Word: estrogenous
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...years, a small but growing band of scientists has been raising concerns about the impact on human health of bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in plastic that mimics the effect of the hormone estrogen. BPA can be found in a wide variety of products, including some plastic bottles and the lining of aluminum cans, and it can migrate fairly easily into the human bloodstream. That means few of us escape exposure, if in small doses - in one survey, 93% of Americans tested positive for the chemicals. Concerned researchers point to animal studies that indicate that even low-dose exposure...
...just the aluminum that has caused alarm. Concerns about the potential link between antiperspirants and breast cancer bubbled up several years ago, buoyed by a study showing that breast-tumor cells taken from biopsies in women contained parabens, commonly used preservatives that can mimic the hormone estrogen. Another study found that among women with breast cancer, those who shaved their underarms frequently, then applied antiperspirant or deodorant, tended to develop the cancer at an earlier age. But, says Dr. Therese Bevers of Houston's MD Anderson Cancer Center, "all these studies are fraught with biases, so you have to interpret...
...women have over men in terms of cardiovascular disease, like heart attack and stroke. Women develop these problems usually in their 70s and 80s, about 10 years later than men, who develop them in their 50s and 60s. For a long time, doctors thought the difference was due to estrogen. But studies have shown that this may not be the case, and now we know that giving estrogen to women post-menopause can actually be bad for them...
Scientists like vom Saal argue that BPA and phthalates are different from other environmental toxins like lead and mercury in that these plastic ingredients are endocrine disrupters, which mimic hormones. Estrogen and other hormones in relatively tiny amounts can cause vast changes, so some researchers worry that BPA and phthalates could do the same, especially in young children. Animal studies on BPA found that low-dose exposure, particularly during pregnancy, may be associated with a variety of ills, including cancer and reproductive problems. Some human studies on phthalates linked exposure to declining sperm quality in adult males, while other work...
...water bottles merit scrutiny as well. Like many rock climbers, Scott Belcher used to carry a Nalgene water bottle made of polycarbonate, a sturdy, clear plastic. As an associate pharmacology professor at the University of Cincinnati, he knew that polycarbonates contain bisphenol A (BPA), a synthetic hormone that mimics estrogen. What he didn't know was if or how much BPA wound up in his water. In experiments, he learned that trace amounts of BPA do seep into room-temperature water. But he was startled to find that when the containers were filled with boiling water--a common practice...