Week 2 Alternate Credit Assignment

BPA-free bottles

[Name of the Writer]

[Name of the Institution]

BPA-free bottles

If there was a substance that could affect brain development, change the gender of wild fish, prostate cancer and diabetes, promote breast cancer, and cause congenital disabilities, where is the last place you would put it? In the drinking bottle of your baby or in your food? The name of that substance is BPA, which is short for Bisphenol A. It is notable to mention that BPA is a chemical additive. It is used in epoxy resins and polycarbonate plastic. It was invented in 1891 and proved to be effective as it has the ability to polymerize. It has the capability to link together in order to form polycarbonate plastic. It is noteworthy to mention that the BPA market is worth 2 Billion dollars alone in the United States. However, a study in 2003 has found that the bonding among the polymers of BPA is much weaker which can break down with the passage of time. Due to depolymerizing, it is obvious that the hazardous material can leach in the surrounding. These chemicals can be catastrophic for both land and water. Polycarbonate plastics are often used in water bottles. When these bottles are heated, de-polymerization of BPA occurs. These toxics can cause immunity, reproductive, and neurological problems.

Cynthia Marie Metz in her article states that BPA exposure amends standard estrogen and thyroid hormone signaling in vitro. BPA contaminates water supplies, air, and dust as it leaches into food due to weak bonding between polymers of polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Continuous exposure of BPA through food results in its accretions at evident levels in plasma or serum (Metz, 2016). BPA is a synthetic hormone which is also known as an endocrine disruptor. There are many natural hormones in the body which are accountable for the maintenance, fertility, and growth of normal cell metabolism. It interferes with the binding, transport, secretion, synthesis, and elimination of useful hormones in the body. Margot Pagan in his article states that epoxy resin is made up of BPA which is a synthetic estrogen. The BPA bottles leach BPA over time into surrounded liquids (Pagan, 2019). The study shows that these chemicals have a negative impact on heart muscle cells, which can lead to heart arrhythmias. Consequently, the BPA bottles should be banned and BPA-free bottles should be used to avoid any detrimental impact. Pagan suggests that there should be regulations to stop the limit of BPA. Additionally, BPS, also known as Bisphenol S, is also a plasticizing agent which is less harmful than BPA. For that reason, one should need to replace all BPA containers with BPS. BPA-free labels may cause people to make riskier decisions as people might select the products which are free of BPA, but the products may contain some more toxic materials in it.

Framing effect

BPA-free labels are just like framing effect in which a person allows himself to be unduly influenced by delivery and context.

References

Metz, C. M. (2016). Bisphenol A: understanding the controversy. Workplace health & safety, 64(1), 28-36. Retrieved from, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2165079915623790

Pagan, Margot. Think your Water Bottle is "BPA Free"? Better double check. (2019). EWG. Retrieved from, https://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2011/07/think-your-water-bottle-bpa-free-better-double-check