Strangers are poisoning our children. They aren’t doing it in the dark of night, or by giving candy away at the bus stop. These strangers aren’t loners, they don’t wear old clothes, have greasy hair or drive rusty old cars. No, these strangers rub elbows with presidents and senators, wear three piece suits and sit in corner offices. They receive million dollar bonuses and stock options, they send their children to Ivy League Schools, and they decide what goes into your child’s body.
Ever since I can remember, the warning “Don’t take candy or gifts from strangers!” has been part of the national lexicon. I learned it when I was little, I repeat it to my children. Of course, the purpose of the saying is to protect our children from harm. But what happens when the gifts aren’t coming from strangers? When they come with corporate logos and are passed on by unsuspecting intermediaries, teachers, volunteers, and marketers.
Twice in the last six months my daughters have received giveaways, both times plastic bottles. The bottles are made of a plastic suspected of leaching bisphenol A into their contents. You can tell this type of plastic by looking for the #7 inside the recycle symbol on the bottom of the bottle.
What, you may ask, is bisphenol A and why should we be worried about it? For those of you uninterested in following links, let me say that bisphenol A is what is known as an endocrine disruptor, a widely distributed but little understood artificial chemical. Recent news articles report studies have shown the chemical to affect the reproductive systems of mice, along with obesity and cancer. For those of you who want to learn more, please follow the links below.
To be fair, I’ll let you read the chemical and plastic industry’s side of the story. Keep in mind these people have decided what risk is acceptable for YOUR children. Are you OK with that?
- www.bisphenol-a.org (Apparently funded by the American Chemistry Council, who in turn is funded by the plastic and petroleum industries- see member companies.) www.americanchemistry.com
As quickly as the news article comes out questioning the safety of the product, this site has a response denouncing the study. Note how they always reference meeting the governments minimum standards. Consider who is running our government. That’s right, the industry that is being regulated likely wrote the regulation. Make you feel better? Tossed out your bottle yet?
This is not a unique event. We’ve heard it all before. Lead, asbestos, tobacco all used the same tactics. As such, I think it fair to share a couple other links with you, from an industry who in the past made some of the same claims. You’ll see the wording is very similar, and they were successful for years and years (and profits and profits) by using these same stall tactics.
For your pleasure, the lead industry:
- www.environmentaldefense.org (It is a dry read, but the lead industry was tremendously successful in putting off legislation long after it was first shown to damage childhood development. How many children suffered because of their greed? How many Einsteins have we lost do the cognitive abilities lost? We’ll never know.)
- www.cincinnatichildrens.org (Great story on lead advertising.)
Second, the tobacco industry. Most of us have lived through this episode of corporate immorality, but here is a link to remind us of how bad it was:
And I’m letting asbestos off of the hook, for now.
So, decide for yourself. Are you comfortable letting a stranger profit from putting your child at risk? Should they, or do they, have that right?
A teacher gave this bottle to Jolie. Jolie immediately flipped it over, disappointed to see the 7 on a bottle she had received as a reward for physical fitness. Physical fitness? “Get healthy,exercise , you’ll need those healthy habits to overcome the ill health caused by this bottle!”
Jolie told the teacher the bottle was bad. The response, “I’ve drank out of these bottles for years, there isn’t any problem.” More irony, the petroleum giant Conoco-Phillips’ name is plastered across the side of the bottle. Imagine that, a business that profits from the plastic industry distributing a plastic suspected of having health risks.
At a UAF hockey game last Friday night Wells-Fargo got into the act. They were giving away toxic bottles too. We got four. Jolie again expressed her disappointment. Our friend noted she had gotten one last year, and wasn’t sick yet. I didn’t say anything. The trouble with an endocrine disruptor is the damage may not be felt for years or generations. It is a risk I’d rather not take, even if I’m not around to see it.
So what do we do with the bottles? Throw them away? In this world, there is no away. We all drink the same water, breathe the same air, and eat the same food. Amounts of bisphenol A are likely present in all of us. They form part of a chemical cocktail consisting of all the toxins each of us have ingested over our lifetime. Has there been any testing on the cocktail effect? If one chemical is OK by itself, how is it with all the others? Does the plastic and chemical industry care? Probably not, since any negative effect will be due to multiple sources, any liability will be tough to prove.
I have two daughters. Each of them carries the eggs of any potential children they will ever have. Anything they are exposed to, their children, my grandchildren, are exposed to. They are both beautiful children, and I would do anything in my power to ensure they have long, healthy, and happy lives. Yet, I can’t protect them from everything. This time, I wasn’t even given the opportunity.
Why, when there are other viable options, do we put our children and future at risk? Why?
I find it hard to speak about this topic. The arrogance of industry, to think they get to decide what goes into my daughter’s bodies, overwhelms me.
I taught my daughters not to accept candy or gifts from strangers.
Was it enough?
Apparently not.
What can one do in the face of such evil?
The same thing I would do if a stranger entered our house and threatened my family.
Get mad as hell.
And fight back.
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That is pretty deep stuff; thanks for the post. I had heard of Bisphenol-A as it relates to baby bottles, and baby toys, but didn’t know how to identify whether a bottle contained it. Thanks for the information and insight.
I am with you on this. A little while ago i bought stainless steel sippy cups and Sigg water bottles for the girls. I’ve been meaning to post a review. I even took pictures of the girls with the bottles. You’ve inspired me to finish writing it.