Commentary: Environmental estrogens and public-health issues: a
forum
By Sara
Frost/ Guest Columnist
A product that recently has received much attention is plastic. Of
course, virtually everything we use on our bodies and in our homes is contained
within a plastic bottle. Bottled water is in plastic. Shampoo is in plastic.
Those quick lunches we heat in the office microwave are in plastic containers.
When we take a look at our lifestyles, plastic has an enormous presence that is
assumed to be safe.
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Recently, I received an email from a friend about the potential health risks of plastic. It read as follows:
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Subject: Cancer update: Cancer News from Johns Hopkins
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1. No plastic containers in microwaves.
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2. No water bottles in freezer.
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3. No plastic wrap in microwaves.
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Johns
Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is
being circulated at
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The apparent danger is because of the estrogenic properties that plastics take on when they are exposed to heat or cold.
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When I sent this email to other friends of mine, one wrote back directing me to this Web site: http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cookplastic.asp. This Web site states that the information about plastics is not conclusive. So, what do we do? How do we decide?
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The Wellesley Cancer Prevention Project is committed to the idea of prevention, as stated in both our name and our mission. When I thought about my own lifestyle, I realized that it is not that difficult to change one's use of plastics. Food that is microwaved in glass containers tastes better than when it is microwaved in plastic. Also, rather than covering your food with plastic wrap, it is very easy to cover it on a plate with a paper towel or another dish before placing it into a microwave. When packing a lunch for work or school, attach a freezer pack to the plastic water or juice bottle to keep it chilled, instead of freezing it. Additionally, if you leave your water bottle in the car during the hot summer months, do you really want to drink that water? Have you ever tried it? Does it taste bad? WHY?
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In an attempt to sort this all out, the Wellesley Cancer Prevention Project is presenting a forum with the two professors from Tufts University School of Medicine who discovered the link between plastics and health problems.
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Please
join us on Tuesday, March 14, 2021 at Wellesley College, Pendleton Hall, Room
212 from 7-9 p.m., when the WCPP and the Wellesley College department of
Environmental Studies co-host a presentation by Carlos Sonnenschein,
M.D., Professor of Anatomy and Cellular Biology at
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I hope to see you there.
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This was submitted on behalf of the