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Marla Cone of the Los Angeles Times wrote last year in June in an article about bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical widely used in plastics, and latest research that links BPA to prostate cancer.

BPA is used in polycarbonate plastics, which are used in many food applications, plastic containers, soda/pop bottles, etc. Bisphenol-A, in the form of TBBPA (Tetrabromobisphenol-A), is also widely used in electronics as a flame-retardant.

According to research, BPA mimics estrogen and while the male fetus is growing in the womb, BPA might alter the genes of the prostate, which is leading to a significant increase in prostate cancer over the past decades.

Then, later on, it looks like that same very same chemical also interferes with medication that is used to treat prostate cancer. Read Yelena Wetherill et al, University of Cincinatti, in Molecular Cancer Therapeuthics.

What Does This Have To Do With Computers?

BPA, is widely used in the electronics and computer industry. While mostly eliminated from plastics used in computer cases, etc. it is a major component on the electronics itself. A from of BPA called Tetrabromobisphenol-A (TBBPA) is used as a flame retardant. Besides the bisphenol-A TBBPA also contains bromine, which is a reactive halogen. More on that another day.

What can be done? First, make sure your current computer is recycled properly when decommissioned.

If you buy a new one, you might want to consider a computer that uses less TBBPA. To our knowledge, there is only us, GreenMachineShop that builds computers that have over 95% less TBBPA than other computers. There is a free e-class on our website where you can read up more about TBBPA and other toxic and carcinogenic substances, power savings, electromagnetic radiation, etc.

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