It's about time, space, and some BPA!

Hello! Okay, to be honest, it isn't really about space but definitely time and BPA!  For this week's scrumptious post, I'm going to be sharing some information about BPA and regulating toxic chemicals.
I choose to focus on this aspect of the article "Regulating Toxic Chemicals" because I had heard of BPA, but really didn't know a thing about it. I hope to enlighten you too.

The 24 page article was a lot to digest and remember, but what stuck out the most was BPA.
BPA is  Bisphenol A and is one ingredient used to make plastic. Plastic as we know, takes lots of oil to make and the creation of it puts more carbon dioxide in the air. Without even looking anything else BPA is harmful. BPA is small doses was used to create baby bottles which infants use and therefore are exposed to. Exposure to BPA is very sensitive for infants especially and could lead to neurological difficulties later. The FDA released a report in August of 2008 saying that "BPA in food packaging didn't pose a health risk"(Regulating Toxic Chemicals, 64). After being read over by a panel of advisers, the report was deemed as flaws due to not enough samples being taken which were assessed. The issue is the money that is involved in this. If companies are not allowed to use some quantities of BPA to produce their formulas or bottles, they will lose money. In turn they will pressure or bribe the FDA to approve that level of BPA as "safe" so that they can continue producing whatever they produce.

When it comes to BPA, the precautionary principle is being used, otherwise there wouldn't be such a fuss over it. But as wonderful as it is that there is such a concern for our infants, there are many other toxic chemicals which should probably be examined more closely. As this issue of BPA levels is quite recent, we are not able to see the affects which they have on children until they are probably older. It is impossible to completely get rid of chemicals we use to produce things, at least at this moment. But I am glad that the FDA doesn't have free reign to allow even small doses of BPA in products.

What really ruffled my feathers was that the FDA had to be in this whole mess. The FDA is like some random child's lemonade stand. You don't know if that is real lemonade or pee. The FDA isn't trustworthy in the least. They are a company and shouldn't be regulating anything. On top of that, other government agencies aren't that much better when it comes to regulation of these chemicals.

It makes me want to go out, grow my own veggies and make my own instruments on which to eat them. I don't trust anyone know!