A 2-part Korean TV special called "Environmental Hormones Attack -- Our Children Are at Risk," was broadcast in North Korea in September, 2006. It reported that environmental hormones in plastic products can cause menstrual cramps, genital abnormalities and precocious puberty. Already sales of plastic products are affected, and glass is booming.
In particular, heating nursing bottles made of polycarbonate generates an environmental hormone called Bisphenol A. Polycarbonate is used for a wide range of products including bottles, sunglasses, blow dryers and electronic fans because it is both transparent and thermostable.
Bisphenol A is also used to coat the inner part of cans and water pipes and to produce bottle caps. Environmental hormones are also detected in detergents, perfumes and cosmetic products.
But some experts, for example, the Korea Vinyl Environment Council, say people are reacting too sensitively. Those experts claim that the idea that environmental hormones negatively affect our body is only an assumption and they point out that cause and effect cannot be clearly proven.
The Korean government has already strengthened regulations on environmental hormones as people’s awareness of their risks improved. Some toxic phthalates, which are used to make PVC more flexible, are banned from use in toys not only in the EU but in Korea as well. The government has banned manufacturing of clingfilm using phthalates.
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