[Big Mac]

On tonight's Larry King, Cheryl Crow said that as a result of her breast cancer, she learned various things that she feels she must educate the public about. One of them is that, if you leave a water bottle in your car in the heat, you shouldn't drink the water because it is carcinogenic. Furthermore, according to Crow, any heating or cooling in plastics creates carcinogenic byproducts. She said she learned these things from her nutritionist.

[The Godfather]

Better safe than sorry. I always heat my family's meals on the plates they are eaten on.

I've known of this danger for a long time.

[Cody Dawg]

I can see that, actually.

Plastics are made of petroleum products. Oil and coal exposure cause cancer and other diseases. For example, medical scientists have established that every single multiple sclerosis sufferer/patient in the world grew up with either exposure to an oil or coal furnace as a child.

On the other hand, there is also that faction that says that drinking soft drinks from cans gives you aluminum exposure and tests have shown a link between aluminum and Alzheimers.

Crow should have also mentioned the link between estrogen levels (such as taking birth control pills) and breast cancer, which is very strong. Women who have had children (and been pregnant) have breaks in exposure to estrogen and those breaks actually help prevent breast cancer. Crow should discuss that also.

[C.A.T.S. CEO]

HIgh?

[Cody Dawg]

I agree that it's good to be careful with your body.

But some people abuse their bodies by exposing themselves to carcinogenics - purposely.

Like smokers.

I mean, aren't smokers ever worried that the little cough that they have might be causes from cancer? Or that they'll develop lung cancer:

Although smoking has decreased significantly over the decades, many people continue to smoke, and many pick up the habit, usually in middle school or high school. Lung cancer, which is most frequently caused by cigarette smoking, is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. The disease claimed about 155,000 lives in 2002, according to the American Cancer Society.

Death rates for this disease, unlike many other cancers, have not declined significantly. Lung cancer kills more people than cancers of the breast, prostate, colon and pancreas combined. At least 90 million current and former smokers live in the United States; all are at increased risk for lung cancer. Even one cigarette a day can increase the risk.

If you walked up to a heavy smoker and said, 'What do you think your risk of dying of lung cancer is?', they would say one in 50. But they would be surprised when you told them it was actually one in seven," she says.

Link

Cigarette smoking is the main cause of lung cancer. Tobacco smoke contains more than 3,500 chemicals, at least 40 of which are known carcinogens. Cigarettes also contain more than 30 toxic metals, including nickel and cadmium, as well as radioactive compounds.

Other causes of lung cancer include exposure to secondhand smoke, to asbestos and other industrial carcinogens, and to high concentrations of radon — an odorless gas that's released into the air from the breakdown of uranium in the soil and water. Smokers exposed to asbestos and radon are more likely to develop cancer than are nonsmokers.

Link

[©öñFü$íóÑ]

I often wonder why even people who graduate from prestigious schools smoke....

[Chuckit]

Probably the same reason people from prestigious schools do anything else — because they want to. Seriously, folks, living tends to lead to dying. It's not like I'll die if I smoke and I won't if I refrain.

[Cody Dawg]

chuckit

It's not like I'll die if I smoke and I won't if I refrain.

Actually, there's a good chance you WILL die much earlier, chuckit.

Smokers, are consciously making a choice to harm their lungs with every puff that they take if you're a smoker - plus they put themselves at risk for lung cancer...along with the secondhand smokers who breathe smokers' polluted air.

Of everything that humans do, that seems to me to be the most self-destructive act that there is. Plus it harms non-smokers and smokers always seem to be either polluting the air with their smoke or polluting the ground by throwing their cigarettes on the ground.

On top of all of that, it's expensive.

[Cody Dawg]

P.S., We non-smokers still love the smokers that we know.

That's why we get so upset when smokers keep on smoking...we want you around as long as possible. If you don't want to stop for yourself, do it for the person or people you love the most.

[volcano]

Originally Posted by Big Mac

On tonight's Larry King, Cheryl Crow said that as a result of her breast cancer, she learned various things that she feels she must educate the public about. One of them is that, if you leave a water bottle in your car in the heat, you shouldn't drink the water because it is carcinogenic. Furthermore, according to Crow, any heating or cooling in plastics creates carcinogenic byproducts. She said she learned these things from her nutritionist.

Are you talking about Sheryl Crow? If you're going to insult the poor woman, at least spell her name right. Geesh!

[Judge_Fire]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

Crow should have also mentioned the link between estrogen levels (such as taking birth control pills) and breast cancer, which is very strong. Women who have had children (and been pregnant) have breaks in exposure to estrogen and those breaks actually help prevent breast cancer. Crow should discuss that also.

Plastics can be a major source of estrogen, too. And interestingly, fresh water supplies.

[Cody Dawg]

WW!

Is that true? How does estrogen get into plastics?





I did see this;

Plastics are generally thought to be chemically inert; however, some plastics contain p-nonylphenol, which mimics estrogen, and bisphenol-A. Chemicals in river water derived from plastics can disrupt sex development in fish.

In women, the risk of breast cancer manifested after the menopause has been linked to lifelong exposure to estrogen. Some chemicals can alter the way in which the body processes its own estrogen. For example, indole-3-carbinol present in plants of the cabbage family reduces cancer risk by pushing estrogen metabolism toward a more favorable metabolic pathway; whereas some hormonally active chemicals can affect the pathway to increase cancer risk. The causes of breast cancer, however, are still not well understood. Estrogen chemicals lurk in plastics, canned goods, and detergent breakdown products but it is difficult to study effects of these chemicals because nearly everyone is exposed to them and it is hard to get proof.

What can a reader do? The author proposes some guidelines. 1) Know your water. Filters don't remove hormonally active chemicals. Water may not be safe if stored in plastic containers. 2) Choose food intelligently. Women of child-bearing age and children should avoid eating fish. Eating animal fat should be minimized. Although not all plastics are harmful, one should limit eating food wrapped or microwaved in plastic. 3) Avoid unnecessary uses and exposure; wash hands frequently. Emphasize prevention of exposure. 4) Consider interaction of compounds and cumulative effects.

Link

And:

Parents become rightly upset when they read news accounts of federal inspectors finding insect bits, pesticides, and other contaminants lacing foods that their children will eat. A new Japanese study now suggests that the plastic tableware and containers from which we often serve foods may contribute adulterants of their own—hormone-mimicking building blocks of a plastic.

Roughly 95 percent of all baby bottles currently on the market are made of polycarbonate. As the poly in polycarbonate implies, this plastic is a polymer—a chainlike molecule constructed by linking up individual units of a common chemical. In this case, each link is a molecule of bisphenol A.

Toxicologist Koji Arizono of the Prefectural University of Kumamoto, Japan, and his colleagues tested 10 different brands of polycarbonate baby bottles—purchased in the United States, Germany, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines—along with other types of clear-plastic tableware. When heated, all leached bisphenol A, a chemical that mimics the hormone estrogen, into the liquids they held.

from Science News

Simply amazing.

[Mastrap]

It's not how estrogen gets into plastic, it's about plastic components mimicking estrogen. It's a very real issue. I have never owned a microwave, and never will, but I have also banned all plastic from our kitchen some time ago. We use metal, stoneware and glass, for everything including freezing. It's not as convenient but I gladly pay that small price.

[C.A.T.S. CEO]

Originally Posted by Mastrap

We use metal, stoneware and glass, for everything including freezing.

WTF is stoneware? Flint knives, forks spoons.

[Peter]

If someone lets to smoke I see no reason why we (non-smokers) should stop them... Because it's killing them? Drinking kills you; Eating fast food kills you.

[Big Mac]

The diseases that smoking kills you with are pretty damn bad. But, if people wish to persist, they should definitely be allowed to screw themselves over.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by C.A.T.S. CEO

WTF is stoneware? Flint knives, forks spoons.

Ceramic items that aren't made of porcelain. Don't they teach anything at school anymore?

[C.A.T.S. CEO]

Originally Posted by Mastrap

Ceramic items that aren't made of porcelain. Don't they teach anything at school anymore?

Apparently not.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Mastrap

Ceramic items that aren't made of porcelain. Don't they teach anything at school anymore?

As someone born and bred in the ceramics capital of the universe, your definition of stoneware pains me.

[Cody Dawg]

It's not StoneAgeWare, folks.

[Stradlater]

Snopes!

[awaspaas]

Please read this Cody - from an actual expert in the field, somebody who uses science and not sensationalism: Researcher Talks About the Risk of Dioxins

Notable: bisphenol A is only in polycarbonate, not in polyethylene or polyethylene terephthalate that most water bottles or plastic food storage containers are made of. And the bisphenol A is one of the monomers used to make polycarbonate, so it is much less likely to leech out than an additive mixed in along with the polymer (see below).

More notable in my opinion are the phthalates (plasticizers) that can leech out when heated (that's why there's a scum that forms on the inside of your windshield for a year after you buy a new car) - but phthalates aren't water-soluble and have not been shown to be carcinogenic.

[The Godfather]

Originally Posted by Judge_Fire

Plastics can be a major source of estrogen, too. And interestingly, fresh water supplies.

Aren't all our house water pipes made entirely of polyvinyl chloride?

[Mastrap]

Not mine. Mine are made of copper.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

Actually, there's a good chance you WILL die much earlier, chuckit.

Smokers, are consciously making a choice to harm their lungs with every puff that they take

Yeah, and a lot of food and the air in many places will kill you too. Having children is medically risky as well. These are all fact. Like I said, living tends to lead to dying. I don't think just saying "It makes you die earlier" is much of an argument — the point is not to live a slightly longer but much less enjoyable life.

And no, I don't smoke anymore, nor do I encourage people to do so. I think there are much better uses for your money. I just don't like the lack of awareness in modern society where smoking = EVILBADBAD, while all the harmful things the anti-smoking folk do are perfectly all right.

[baw]

Holy crap! Something else causes cancer!

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Mastrap

Don't they teach anything at school anymore?

Welcome to the 20th century.

-t

[Cody Dawg]

The thing about smoking is that it's just pointless.

Granted, I've never smoked, but what does it do for anyone? Seriously? It makes you poor, smelly, and sometimes kills you. I just don't get why people smoke.

Now, other things cause cancer also and can kill you along the way, but making the conscious decision to pick up a cigarette, light it, and inhale about 3500 chemicals into your lungs is just astounding to me.

[Spliffdaddy]

2/3rds of lung cancer victims never smoked.

44,400 people died in US vehicle crashes last year - so it seems to me that driving is the most dangerous thing you can do.

[Eriamjh]

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

Welcome to the 20th century.

-t

Do you mean the 21st Century?

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Eriamjh

Do you mean the 21st Century?

No, the 20th. I didn't just happen in the last 6 years.

-t

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by Spliffdaddy

2/3rds of lung cancer victims never smoked.

That's news to me. As far I was aware 96% of lung cancer patients were/are smokers.


A bit of googling got these results:

the American Cancer Society issued a news release with these facts:
Cigarette smoking causes an estimated 80 percent of women’s lung cancers and 90 percent of men’s lung cancers.
Environmental risk factors may include secondhand smoke, radon (a radioactive gas), asbestos, and certain chemicals and metals.
Genes could also play a role.
Fewer than 3 percent of lung cancers occur in people younger than 45.

So, the two thirds theory seems discredited.

[Cody Dawg]

Spliffdaddy

2/3rds of lung cancer victims never smoked.

Post a link for your statistic please? Because you're stating that 66.6% of all lung cancer persons have never smoked.

And thousands of scientists and physicians state otherwise:

Smoking is the number one cause of lung cancer. Lung cancer may also be the most tragic cancer because in most cases, it might have been prevented -- 87% of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking.

American Lung Association.

About 87% of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women, and is one of the most difficult cancers to treat.

From Cancer.org

That's because smoking accounts for nearly 90 percent of lung cancer cases.

Mayo Clinic

Cigarette smoking causes 87 percent of lung cancer deaths and is responsible for most cancers of the larynx, oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus, and bladder.

National Cancer Institute

Need I post more literature and links? Why you would think that "2/3rds" of lung cancer victims, or 66.6%, never smoked is just astounding to me.

Maybe you're a smoker and you're in denial or something? I'm not sure.

[Spliffdaddy]

heh. I think I mis-quoted a statistic I heard.

It should have been phrased like this:

"Approximately 30 percent of all cancer cases are caused by smoking."

[Cody Dawg]

But that's wrong also.

It's 87% to 90% of all cancer cases ARE caused by smoking.

The majority of the remaining people who are at risk at people who are:

1. Exposed to asbestos.

2. Exposed to radon.

3. Exposed to air contaminants.

4. Exposed to secondhand smoke from cigarette smoking.

5. Develop lung cancer because it metastasized to the lungs from another place in the body.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by Spliffdaddy

heh. I think I mis-quoted a statistic I heard.

It should have been phrased like this:

"Approximately 30 percent of all cancer cases are caused by smoking."

Don't think so:

Cigarette smoking causes an estimated 80 percent of women’s lung cancers and 90 percent of men’s lung cancers.

[Spliffdaddy]

re-read what I wrote. It's accurate. Cancer in general - not just lung cancer. 30% of cancer is caused by smoking, 70% is not caused by smoking.

the word "lung" does not appear in my last post.

[mitchell_pgh]

Originally Posted by Big Mac

On tonight's Larry King, Cheryl Crow said that as a result of her breast cancer, she learned various things that she feels she must educate the public about. One of them is that, if you leave a water bottle in your car in the heat, you shouldn't drink the water because it is carcinogenic. Furthermore, according to Crow, any heating or cooling in plastics creates carcinogenic byproducts. She said she learned these things from her nutritionist.

She's actually correct.

I hike a good bit, and it's well known that you shouldn't keep water in water bottles for extended periods of time. Some of the chemicals used in the plastic leach into the water. It's fine for normal use, but if you have the water in the container in heat... or for prolonged periods of time, it's not good.

http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200311/lol5.asp

I don't think it's the end of all things if you drink from plastic or cook on it, but I also think people should realize that if you have the choice, glass or ceramic should be your first choice. I've replaced a number of things with stainless steal, glass and ceramic.

[mitchell_pgh]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

The thing about smoking is that it's just pointless.

Granted, I've never smoked, but what does it do for anyone? Seriously? It makes you poor, smelly, and sometimes kills you. I just don't get why people smoke.

Now, other things cause cancer also and can kill you along the way, but making the conscious decision to pick up a cigarette, light it, and inhale about 3500 chemicals into your lungs is just astounding to me.

Obviously you aren't cool...

<kidding>

I find it funny talking to intelligent people that smoke. I accept I'm not the smartest person in the world, but I'm smart enough to know that smoking is dumb and that the money wasted on smoking would better be spent on iPods.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by mitchell_pgh

I find it funny talking to intelligent people that smoke. I accept I'm not the smartest person in the world, but I'm smart enough to know that smoking is dumb and that the money wasted on smoking would better be spent on iPods.

Strangely, I feel the same way about people who drink. While I used to drink like a fish myself, I just don't get it anymore.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Doofy

Strangely, I feel the same way about people who drink. While I used to drink like a fish myself, I just don't get it anymore.

Well, the difference is that you actually CAN drink some things simply because they taste good.

The equivalent of that are cigar or pipe smokers.

-t

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by mitchell_pgh

I find it funny talking to intelligent people that smoke. I accept I'm not the smartest person in the world, but I'm smart enough to know that smoking is dumb and that the money wasted on smoking would better be spent on iPods.

That's exactly my point. You don't enjoy smoking, others do.

[spacefreak]

Originally Posted by Big Mac

On tonight's Larry King, Sheryl Crow said that as a result of her breast cancer, she learned various things that she feels she must educate the public about. One of them is that, if you leave a water bottle in your car in the heat, you shouldn't drink the water because it is carcinogenic.

I'd say the water bottle left in the car is the least of her worries...

[Kevin]

Yeah um no mention of her smoking... but that plastic... it's EVIL!

[Chuckit]

That picture has to be 20 years old. She doesn't look 50 there. So it's easily possible she quit smoking in the intervening time.

Also, she probably figured the public already knows cigarettes are harmful.

[mitchell_pgh]

Originally Posted by Chuckit

That's exactly my point. You don't enjoy smoking, others do.

I don't mind having a cigar from time to time (probably 3 a year).

I once drank a bunch, but that's fading more and more as time goes on. I simply don't snap back like I did when I was 20. Also, it's expensive...

That being said, I enjoy a good happy hour at work.

[Stogieman]

That's weird. The picture that spacefreak posted appears to be from the UK release of her single "Everyday is a Winding Road." Here's that exact same picture on a poster.

http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=368775


Notice how there isn't a cigarette in her hand. Do you think the pic spacefreak found was photoshopped?

[- - e r i k - -]

You didn't read the Tom & Jerry thread did you Stoogie?

[UNTeMac]

More to the point of the thread:

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cookplastic.asp
http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/petbottles.asp

Snopes is easily a top 10 most useful site for me and should be for people who believe the crap they get in their inbox or that they read on the internet.

[Mastrap]

Originally Posted by Spliffdaddy

re-read what I wrote. It's accurate. Cancer in general - not just lung cancer. 30% of cancer is caused by smoking, 70% is not caused by smoking.

the word "lung" does not appear in my last post.

Unfortunately that's wrong too. The real figure is about 10%, worldwide, 20% in the developed world.