GELLERMAN: Well, there's a chemical called tamoxifen, people know it because it's used to treat breast cancer. So it makes you more sensitive to a carcinogen. VANDENBERG: What we find is that there's overwhelming evidence in animals that BPA is associated with drastic changes in mammary gland development, also changes in the induction of mammary cancers, and changes in the sensitivity of the animal to carcinogens. It was used in plastic, it was used to coat cans in the supermarket. GELLERMAN: What about the chemical BPA, Bisphenol-A. And when I go to the store, I have no idea whether a product contains a hormone mimic. I would say that I'm fairly educated on this topic, but I'm not a chemist. GELLERMAN: But if it doesn't say it on the labels. The real question is - can we buy products that don't contain hormonally active chemicals? So, a lot of consumers think: How do I shop my way out of this problem? how do I avoid these chemicals in the grocery store? And the real problem is - we can't shop our way out of this problem. GELLERMAN: So, you mentioned lawn-care products, pesticides, detergents, cosmetics, what should the consumer look for? So these are chemicals that are used for a very particular purpose, but they have adverse effects. So these are chemicals that are in our food and food packaging, they're in the things that we use to clean our bodies and our homes, they're in things that we spray on our lawns. GELLERMAN: And these chemicals are in things that we're exposed to everyday? GELLERMAN: Or one drop in 20 swimming pools! So part-per-trillion would be 1/20 of a drop of water in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. VANDENBERG: We're talking about chemicals that can act in the part-per-billion or part-per-trillion level. GELLERMAN: So how small an amount are we talking about here? In this case, very, very small doses act like hormones, and that's why they have effects at low doses. So, when the dose makes the poison, the more of it that you're exposed to, the more toxic it is.
GELLERMAN: So it goes against the notion of 'the dose makes the poison.' It doesn't address - does this chemical change the subtle organization of the brain? So we found chemicals that are working at that really low level, can take a brain that's in a girl animal and make it look like a brain from a boy animal, so, really subtle changes that have really important effects. VANDENBERG: The way that traditional toxicologists look at chemicals is they look at: does this chemical kill, or does this chemical prevent pregnancy completely. The lead author is Laura Vandenberg, a developmental biologist at Tufts University. A new study, which reviews hundreds of research reports into these so-called endocrine-disrupting chemicals, is just out. To address those concerns, Campbell's has announced it's phasing out the use of the chemical in its cans, and the FDA, which has maintained BPA is safe at low levels, is reviewing the scientific evidence, and will announce its findings at the end of this month.īut BPA is just one of the many chemicals found in thousands of common products that scientists suspect can act like hormones. Stick around!ĪNNOUNCER ONE: Support for Living on Earth comes from the National Science Foundation and Stonyfield Farm. GELLERMAN: We get an earful from recordist Bernie Krause, this week on Living on Earth. GELLERMAN: To finding the origins of music in nature: GELLERMAN: Bernie Krauss went from creating synthesizer sounds.
KRAUSE: A picture is worth 1,000 words? I always say well, yeah ok, a sound-scape is worth 1,000 pictures. GELLERMAN: Also, using your ears to tune into the power of the mind's eye: The real question is can we buy products that don't contain hormonally active chemicals?
VANDENBERG: A lot of consumers think, how do I shop my way out of this problem? And the real problem is - we can't shop our way out of this problem. Many chemicals, found in thousands of household products, are more dangerous in parts per trillion than in larger amounts: A new, mega study confirms a scientific paradox sometimes the dose doesn’t make the poison.
GELLEMAN: From Public Radio International - it's Living on Earth. REPORTERS: Ari Daniel Shapiro, Ike Sriskandarajah GUESTS: Laura Vandenberg, Brent Millikan, Lian Pin Koh, D.
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