Pass on the Plastic
September 17th, 2008 by Christine
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Okay, let’s talk chemicals. Rather, one specific chemical: Bisphenol A, or BPA for short.
BPA is primarily produced to be used in plastics and resins that are found in many products that we encounter everyday, including: baby bottles, CD’s, water bottles, food cans, water pipes, dental sealants and medical devices.
It can enter our systems in a variety of ways, but most commonly, BPA leaches out of containers into what we eat and drink.
There have long been concerns about the safety of BPA floating around amongst consumers and environmentalists despite reassurances from the FDA that it is safe. However, this week the federal government's National Toxicology Program released a preliminary draft that suggests BPA might indeed be linked to hormonal problems and various cancers in humans.
The draft report also acknowledged that BPA is detectable in 93% of people over six.
Now, don't panic. This is a preliminary draft and does NOT come to any concrete conclusions. It simply calls for more investigation.
That being said, if you want to err on the side of caution, there are things you can do to help reduce your exposure to BPA:
- Don't allow your plastic food containers to be subjected to heat of any sort. Don't use them in the microwave, don't allow them to sit in the sun or a hot car. BPA leaches out easier when the plastic is warm.
- Avoid plastic containers that have a #7 on the bottom for recycling purposes.
- Avoid canned foods.
- Reduce your use of plastic, and instead chose glass or stainless steel containers. It's better for the environment, too!
Have a question about healthy living for you and your family that
you would love answered in one of my columns or want to discuss this
one more? Come on over to Blissfully Domestic Living and join the conversation!
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April 17th, 2008 at 7:53 am
great info!!
I personally have bought some very nice glass refrigerator dishes (basically glass tupperware) from Kmart in the Martha Stewart line. You can get them with either green plastic lids or glass lids. Personally I think they are a heck of a lot nicer looking than plastic tupperware, and they will also not absorb odors or colors of the food inside of them. Plastic tupperware gets very gross very fast if you've ever made the mistake of putting anything tomato based in them.
April 17th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Last night I bought a water bottle that was on display and marked as Eco Friendly. It is a Nalgene bottle and had Crystal Light packets inside and coupons for the beverage mix and brita water system. After reading your article I went and checked out the bottle. It has a 7 on it?? So this is an unsafe water bottle? I was going to get one for each child but now I am not sure. Should I return this?
April 17th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Yes, yes, yes! I've been warning everyone with little kids to stay away from plastics!
Great post!
April 17th, 2008 at 9:44 am
People should also stay away from #3 and #6 plastics.
Also, the number will be inside the recycling symbol.
April 17th, 2008 at 10:25 am
April, the recycling #7 doesn't mean for sure that the plastic contains BPA, #7 is often associated with it.
Honestly, if it were me, I'd return it and go for a stainless steel option. My article tomorrow will have some links to healthier alternatives to plastic.
Thanks!
April 17th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
Kim, like Christine had mentioned, just because it has a number 7 doesn't necessarily mean that it has BPA…..but it is a pretty good indicator.
I don't think that Nalgene bottles have BPA, although don't quote me on this. From what I understand, they are made with polypropylene plastic, not polyethylene which contains BPA.
If someone has heard otherwise, please feel free to step in
I've switched my husband and I to stainless steel bottles, and my son gets BPA free plastic cups as well as stainless steel. I make sure not to let the liquid sit in the cup for very long, and I definitely don't heat it.
April 17th, 2008 at 7:31 pm
This is weird…I was searching for a fitness widget for my blog (inspired by one of the articles here) and I completely randomly came across this article: http://www.fitsugar.com/1556140
Basically, it says that Nalgene water bottles have BPA. Serendipity!
April 18th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Can't catch a break. Have half a mouthful of amalgam fillings & half with composite & one gold filling.
April 19th, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Nalgene announced just recently that they're no longer going to use BPA. Smart move on their part, I'd say.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/04/nalgene-dumps-bpa.php
September 17th, 2008 at 8:59 am
since they say it acts like a synthetic estrogen, i now have an excuse as to why im soo moody, lol
seriously though, they put this stuff in our baby bottles and they new the effects!!!
greedy corporations trade our lives for pennies on the dollar every day!
September 17th, 2008 at 9:00 am
Thanks so much for the information! I think everyone really needs to know this. There has been so much talk about the dangers of plastics lately, but it's nice to have a summary of the important information.
September 17th, 2008 at 9:31 am
LL Bean and Whole Foods and REI carry some great Camelback reusable water bottles that are BPA free- they are very reasonably priced. We just invested for the 5 of us and we all love them and are drinking much more water now, another great benefit.
IKEA also sells BPA free plastic dishes and utensils for practically nothing.
*stumbled*
September 17th, 2008 at 9:45 am
Man, the more I read about this stuff, the more I want to eliminate it from my house & life altogether! Thanks to Mrs. Fussypants for sharing this w/ us via FB, it was a good read!
Cheers, @Jasperblu ~
September 17th, 2008 at 11:17 am
Glad you blogged this. I wasn't aware of this latest study — I hope it convinces people in power to start paying attention. And I'm glad I bought Big Guy a Thermos water bottle for school this year!
There was a bill proposed before the California Legislature this session that would have regulated BPA more heavily, but it was rejected by a tiny margin. I started a blog on that months ago but never finished — I think you've inspired me to dive back in!
September 17th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
Another chemical scare. I remember exactly what DDT smells like because the town I live in used to spray the trees at night in the summer time when all our windows were open.
September 19th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
Thanks. I've been thinking this. I sent it to my daughter and granddaughter. Good information.
September 20th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Nalgene bottles do contain BPA but they now make a new one called "Everyday" that is just like the old hard plastic ones but they're BPA free.
http://www.nalgenechoice.com/everyday.html
I've tossed all my "non-breakable" Nalgene bottles and others like it that I got from Bed,Bath,and Beyond and have switched over to the soft rubber one Nalgene makes or my BPA free one.
September 21st, 2008 at 7:51 pm
This is keeping me up at night. B/c we have a little one with severe food allergies and our own desire to not feed our children artificial colors, preservatives or corn syrup… I took up canning over the weekend. But as the pressure canner was hissing, I was reading the Ball website and discovered that the lids that are used in canning are lined with BPA!!! We can't win! I tried to google bpa free canning lids and came up dry.
November 25th, 2008 at 7:10 am
Hi Alice,
Try to google search Weck Glass for canning..I learned that the rubber rings(lid) of Weck glass jars are made of natural rubber and BPA-free. Good luck.