{"id":1324,"date":"2016-11-21T16:07:35","date_gmt":"2016-11-21T16:07:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/braindevs.net\/blog\/blog\/?p=1324"},"modified":"2018-01-01T16:02:45","modified_gmt":"2018-01-01T16:02:45","slug":"the-worlds-obsession-with-plastic-may-damage-developing-brains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.braindevs.net\/blog\/the-worlds-obsession-with-plastic-may-damage-developing-brains\/","title":{"rendered":"The World\u2019s Obsession With Plastic May Damage Developing Brains"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Copy<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to look at the past and guffaw at human negligence related to healthy living. Smoking, now commonly known to cause lung cancer among other illness, was just a few decades ago considered a harmless social norm. \u00a0Through the 1930s and 1940s, scientists argued against tobacco use without much recognition. After Federal warning had finally been issued by the Surgeon General in 1957, it still took the American public nearly 20 more years to accept confirmed toxic effects. Now, tobacco use and second-hand smoke are regulated by cities worldwide.<\/span>1<\/span> \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tobacco isn\u2019t the only toxic substance that has transitioned from being freely used to practically prohibited. \u00a0<\/span>Lead<\/span><\/a> was still being used in wall, furniture, and toy paint until the late 1970s. \u00a0<\/span>Mercury<\/span><\/a>, a recently confirmed neurotoxin, is being removed from existing products–including dental fillings and thermometers. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Cigarettes, lead, and mercury were confirmed as biologically damaging in less than the average human lifetime. What will we collectively know \u201cfor sure\u201d in future decades that we\u2019re not fully aware or convinced of now? Let\u2019s turn our attention to a rapidly growing concern (quite literally): Plastic.<\/span><\/p>\n

On a recent trip to India, I noticed that signs posted by local vendors announced a ban on plastic bags. \u00a0Upon returning to the U.S., I listened to a radio story on charging ten cents per plastic bag in New York City grocery stores. This initiative follows the promising efforts of major cities like Philadelphia and Washington D.C. to increase reusable bag use, reduce plastic waste, and reduce harm to our environment and health.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Copy<\/a>
Photo by Rina Deshpande<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The intention of plastic reduction initiatives is multi-fold, with two main priorities: <\/span><\/p>\n

(1) reduce plastic waste in our environment to protect our Earth, including climate and wildlife, <\/span><\/p>\n

(2) reduce potential health risks \u2013 known and yet to be discovered – from ingestion and exposure to plastic. <\/span><\/p>\n

In this article, we\u2019ll first acknowledge the already enormous presence of plastic on our Earth. We\u2019ll then focus on how plastic enters the human body, evaluating potential risks to healthy brain development in our children, and sharing how you can help.<\/span><\/p>\n

Plastic\u2019s Visible and Invisible Presence<\/b><\/p>\n

Scientists have good reason to voice their concerns about plastic pollution. You might have heard about the murky island of microplastics and debris in the Pacific Ocean known as the \u201cGreat Pacific Garbage Patch.\u201d If you haven\u2019t heard of it, most recently it has been estimated to span an area as large as <\/span>5.8 million square miles<\/span><\/i> depending on how high of a concentration of plastic is considered \u201cpollution.\u201d<\/span>2<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to the visible tragedy of marine life getting caught in plastic soda rings, the harm of plastic is also invisible. \u201cPhotodegradation\u201d is the gradual process of the sun breaking down plastic bags, bottles, and other products into tinier and tinier plastics.<\/span>2<\/span> Plastic does not biodegrade. It breaks apart into smaller pieces. The result? Increased greenhouse gas emissions released during plastic degradation trap heat in our Earth\u2019s atmosphere. In addition, microplastics are now part of our natural environment. The same plant life and sea animals that eat and absorb these tiny and toxic microplastics often make it to our own human dinner plates and into our bodies.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot of information floating around about the health risks of ingesting microplastics, particularly the effect of BPA. Let\u2019s break it down.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is BPA?<\/b><\/p>\n

Many of us see \u201cBPA-free\u201d listed on plastic bottles and feel better because BPA is something we don\u2019t want. But what is it?<\/span><\/p>\n

BPA stands for bisphenol A, which is a chemical building block of polycarbonate plastics. Polycarbonate plastics are the durable plastics found in everyday items from digital equipment to cars to office supplies to baby bottles.<\/span>3<\/span> Since the late 1990s, research has focused on the effects of \u201cBPA migration,\u201d or BPA leaking from plastics into food, beverages, and therefore into our bodies. <\/span><\/p>\n

As in studies conducted on the <\/span>neurotoxicity of lead<\/span><\/a>, scientists measure BPA in blood and urine and periodically revise how much is considered \u201csafe\u201d for infants, children, and adults.<\/span>4<\/span> Bisphenol A health research is of high interest because of our now continuous exposure to it: in one study, evidence of BPA was found in a jaw-dropping 95% of 394 demographically diverse urine samples.<\/span>5<\/span><\/p>\n

While multiple studies have been conducted in the last decades, lack of alignment across experimental designs makes the impact of BPA exposure hard to compare and generalize. Still, many scientists agree that BPA is a candidate for hazardous prenatal exposure.<\/span>6<\/span><\/p>\n

BPA and prenatal brain development<\/b><\/p>\n

In a 2015 review, molecular biologist Dr. Paola Negri-Cesi underscored that even at low doses, BPA poses higher risks \u00a0during prenatal development than during adulthood. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most studies reviewed by Dr. Negri-Cesi were conducted on rodents, whose brain development process is sequential as it is in humans, but shorter. The presence of BPA in expecting mother rats was found to possibly disrupt <\/span>neurogenesis<\/span><\/i>, the development of new brain cells during embryonic development.<\/span>6 \u00a0<\/span>While the developing brain is designed to be highly adaptable to the environment, disruption to the generation of new brain cells so early on may, in some cases, affect learning, memory, and behavior through life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Not all studies show changes in rate of neurogenesis associated with presence of BPA, but they do reveal other abnormalities in brain development. In a 2007 study, <\/span>in utero<\/span><\/i> exposure to low doses of BPA was associated with significant \u201cdisorderly arrangement\u201d of brain cell organization into adulthood.<\/span>7 <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important to recognize that some studies show no significant effect of BPA on perinatal (before and after birth) cognitive development. For example, a 2014 rat study showed that a baby rat\u2019s exposure to BPA through its pregnant mother or through injection after birth can impact hormone levels. And yet, its performance on spatial maze and memory tasks showed no significant difference as compared to rats without BPA perinatal exposure.<\/span>8<\/span> For this reason, more research is needed to understand the impact of BPA on prenatal and postnatal development.<\/span><\/p>\n

Presently, very few studies exist on the association between BPA levels and child cognition and behavior.<\/span>9<\/span> Those that are available are relatively low in sample size, with varied results between boys and girls–perhaps because of BPA\u2019s ability to bind with estrogen receptors. \u00a0More long-term research is already in progress to assess BPA levels in mothers and cognitive development in their male and female children over time.<\/span><\/p>\n

While scientific evidence for plastic\u2019s harm on early development is still limited, the research above reveals initial findings such as disrupted brain cell generation and disorderly arrangement of neurons even through adulthood. These results suggest that the harmful impact of plastics may begin before birth, potentially interfering with cognitive functioning throughout life.<\/span><\/p>\n

How can we reduce the visible and invisible plastic problem?<\/b><\/p>\n

Though much more research is required before generalizations can be made about the effects of plastic on human development, every bit can help the planet and prevent heightened risk to health. Here are a few resources that are making large strides to reducing plastic pollution on Earth:<\/span><\/p>\n