Rachel Coon English 1010-020 Kelly Turnbeaugh IEP Essay IEP Essay: Staying BPA Free A young couple

had met in college, fell in love and decided to get married. They bought a beautiful red brick house, had secure jobs and were very happy together. The next step they wanted to take in their lives was to have children. For a total of eight years they tried but were unsuccessful. They were both healthy, ate nutritious meals and had weekly physical activities. The doctors tried many different tests, drew dozens of blood samples, they took prescription pills, tried four different types of surgery and even went through with in vitro fertilization. Nothing seemed to work and they couldnt figure out why. In the end they ended up successfully adopting three children and are happier than ever. Yet theres that aching feeling of sadness when others say You look nothing like your daughter. That couples story is the story of my parents. They love my siblings and I very much but there will always be those thoughts and questions forever lingering what would they look like if they were ours?. Like th e doctors said the cause of the failed attempts to conceive were unknown. In vitro fertilization is known to be the leading practice in helping couples conceive. There is a very small percentage where it doesnt successfully work. Could this be because the medical instruments used to transfer the sperm are made of plastic? Now multiple studies are showing that when using plastic (and many other oil based products) that it releases a toxic chemical into the body called BPA.

BPA is a chemical that is found in most if not all plastics. In the 1920s plastic was invented and by the 1950s it was an everyday product in most American households. It was used for anything and everything in life and continues to do so today. Its what our food containers are made from, our medical supplies, telephones, furniture, cars and so much more. Using this product is convenient and if you knowingly try to avoid it in your day to day life its almost impossible. However with its conveniences what we dont know is How is it effecting our lives? What long term health damage will it do? It has only been around for close to 100 years and used in mass production for only 60 years. With the new medical studies and technological advancements were unfortunately seeing its true effects on the human body. This harsh chemical harms the human reproductive process and plays a role in about 20 percent of unexplained infertility(Racowsky), said researchers from Harvard University. Harvard University did a laboratory experiment in July of 2013. They used and exposed 352 eggs from 121 different consenting patients at a fertility clinic to varying levels of the chemical BPA. The results that they found were shocking: "Exposure of eggs to BPA decreased the percentage of eggs that matured and increased the percentage of eggs that degenerated," said one of the lead researchers Catherine Racowsky. BPA also heightened the amount of eggs that went through an abnormal process called "spontaneous activation" which made the eggs act as if they had already been fertilized when in fact they had not been. Furthermore, a lot of the eggs exposed to the ranging levels of BPA that did mature did so abnormally. What the BPA actually did was that it

drastically marked up the percentage for infertility and birth defects such as Down Syndrome. When I heard that this could be the cause of infertility it tugged a tender chord on my heart strings. My parents, along with many others out there in the world thinking that something is wrong with them could just in plain sight be the after affects of using plastic products. While writing this paper and gathering research I have started to notice how much plastic I am truly exposed to on a day to day basis. Its alarming and from what I now know it makes me think twice. Furthering my research I also looked into remarks said by Dr. Avner Hershlag. Shes the chief of the Center for Human Reproduction located at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York. With her expertise in the field she added saying that the plastic equipment used with in vitro fertilization is more than likely to contain BPA and could easily affect the ability of the eggs to mature. If its no t working with In Vitro what other surgical procedures contain plastic instruments? Have those procedures failed as well? Could the toxins harm us in other unknown ways? After hearing that I thought about all of the thousands of dollars couples like my parents spend on the chance of having a child that way. For it not to work it gives disappointment, a loss of money and unanswered questions. A chemical that surrounds us multiple times every day paralyzing the human reproductive system without us even knowing is a terrifying thought. Being able to have a child is one of my life dreams and I look forward to creating a family. The thought of not being able to do so is concerning.

The use of BPA in some products has been banned by The U.S. Food and Drug Administration. However, they have only banned in in certain products. Those products being binkies, baby bottles, sippy drinking cups, most toys and many other children's products. To clarify thats only a ban for the children not the adults. The chemical continues to be used in many other consumer products and has the same effects on the human body regardless of age. The largest use of the BPA chemical is in the linings of aluminum and tin cans, where it prevents corrosion. It is also is found in inkless cash register receipts, which are thickly coated with the chemical. Many studies have shown that they can actually detect levels of BPA in the urine of people who had only touched a receipt within that day. The FDA website had a controversial quote saying: Studies employing standardized toxicity tests have thus far supported the safety of current low levels of human exposure to BPA. However, on the basis of results from recent studies using novel approaches to test for subtle effects, both the National Toxicology Program at the National Institutes of Health and FDA have some concern about the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children. In cooperation with the National Toxicology Program, FDAs National Center for Toxicological Research is carrying out in-depth studies to answer key questions and clarify uncertainties about the risks of BPA.. I view that to be a very contradicting response. They have banned it in only childrens products yet it has proved to cause a long list of potential side effects that apply to different ages. They also stated that they are still carrying out in -depth studies to answer key questions and clarify uncertainties. If they are still unaware of the risks and are uncertain of how its effecting us why is it legal? Anything else that they approve

has to have certain studies showing its safe for the consumers. These have failed and the studies are still active. It should never have been approved without the studies being completed and showing only positive and safe consumer results. From doing my research I have come to the conclusion that BPA should be banned in consumer products. It has proven to be a health hazard by many different studies. A lot of the large corporate plastic companies have been lost business by consumers slowly starting to understand the health concerns and the side effects that BPA leaves. They have created an alternative strand of the chemical called BPS. With research its the same chemical make up and is still just as dangerous because it is so similar. They put stickers and labels on the products advertising that its BPA Free but what the consumer doesnt know is that its then replaced with BPS. A study was done In 2005, by Japanese scientists. They looked at and studied the hormones that resemble BPA and 19 similar compounds on human cells. BPS was one of those chemicals that was compared, studied and looked at. They concluded that BPSs effects were somewhat better than BPAs, They also showed that we absorb more of the BPS chemical through our skin than we do with the BPA chemical. Another rising health concern has been the growing rate of obesity in the United States. Obesity takes a toll on our health. Stanford Hospitals and Clinics quoted that each year obesity-related conditions cost over 150 billion dollars and cause an estimated 300,000 premature deaths in the US. The health effects associated with obesity include, but are not limited to, the following: high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, including osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, cancer, metabolic syndrome, psychosocial effects. Studies are now saying that BPA can cause and reprogram the way our body stores and digests food. I will add that not all of the obesity could be caused by BPA. Theres a lack of physical activity and proper dieting that comes into play. However, these environmental chemicals that we are

surrounded by everyday are leaving a large impact. The BPA that is consumed into our bodies interacts with steroid receptors. That in turn reprograms them into thinking they are in need of more natural chemicals such as excess testosterone, estrogen and many others. Ann Arbor from the University Of Michigan said That leads to insulin resistance and hypertension. Furthermore, the severity of reproductive dysfunction is amplified by excess weight gain. Its hard to believe that plastic could be making you fat but th inking that its reprogramming your bodies receptors is frightening. What these studies are saying is that this chemical has the potential to permanently change the way your body looks, processes food and functions. Another study I found while compiling all of my research is one that is near and dear to my heart. BPA can cause breast and prostate cancer. My Grandmother is a breast cancer survivor and I also have a friend that I grew up with thats my age who is currently fighting. Its a cruel, wicked disease and its affecting millions every year. Its expensive, the treatments are painful and doctors are still researching to find a cure. Several studies using both rat and mouse models have demonstrated that even brief exposures to doses of BPA during the time of birth cause changes in mammary tissue. The change has been proved by lab studies that it leads to the development of tumors.

With all of this startling information about how our health could be affected by a product that we each are surrounded by everyday does it change our perspective on using plastic products? Will you think twice before using it? Most importantly do you think that it should be used in consumer products? From my personal experience it couldve very well been the reason that my parents could not conceive children. Or the cause of my Grandmother and friends breast cancer.
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Knowing the danger of this product and spreading awareness to others about the health hazards helps to give information and knowledge which is the strongest tool we have. i challenge you to refrain from single use plastic products, soft plastic water bottles, eating canned food and using store receipts. I took this challenge for myself the past few weeks and I understand that its a difficult request but I have fou nd alternative ways to substitute them. I now try to use glass or metals to eat from and when planning parties I use my dishes instead of plastic party sets. I have switched from drinking out of a plastic water bottle to drinking out of my stainless steel coffee mug. Instead of touching the store receipts coated in BPA I take a quick picture of them on my camera phone to keep on a digital file that instantly uploads online. Im feeling better about the health decisions that ive implemented in my life to help maintain the life I want to live.The dangers and studies showing the many effects that BPA leaves isnt worth using the products containing the toxic chemical. Simple changes in your life now could potentially save you from disaster.