Health study looks at toxic chemical exposure for cashiers

Study examines BPA exposure
in cashiers.

Many teenagers, students or other workers make some hard-earned cash working part time or full time in stores, supermarkets or businesses as cashiers.

But could they be exposed to high levels of a potentially toxic chemical?

Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences want to know if the high levels of bisphenol A, or BPA for short, on the slick receipt paper that many cashiers handle on a daily basis should be a reason of concern.

They are asking cashiers to volunteer to have blood and urine samples to be taken for the study.

What is BPA?

BPA is a common ingredient in durable plastics, like those used to make hard plastic water bottles and to line food cans. Recently, reports have been published about experts expressing concerns that BPA exposure might be much higher than previously thought.

There is some conflicting evidence that BPA can cause developmental damage in children and reproductive problems in adults, but more research is needed.

Some types of thermal paper used in cash registers are coated with BPA, and the chemical easily rubs off onto your fingers when you touch them.

In their new study, the NIEHS team will measure levels of BPA in the blood and urine of volunteer cashiers, said Stavros Garantziotis, who is directing the research.

Testing BPA levels before and after a cashier's shift will show how much BPA was absorbed into a cashier's body while he or she was working.

While there are some alternative paper sources using such substances as bisphenol S, not much is known about the effects of these chemicals, either, the experts warned.

Source: News Observer

Worried about chemical exposure?

AllerAir's numerical series:
Air cleaners for homes and offices

It may be difficult to control the amount of chemicals you are exposed to at work (did you know that office dust contains toxic chemicals as well? Read about it here) but that doesn’t mean you can’t take other measures to protect yourself.

Whether at home or at work, AllerAir’s portable and powerful air purifiers can improve indoor air quality and remove a wide range of chemicals, gases, fumes, particles and other contaminants with their multistage filtration system.

AllerAir offers air cleaners of different sizes and with different filters to make sure you get one that is right for you. For industrial and commercial spaces (as in supermarkets, discount stores etc), AllerAir’s industrial division Electrocorp specializes in odor, chemical and particle control.

Contact AllerAir or Electrocorp today for more information.

BPA exposure may have social effects: Study

Is BPA to blame for a lack of friends?

Researchers have linked the chemical bisphenol A (BPA) with a host of bad health problems, including reproductive and developmental effects – but it may affect social behavior as well.

In a new study, researchers at the University of Virginia and University of Missouri found that mice exposed to BPA weren’t as social as other mice.

The scientists injected a dose of BPA into maternal mouse plasma and evaluated their offspring’s behavior. The dose reflected the concentrations that can be found in the blood of most Americans.

Starting with the first generation of offspring – and lasting the next four generations of mice – the BPA-exposed mice weren’t interacting as much with their peers, didn’t want to spend as much time with adult males when they were juvenile males.

Since BPA is an endocrine-disrupting chemical, these results are to be expected, according to the researchers. The endocrine system regulates chemicals such as oxytocin, which helps us trust others. If that system is disrupted, social behavior may be affected.

More research is needed to see if human exposure to BPA produces similar outcomes, of course.

Source: Fast Company

Air purifiers to reduce chemical exposures

Our homes and offices can expose us to a wide range of chemicals and VOCs that are emitted by building materials, furnishings, household products and more sources.

An air purifier with many pounds of activated carbon can help reduce exposure to these chemicals, odors and gases.

AllerAir has developed powerful air purifiers for the home and office that feature a deep-bed activated carbon filter, a HEPA filter and optional UV germicidal filtration to remove gaseous pollutants as well as particles, dust, pathogens and more.

Contact AllerAir for more information and options.

Reducing BPA exposure: It's much easier than you think.

Photo by DAN

Chemicals in your air and even your food...now do something about it!

Long before my mommy friends were on the bandwagon, my tot was carrying around his stainless-steel sippy cup to the odd stares and rolling eyes of parents everywhere.

With concern about BPA now mainstream, I was fascinated by this study by scientists at the Breast Cancer Fund.

They chose five families who tended to eat out, drink out of plastic water bottles, microwave plastic containers and eat canned and packaged food. Then they put them on a diet --- a package-free diet.

For just three short days the families were provided freshly prepared organic meals - no canned food and only glass storage containers.

The scientists evaluated their urine while they ate their typical diets, when they ate the fresh food and then again after returning to their normal eating habits. What they discovered was pretty remarkable.

While the families were eating the fresh-food diet, their BPA levels dropped on average by 60%, some as high as 75%.  When families returned to their regular diets, their BPA levels increased back to the pre-intervention levels.

In addition to the BPA, participants were also tested for phthalates (plastic-softening chemicals that can interfere with reproductive development). Levels of DEHP (a phthalate used in food packaging) dropped by an average of 50%.

"This study suggests that removing BPA from food packaging will remove the number one source of BPA exposure,” said Janet Gray, Ph.D., Science Advisor to the Breast Cancer Fund and professor at Vassar College. “The study should serve as a call to action for industry and government to get BPA out of food packaging and to fix the broken chemical management system that allows it to be there in the first place.”

So what should be on the top of your list to avoid? According to tests, the Breast Cancer Fund found that BPA especially leaches into canned foods that are acidic, salty or fatty. This is their top ten list:

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Interested in learning more about removing chemicals from your daily life? Have you ever considered chemicals and odors in your air? In one study of commonly used household products EVERY one of the 25 air fresheners, personal care products, laundry soaps and cleaning products tested emitted chemicals that are classified as toxic or hazardous under federal laws.

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