Classroom Questions

Questions for ‘Pollution may be weakening teeth’

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A resin often lines the inside of cans in which grocery-store foods come packaged. It keeps food from reacting with the metal. But in many cases that resin has been made from BPA — and can end up in the packaged food. The maker of Campbell’s soups, shown here, has pledged to switch to a non-BPA resin for its cans by mid-2017.

Bowy Gavid Bowie Chan /Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

By Science News Explores

To accompany feature “Pollution may be weakening teeth” 

SCIENCE

Before Reading: 

1.   What is the source of pollutants that can taint the environment? That is, how do those materials enter the environment? What are their sources?

2.   In what ways can plastic pollute the environment? How does it get there? Can people become exposed?

During Reading:

1.   What is enamel and what role does it play in teeth?

2.    What share of children show enamel defects, according to Sylvie Babajko?

3.    What are hormones and what do they do?

4.    What are two of the hormones that affect tooth development?

5.    What’s another name for androgens?

6.    What is vinclozolin?

7.    What is BPA and name four things in which it is used?

8.    Androgens and estrogens are also involved in what other part of the body, according to Frederick vom Saal?

After Reading:

1.    Perform  some research so that you can make a chart of things that are made from BPA. Are there alternatives for all of these items that do not contain BPA?

2.    A number of government agencies are looking to ban certain classes of products that contain BPA. Do some research to identify what the health concerns are that prompted those actions?