Here is some more info on endocrine receptors (specifically Bisphenol A) that someone sent to me.

You will need to sign into Medscape to see it – http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/583689

You should sign up for Medscape anyway – unless you don’t like reading obscure medical journal well into the night (oops, maybe that’s just me)

I am a little confused.

Are you saying that the data (re the shift in sex ratios) is incorrect? Do you believe that the number of girl births is declining worldwide?

I agree that we need to take care in accepting statistics at face value – Data can be manipulated to prove whatever point you want to make.

What this research is talking about is a systemic use of chemicals that can be classified as Xenoestrogens. To our bodies, they are no different than natural estrogen.

At low levels, this shouldn’t be a problem. Both men and women have estrogen coursing through their bodies. The problem occurs when the balance between estrogen, testosterone and other hormones gets completely out of whack.

That’s when the weird stuff starts to happen

Here’s a list of various xenoestrogens

* 4-Methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC) (sunscreen lotions)
* butylated hydroxyanisole / BHA (food preservative)
* atrazine (weedkiller)
* bisphenol A (monomer for polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resin; antioxidant in plasticizers)
* dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (one of the breakdown products of DDT)
* dieldrin (insecticide)
* DDT (insecticide)
* endosulfan (insecticide)
* erythrosine / FD&C Red No. 3
* ethinylestradiol (combined oral contraceptive pill) (released into the environment as a xenoestrogen)
* heptachlor (insecticide)
* lindane / hexachlorocyclohexane (insecticide)
* metalloestrogens (a class of inorganic xenoestrogens)
* methoxychlor (insecticide)
* nonylphenol and derivatives (industrial surfactants; emulsifiers for emulsion polymerization; laboratory detergents; pesticides)
* polychlorinated biphenyls / PCBs (in electrical oils, lubricants, adhesives, paints)
* parabens (lotions)
* phenosulfothiazine (a red dye)
* phthalates (plasticizers)
o DEHP (plasticizer for PVC)

If you were to go looking for them, you would find that you are coming in contact with them all the time – in your food (processed foods), in your clothes, in your toiletries, in the plastic containers that hold your food, in your tap water.

Another great way to get a nice dose of this stuff is to microwave food in a plastic container. The microwaves literally drive this stuff into your pizza pocket.

BTW, I am a free market kind of guy.

I just think that if companies are going to sell products that cause my son to suffer from “shrinkage”, then I have the right to get pissed off, try to stop them from using these chemicals and sue their ass.

While gov’t bans seem to be all the rage these days, I agree that they are a poor tool.

Politicians get to pretend they are doing something, “the people” get to pretend they are safe, the “Banees” simply switch to another chemical/manufacturing process and nothing really changes.

But it’s an easy solution and we seem to be all about the lazy nowadays.

Sorry about the rant.