Today’s Independent: Thyroid and plastic

[cwill]

“Many experts in the field consider that the current testing guidelines for thyroid-disrupting chemicals are not sufficiently sensitive, do not take into account recent findings and do not adequately consider risks to vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women.”

independent.co.uk/news/uk/h...

[shaws Administrator]

Thanks for posting and it is very interesting.

[helvella Administrator]

More about Barbara Demeneix here:

theconversation.com/profile...

[Clarrisa]

My doctor has told me if a food is a solid it should be ok packaged in plastic. If food is a liquid then plastic packaging can affect it.

These type of articles makes me wonder if the change over from glass blood collection tubes to plastic tubes has affected our thyroid blood tests!

[RedApple Administrator in reply to Clarrisa]

Interesting theory about solid versus liquid, but I wonder what defines 'solid', bearing in mind that so many foods actually have a very high water content.

[cwill in reply to RedApple]

My understanding of the plastic issue is related to oil content. Can’t remember the exact phrases but the structure of plastics and oil make the perfect combination, it can’t be washed away and remains due to chemical structure.

[RedApple Administrator in reply to cwill]

Oh right, so, for example, olive oil in a plastic bottle is a really bad thing?

[cwill in reply to RedApple]

That is what I read. Sorry can’t remeber the biochemistry but that’s the jist. Did have references and clear expalinations from chemist but safely stored where I can’t find it. Length of storage relevant to every product obviously. So hard these days to keep plastic items away from foodstuffs.

[Clarrisa in reply to RedApple]

My doctor was involved in the Low-Dose Mixture Hypothesis of Carcinogenesis Workshop-NCBI-NIH @ nchi.nim.nih.gov>articles

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Clarrisa]

And how does s/he KNOW that? We can absorb chemicals through the skin in seconds (OK, we are alive and food is not), so how do we know that solid food is any different?

[Clarrisa in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Oops, see reply on thread.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Clarrisa]

Not at all. Most food contains a percentage of liquid and/or fat, and I remember Nature reporting that BPA could be absorbed through the skin (eg from till receipts) so it seems highly likely that any food could absorb it. Of course, the doctor's definition of dry might be "under 1% moisture" which would pretty much rule out any actual food. Could apply to other sorts of plastics that haven't yet been tested.

[helvella Administrator in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

The recent discussions about plastic particles in bottled water suggested the possibility these arose from mechanical effects on bottle caps during filling. Any food in a plastic container of any sort could be contaminated by a similar process - or by simple impact of the food on the walls of the container(s).

In my view "liquids not OK; solids OK" is a classic hyper-simplification - probably with little, if any, scientific backing. There might be some very specific cases in which t has some truth but the chances of it being universally applicable are very near zero.

[Clarrisa]

My doctor's "primary research interests" are "Effects of xenoestrogens & cancer risk." I will quote from a Nov. 3017 donation drive letter: "I'm pleased to share with you that our Environment and Breast Cancer Group at CPMC Research Institute is poised to push for national expansion of the panel of tests used to regulate environmental chemicals. Based on our studies of the effects of terephthalic acid, & our separate studies of mixtures of common chemicals, we have shown chemicals are much more complex than typical safety testing assumes. Simply put, current testing is inadequate." He does sound to me as if he knows more than your average doctor on the subject.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Clarrisa]

And perhaps one of the few that doesn't advertise being funded by industry

[Clarrisa in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

He has been practicing medicine for 41 years, held in the highest esteem in the city of San Francisco. Anyone would be hard pressed to find a more ethical breast surgeon.

[Clarrisa in reply to Clarrisa]

Addition: Quoting from his latest book copyright 2016: "...for myself, I avoid canned foods when possible, I consult the website of The Environmental Working Group, for names of personal care products with lower levels of suspected chemicals, and I do not eat heat food in plastic containers." I will have to ask him what he means by heat food. Perhaps it is eat, heat (?). Environmental Working Group (EWG.org).

As for myself I really go out of my way to avoid plastic wrapped food but sometimes the trade off is higher fat content. My older sister thought she ran into trouble on account of all her plastic kayaks. To be sure it was wonderful exercise. I am sure she is going to out live me.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Clarrisa]

Nothing wrong with natural fats - unless you get too many Omega 6s.