boxed wine and canned sardines #health

5.16: web.health/diet/hormonics
/boxed wine and canned sardines:
. boxed wine and canned sardines
are some of my favorite products
but are they a source of endocrine disruptors,
being exposed to plastics? not to worry:
the endocrine disruptors are even in our water;
there is no way to escape from them.

. hormone disruptors are linked to cancer,
and cancer is becoming very common,
even as endocrine disruptors are common
(due to lax regulations, and corrupt science).
. hormones and Hormone Disruptors
have their most powerful effect at very small doses;
so finding small doses in food and water
is even more significant than larger doses
(the regulators test only for large doses).

. boxed wine is a smart idea;
(it's a plastic bag in a box,
and is rugged and lightweight).
. the plastic is PET (polyethylene terephthalate),
in layers with a gas barrier resin
(eg ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer or MXD6 nylon).
. the plastic may not include BPA;
but what about phthalates
or other endocrine disrupters?
some PET plastic does have estrogenic activity;
in fact, nearly all plastics have estrogenic activity
however, most wine does have phthalates
even if it is not stored in a PET bag.
. even most water has Endocrine Disruptors:
. known endocrine disruptors in water include
perchlorate, plasticizers
(including bisphenol A and phthalates),
and steroid (sex) hormones.

. another smart idea is canned sardines
(fatty fish low on the food chain)
but, most cans have a BPA-plastic liner.
BPA is a reproductive toxicant.
BPA-free plastics often use some other bisphenol
that will be similarly estrogenic.
"In mammals, chemicals having Estrogenic Activity
can produce many health-related problems,
such as obesity, reduced sperm counts,
altered functions of reproductive organs,
altered sex-specific behaviors,
and increased rates of some cancers in
breast, ovary, testicles, and prostate."
[Environ Health Perspect. 2011]

Tom Radecki 2015, retired physician:
. there are numerous studies
linking higher levels of phthalates
to greater levels of obesity
(Toxicol Res. 2014 Mar;30(1):39-44. Ko A, et al.),
sperm counts in infertile males
(Reprod Toxicol. 2013 Dec;42:232-41. Jurewicz J, et al.),
insulin resistance in older adults
( PLoS One. 2013 Aug 19;8(8):e71392. Kim JH, et al.),
breast cancer in women
(Environ Health Perspect. 2010 Apr;118(4):539-44.
López-Carrillo L, et al.), lower testosterone
( John Meeker et al, University of Michigan.
J Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 8/14/14.)
and more. The findings on BPA are even more extensive.

WineKnurd 2014, chemist:
Wine is pretty acidic with a pH between 3 and 4.
And while phthalates are soluble in
organic solvents like ethanol,
they are also soluble in water at low pH.
Wine happens to also be 85% water at a low pH.
Wine is essentially perfect for
extracting phthalates from plastic.
I have heard from “industry insiders”
that the wine used in “bag in box” packaging
has been manipulated to raise the pH
or else it would extract undesirable sensory compounds
(and likely toxic as well)
from the flexible plastic bladders.
I am sure that the corporate research behind such
will never make it to a scientific journal,
but as a chemist I am glass only baby!