A lot of information is floating around out there on the different types of plastics. Over the years we have learned that many plastics are known to be unsafe for use and that all plastics are a threat to our environment.
Recently the talk has been about dangers of the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA). BPA, a common component in clear plastics, has been found in our baby bottles, water bottles, food packaging, can linings and cash register receipts.
Most green enthusiasts (and even those that aren’t) have been diligently avoiding plastic containing bisphenol-A (BPA) for quite some time. BPA has been shown to leach into our foods and act as a hormone-disrupting synthetic estrogen, causing cancer, obesity, diabetes, early puberty and other health problems. As conscientious consumers, many of us sought out plastic containers wearing a sticker proclaiming the product was BPA free. By purchasing products labeled BPA free we thought we were safe.
Turns out we were wrong. BPA free might not be enough.
National Public Radio (NPR) aired a story on a study released from Georgetown University, PlastiPure, and CertiChem (a chemical testing company). In the study these companies tested more than 450 plastic products, including many labeled BPA free, and found that more than 90 percent of the plastics (even those that were BPA free) released chemicals that mimic estrogen (the same claims against BPA). They found that sometimes the BPA free products released chemicals having more estrogen activity than BPA-containing products.
Even though a product is considered BPA-free it could still be releasing high levels of other chemicals that mimic estrogen.
Not good.
What can we do?
Just say no to plastic.
Another study just released by the Breast Cancer Fund and Silent Spring Institute shows shows that we can reduce our BPA exposure significantly by cooking fresh foods at home, avoiding canned foods, choosing glass and stainless steel food and beverage containers, and not microwaving in plastic.
- When you are about to buy a plastic product ask yourself if you really need it.
- Don’t buy plastic water bottles-invest in a reusable stainless steel water bottle
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- Start to phase out any plastics in your home-especially those that come in contact with food.
Get involved.
According to Safer Chemicals Healthy Families, there’s no way to completely avoid BPA until Congress passes the Safe Chemicals Act, which will require chemical manufacturers to show their products are safe before they end up in the things we buy. The chemical industry has acknowledged the need for federal reform of the chemical policy to restore public confidence in the safety of their products. Now they just need to do something about it. If you would like to help- check out the many ways to get involved.
Do you buy BPA free plastic? Does this study change the way you feel about plastic in general?
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[Top photo used under Creative Commons from Nerissa’s Ring/Flickr]
[Stainless steel water bottle photo used under Creative Commons from John Spencer/Flickr]
*If you purchase a water bottle through the Amazon link it will place a few pennies in my pocket. Thanks!
Great post, Lori! I’ve been skeptical of so-called BPA-free plastic since I first started seeing it everywhere. My guess is that whenever a certain chemical gets a lot of bad press (or better yet, gets banned), big industry just replaces it with a slightly different chemical. If the new chemicals function the same way as the old ones, I start to wonder whether similar health risks are associated with them!
Unreal – so glad we ditched our plastics. Thanks for a great post Lori!! 😀
Thanks so much Andrea! I have always felt skeptical as well. I think you are right in assuming that once a chemical is labeled toxic all that follow are potentially dangerous too (since they are serving the same function). I continue to try to avoid plastic, including BPA free, as much as possible. Unfortunately, we have lots of toys around that are about as plastic as possible. At least my kids don’t put them in their mouths as much anymore. This is just another example of how we need to simply trust our instincts versus following what we are being told by the big guns.
I have purchased BPA free plastics in the past, but will do my best from now on to only get glass (which I have quite a bit of now luckily) and stainless steel. It’s definitely disappointing that these plastics are just as bad if not worse. I do have two Klean Kanteen water bottles that I love and if I remember correct they even make baby bottles, too.
You are so welcome Lynn! Plastics are really bad news-too bad so many things are made from them.
I have a lot of glass too Michelle-but sometimes it’s not convenient. My son brought blueberries to school in a small pyrex container the other day and he was told he can’t bring glass to school. I understand that-what if it shattered. We use Fogo stainless steel thermoses for fruit. I also use Klean Kanteen water bottles and I love them. I think they make sippy cups. Not sure about the baby bottles?
So sad, but I had my doubts about the BPA-free plastics too. Unfortunately, we still have some that I am trying to find suitable replacements for. I just purchased a LunchBot stainless steel container. So far so good. Which stainless steel water bottles do people like? My problem with most I have seen is that you need to unscrew the top to drink out of it – not a problem for me, but I can see my kids spilling them in school. Also I didn’t like that th opening was so small you couldn’t get in there and clean it. I am seeing more now that look much better and will definitely find something, because the plastic is going!
I have a few small, round LunchBots, which I like. I’m thinking of adding a few of the larger ones to our reusable collection. Keep me posted on how you like it Kristina. I really like Klean Kanteen for water bottles. They do have a sport cap option, but I find that they leak and make a squeaking sound when you drink from them. They do have wide-mouth bottles that are easy to clean, but there’s the drinking/spilling issue. My kids all take the smaller Klean Kanteen to school. I’m sure they’re spilling-but no one’s ever mentioned it!
Great post, Lori! I’ve kind of given up on totally avoiding BPA, especially after learning that receipt paper is one of the biggest sources. I had a student tell me the other day, quite confidently, that everyone was going to die of cancer. Hate to say it, but I think he could be right. We lead heavily polluted lives, even when we do our best to avoid toxicants.
I store most of my food in glass or stainless steel, but I still use some plastic for the freezer. I don’t want things to fall out and shatter all over the floor, and some of what I freeze just doesn’t fit in anything but a big Ziploc bag.
Thanks Jennifer! I think you’re right-it’s impossible to completely avoid BPA. It seems to be on so many things that we use every day. Interesting comment by your student. Did he let you know why he was feeling that way?
I had a severe fall-out from my freezer this morning. I now understand why glass either needs to be packed in neatly or an alternative should be used 🙂
Yikes! Nice work Lori. Now what? How I wish there was some kind of home test to use- now there’s an invention!! *Sigh* For now I guess my guys will have to carry their fruit salad to school in their pocket 😉
Thanks Petunia!I love your invention idea! Thanks for the laugh-your poor kids with fruit salad in their pockets. Try stainless steel…..it will save you lots of laundry!
Important post. There are tons of ways we can avoid plastics, and some ways we can not, yet.
My question comes around to dentistry. It is often recommended that kids get plastic sealants on their teeth in order to prevent cavities. Of course, they have no removed BPA from most sealants. But, I have also wondered,…what is in there that we don’t know about?
If anyone has a good solution to dental sealants, other than just take REALLY good care of kids teeth, I would love to know.
Hi Lisa. You raise a very important and much debated issue (one that I am going to write about in a future post!). My husband is a dentist so this issue comes up frequently. Dental sealants have BPA-some have more than others. One option is to ask your dentist which brand of sealants he/she uses. Then you can call the company to check on the levels of BPA. The other option is to avoid sealants altogether, maintain good dental hygiene and hope for the best. That is a very general answer to a very complicated problem…..more to come!
Since the whole issue with BPA started to come into light, I stopped using plastic containers, water bottles, canned foods, register receipts and sometimes, even recycled toilet paper. I called my dentist to find out about night guard that my son recently got (he claims it doesn’t have it). So I never had to worry about products that claim “BPA-FREE” since I lost faith in companies that claim anything “___-FREE” Even stainless steel Sigg bottles had lining with BPA. So, the thing to do is avoid any plastic as much as possible, especially if it contacts your hands and mouth.
I’m just waiting for studies to come out to tell me that stainless steel will kill me. Ugh.
Great job Karen getting most so much plastic out of your life. Not an easy task. I was completely disillusioned by the Sigg fiasco-I have since switched to stainless steel Klean Kanteen. I feel the same way-just waiting for the stainless steel bubble to be burst!
Regarding my student’s pessimism — we were talking about eating habits and health, and he thinks we might as well eat badly because we’re all going to die of cancer anyway…sadly, it was not the right time nor place to get into a prolonged discussion about all the problems with fast food!
That’s a very pessimistic view! How did you respond? Sounds kind of depressing-almost as if he was willing to sabotage his life since he thought he was going to die of cancer.
Very upsetting. I have been making baby food with the Baby Brezza BPA Free One Step Baby Food Maker. You steam and puree in the same receptical- which is made of plastic. Here I am, doing extra work to try to make the healthiest food… and possibly pumping my baby full of more chemicals than if I just bought jarred food. Anyone know of a baby food maker that is not made of plastic?
Hi Julie-it is very upsetting. My kids are eating solid food these days so I am a bit out of the baby making loop. I did find this stainless steel baby food grinder : http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/rosle-food-mill/
It’s a bit pricey-but maybe there are other less expensive alternatives out there. Good luck!
Thanks, Lori. I also just found out that the Earth’s Best Organic baby food that comes in jars has BPA in the lids!! Gah! It’s everywhere.
Ugh Julie-hopefully you can find a way to make your own. That’s the only way you truly will know what’s in it! Good luck.
Yep, I really think trying to eliminate plastic as much as possible is the way to go. And I agree with Lori, not an easy or quick task, overwhelming really, baby steps:-) It’s scary how long the toxins in plastic take to break down and are in our environment. MY goodness!
T
I just do my best to avoid plastic all together. It is not always easy, but I do try! I am not quite Beth yet, maybe one!!! I have always been skeptical about plasti, even BPA-free. I have a glass water bottle now and am thinking of investing in metal or glass cups for little E. She has BPS ones, but I am feeling a little uneasy. I don’t put anything hot in them just water and smoothies. great post!
Thanks Stephanie. I think it’s really hard to avoid all plastic. Our world is filled with plastic in the most obscure spots. We can only do our best and be well informed so we can make educated decisions. I have a glass water bottle too-and a few stainless steel bottles. Maybe someday we won’t have to worry about all of these issues. Now wouldn’t that be nice?
Hi Tanya, It’s great to try to avoid plastic, but as you mentioned it’s not easy. Plastic is everywhere! As I mentioned to Stephanie, it would be so nice if we didn’t have to worry about these issues. If regulations were in place that protected consumers when it comes to toxins we could spend our energy tackling bigger issues. Hopefully someday soon! Thanks so much for your comment.
Hello!
I love you site.
I was hoping you would share where you bought your stainless steel chapstick containers.
You are an inspiration!
Thank you!
Great article as I have been thinking this all along as to what these companies replace the bpa with and is it more damaging to us. Have a few stainless steel water bottles from punc http://www.puncbottles.com and asked for stainless steel lids when ordering which was great. But plastic is everywhere and its a difficult task to minimise our exposure. Siobhain