A primer on chemicals, fertility, and reproduction
February 16, 2011 | 10:12 AM
Greetings!
We’d like to share with you a great article we found on exposure to low-level environmental pollutants and how this can relate to fertility. We like it because it offers an overview of some of the most harmful environmental pollutants that is easy to get your head around, as well as advice that informs lifestyle habits and product choices that can help with making babies.
Here is a taste:
A primer on chemicals, fertility, and reproduction
By Emily Gertz
Feeling unusually infertile lately? You're not alone: according to a December 2005 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 12 percent of American couples reported having a hard time conceiving a child and bearing it to term in 2002, up 20 percent from the 6.1 million couples reporting such "impaired fecundity" in 1995. Although the reasons are complex and overlapping, one major factor may be nonstop exposure to low-level environmental pollutants like pesticides, dioxins, and phthalates.
Because these toxics are generated in ways and places beyond our immediate control, "You can't shop your way completely 100 percent out of these exposures," says Anila Jacob, M.D., a senior scientist with the nonpartisan Environmental Working Group. But changing some habits and product choices may help with the baby-making.
Here are some of the big bads of low-level environmental pollution, and what you can do to cut your exposure. Still, it's not going to be green consumerism that ultimately solves this problem, but green chemistry: replacing these harmful substances at the manufacturing level with safer alternatives. And making that happen will probably require a hard nudge from lawmakers and regulators.
1
Substance: Bisphenol A (BPA)
Have I been exposed to it? Probably. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found BPA in 95 percent of people it tested.
How the hell did that happen? It's used in polycarbonate plastic products like water bottles, shatter-resistant baby bottles, sunglasses, and CDs; epoxy resins typical of food and beverage can linings; and dental sealants.
Risks: Animal testing has shown that fetal exposure to even small amounts of BPA -- lower than the levels found in the typical human -- can lead to prostate cancer and breast cancer. Studies on rodents have shown reduced sperm counts.
Especially for you gals! BPA is implicated in polycystic ovary syndrome, which affects 1 in 10 U.S. women and is the leading cause of women's infertility. This syndrome can also cause the growth of skin tags and excess hair, irregular periods, and obesity.
Scary! So how do I avoid this crap? Difficult. Canned foods are a big source of exposure, with beverages the lowest, pastas and soups the highest. So opt for glass packaging for these foods, or cook from scratch. Cut back on prepackaged infant formulas for the ankle-biter. Until manufacturers get the BPA out of polycarbonate (#7 plastic), switch to glass, polypropylene (#5) or polyethylene (#1, #2, #4) containers; trade out that polycarbonate water bottle for a stainless steel model; and don't heat liquids or foods in polycarbonate containers or plastic wraps.
Read More...
We’d like to share with you a great article we found on exposure to low-level environmental pollutants and how this can relate to fertility. We like it because it offers an overview of some of the most harmful environmental pollutants that is easy to get your head around, as well as advice that informs lifestyle habits and product choices that can help with making babies.
Here is a taste:
A primer on chemicals, fertility, and reproduction
By Emily Gertz
Feeling unusually infertile lately? You're not alone: according to a December 2005 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 12 percent of American couples reported having a hard time conceiving a child and bearing it to term in 2002, up 20 percent from the 6.1 million couples reporting such "impaired fecundity" in 1995. Although the reasons are complex and overlapping, one major factor may be nonstop exposure to low-level environmental pollutants like pesticides, dioxins, and phthalates.
Because these toxics are generated in ways and places beyond our immediate control, "You can't shop your way completely 100 percent out of these exposures," says Anila Jacob, M.D., a senior scientist with the nonpartisan Environmental Working Group. But changing some habits and product choices may help with the baby-making.
Here are some of the big bads of low-level environmental pollution, and what you can do to cut your exposure. Still, it's not going to be green consumerism that ultimately solves this problem, but green chemistry: replacing these harmful substances at the manufacturing level with safer alternatives. And making that happen will probably require a hard nudge from lawmakers and regulators.
1
Substance: Bisphenol A (BPA)
Have I been exposed to it? Probably. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found BPA in 95 percent of people it tested.
How the hell did that happen? It's used in polycarbonate plastic products like water bottles, shatter-resistant baby bottles, sunglasses, and CDs; epoxy resins typical of food and beverage can linings; and dental sealants.
Risks: Animal testing has shown that fetal exposure to even small amounts of BPA -- lower than the levels found in the typical human -- can lead to prostate cancer and breast cancer. Studies on rodents have shown reduced sperm counts.
Especially for you gals! BPA is implicated in polycystic ovary syndrome, which affects 1 in 10 U.S. women and is the leading cause of women's infertility. This syndrome can also cause the growth of skin tags and excess hair, irregular periods, and obesity.
Scary! So how do I avoid this crap? Difficult. Canned foods are a big source of exposure, with beverages the lowest, pastas and soups the highest. So opt for glass packaging for these foods, or cook from scratch. Cut back on prepackaged infant formulas for the ankle-biter. Until manufacturers get the BPA out of polycarbonate (#7 plastic), switch to glass, polypropylene (#5) or polyethylene (#1, #2, #4) containers; trade out that polycarbonate water bottle for a stainless steel model; and don't heat liquids or foods in polycarbonate containers or plastic wraps.
Read More...
