Gender-Benders: Pesticides & Foods

Thought you "guys" may want to read this article. It's about how pesticides are altering the hormones of predominantly males.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/sc...x-1055688.html


Think about why so many males today look like vaginas and act like it too. Pandemic gyno cause as well possibly? Could this also be playing a role in homosexuality? This and chemicals like bisphenol-A, which is classified by the FDA as a chemical catalyst used to bind most plastics, convert to estrogen hormones under heat exposure. It then seeps into the liquid. This is the main reason why I have 2 glass gallon jugs I drink my water out of.

This is all ENGINEERED too. To weaken us down, easier to submit, easier to control.

Phthalates, another chemical with similar effects

from the perspective of a chemical lobbyist:
http://www.phthalates.org/
Phthalates are a family of compounds made from alcohols and phthalic anhydride. They are oily, colorless, odorless liquids that do not evaporate readily.
Used primarily in vinyl, they are an important part of our everyday lives.

Most phthalates are used to make vinyl soft and flexible. From their use in medical devices to toys to cars to homes, flexible vinyl products help make our lives better and safer. And in hospitals and emergency rooms, they help save lives. They make our homes more decorative, easier to clean, more energy efficient and durable. Flexible vinyl products are high-performing and cost effective; their performance is difficult or impossible to match with competitive substitutes. They save money for consumers.
Some phthalates deliver unique benefits to the personal care products industry.

For more than fifty years, they have been a key ingredient in fragrances and in nail polish. One kind of phthalate fixes the fragrance in perfumes and other products to make it last longer. Another type is used in nail polish (as well as in tool handles and outdoor signs) to help prevent chipping and breaking.
Many independent reviews have declared them to be safe as used in toys and cosmetics.

Safety reviews by European and American scientific panels have specifically cleared phthalates for use in toys and in nail polish. The different reviews use phrases such as “safe as used,” or “no concern,” or “no demonstrated health risk.” No governmental review has found any phthalate unsafe as used in products for the general public.
Last Updated: February 9, 2007
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from the perspective of

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phthalate
Exposure
People are commonly exposed to phthalates, and the majority of Americans tested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have metabolites of multiple phthalates in their urine. Diet is believed to be the main source of DEHP and other phthalates in the general population, although inhalational exposure is also significant.[1] Baby care products containing phthalates are a source of exposure for infants. The authors of a 2008 study "observed that reported use of infant lotion, infant powder, and infant shampoo were associated with increased infant urine concentrations of [phthalate metabolites], and this association is strongest in younger infants. These findings suggest that dermal exposures may contribute significantly to phthalate body burden in this population." Though they did not examine health outcomes, they noted that "Young infants are more vulnerable to the potential adverse effects of phthalates given their increased dosage per unit body surface area, metabolic capabilities, and developing endocrine and reproductive systems."[2]
Some vendors of jelly rubber sex toys advise covering them in condoms when used internally, due to the possible leaching of phthalates. Other vendors do not carry jelly rubber sex toys, in favor of phthalate-free varieties.[3]

[edit] Endocrine disruption

In studies of rodents exposed to certain phthalates, high doses have been shown to change hormone levels and cause birth defects.[1] A recent British study showed that the phthalate di(n-butyl) phthalate (DBP) or its metabolite monobutyl phthalate (MBP) suppresses steroidogenesis by fetal-type Leydig cells in primates as in rodents.[4]
A seminal[5] study by Swan et al. published in 2005 reported that human phthalate exposure during pregnancy resulted in decreased anogenital distance among baby boys later born, a change that in rodents exposed to phthalates is associated with genital abnormalities. In this study phthalate metabolites were measured in urine samples collected from pregnant women. Upon birth, the genital features and anogenital distance of these women's babies were measured and correlated with the residue levels in the mother's urine. Boys born to mothers with the highest levels of phthalates were 7 times more likely to have a shortened anogenital distance.[6] While anogenital distance is routinely used as a measure of fetal exposure to endocrine disruptors in animals,[7] the parameter has only recently been assessed in humans.[8] Another of these studies states that "Whether anogenital distance measurements in humans relate to clinically important outcomes … remains to be determined,"[9] and a National Toxicology Program expert panel concluded that anogenital distance is a "'novel index' whose relevance in humans 'has not been established,'" and that there is "insufficient evidence in humans" that DEHP causes harm.[10] Still, the Swan study has been widely cited, and "suggest[s] that male reproductive development in humans could be affected by prenatal exposure to environmentally relevant levels of phthalates."[5] Authors of a more recent study of boys with undescended testis suggested that exposure to a combination of phthalates and anti-androgenic pesticides may have contributed to that condition.[11]
In contrast to the Swan study, an earlier study found that "adolescents exposed to significant quantities of DEHP as neonates showed no significant adverse effects on their physical growth and pubertal maturity."[12] This study, however, examined children exposed intravenously to phthalate diesters, and intravenous exposure results in relatively little metabolic conversion of the relatively nontoxic phthalate diester to its toxic monoester metabolite.[13]

[edit] Other effects

Large amounts of specific phthalates fed to rodents have been show to damage to their liver and testes,[1] and initial rodent studies also indicated hepatocarcinogenity. Following this result, diethyl hexyl phthalate was listed as a possible carcinogen by IARC, EC and WHO. Later studies on primates showed that the mechanism was specific to rodents - humans are resistant to the effect.[14] The carcinogen classification was subsequently withdrawn.
In 2004, a joint Swedish-Danish research team found a very strong link between allergies in children and the phthalates DEHP and BBzP.[15] The first systematic review of the evidence relating phthalates to asthma found evidence of association between phthalates in the home and asthma especially in children, but this evidence was limited by imprecise data on exact levels of exposure. Phthalates migrate from PVC plastics and into the dust, where they may be inhaled.[16]
In 2007, a cross-sectional study of U.S. males concluded that urine concentrations of four phthalate metabolites correlate with waist size and three phthalate metabolites correlate with the cellular resistance to insulin, a precursor to Type II diabetes. The authors note the need for follow-up longitudinal studies,[17] as waist size is known to correlate with insulin resistance.

[edit] Legal status


[edit] European Union

The use of some phthalates has been restricted in the European Union for use in children's toys since 1999.[18] DEHP, BBP, and DBP are restricted for all toys; DINP, DIDP, and DNOP are restricted only in toys that can be taken into the mouth. The restriction states that the amount of phthalates may not be greater than 0.1% mass percent of the plasticized part of the toy. These phthalates are allowed at any concentration in other products and other phthalates are not restricted.
There are no other specific restrictions in the European Union although draft proposals have been tabled for the inclusion of BBP, DEHP and DBP on the Candidate list of Substances for Authorisation under REACH.[19] Fourteen other countries, including Japan, Argentina, and Mexico, have also banned phthalates from children's toys.[20] The Dutch office of Greenpeace UK sought to encourage the European Union to ban sex toys that contained phthalates.[21]

[edit] United States

Some phthalates will be restricted in the U.S. state of California (for children's toys) starting in 2009.[22] In Connecticut, state legislators are considering a bill that would ban phthalates in children's products.[23] Following California, the U.S. Congress passed a bill restricting three types of phthalates permanently and put interim restrictions on three others, effective February 10, 2009.[24] President Bush signed the bill into law on August 14, 2008.[25]

[edit] Identification in plastics

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...cyc-03.svg.png http://upload.wikimedia.org/skins/co...gnify-clip.png
Some type 3 plastics may leach phthalates.[citation needed]


Phthalates are used in some but not all PVC formulations, and there are no labeling requirements for phthalates specifically. PVC plastics are typically used for various containers and hard packaging, medical tubing and bags, and are labelled "Type 3" for recycling reasons. However, the presence of phthalates rather than other plasticizers is not marked on PVC items, and thus it is not possible to identify phthalate-containing items by markings alone.