90% of People Have Cancer-Causing BPA In Their System. Here’s How to Avoid It

Bisphenol-A, commonly known as BPA, is a chemical used to harden plastic. For the past 40 years, since its discovery, BPA products are everywhere. Seriously! Look around you, everything from water bottles to the linings of canned foods are ridden with BPA. With that, more than 90% of the Western population currently have traces of BPA in their bodies right now.

While many companies and databases have made serious strides to reduce the amount or use of BPA in their products, it is still a widely used plastic product. Avoid putting the health of yourself and loved ones at risk by educating yourself on the hidden BPA product culprits and how to avoid them for the betterment of your health.

The Dangers of BPA

Prior to 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration claimed that BPA products classified as “safe”. However, as of late, animal studies and medical research have raised concerns on this categorization and expressed concerns for the potential side effects of BPA on the brain, behavior and hormonal balances – especially in women and children.

Upon contact with BPAs, your body treats this chemical like estrogen in the body. With that, pregnant women and children during critical stages of their development have been medically urged to avoid BPAs at all costs. Linked to issues like cancer, infertility, brain nervous system and cardiovascular abnormalities, obesity and diabetes (to name a few), BPAs toxicity to the human body is no joke.

Surprising Products Containing BPA

Despite the recent widespread awareness of BPAs chemical traces in every products, there is no shortage of surprises for where BPA may be hiding in your products. In fact, even if you make an effort to buy “BPA-free” food and beverage products, its uses have become so mainstream, that you may be unknowingly exposing yourself and loved ones to its toxins on a regular, potentially daily, basis!

Store Sales Receipts

Thermal paper receipts, ones that you get with every store transaction, can contain BPA as a component of the heat sensitive coating that allows for inkless printing. The reason? This coated paper technology provides consistently speedy and cost-effective printing.

According to the Danish Environmental Protective Agency, the traces of BPA found in receipt are relatively minor. While recent research has yet to prove that BPA is readily absorbed through the skin, it’s best to avoid these receipts whenever possible – plus, you’ll be doing the environment a huge favor in the process.

Plastic Cooking Utensils

Plastic, especially with consistent high heat, has the tendency to melt. With that BPAs can leach into your otherwise “BPA-free” foods. Be sure to buy either wooden or nylon cookware or if you must use plastic, only use it on extremely low heats or to simply mix cold ingredients.

Toilet Paper

According to a comprehensive Danish study, many mainstream toilet paper and recycled paper product brands contain BPA. Similar to store receipts, while the impact of BPA absorption on the skin remains highly understudied, it’s better to be safe than sorry and avoid rubbing hormone-disrupting BPA traces on genital areas.

The Importance of the EWG Database

The EWG has created the first comprehensive and easily searchable database of a whopping 16,000 processed food and drink packaging material that may contain BPA. The list is comprised of thousands of food and beverage items and categories, offering consumers unparalleled access to researched and dependable information.

Their mission is founded in the belief that consumers have the basic right to know what is in the foods they are purchasing and consuming on an everyday basis. What is more, the uncensored access to product information that may be compromising to their health! To find the scores of the products you have already purchased and make educated consumer choices in the future, head over to the EWG database: http://www.ewg.org.

Easy Tips for Avoiding BPAs

The EWG BPA product database has been instrumental to product awareness. But why stop there! Incorporate these simple and easy tips into your daily routine to ensure that you’re not consuming BPAs in excess or unknowingly:

Limit the amount of packaged foods you eat
If you can’t avoid packaged foods with BPA linings, rinse your foods in water before eating them. While this won’t eliminate every BPA trace, it will significantly lower the overall BPA levels of your foods.

Never heat your food up if it’s in a can. Simply transfer food to a stainless steel pot or pan for stovetop cooking.
Print off the list of EWG’s Best Players or Better Players list of BPA-free brands and companies to keep handy or bring with you on your next grocery trip!