/oss/taxonomy/term/408/all en /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition-environment/we-are-exposed-thousands-and-thousands-chemicals <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-we-are-exposed-to-thousands-and-thousands-of-chemicals">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>“Three thousand six hundred food packaging chemicals detected in human bodies: How reheating food is killing us.”</p> Fri, 04 Oct 2024 20:53:47 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10102 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-environment/there-are-safe-sunscreens-no-safe-tans <p>When it comes to health matters, scientists rarely make statements that do not begin with “may.” But here is one. Excessive exposure to sunlight causes skin cancer! There’s no “may” about it. And here is another one. Chemical protection can effectively reduce exposure. Uncertainties do, however, emerge when it comes to deciding on which specific chemicals to use. Activists claim that some sunscreens are unsafe and blame regulatory agencies for not looking after the welfare of the public, while manufacturers profess that their products have been thoroughly tested for safety and efficacy.</p> Wed, 03 Jul 2024 02:33:48 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9993 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/rats-people-and-bisphenol <p>Bisphenol A (BPA) first hit the headlines in 2008 when Canada banned polycarbonate baby bottles because of possible leaching of the chemical from the plastic into the contents. Concern had been raised because BPA was known to have hormone-like activity, placing it in the category of “endocrine disruptors.” Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers and are active in very small doses. Our pituitary gland, for example, produces only about 1 microgram of hormones a day, a very, very, small amount, yet it is critical to life.</p> Thu, 04 Nov 2021 15:48:59 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8914 at /oss /oss/article/health-technology/its-can <p>A liner prevents the metal from reacting with the can’s contents. The concern is about bisphenol A (BPA), one of the components used to produce the epoxy resin, leaching out into the food or beverage in the can. BPA has been classified as an “endocrine disruptor,” in other words, a substance that has hormone-like activity. Once BPA has been incorporated into the polymer it no longer has any hormonal effects, but there are always traces of unreacted BPA leftover that can indeed leach out. Before exploring this issue, a bit of history is in order. </p> Fri, 17 Sep 2021 20:54:56 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8853 at /oss /oss/article/health/turning-heat-thermal-paper-receipts <p>When you are spending money at a store, the cost may be more than the amount shown on the cash register receipt. According to some researchers, there is a cost to health. That’s because handling the receipt transfers a chemical known to have hormone-disruptive properties to the skin from where it can migrate into the bloodstream. That chemical is bisphenol A, commonly abbreviated as BPA. This is a multi-functional substance that is a component of polycarbonate plastic as well as the epoxy resin that lines food cans.</p> Wed, 19 Feb 2020 19:12:06 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8123 at /oss /oss/article/health-videos/right-chemistry-bisphenol <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-axsoticmqbo" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe on bisphenol A" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/aXsotiCmqbo?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-axsoticmqbo&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe on bisphenol A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Dr. Joe on bisphenol A</iframe> </div> </p> Fri, 21 Feb 2020 17:35:24 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8135 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-health/bisphenol <p>Bisphenol A (BPA) has been the subject of much recent controversy due to reports that it can cause birth defects, impaired sugar control as well as other health problems in rodents.  Bisphenol A is a synthetic organic compound that exhibits estrogenic effects.  Every year, over 22 billion tons are produced and used primarily to make plastics.  BPA can be found in baby bottles, food can linings, dental sealants and much more.  On September 23rd, 2010, Canada became the first country to officially declare bisphenol A as a toxic substance.</p> Wed, 31 May 2017 14:31:59 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2509 at /oss /oss/article/health-news/majestically-scientific-study-casts-doubt-risks-associated-bisphenol <p style="text-align:justify">I must say that I have never previously heard a study described as “majestically scientific.”  But the British do have a way with words. And those were the words that Dr. Richard Sharpe of the University of Edinburgh’s Human Reproductive Sciences Unit used in his analysis of a paper entitled “24 Hour Human Urine and Serum Profiles of Bisphenol A During High Dietary Exposure.”  That’s quite a compliment from one of the world’s leading experts on “endocrine disruption.”</p> Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:29:51 +0000 Joe Schwarcz 1959 at /oss /oss/article/food-health-news/joe-mercola-and-foods-you-should-never-eat <p>Joe Mercola is an osteopath who runs a popular health website on which he offers all sorts of advice, mostly questionable. He also sells a huge variety of products ranging from an array of supplements to Himalayan salt, organic clothing and tanning beds. These products, like most of Mercola’s advice, are sold based on a mixture of truths, fallacies and outright absurdities, with the latter category dominating. Mercola himself is scientifically negligible, but as they say, even a blind squirrel sometimes finds an acorn.</p> Mon, 17 Jun 2013 02:49:26 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1960 at /oss /oss/article/health-news-you-asked/dont-blame-water-bottle <p>I've repeatedly been asked about the circulating email that claims Sheryl Crow blames her breast cancer on chemicals leaching out of water bottles and warns women to never keep bottled water in the car in summer. Well, first of all, Sheryl didn't actually say that her breast cancer was caused by having left water bottles in a car. And what if she had? Is Sheryl an icon of science? Hardly. Unfortunately the singer was diagnosed with breast cancer, and when such a calamity occurs, people commonly look for possible causes of their affliction.</p> Tue, 25 Jun 2013 02:27:10 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1965 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-cosmetics-environment-health-toxicity-you-asked/you-asked-should-we-worry-about-plastic-pollution <p>Plastics are the fabric of modern life. They’re in our cars, our planes, our kitchens, our electronics, our furniture, our bottles, our packaging, our floors and our medical equipment. We are using more and more plastics and unfortunately also discarding more and more. And that’s a problem. Plastic debris is commonly sighted on the landscape and is accumulating in marine habitats. A recent study revealed that plastics make up 50-80% of shoreline debris and accumulate in certain areas of the oceans. There is already a huge plastic wastedump in the middle of the Pacific Ocean!</p> Thu, 17 Apr 2014 13:54:14 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD & Alexandra Pires-Ménard, OSS Intern 2128 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-food-health-household-products-news/tempest-k-cup <p>A question came up about the risks of chemicals leaching out of those convenient coffee K cups. Yes, chemicals do leach out. That of course is the idea, you want to leach out the hundreds of compounds that contribute to coffee flavour and aroma and you also want a good shot of the stimulant caffeine. However, the likely reason for the question was concern about chemicals leaching out from the plastic. Yes, that happens too.</p> Fri, 29 Aug 2014 12:48:55 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2187 at /oss /oss/article/history-quirky-science/what-common-link-between-neil-armstrong-and-colored-trumpet-mouthpieces <p style="text-align:justify">The helmet that Neil Armstrong wore when landing on the moon in 1969 and coloured trumpet mouthpieces are made of the same plastic, Lexan. In 1953 Daniel Fox at General Electric was looking for better insulating materials for wires when he mixed together a couple of ingredients that he hoped would yield a polymer with suitable properties. What he got was a goop that hardened to an extent that he couldn’t even remove his stirring rod. Banging the curious new material against a hard surface had no effect; it just couldn’t be broken.</p> Fri, 26 Apr 2013 01:39:15 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1921 at /oss /oss/article/uncategorized/bisphenol-and-sexual-dysfunction <p>One thing is for sure. Headline writers last week must have been thrilled by the study that linked exposure to bisphenol A with sexual dysfunction in Chinese men. “Study a real downer.” “Hard plastic has a soft side” I think I could come up with some. How about “The Rise and Fall of bisphenol A” or “Chemical Unglues Chinese Glue Producers.” To be sure, any study that hits men below the belt can be expected to cause concern, except perhaps among writers who see an opportunity to rise to the occasion and show off their wit.</p> Fri, 18 Nov 2011 19:40:33 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1609 at /oss