BPA and other dangerous toxins have been found in gardening products in testing that also revealed high amounts of lead and phthalates.
Healthy Stuff said the dangerous toxins were found in the water of a new gardening hose that was left to sit in the sun for a few days, citing researchers at the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center. The Center just completed a large toxic chemical study of gardening products.
Some 200 hoses, gloves, kneeling pads, and tools were tested for lead; cadmium; bromine—which is associated with brominated flame retardants; chlorine, indicating polyvinyl chloride, or PVC; phthalates; and bisphenol A (BPA).
We’ve long been writing about these dangerous chemicals, warning consumers of the serious adverse health effects linked to each. For instance, BPA has been linked to toxic injury and life threatening illnesses in many hundreds of studies, including future cardiac issues; breast cancer; and for mixing the body’s hormones, tricking fat cells into taking in more fat or confusing the pancreas into releasing too much insulin. Studies have also linked BPA to increased anxiety and depression in preschoolers exposed to BPA in the womb; toxic injury and implications in intestinal problems; brain cell connection interference; increased risks of immune system diseases and disorders; problems with liver function testing; and interruptions in chemotherapy treatment. BPA’s associations to the reproductive system disease are broad and include issues with uterine health and mammalian reproduction; a deadly uterine infection; premature puberty; Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and other female fertility and endocrine issues; and erectile dysfunction and male sexual problems in males as young as the developing fetus.
Exposure to phthalates has been linked to Type 2 diabetes and are part of a group of endocrine disruptors, which interfere with the body’s hormone system. Phthalates may also play a role in childhood obesity, and might harm children’s mental and behavioral development, as well as their muscular coordination and have been linked to issues with thyroid function in humans; to disruption in pubertal development in young girls, which can lead to later complications; to negative behaviors in young children; to breast enlargement in boys; to ADHD; in pregnancy, to the birth of boys who express less typically masculine behaviors; and to an increase in premature births. Phthalates have also been found to exacerbate dermatitis in tests with mammals and some studies link phthalate exposure to effects on the development of the male reproductive system including infertility, undescended testes, and testicular development; penis and other reproductive tract malformations, such as hypospadias; and reduced testosterone levels. Some phthalates have been associated with liver cancer and problems with the developing fetus and are known to interfere with androgens.
A new study on which we recently wrote revealed that childhood exposure to lead dust is linked to violence. Exposure to lead in children and unborn children can cause brain and nervous system damage, behavioral and learning problems, slowed growth, hearing problems, headaches, mental and physical retardation, and behavioral and other health problems. Lead is also known to cause cancer and reproductive harm and, in adults, can damage the nervous system.
Cadmium, considered an even more dangerous toxic metal than lead, is a known carcinogen and can interfere with brain development in very young children and can lead to kidney, bone, lung, and liver disease.
