thirty-eight scientists which concluded 95% of humans have an exposure to BPA within the range associated with disease in animals. Canada labled BPA a "dangerous substance" in 2008, but because of chemical industry pressure and sponsored research, it was not until 2012 that the FDA banned the use of this one chemical in baby bottles. Of course a myriad of other products are still made with BPA. Substitutes such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) have also be found to leach synthetic estrogen. Many other plastics have tested positive for estrogenic activity. (See Mother Jones, March/April 2014 issue). Low sperm counts, no male sex drive, or early puberty, anyone? This Swedish documentary discusses the dangers posed by unrestrained, chronic exposure to common plastics: