Florida & Her Beautiful Beaches

I am a native Floridian, I was born in Rockledge Florida and have been a beach baby all my life. Even when I lived in Texas our family made summer pilgrimages to Galveston. The beach has been a constant in my life until now. I have been robbed of my one true love, the beautiful colorful clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico. My favorite thing was snorkeling or diving on the reefs with their flourishing marine life. Everyone has a favorite thing and that was mine. Diving for shells and just exploring the peaceful serene beauty under the water.

Well those days are gone, I have only been in the water once since the BP spill and then I only went in up to my knees. I remember all to well the screaming in my head every time they showed the planes flying over the Gulf spraying dispersant's after the explosion and consequent spill of billions of gallons of oil. But BP said it's ok it is just like dish soap, really it is. Well we all knew that was a lie and with the capping of the gusher one year ago yesterday where are we now you ask?

Here is a link to TampaBay.com from April 17th, 2011.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/wildlife/sick-fish-suggest-oil-spill-still-affecting-gulf/1164042

Here is another from ABC Action News from today...

http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_south_pinellas/madeira_beach/usf-scientists-partner-with-commercial-fishermen-to-study-gulf-fish-lesions

I will not eat seafood from the gulf, nor will I go in the water to float leisurely on a raft or any other water activities I used to do. I never imagined that I would be here now looking at a toxic waste dump. Even NOAA is warning people of the sick fish in the gulf.

http://www.floridaoilspilllaw.com/noaa-warns-of-sick-fish-with-lesions-and-discolored-skin-in-gulf-lsu-scientist-studying-problem-very-worried/comment-page-2

http://www.wusf.usf.edu/news/2011/07/12/oil_spill_scientists_made_national_headlines

Read the following article that was written 20 years after the Valdez spill,

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29838444/ns/us_news-environment/t/oil-plagues-sound-years-after-exxon-valdez/

I will leave you with a few youtube videos from this year..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu-amEoBA6U&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOBl1qAPmHw&NR=1

More Alarming News On BPA

More and more information is coming forward on the dangers of BPA. Bisphenol A is a harmful chemical found in polycarbonate plastic and is in an alarming amount of everyday products making our exposure to it off the charts. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical that mimics the action of the human hormone estrogen and changes the natural pattern of the body. Some of the effects at even low BPA exposure include prostate cancer, breast cancer, early puberty onset, alterations in gender-specific behavior, decreased sperm count, affects on fertility, behavioral effects including hyperactivity, increased aggressiveness, impaired learning and other changes in behavior. BPA might also be causing diabetes, aggressiveness, heart disease, and decreased sensitivity to chemotherapy in cancer patients.

BPA is contained in everything from baby bottles, sippy cups, water bottles, the lining of canned foods and canned infant formula just to name a few. The infants consuming canned formula are at the greatest risk from the leaching of BPA. They have also discovered that infants are being born with BPA in their systems already. BPA is being passed from the mothers body to the baby through the umbilical cord. Yikes! As if new mothers do not have enough concerns already now it is the baby bottles, sippy cups, canned formula and the amounts of BPA in the expectant mothers body. It is overwhelming!

We should not be heating up anything in the microwave or the oven that is in a hard plastic container, if BPA has not already leached into the food it will during the heating process, it actually leaks out 55 times faster than normal. The same heating issues apply to washing plastic containers in the dishwasher. I was shocked to know that the lining of canned food products contains BPA and it does leach into whatever is contained in the can. Below are some links you may find helpful and contain more information on BPA and a guide on plastics. As always, I may bring something to your attention but I always encourage you to do your own research...

http://www.ewg.org/reports/bisphenola
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1855853,00.html
http://www.healthobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=77083