By Jeff Feldman

Lately I’ve been reminded of a silly campfire skit I once saw. The campfire host is speaking to those gathered when another person races onto the scene, flailing their arms, shouting, “It’s all around me! Help! It’s all around me!” The host stops the person, and with clear concern, asks, “What is it? What’s all around you?” The second person smiles, shrugs, and nonchalantly replies, “The air.”

Goofy, I know. But lately I’ve been experiencing that same sense that “it’s all around me.” And I’m not talking about the air. I’m talking about chemical substances: seemingly ubiquitous chemical substances; potentially toxic chemical substances. If you’ve been paying attention to the news, it’s hard to avoid. A slew of new studies and two new bills now before Congress have raised the focus and amped up the dialogue on the potential toxicity of certain chemical compounds that are, indeed, all around us.

Bisphenol A, commonly called BPA, is one that has recently come under severe scrutiny. A component of a family of hard plastics called polycarbonates, and also an additive to plastic resins, BPA is found in an incredible range of consumer products. That it appears in food and drink containers has raised the greatest alarm. Baby bottles, reusable water bottles, and a variety of food packaging all contain BPA. A recent study by a coalition of public and environmental health groups discovered detectable BPA in 92 percent of canned food tested. The study’s title, “No Silver Lining”, refers to the plastic coating sprayed into food cans to minimize off tastes caused by contact between the food and the metal can. BPA leaches into the food. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found traces of BPA in the urine of 93 percent of people it tested.

The other potentially toxic substance seemingly all around us is the family of compounds known as phthalates. Phthalates are plasticizers, added to plastic to increase its pliability, flexibility, and durability. Look around your home, your car, your office—any plastic item you see that has some softness or flexibility likely contains phthalates. Many soft plastic children’s toys—just the kind of thing little ones put into their mouths—contain phthalates. Phthalates are common additives to shampoo, hair spray, cosmetics, detergents, and lotions. Essentially anything with fragrance likely contains phthalates. Have I mentioned that they’re all around us?

Both BPA and phthalates are endocrine disruptors, mimicking natural hormones in the human body with potentially harmful health effects. I say “potentially” because the evidence is still deemed inconclusive, though numerous studies have shown links between both of these chemical compounds and all sorts of health concerns: various cancers, reproductive and sexual disorders, obesity, and behavioral issues such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The Environmental Protection Agency, with minimal regulatory control under current laws, simply lists both BPA and phthalates as “chemicals of concern.” The Food and Drug Administration currently allows both compounds to be used in flexible food packaging. The U.S. government only recently restricted the use of certain phthalates in children’s toys and child-related products, a step the European Parliament took back in 2005.

“America’s system for regulating industrial chemicals is broken,” said Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) who, earlier this spring, introduced the Safe Chemicals Act of 2010. This new legislation would replace the antiquated Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976, shifting the burden to industry to prove that chemicals are safe in order stay on the market. Currently EPA can only call for safety testing of chemicals if evidence surfaces indicating an environmental or human health hazard. In a separate bill also now before Congress, the Food Safety Modernization Act, an amendment by Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) would ban BPA from food-related products.

You can expect a significant fight and some extreme compromise on both of these bills. If passed, neither is going to enact widespread change in the immediate future. The broad use of substances like BPA and phthalates will require a phase-out approach. In the meantime, here are some thoughts for individual actions you might take to reduce your exposure to these chemicals.

First, don’t panic. Be deliberate and systematic about minimizing your exposure to these substances. Focus on child and food-related products for starters. Evaluate children’s toys made of soft, flexible plastics. Though a federal ban on phthalates has now taken effect, older toys may still contain them. Read the ingredients on personal care products like shampoos and lotions. If the list includes “fragrance,” phthalates may be involved. Begin to phase out reusable plastic food containers in favor of glass and stainless steel. Canned food consumption should be limited where possible for young children and pregnant women. 

This article is meant to inform, not alarm, but an alarm to action is called for. There’s much understand on this issue. For information, here are some online sources.

A CNN Special Report: Toxics in America; www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2010/toxic.america

A 60 Minutes Segment: Phthalates: Are They Safe? www.cbsnews.com/ stories/2010/05/21/60minutes/main6506892.shtml

US News and World Report article on avoiding BPA; http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/070808/8bisphenola.htm

No Silver Lining: An Investigation into Bisphenol-A in Canned Foods; www.greenbiz.com/sites/default/files/NoSilverLining-Report.pdf

Safe Chemicals Act of 2010; http://lautenberg.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=323863

Jeff Feldman runs GreenPath Consulting, a green building consulting firm. Jeff and his wife, Kristin Alexander, live in a strawbale home in Berkeley County. You can reach Jeff at GreenPathConsulting@gmail.com.