In a special episode of Catalyst, the flagship science TV program of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), broadcasted on March 31, 2015, science reporter Maryanne Demasi investigates exposures to chemicals used in everyday products. Demasi points out that a large proportion of the chemicals we are exposed to on a daily basis are known or suspected endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs). She looks at the safety of these chemicals and compares the level of chemicals in her own body with media personality Sarah Wilson, who has been trying to minimize her exposure to chemicals for the last few years. In the episode, Andrea Gore, professor at the University of Texas at Austin, U.S. and editor-in-chief of the journal Endocrinology, also explains that the chemicals that are used in food contact materials (FCMs) such as water bottles do not undergo the same kind of safety scrutiny as chemicals that go into foods. This is because chemicals from the water bottles are not intended to get into the water, Gore explains. However, the problem is that chemicals do get into the water through leaching, she adds. To avoid unnecessary exposure to chemicals from FCMs, Peter Sly, professor at the University of Queensland, Australia, recommends that consumers stop heating food in microwaves in plastic containers and use pyrex or glass containers instead.
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ABC (March 31, 2015). “Our chemical lives.”
