How Do BPA's or Hexavalent Chromium Relate to MS?

Almost ten years ago at the age of 20 I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Since then I like many have been troubled that the cause is so mysterious as well as what kinds of approaches to treatment are the most effective. In 2009 I launched MomsWithMS.org to bring together mothers who are diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis to share the joys and challenges we face as well as attended many informational sessions by the NMSS and Pats Fund who focuses on autoimmune conditions and doing so has led to me meeting hundreds of people with the condition and the ideas in my head about what could be going on run rampant day and night.
So you can imagine what I was wondering when I saw the results of the recent hexavalent chomium showing that 31 out of the 35 cities where tap water was tested were showing dangerously high levels of the cancer causing metal that comes from many sources such as in the production of dyes, alloys and it is also used to plate metal surfaces, and much more.

More disturbing was when I read further into the report on the EWG site was that this toxic form isn't even regulated.

Other emails that I have gotten recently on a similar topic of chemicals and health have talked about the dangers of BPAs found in plastics, particularly of interest in the plastic used to package bottled water as well as in the lining of canned foods.

I have wondered about things like this before, and decided that tap was better for me overall, fortunately if the map shown in the EWG report is accurate the levels are low in Seattle which is where I live and so personally I will continue to drink the tap water at this point, and if I move I will get one of the filters I found that is certified for Reduction of Chromium .

After reading through some of these articles I decided it was time for me to pull out my copy of Erin Brockovich to get reacquainted and I noticed that while she was talking to some of the residents of this notorious neighborhood affected so much by the chromium there was a case of a man who had Chrohns Disease which is only of interest to me because I happen to know that like Multiple Sclerosis Chrohns is a disease which is considered an autoimmune condition that we don't know the cause of.

So, long story short, I can't help but wonder if this rampant hexavalent chromium could have something to do with Multiple Sclerosis and other autoimmune conditions? I am working on what I call my " Medical Analytics Fantasy " which would bring a lot of these random factors into consideration and analysis to hopefully draw some data based conclusions to bring our attention to and all these coincidences have only increased the urgency in turning it into a reality and not keeping it as a fantasy.

Through high school I drank a lot of bottled water, I did wonder before all of this news if it might have had anything to do with my stroke at 18 or being diagnosed with MS at age 20. My friends and family used to tease me because the floors in the backseat of my Volvo were almost always filled up with empty water bottles, see, I bought the big liter and a half ones at Safeway and drank many a day, often refilling them as well. I decided after reading these articles that I would see where this water I drank so much of was bottled and unfortunately I was right, it was bottled and gotten from California, which has pretty high levels of the hexavalent chromium (hence Erin Brockovich being able to discover it and bring it to our attention).

So obviously I still haven't proven anything, I am paying attention though and noticing all of these different clues and taking them into consideration as I plan the launch of my Medical Analytics Fantasy and what kinds of information needs to be obtained.

Sources:

EWG

http://static.ewg.org/reports/2010/chrome6/html/home.html
Waterfiltering.com

http://www.waterfiltering.com/bottled-water/bpa-bottled-water.html
CommonDreams.org

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2009/06/02-0