Endocrine disruption

According to an investigative panel presented earlier this week, as much as 80% of Japan’s food supply may contain Diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), a suspected endocrine disrupter.
DEHP is used to make plastics flexible and it’s a big component of vinyl and some food packaging. In low levels, it’s not likely to harm you too much, because the body can break it down pretty quickly. But high level, long term exposure in rat studies did nasty thing to the poor rats, like kidney damage and reproduction problems.
Of course, rats aren’t human. Should we worry? Maybe not about this specific problem, but the combined chemicals and manmade things in our environment have got to have an affect on us.
I’ve always had a suppressed urge to run away to the countryside and live more in harmony with nature,eating grains I grew, using energy from renewable sources, raising animals for food and clothing but I’m not sure I could give up my computer. Articles and reports like this make me think about it more seriously.