"Would you like your BPA with that? I MEAN! Your receipt?"

After the initial discovery of BPA in baby bottles, organizations like the Environmental Working Group (EWG) started to test common objects for the substance. Turns out, it's in more things than we ever could have imagined.

What is BPA? You hear about it all the time, and see "BPA FREE!" boasting on product stickers. Bisphenol-A is a chemical that is used in making plastics and epoxy resins stronger. It's also used in coatings and such. It is also a known endocrine disruptor, causing early puberty in mice and rats and sex changes in fish. Why do we use animal testing? If they are affected, we will ultimately be affected.

The newest discovery is fairly shocking to me: BPA has been found in relatively large quantities in and on our paper receipts. Yup! That same receipt you held with your lips as you put your money in your wallet after your most recent purchase! In one case, a McDonald's receipt from Connecticut was tested and contained 13 milligrams of BPA. That's roughly the equivalent of eating 126 cans of Chef Boyardee ravioli (one of the highest tested canned products for BPA content).

To read the full article, and get links to the offending receipt companies: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/stores-giving-out-bpa-tainted-receipts.html

What the hell is wrong with us? What good will it do if we take it out of bottles when we keep it in canned goods, and then add it to something we handle on a daily basis?

I was even more disgusted when looking for information on the chemical, I stumbled upon the Bisphenol-A website (www.bisphenol-a.org). They claim that there are no health impacts on humans. Mainly due to the fact that "Safety assessments of BPA conclude that the potential human exposure to BPA from polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins is more than 400 times lower than the safe level of BPA set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This minimal level of exposure to BPA poses no known risk to human health."

HELLO!?! First of all, the amount of polycarbonate plastics we are exposed to on a daily basis (in everything... drink containers [pop cans, cheap plastic cups], food containers [lunch containers, canned goods], MP3 players, laptops, TOYS!, sunglasses, ETC) is an insane amount. If we were only to touch one item with BPA in it everyday, maybe the total wouldn't be so bad for our health. But as with all things, it ACCUMULATES.

Are we learning nothing? We need to stop chemical companies from influencing what is allowed to be in our foods, in our homes, and on our receipts.

There is a meeting through the UN Food and Agricultural Organization coming up this October in Ottawa to discuss the safety of BPA in food packaging, and I STRONGLY encourage you to write your MP and/or Health Canada to tell them how you feel about BPA. If we step up the pressure early, something might actually get done!

The address for Health Canada's Health Products and Food Branch "Bureau of Chemical Safety":

bcs-bipc@hc-sc.gc.ca

And, while you're at it, why not annoy the buggers pushing for the continued production of over 2.8 million tons of BPA per year? Ask them why they are for the possible poisoning of our society?

http://www.bisphenol-a.org/contact/index.html

"In this now universal contamination of the environment, chemicals are the sinister and little-recognized partners of radiation in changing the very nature of the world—the very nature of its life." - Rachel Carson

If it ain't broke, don't fix it... scrap it?

The recent decision by the Conservative government to scrap the mandatory long-form census come 2011 has certainly stirred up a lot of talk within media circles... and between friends! Though it stresses one of my friends out completely, I appreciate that there is finally an issue that seems to be broadly affecting Canadians (I will get into other Conservative decisions that affect ALL OF US that have generally gone unnoticed in other posts :D).

http://www.cbc.ca/m/rich/news/story/2010/07/27/pol-census-clement-sheikh-hearing.html

I'm posting this most recent news item I could find. CBC seems to be doing the best job of throwing in all recent discussions and info from both sides. Though, since the Cons have the media on a short leash, it's hard to get anything official from their camp.

What do I think about it, you ask? Being as concise as possible, I think that if the Conservatives had legitimate concerns regarding the mandatory long-form census, they could have very easily changed certain portions. I think if they were serious about doing what's best for our country, they'd have consulted with StatsCan (they did not) before making such huge decisions, and would also try to improve upon the mandatory portion of our statistical harvest. They would not have simply gotten rid of it. That, to me, smells foul. But I'm not surprised.

They have already done irreparable damage to many pieces of legislation (without fanfare, as not to worry you with the details - kind of like census details!), what's one more blow to the country?

They are counting on public apathy to get them through. So far, it's worked wonders. We really need to wake up. Please, keep yourselves informed! Continue sending your letters!

In the meantime, heed Mr. Mackenzie King's warning, folks!

"Where there is little or no public opinion, there is likely to be bad government, which sooner or later becomes autocratic government." - William Lyon Mackenzie King

For my first official post, I'm starting off fairly easy...

From the same folks who brought you "The Story of Stuff" (an excellent, step by step explanation of where our stuff comes from, how it's made, and what happens with stuff when we're done with it), "The Story of Cosmetics" takes a look at our ineffectual safety guidelines for the products we all use *every day*. Though it's out of the US, all facts apply to us Canucks as well. Luckily, the video gives some excellent ideas for how to remedy this icky situation! So please, take five minutes and watch! (The little stick people are super cute too :D )

http://storyofstuff.org/cosmetics/

I also strongly recommend google-ing "The Story of Stuff" if you haven't seen it.

And just remember everyone - both the ladies AND the gentlemen - in the end, beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder. And if all else fails, refer to this quote:

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye.” - Miss Piggy

What's in a name?

First of all, welcome to my new interweb space! I hope it finds you well.

I had been contemplating starting a blog for sometime now, but even more so since temporarily deactivating my Facebook account. I was all set for the blog, but it was name-less. After reading countless meaningful lyrics (mostly those from the Hip and Mr. Dave Matthews), philosophical excerpts, and reviewing my limited Shakespearian wisdom, I decided to just make one up that fits.

I'm going to use A Common Fate to illustrate issues and discussions that we should all be taking part in, because frankly, we're part of them whether we like it or not. Obviously this blog cannot include all of the pressing issues in this world, but honestly, I'm going to try my best. There is always something that can be done about any problem, no matter what your affiliation to it. And if it ends up that a person has simply spent a few minutes thinking about an issue I have presented, then my general blog goal has been met.

My most basic desire of creating this blog space is to throw a little more awareness out into the universe. I may rant, I may plead with you, or I may be boring... but it's all in the name of the greater "We". Think of it as a *tiny* link in the connection between people and lives, if you will.

Please visit often. Agree with me, disagree with me, tell me I'm a nutter, just say something! I have set the comments to anyone can comment (I hate when you have to sign up to say something pertinent), but please don't leave it as Anonymous. I want to know who you are!

I will end this one off with a quote that sums up my feelings, and reasons why I created this blog... Thank goodness for Einstein, and thank you for reading!

"Strange is our situation here upon Earth. However, there is one thing that we do know, that man is here for the sake of other men, above all for those upon whose smile and well-being our own happiness depends, and also for the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy." - Albert Einstein