Bottled Water & the Link to Reproductive Cancer
Plastics and water are both environmental topics that have their own set of issues, and it's no surprise they overlap on the subject of bottled water. We see them in stores, advertised with attractive words like "spring" and "glacier" and "pure". We will put out the $1.39 for 500ml's of Dasani, or even the $40 for a 12-pack of "virgin aquifer" VOSS. Besides the fact that most bottled water is nothing more than glorified tap water (1), when it comes in plastic bottles it is actually dangerous to our health.
It's been called the "silent epidemic" (5). The plastics in bottled water packaging contain xenoestrogens, which are hormone-mimicking chemicals that copy estrogen effects upon entering our body (2). Estrogen is the hormone responsible for sexual development and reproduction in women, and the counter-balance for testosterone in men (3). Imbalances in this hormone can throw our bodies into chaos, causing abnormalities such as breast development and infertility in males (3), and mood disruptions and weight gain in females (4). It has even been known to cause certain reproductive cancers, such as prostate or breast cancer (5).
The amount of people (both men and women) suffering from estrogen dominance in the developed world is rising (6). Scientists are convinced it has much to do with external xenoestrogens, like what are found in plastic bottles (8). If you're a pregnant woman, that's especially scary; your unborn child consumes these chemicals and may be born infertile or male psuedo-hermaphroditic(7), meaning a male child who grows female organs due to excess estrogen exposure. Males who ingest xenoestrogens are at an increased risk for testicular cancer, and may experience impotency and feminine weight gain (2).
Americans drink an average of 167 plastic bottles of water per year (9). As a result, a growing number of people are experiencing the symptoms of estrogen dominance and don't know it, and continue to consume the products contributing to their imbalance. Scientists have even found a link between the obesity epidemic and the xenoestrogens in PET plastic (5).
Instead of allowing a cocktail of unknown chemicals pollute the water you drink, switch to tap. In Canada and the US, tap water is regulated and completely safe from xenohormones. In fact, public water in San Francisco is so pure that the EPA has stated that it does not need to be filtered (10). Contrary to myth, tap water is cheap, clean, and safe.
Would you consider stopping your consumption of bottled water? Tell us in the comments below.
Works Cited:
(1) "CNN: Most Bottled Water is Tap - YouTube." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2013. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saSgpX186MM>.
(2) G, Kerry. "Estrogen Dominance in Men: Causes, Effects, and How To Avoid It."kerryg on HubPages. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2013. <http://kerryg.hubpages.com/hub/Estrogen-Dominance-in-Men-Causes--Effects--and-How-To-Avoid-It>.
(3) Mandal, Ananya. "What Does Estrogen Do? ." THE MEDICAL NEWS | from News-Medical.Net - Latest Medical News and Research from Around the World . N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2013. <http://www.news-medical.net/health/What-Does-Estrogen-Do.aspx>.
(4) Khara, Kanika. "Estrogen and Weight Gain." Buzzle. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2013. <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/estrogen-and-weight-gain.html>.
(5) "Estrogen Dominance in the Sexes | Lee Institute for Integrative Health and Wellness." Lee Institute for Integrative Health and Wellness | Ideas on Natural Health and Healing. N.p., 26 Feb. 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2013. <http://innatehealer.blog.com/2013/02/26/estrogen-dominance-in-the-sexes/>.
(6) Lam, Michael. "Estrogen Dominance - DrLam® - Body. Mind. Nutrition®."DrLam® - Body. Mind. Nutrition®. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2013. <http://www.drlam.com/articles/estrogen_dominance.asp>.
(7) "Hermaphrodite Information and Resources." DateHookup. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2013. <http://www.datehookup.com/content-hermaphrodite-information-and-resources.htm>.
(8) Raloff, Janet. "Bottled water may contain ‘hormones’: Plastics | Chemistry | Science News." Science News. N.p., 12 Apr. 2009. Web. 15 Mar. 2013. <http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/41628/description/Bottled_water_may_contain_hormones_Plastics>.
(9) "Bottled Water Statistics | Statistic Brain." Statistic Brain | Numbers | Percentages | Financials | Rankings | Statistic Brain. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2013. <http://www.statisticbrain.com/bottled-water-statistics/>.
1 comments
My wife and I have taken great pains to read labels this last decade and want to maintain our health, fitness, and energy levels as we've entered out 60's. One of our great triumphs was getting off Coke and Pepsi and all sodas, diet or otherwise, because of HFCS or aspartame/NutraSweet, etc. and we've even stopped Stevia because it reportedly can suppress you Adrenal glands! So what a shock it was when we looked at our generic seltzer water bottles from the grocery store, or our Nestle's Pure Life bottled water bottles, and find the little recylce triangle on the bottom with a big fat 1 in it!!!
ReplyDeleteRats! Down the drain it goes!!