BPA, the abbreviated form of Bisphenol A, is an endocrine disruptor. It’s usage first began in the 1960s as an ingredient in plastics. The most common plastics it is used in are polycarbonate plastics (which include food and beverage containers, as well as plastic water bottles) and epoxy resins (coats the inside of food cans, also found in dental sealants). Its main purpose in plastics is to harden and strengthen the final plastic product, as well as give it a clear finish. The low solubility make it a perfect packaging option for liquids, and essential in creating practical and durable …show more content…
This chemical behaves as estrogen, and typically acts in major developmental changes occurring in a short period of time (the most prominent example being birth). Babies are born with errors in their own endocrine systems (Musson, 2008) Scientist from 10 different nations have stated a recent growth in endocrine disruptors, due to the raise in standards for the ideal product packaging and marketing (Bienkowski, 2013). These standards are the cause of the usage of this toxic chemical to begin with.
BPA has been recognized as a concern in the health; centralized around babies drinking from the durable bottles BPA yields. Adults, however, cannot retreat from this danger, for studies conducted in Switzerland discovered that an item coming in contact with humans almost everyday may override the threat posed by a baby bottle: receipts. The chemical creates the matte shine the slip is known to have, and reacts with the printer dye to create the printed letters on the receipt. As stated by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), “over 40% of cash receipts sampled from major U.S. businesses and services, including outlets of McDonald’s, CVS, KFC, Whole Foods, Wal-Mart, Safeway and the U.S. Postal Service contain the higher level of BPA” (Biedermann, 2010) . Popular American companies are exposing consumers towards this toxic chemical; simply through purchasing their