• Home
• Music
• Entertainment
• Design
• Books
• Technology
• Help/Environment
• Wellness
• Life Banter

Despite all of the media attention about the safety of kids products over the last year; the toxic chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) is still found in products that kids use every day, like baby bottles, sports water bottles, the lining of formula cans, and sippy cups.

This is a real problem because more than 200 studies have linked BPA exposures at very low doses to breast and prostate cancer, obesity, diabetes, altered development of the brain and immune systems, lowered sperm counts, and early puberty. Growing children are especially at risk from BPA because they have smaller bodies. In fact, BPA is so toxic that even very small amounts have been shown to cross the placenta and impact prenatal development.

MomsRising members are committed to eliminating BPA from products that pregnant women and children are exposed to on a daily basis. Over the last several decades, children have faced an increasingly challenging time making it through what should be normal stages of growth and development. Incidences of reproductive defects, childhood obesity, early onset puberty, learning disabilities, and many other chronic health problems are on the rise. Many of these problems have been linked with exposure to toxic chemicals.

BPA was first synthesized as an estrogen replacement therapy in the 1930s but was discarded in favor of other therapies. In the 1940s, chemists discovered they could use BPA to make plastic. Now BPA can be found in baby bottles, water bottles and food storage containers. It is also used the lining of metal food cans, including infant formula cans.

BPA is of particular concern to moms because even minuscule amounts--parts per billion or parts per trillion--have been shown to cross the placenta and disrupt normal prenatal development. Early life exposure to BPA has been linked to a host of developmental problems, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, obesity, early onset puberty, abnormal brain development , hyperactivity, and the genetic defect that causes Down’s syndrome. The CDC found BPA in 93% of all Americans and the scientific literature points to food as being the major route of exposure.

Together we can change this! Urge your members of Congress to co-sponsor the Ban Poisonous Additives Act, which will prohibit the sale of food and beverage containers that contain BPA.

Labels: bpa, toxins

Today is Melanoma Monday, a day that stresses melanoma and other skin cancer prevention as well as early detection. It was established by the American Academy of Dermatology as part of Skin Cancer Awareness month in May.

Cancer of the skin is the most common of all cancers, accounting for more than 50% of new cancer cases. The two main types are non-melanoma and malignant melanoma skin cancers.

Melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, can appear suddenly on any part of the body or develop from a mole. Melanoma caused 8,110 of the 10,850 deaths due to skin cancer in 2007, according to the American Cancer Society.

The other types of skin cancer - basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma - rarely spread, are less worrisome, and are treated differently than melanoma.

Lawrence A. Mark, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of dermatology at the Indiana University School of Medicine and a researcher with the IU Simon Cancer Center, advises people to know their bodies and talk with their physicians about any changes they notice. Also be mindful that skin cancer can develop in places you may not consider: between the toes, on the soles of the feet, on the palms of the hands, under finger and toe nails, and on oral or genital mucous membranes.

Dr. Mark and his colleagues use the ABCD's to evaluate melanoma:

- A, asymmetry: Half of a mole or birthmark does not match the other half
- B, border: Edges are irregular, ragged, notched, or blurred
- C, color: The color isn't the same all over but may have differing shades of brown or black, sometimes with patches of red, white or blue
- D, diameter: The area is larger than six millimeters (about the size of a pencil eraser) or is growing larger

Most of the more than one million cases of skin cancer diagnosed yearly in the United States are considered to be sun-related, according to the American Cancer Society.

Physicians recommend limiting outdoor sun exposure, ultraviolet radiation is often the strongest between the hours of 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen are also effective ways to protect against exposure to UV light. The American Cancer Society advises using a sunscreen with an SPF factor of 15 or higher.

Labels: cancer, melanoma, skin cancer, skincare