Certain CHANGE is worth an effort…
Change.org = controversial. There are some things that come across this email system that I do not agree with. But I sometimes find great value in their efforts. This is one of those.
The timing is SAD, because the BPA restriction happened awhile ago in so many other countries (Canada is one), but in the USA there was a push back, and so many “experts” came out and said “it is too early to say that BPA is bad”. I wonder if the time that was given was just enough to allow the major food companies to get it out of certain products without missing a moment of profit. This is from the email I received today:
The FDA just announced that baby bottles and sippy cups can no longer contain bisphenol A (BPA), a controversial hormone-disrupting chemical that studies show is linked with cancer, obesity, heart disease, and other life-threatening diseases.
This is a huge step towards getting dangerous chemicals out of our food supply. BPA isn’t just found in baby products — routine tests have found BPA in more than 80% of Americans’ bodies. It’s used in packaging food, lining cans for soups and sodas, and more.
Protecting my kids doesn’t stop when they graduate from bottles and sippy cups. I am counting on the FDA to help regulate this dangerous chemical so the people I care about most in the world are safe — no matter how old they are.
I know that together we can make a difference. Last year, I helped pass a ban on BPA in children’s products in my own community in Oregon. Doctors, researchers, and medical experts testified about the risks of this chemical and the importance of keeping BPA out of our children’s bodies. I was moved to tears by the hundreds of people who signed my Change.org petition in support of that campaign, and I hope this petition will make the FDA take notice, too.
Major brands have already begun distancing themselves from BPA due to consumer outrage. These companies have shown great leadership, but moving company by company and product by product is taking too long. BPA will continue to make people sick until it’s out of our food supply for good. We need strong action from the FDA now to protect us, and our kids, from these dangerous chemicals.
Tell the FDA to ban BPA now.
The reason I find so much value in this message, is simply that BPA is bad. Its the truth. The announcement came to me via The New York Times, and as I would think to write, so did they… about the fact that this ban leaves so many products on shelves, that are rich with BPA. And sadly, it goes unnoticed in most of those, even by wary and considerate consumers. This is a problem.
Does it bother you that our government is slow to act? That we have the highest expenditures of any country in the world on our “healthcare”, yet our health is awful? So much waste and inefficiency in our system. The New York Times points out:
The F.D.A. declared BPA safe in 2008, but began expressing concerns about possible health risks in 2010.
Really? Really? Come on… SAFE then two years later, unsafe? These are not idiots, these are scientists who can see the writing on the wall, but their position statement is all about security for the large corps using the BPA, and the reality that they would lose millions if they were told that their products are no longer any good.
And I get it. Our country doesn’t need an employer losing millions. We are bad enough right? But tell that to the parent of the child with an odd cancer that developed in their teens… or the child of a mom who has been using BPA for years and ends up with a liver cancer that spreads everywhere. “Sorry, but you are a sacrifice that had to be made… its for the good of the country you know”.
Be Well, Be Angered, and then be sure to express it in love! – Dr. E