The government of Canada has officially announced that bisphenol A, a chemical that is found in many plastics and house hold appliance is toxic. Bisphenol A is frequently known as BPA, and it has shown to create problems in the hormone system in animals. As of today Europe and the US are still getting research on the topic but Canada has already seen all they need to and officially announced the substance toxic. For the past two years the chemical companies have been fighting this. Different environmental and health activists groups have banned the substance from use in their individual products for infants and young children but people are now proud to say that it is now illegal for use. George M. Enei, the director of general of science and risk assessment at Environmental Canada said that this is only a first step in a long journey to get rid of this chemical for good. Many people are very pro this ban however there are still a lot of lobbyists working for the chemical companies that are fighting it. When BPA is in bottles for infants it can cause serious hormone disruption and long term brain damage. On a positive note, although many countries have not banned the use of BPA because of all the negative publicity for the compound many companies have banned the use of it in their products. This is saving many lives of infants and even adults who normally use bottles like Nalgenes on a regular basis. It has been said that chemicals like BPA can work as endocrine disrupters, and last year the Endocrine Society group stated that endocrine disrupters can cause serious adverse health effects, including harm to the reproductive system, causing malformations, infertility and cancer. In the US about 6 states have already banned this chemical use in children’s products however the federal government has not taken action.
This problem has a huge connection to our every day lives. This chemical is in many of the plastic bottles and containers that we use every single day. Also, it is highly concentrated in many infant bottles and formulas. This is a big problem because it can ruin the lives of our children causing birth defects and much more. This is not fair and has to be stopped for the sake of humanity. BPA needs to be banned world wide for the sake of our society.
I thought this article was good and persuasive. It has some very strong points and it says many times the different harmful effects that are possible. This is a good technique because then as you keep reading the article the terrible effects keep being brought up so the reader will not forget about them. Although, this article has many strong points it also has a few negative points. It could have gone into more detail about what the rest of the world is doing about this big issue. The article really only addressed Canada and the US in detail. Furthermore the article was very affirmative and explains to the reader and society the problem at hand and how we need to fix it and come up with solutions.
Works Cited
"Canada Declares BPA to Be Toxic." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. 13 Oct. 2010. Web. 15 Oct. 2010.
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3 comments:
This was review was clear in articulating the danger of BPA, where it is found, and the current actions being filed to prohibit its use in children's products and plastics. The review mentions that BPA is found in common house hold appliances though it has officially been declared toxic by the Canadian government. It also mentions that BPA disrupts both human and animal endocrine systems causing long term brain damage, infertility and even cancer. The review also mentions that several environmental groups have previously tried to ban the substance without reaching widespread recognition, and though Canada and six states have banned the chemical, lobbyists continue to fight its prohibition.
To improve this article I would have encouraged a more formal format, but the substance and facts presented in the article were clearly conveyed throughout the article. It also would've been agreeable to include a more scientific explanation as to why BPA has so many adverse effects on its consumers.
I was impressed to find that Canada had made such a bold move in banning BPA's use, but glad to hear that a national government recognized the chemical BPA as toxic, paving the way for other countries to hopefully follow suite.
Austin wrote a really good review for the article Canada Declares BPA to Be Toxic. He fully explained the issue and background information on that issue. For instance, he explained what Bisphenol is and why it is so problematic. He explains that it creates problems in the hormone system in animals and Canada announced the substance toxic because of this. I like how he gave specific examples of how this substance is harmful. He did this when he states that when BPA is in bottles for infants it is harmful. To improve this review, he could have discussed how we would go about banning the substance. Also, the format of the review could have been more organized opposed to the facts being scattered. I learned a lot from this review but the most interesting thing I learned was that chemicals like BPA can work as endocrine disrupters, and last year the Endocrine Society group stated that endocrine disrupters can cause serious adverse health effects, including harm to the reproductive system, causing malformations, infertility and cancer.
The article that Austin chose is very pertinent to our time. As people have looked for new alternatives others, such as BPA, have been found to be obsolete and even toxic. I also liked how Austin found an article that had a lot to do with government which will, in my mind, become a big part of energy innovation in America. The final part of this review that I applaud is how Austin connects the effects of BPA to our own lives through the example of nalgene bottles which contained the toxic substance. One of the things I did not like about Austin’s review was that he didn’t explain in depth what BPA is and how/why it is used in plastics. The other comment I have is that, although I agree with Austin that BPA should be banned worldwide, Austin could be a little bit less dramatic with his writing, especially when he repeats that “This is a big problem because it can ruin the lives of our children causing birth defects and much more. This is not fair and has to be stopped for the sake of humanity. BPA needs to be banned world wide for the sake of our society.” The thing I learned from the article was that Canada has banned the substance before the United States and that 6 states have already banned the substance in certain products.
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