Well folks, as you know I am constantly receiving new alerts about household and environmental pollutants. But when you hear that sitting at home doing nothing can give you breast cancer… This pollutant is the most commonly purchased substance and the most lingering. It stays close to you for years. It shares every room of your house, yet you’ve most likely never heard of it. After all, how long since you heard people talking about their butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) at a dinner party?
Where is this stuff? It’s in (virtually) all plastics where it acts as a fire retardant. It was supposed to be stable, but in a less than rare oversight, that seems to be er… wrong! It’s an endocrine disruptor WIKI!! par excellence, and yes, endocrine disruptors are major carcinogens. It fools your body by mimicking the effects of natural hormones. And if you are wondering if that is as bad as it appears, the answer is yes.
They have been found to (among other things) reduce sperm count, and create neurological (brain) problems. BBP, the little nasty we are focusing on, has been especially efficient at accelerating breast development and genetic alterations in newborn rats; both predisosers of later cancer.
Sure, it’s preliminary research, but if there is something I can do to reduce the computer keyboard I’m tapping on right now killing me, I want to know. The research suggests that lifetime effects on mammary glands can be very, verity harmful. In the words of the study, “"To prevent breast cancer in adulthood, it is necessary to protect both the newborn child and the mother from exposure to this compound."
Yes there is one Yale doctor who says it hasn’t been proven, just like there are still a few scientists who say global warming isn’t really happening. A doctor of environmental studies says that other studies have failed to link BBP with cancer, and the latest study “doesn't add specific information on breast cancer and environmental interactions."
BBP is a real one. Because it interacts with hormones it becomes a huge cause for concern. Hormonal mutation is already accepted as a precursor of many cancers.
At least my US readers can look forward to some light relief – if they live in California. My friend Arnie has enacted a law to ban trace amounts of BBP in toys and baby products such as teething rings. (Hush up, Bubs, here, suck this and you’ll grow lovely big breasts!)
So what can we do? Do we have to go back to square one and remove all plastics from our homes? I remember a National Geographic feature on a typical US family showing the amount of plastic in their home, including Fido’s plastic doghouse!
No, that is not an avenue most of us could manage.
I’ve been researching the problem of hormone disruptors for some time. Here in Australia as well as the UK and US, it’s already known that we have a major problem with hormone disruptors in our drinking water supply. Water ozonation is the only way available to handle this ubiquitous threat to our kids.
In researching the same problem in home air, I am very impressed with the technology of the Sharp PlasmaCluster Air Ionizer and Filter. It uses a technology not dissimilar to the OH- Hydroxyl ion technology of the ION LIFE water systems, and Sharp claim it will actually break down chemicals and viruses in the air. We have one installed in our office here and I’m impressed with its ability to keep us awake and focused, but I only have the makers’ studies to show the ability of the technology to do what they say it does. To test it would be extremely hard as these forms of chemicals are in trace amounts in our air. However, I’m glad I have the Sharp. It feels a whole lot better with it quietly cleansing in the background than not.
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