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n2doc

(47,953 posts)
Thu Feb 28, 2013, 10:37 AM Feb 2013

High Levels of phthalates in organic foods?

Late last year two studies came out challenging the presumption that organic food is better for you, and now a University of Washington study shows your exposure to the chemicals phthalates and bisphenol A, better known as BPA, might be much higher from organic foods.

The study was led by Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana, an environmental health pediatrician in the UW School of Public Health and at Seattle Children’s Research Institute.

The researchers compared the chemical exposures of 10 families, half of whom were given written instructions on how to reduce phthalate and BPA exposures, explains a press release about the study. The other families received a five-day catered diet of local, fresh, organic food that was not prepared, cooked or stored in plastic containers.

“We were extremely surprised to see (the) results. We expected the concentrations to decrease significantly for the kids and parents in the catered diet group. Chemical contamination of foods can lead to concentrations higher than deemed safe by the U.S. EPA,” said Sathyanarayana.

When the researchers tested the participants' urinary concentrations for evidence of phthalates and BPA, they found that concentration of phthalates was 100 times higher than the levels found in the majority of the general population.

The contamination must be happening up the food chain, the research suggests.


Read more: http://www.seattlepi.com/national/article/UW-study-finds-chemical-risk-in-organic-diet-4314019.php

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High Levels of phthalates in organic foods? (Original Post) n2doc Feb 2013 OP
lovely. is nothing safe? unblock Feb 2013 #1
The results of a 5-day catered diet suggests . . . ? Petrushka Feb 2013 #2
Very suspicious Brainstormy Feb 2013 #3
Until somebody can show me how pthalates are produced kestrel91316 Feb 2013 #4
After 5 days, a higher concentration of phthalates in the urine might be a GOOD sign . . . Petrushka Feb 2013 #5
Another link . . . with more details concerning the research & results ----> Petrushka Mar 2013 #6

unblock

(52,253 posts)
1. lovely. is nothing safe?
Thu Feb 28, 2013, 10:47 AM
Feb 2013

maybe everyone just just choose the way they want to die and just eat whatever will kill them that way and just hope they don't die of something else first.

Brainstormy

(2,380 posts)
3. Very suspicious
Thu Feb 28, 2013, 11:35 AM
Feb 2013

Since the group not eating organic food was "given instructions on how to avoid phalates" and the organic group wasn't. Phalates and other endocrine disrupting chemicals are ubiquitous in the environment. So, if you knew what to watch for and were deliberately trying to avoid them in plastics, receipts, other sources, you might well have lower test levels that a group that, while eating organic food, wasn't making an effort to avoid them from other environmental sources. Study stinks.

 

kestrel91316

(51,666 posts)
4. Until somebody can show me how pthalates are produced
Thu Feb 28, 2013, 12:31 PM
Feb 2013

in animals or plants raised/grown organically, I prefer to assume that the contamination had NOTHING to do with the organic process.

Do they think people are THAT stupid?

Pthalates are a by product of CHEMICAL manufacturing and environmental contamination - NOT a biological process unique to organics.

Petrushka

(3,709 posts)
5. After 5 days, a higher concentration of phthalates in the urine might be a GOOD sign . . .
Thu Feb 28, 2013, 01:34 PM
Feb 2013

. . . a sign that ingestion of organic foods caused the research subjects' bodies to excrete some of the phthalates ingested PRIOR to the study.

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