Endocrine Disruptors and your Daily Toxic Load

image courtesy MSNBC

After reading Nicolas Kristof ‘s Dec 5^th article Cancer from the Kitchen? it made me wonder why we’re not more outraged as a nation over.......... umm, well, just about everything!!

In the article, Kristof examines common chemicals that we unwittingly ingest; specifically, Endocrine Disruptors (like BPA …ya, know the yummy stuff Lisa wrote about in a previous blog post about canned foods).

Kristoff notes that younger people seem to be developing breast cancer: and that a 10-year-old in California, Hannah, is fighting breast cancer and recording her struggle on a blog.

This makes me want to cry, but it also makes me scared, angry and frustrated. This is not the first article Kristoff has done on Endocrine Disruptors.

In June there was “It’s Time to Learn from Frogs”

”some of the first eerie signs of a potential health catastrophe came as bizarre deformities in water animals, often in their sexual organs.” “Now scientists are connecting the dots with evidence of increasing abnormalities among humans, particularly large increases in numbers of genital deformities among newborn boys. “

The words hermaphrodite and intersex fish jump off the page. MALE FISH LAYING EGGS! !

Kristof……….(exerpt from It’s time to learn from frogs)

Apprehension is growing among many scientists that the cause of all this may be a class of chemicals called endocrine disruptors. They are very widely used in agriculture, industry and consumer products. Some also enter the water supply when estrogens in human urine — compounded when a woman is on the pill — pass through sewage systems and then through water treatment plants.

The NIH, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, defines Endocrine Disruptors…..

Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that may interfere with the body’s endocrine system and produce adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects in both humans and wildlife. A wide range of substances, both natural and man-made, are thought to cause endocrine disruption, including pharmaceuticals, dioxin and dioxin-like compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls, DDT and other pesticides, and plasticizers such as bisphenol A. Endocrine disruptors may be found in many everyday products– including plastic bottles, metal food cans, detergents, flame retardants, food, toys, cosmetics, and pesticides. The NIEHS supports studies to determine whether exposure to endocrine disruptors may result in human health effects including lowered fertility and an increased incidence of endometriosis and some cancers. Research shows that endocrine disruptors may pose the greatest risk during prenatal and early postnatal development when organ and neural systems are forming.

Google endocrine disruptors and you'll see articles going back at least 10 years. I remember reading about the dangers lurking in plastics 17 years or so ago in Natural Health magazine. Look how long it takes for main-stream media to sound the alarm. Do people even care? Tsk, tsk and turn the page. Sometimes it can feel so overwhelming just trying to stay relatively toxin free. You may even feel crazy for your healthy obsessions at times. I say obsession because trying to stay healthy these days feels like a full-time job.

Looking at disease rates in this country has to make one wonder where we’re heading. There are so many chemicals we take in every day (and expel everyday) that affect our bodies and our environment.

Is our modern life killing us?

Maybe it’s time to take a look at your overall daily toxic load to find ways to make positive changes to save your health and the planet.

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.

T.S. Eliot

Please read Kristoff’s articles on Endocrine Disruptors

Cancer from the Kitchen? Nicholas D. Kristof Dec 09

It’s Time to Learn From Frogs Nicholas D. Kristof Jun 09

Endocrine Disruptor won’t be on the label USA Today Oct 07

These nasty chemicals are in everything! They’re in you’re health and beauty products, cleaning products, sunscreens, perfumes, and as mentioned above excreted via Birth Control Pills!!!

Maybe we need need to make better decisions when purchasing products that affect our daily toxic load on ourselves and our environment.

I'm going to think about little 10 year old Hannah.........

Maybe NBC's catchphrase for heroes applies

Save the Cheerleader, Save the World

On a positive note..........

Something you can do right now!

Please check out products from Greenology (I bought mine at Lowes). Their Organic Bathroom Cleaner works like crazy for only three something a bottle. It really works!!! I use it in the shower and tub and It works better than that really stinky stuff that's slowly killing us!

Green up!

Mary Ann

BEWARE OF BPA

If you're reading this blog, I'm sure you're aware of the flap over the chemical Bisphenol A, which is found in plastics. Well, now Consumer Reports tells us that BPA is also in the lining of food cans. Oh, goodie!

BPA is not something any of us--no matter our age--want to put into our bodies. Some studies have linked it to reproductive abnormalities and an increased risk of breast and prostate cancers, diabeter, and heart disease. Of course, there's much controversy as to what levels are considered "safe." I don't know....do you think ANY is safe???? The FDA is trying to make this determination. Ho ho ho.

Consumer Reports' latest tests of canned foods, including soups, juice, tuna, and green beans, have found that almost all of the 19 name-brand foods tested contained some BPA. And--get this--"the canned organic foods we tested did not always have lower BPA levels than nonorganic brands of similar foods analyzed. We even found the chemical in some products in cans that were labeled "BPA-free," Consumer Reports says.

So, BPA-free is NOT BPA-free? Whaaaaat??

Ok, I'm not a big fan of canned food, but I do rely on some canned products, like beans and diced tomatoes. Who doesn't? I've been buying Eden Organic's beans, which are supposed to be BPA free, but according to this report, are in the "supposed-to-be-BPA-free-but-are-not" category. (This got me thinking: is it really that difficult to buy dried beans, and soak the darn things myself? I'd have to be organized and plan ahead, which might be more of a challenge than I think!)

Canned soups, however, seem to be the prime culprits. Consumer Reports says that better options are plastic or pouches. Of course, if you make soup from scratch, you control both the ingredients and the storage mediums. Some types, like split pea and lentil, are sooo easy to make--just follow the recipes right on the bags. Or, take a short cut with all-natural bagged soups that contain all the ingredients and seasonings you need. I just bought a couple of Bob's bean soup mixes that look like they'll be fast, easy and yummy, a win-win-win!

The complete report can be found at:

http://www.consumerreports.org/health/healthy-living/health-safety/bpa/overview/bisphenol-a-ov.htm

Lisa

Where have all the tuna gone?

National Geographic Photo by Brian J. Skerry

As I sat in the salon chair yesterday gazing despondently at my multiple chins, I decided it's time to get serious about losing the extra five pounds I've accumulated over the past year. I know what I need to do--stop cheating and break out the salad! No more excuses!

Ok, you're thinking....what the blazes does all this have to do with tuna? Well, I'll tell you. Tuna is one of my favorite "go to" foods for getting on track to lose weight. I like to top my lunch salads with it, right out of the can, for a nice does of healthy, lowfat protein and Omega 3's. Looks like I'm not alone: last year nearly 6 million tons of tuna were caught worldwide. That's a lot of weight-watching ladies!

Naturally, I was disturbed to see an article entitled "Tuna in Peril" in the November 16 issue of TIME Magazine. Apparently our seemingly insatiable appetite for tuna--and resulting overfishing--are causing major problems. In fact, some species of tuna have become unsustainable, even endangered. I encourage you read the article in its entirety.

Since this blog focuses on both eating healthy and sustainably, and we devote a fair amount of space to meat and poultry, I think it's time to give fish a fair shake. So here are some frightening fish facts:

Stocks of bluefin tuna (especially popular for sushi/sashimi) are especially low (National Geographic lists it as endangered). In fact, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimates that atlantic bluefin that spawn in the Mediterranean could disappear from those waters as early as 2012! Yikes! But it's not just bluefin that are in peril; yellowfin and many other species are in bad shape, too. The article says, "of the world's 19 nonbluefin commercial tuna stocks, half are overfished or at risk of going in that direction, according to the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). "

What can we do? First, be aware of where the tuna you buy is coming from, how it was caught, and where it stands (or rather, swims) on the ecological scale. According to the TIME article, "major canneries that have signed on to the ISSF, such as BumbleBee, StarKist, and Chicken of the Sea, are trying to guarrantee that the fish going into their cans come from legal and traceable sources." well, that sounds promising to me. So check labels, and look for the logo of the Marine Stewardship Council, which certifies fisheries and companies worldwide.

Two additional suggestions from TIME:

Talk to your chef - Let sushi chefs know that customers want fish from sustainable sources.

Support marine reserves - make a donation to programs fun by Greenpeace or the WWWF.


A personal note: I've been buying Oregon's Choice Gourmet premium albacore canned tuna from my local health food store since I discovered it about a year ago. I feel good knowing that it's caught in the U.S. by a very small fishing operation in Oregon (see list of eco-best fish, below). It's pricey, but I think it's worth it. It's solidly packed in the can, and goes a long way. Not to mention the fact that it's delicious. Tough to go back to Chicken of the Sea once you've tasted this stuff!

Looking beyond the desperate plight of tuna, it makes sense to be knowledgeable--and picky--when selecting any type of fish at the supermarket, or ordering in a restaurant. Excellent resources can be found online to help guide you. Download a pocket guide to sustainable fish and keep it in your purse or wallet. I found one on the Environmental Defense Fund's site: http://www.edf.org/. Monterey Aquarium in California is another excellent resource.

Here's a partial list from the EDF site:

Eco-Best Fish:

Char, Arctic (farmed)
Crab, Dungeness
Mussels
Oysters (farmed)
Sablefish (Alaska, Canada)
Salmon, wild (Alaska)
Sardines, Pacific (U.S.)
Shrimp, pink (Oregon)
Trout, rainbow (farmed)
Tuna, albacore (U.S., Canada)

Eco-OK

Clams (wild)
Cod, Pacific (trawl)
Crab, snow/tanner
Flounder/sole (Pacific)
Lobster, American/Maine
Scallops, sea (U.S., Canada)
Shrimp (U.S. wild)
Squid
Tilapia (Latin America)
Tuna, canned light

Eco-Worst

Chilean sea bass
Grouper
Orange roughy
Rockfish (trawl)
Salmon, farmed/Atlantic
Shark
Swordfish (imported)
Tilefish (Gulf of Mexico/South Atlantic)
Tuna, bigeye/yellowfin (imported longline)
Tuna, bluefin

So folks, next time you see bigeye, yellowfin, or bluefin tuna, Chilean sea bass, or any of the other eco-worst fish on a dinner menu, just say NO. And, it doesn't hurt to let the chef know that you'd prefer eco-friendly choices instead!

Lastly, kudos to TIME for its excellent reporting and coverage of topics like this. If you missed the excellent cover story, "The Real Cost of Cheap Food," from a few months back, check it out!

Make your voice heard!

Lisa

Pending Legislation Needs Our Support

A message from the ASPCA arrived in my email box recently that deserves attention, so here's a quick post....

It's no secret that CAFO's and large poultry producers routinely pump their animals full of antibiotics, even when they're not sick. This is because they're raised and housed in such close quarters and deplorable, inhumane conditions that it's virtually impossible for them to stay healthy. Disease runs rampant. (That's why we support organic, pastured, humanely raised food sources.)

Beyond making the right food choices and putting our money where our mouths are, here's something else we can do: support the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act.

According to the ASPCA: "Championed for over 10 years by the late Senator Edward Kennedy, the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA) is a federal bill that would phase out the common practice of constantly feeding antibiotics to food animals when they aren’t sick. Therefore, curbing the use of antibiotics may prove to be an incentive to raise animals using more humane and sustainable methods. This is not only an animal welfare issue, however: it is also an issue of human health. Scientists agree that the overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture is contributing to the increase in antibiotic-resistant human diseases. These illnesses are especially costly and difficult to treat."

Please take a moment and visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center online to email your U.S. senators and representative urging them to support and cosponsor the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act.

Thanks!

Lisa