“It is clear that some of these chemical pollutants can affect the endocrinal (hormonal) system,” reads the paper published by the group of international academic experts whose work was sponsored by the UN, “[they] may also interfere with the development processes of humans and wildlife species… humans and animals across the planet were probably exposed to hundreds of these often little-studied or understood compounds at any one time.”
The dangerous chemicals include common compounds—such as:
- Phthalates, a common plastic softer, found in toys, perfumes, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and deodorants
- Bisphenol A, or BPA, a plastics hardener, common in food and beverage containers, babies’ bottles, and food can coatings
As you can probably already see, many of these chemicals can be absorbed into drinks and food from the containers they come in, as well as by the body (i.e., cosmetics and deodorant), and could be suspected as factors causing breast and prostate cancer, diabetes, infertility, asthma, obesity, strokes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s diseases, and exposing unborn babies to behavioral and learning problems (i.e., dyslexia).
Even though researchers based their research largely on studies in developed countries such as Africa, Asia and Latin America, these chemicals are also used time and again in many North American products as well.
Source: Reuters
