Plastic Causes Cardiovascular Disease

An article published by ScienceNews by Rachel Ehrengerg deals with the concept that bisphenol A, a chemical found in plastics, is connected to cardiovascular disease. Bisphenol A is part of polycarbonate plastics and is also found in "the epoxy lining of canned food." Some research has also found that bisphenol A can exist in household dust and also in carbonless cash register receipts. The short name for it, BPA, interferes with the development of different tissues in the body. A study done in 2008 involving this same issue found that BPA "suppresses a hormone that protects people from heart attacks and type 2 diabetes." What's strange about BPA is that it can affect hormones when there's a large amount of BPA in the body but also when there's a small amount of it in the body. Nevertheless, it's affecting people, and although it's still early on in the research, we need to put a stop to bisphenol A before it becomes even more serious.

This article instantly reminded me of the reading "Polymers are Forever" about plastic in the environment. Bisphenol A is a chemical in plastic, and now it has been found that it can cause cardiovascular disease. Not only is it bad for the environment, but it's also bad for humans. We need to find a way to remove plastics because it's hurting us more than it's helping us. Although it'd be extremely difficult to live without plastic, I believe we can find a safer product to replace it.

"Polymers Are Forever" Response

According to this reading, polymers or plastics are indeed forever. It's true that most of the time humans don't even realize when they're littering. One example from the reading that I found very interesting was about exfoliants: tiny spheres that are in many face and body washes. What many people don't know is that these tiny balls actually consist of plastics which do not break down in the environment. Some companies do use other materials such as "jojoba seeds and walnut shells" which are natural and therefore safe for the environment. I would never think to consider exfoliants as contributers to pollution in the world. They seem so small and harmless, but when millions and billions of them end up in the ocean they do add up and become part of the problem. This makes me wonder what other daily rituals we do that contributes to the destruction of the earth. Can you think of any?

Genetic Testing

An article from Technology Review entitled "New Test Screens Prospective Parents for 100-Plus Diseases" by Emily Singer talks about a new genetic test developed by the company Counsyl. This specific device tests potential parents' genes for any diseases that they could pass on to their children. There have been many other genetic tests available, but this one is different because it tests for 100 different diseases while only costing $349. This same amount was equivalent to the cost of one cystic fibrosis test in the 1990s. Although this technology doesn't test for any new disease, it does test for many at the same time which is a great advancement.

You may ask why it's necessary to test for rare diseases in parents. The answer is that many people carry one copy of the mutation for a specific disease in their DNA, but this does not affect them in any way because humans need two copies in order to develop the disease. So if two people trying to conceive each have one single copy, then their child would have a twenty-five percent chance of receiving those genes and ultimately developing the disease.

The way this device works is that a probe catches small, specific pieces of DNA from the parents and examines them with great accuracy. Counsyl is hoping to start using a new technology called gene sequencing technology. This will actually allow the device to read every single letter of the specific genes in the DNA for a disease which will create even greater accuracy.

The topic of genetic testing is controversial because some people believe whatever child they create is the child they were supposed to have. They think that by using genetic testing, it's almost like cheating; it's as if you're creating the "perfect child". But I believe these technologies are great as they can assure a newborn's health. It can cost thousands of millions of dollars to take care of a sick child or even worse have your child die at a young age. I think that if we can prevent sickness then we should definitely use every tool we have to do so.

I also think that it's important to get the news out that there are new technologies developing all the time which are more and more useful to everyday people. For example, years ago only a wealthy person could purchase a genetic test, but since the cost has dropped so much, it's available to more and more people. This will make our world a healthier place, and hopefully one day we'll be able to eliminate these terrible diseases all together.