The Evolution of Plastic

Plastic first appeared in the early 1900′s and is now found in everything from medical devices to hair conditioners to food containers. The problem with plastic is that it contains two substances that are poisonous; phthalates and bisphenol A.

Phthalates help make plastic containers flexible but can leech out of plastic when heated. This chemical can cause birth defects and hormone imbalances. Unfortunately, most people have this in their blood stream.

BPA in Plastic

Bisphenol-a, or BPA is widely used in the making of the hard, clear, and nearly unbreakable plastic called polycarbonate. Studies and tests show that small amounts of BPA are leaching from polycarbonate containers into foods and liquids and possibly causing health problems.

Avoiding the chemical BPA is much harder than expected. Those with young children and infants need to be concerned even more so.  The Toxin-Free Infants and Toddlers Act will go into effect on July 1, 2013 in California.  Bisphenol A will be banned in baby bottles and sippy cups in California. In 2012, the Food and Drug Administration said it lacked enough scientific information to ban the chemical from food containers.

Some quick tips to minimize BPA exposure:

• Use BPA free water bottles and baby bottles
• Eat fresh food whenever possible. Select frozen food over canned food, this includes infant formula sold in cans.
• Eat at home as much as possible, to ensure compliance with your goals
• Store and cook food in glass containers
• Recycle any scratched plastic containers
• In general, Avoid food and plastics with the recycling code 3 or 7 on the bottom
• Avoid putting hot or boiling liquids in plastic containers
• Wash your hands after touching cash register receipts

Warnings on Products Containing BPA

Breast Cancer Fund recently conducted tests of canned foods aimed at young children. They found significant traces of BPA in several national brands including Campbell’s soup and Chef Boyardee pasta.

Food and  Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a January 2010 update on Bisphenol A that says it many not be safe for children and infants.  In its report on BPA, the National Toxicology Program expressed concern over BPA’s effect on the brain, prostate, and behavior. Children, infants, and fetuses are especially at risk. It appears that young children have immature immune systems that may not detoxify BPA as well as adults. Health and Human Services has a BPA avoidance page.

If you are feeding an infant formula, make sure you are buying BPA-free product. Look carefully at the label and call the company to verify. Only use BPA free water bottles.

Environmental Working Group has a guide to avoiding BPA Exposure. The upshot is to eat more fresh food, use alternatives to canned items, and to use glass containers when heating food in microwaves.

A research article from the National Institute of Health’s Environmental Health Perspectives echoes the issues and studied 20 people before and after an attempt to reduce BPA exposure.

Some interesting tidbits on BPA:

The FDA has estimated that babies have 12.5 times more exposure to BPA than adults, while others say the number should be even higher. The main culprits are BPA leaching from metal cans of baby formula. Powered formula does not have this problem.

Most canned food sold in the US has a BPA epoxy can liner that can leach BPA into the food within the can. EWG recently tested 97 canned foods and found that more than 50% had detectable BPA. BPA is less likely to leach from plastic water bottles and plastic food containers.

Clear Plastic and BPA

Any product made of hard, clear plastic may be made from polycarbonate unless the manufacturer specifically states that it’s BPA-free. One way to check is to look for the recycling triangle stamp on or near the bottom on an item: polycarbonate plastics should have the numeral 7 in the triangle, sometimes with the letters PC for polycarbonate.

Unfortunately, 7 is a catchall “other” category for a variety of plastic items some of which do not contain BPA. If the plastic is soft and pliable, it is probably not made with BPA.

Microwaving with Plastic

The amount of poisonous chemicals coming from plastic and into food depends upon the type of container used, when it is heated, and the actual condition of the plastic container. Older containers especially ones that have cracks are more prone to give off toxins when used to heat food. If a container has any discoloration or cosmetic flaws, it should be recycled.

Avoid heating food rich in cream or butter. Fatty foods tend to absorb more of the poisonous chemicals when they are heated.

Plenty states that microwaving items causing BPA exposure situation is even worse. Some food containers such as those known as Rubbermaid Premiere have a #7 recycling code on the bottom, and are expected to have BPA. BPA was also found to leach from containers that had recycling codes 1, 2, and 5. Simply examining recycling codes on the bottom of containers does not work.

A Better Way to Heat Food

Use ceramic, stainless steel, or glass when heating food. Instead of using the microwave, heat your food on the stove or in a toaster oven. Food will taste much better and there will not be cold spots.

BPA cash and cash register receipts

Small amounts of BPA were found on one dollar bills. BPA residue is also found on cash register receipts printed on thermal paper. Wash your hands often! BPA is not chemically bound to thermal paper, so it can easily get on our skin.

BPA has been found in the bloodstream of pregnant US women.

Read more about BPA in Canned in Packaged Foods

More BPA – Bisphenol-A Controversy

Wall Street Journal reports that “New Research Raises Concerns About BPA Levels in Humans”. Industry disputes the claims. Who knows who is right? We are not waiting. It does not cost a lot to avoid some products with BPA.

The CamelBak BPA-Free Better Water Bottle is a low cost item that I switched to. No more buying bottled water and no BPA.

Major food manufacture’s and BPA

Campbell Soup – is phasing out BPA and expects to be BPA free by July 2013

HJ Heinz Company – has virtually no BPA in US products

ConAgra Foods – has switched some product lines to cans with out BPA liners.

TupperWare – has been eliminating BPA from its products for the last several years.

If I had an infant, I’d switch in a minute from to a BPA free product.

See our post on BPA Free Water Bottles

Credit: Washington Post

More BPA controversy. Washington Post via SFgate has some good reports on the AMA study that implicates BPA to possible health issues.

Some takeaways:

Don’t microwave polycarbonate plastic food containers. Polycarbonate may break down from overuse at high temperatures and release BPA. (Manufacturers are not required to disclose whether an item contains BPA, but polycarbonate containers that do usually have a No. 7 on the bottom.)

– Reduce use of canned foods, especially acidic foods such as tomatoes, that can accelerate leaching of BPA from the plastic can linings. Opt for soups, vegetables and other items packaged in cardboard “brick” cartons, made of safer layers of aluminum and polyethylene plastic (labeled No. 2).

– Switch to glass, porcelain or stainless steel containers, particularly for hot food or liquids.

– Use baby bottles that are BPA-free; in the last year, most major manufacturers have developed plastic baby bottles made without BPA.

BPA in Canned and Packaged Foods

We have covered the BPA controversy in the past and recommended people avoid certain canned and packaged foods to help limit exposure. BPA may be linked to certain cancers, fertility and behavioral problems in children.

Consumerreports.org has an article that finds BPA in soups, juice, and more.  The upshot is to eat more fresh food, use alternatives to canned items, and to use glass containers when heating food in microwaves.

Under Federal guidelines, 50 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight is the limit. Scientists are concerned that this limit is way too high. Recent studies have shown that amounts as low as 2.4 have caused reproductive problems. Some scientists recommend a safe level of 1/1000 of this amount.

In a recent test of canned food that utilized BPA liners, Consumer Reports found some troubling information. Canned green beans and soup were found to have the highest level of BPA within them, with the highest level at 134 parts per billion. A typical adult eating a serving of green beans would ingest 80 times the suggested limit of daily BPA exposure. Chef Boyardee Beef Ravioli in plastic containers had even more BPA than versions within metal cans. Similac Liquid Formula sold in cans also contained BPA. If you have babies, you need to keep this in mind. Powered versions did not have BPA.

The conclusion is that BPA is present in many canned foods and beverages due to epoxy based can liners. Plastic containers or bags are a better bet. Plastic containers with metal peel back lids may have the same exposure based liners.

BPA Free Water Bottle

Bisphenol-a, or BPA is widely used in the making of the hard, clear and nearly unbreakable plastic called polycarbonate. Studies and tests show that small amounts of BPA are leaching from polycarbonate containers into foods and liquids and possibly causing health problems. BPA may be linked to certain cancers, fertility and behavioral problems in children.

Wall Street Journal reports that “New Research Raises Concerns About BPA Levels in Humans”. Industry disputes the claims. Who knows who is right? We are not waiting. It does not cost a lot to avoid some products with BPA.

We have covered the dangers of the chemical BPA many times in the past. Harvard finds BPA in the body is now being leeched due drinking from water bottles with BPA. Carefully examine your present bottle’s ingredients. A spot check of a local Target indicated that most bottles have moved to being labeled BPA free.

Amazon has a BPA-free product list with lots of water bottles and baby bottles.

Sigg has a new BPA free metal water bottles with no plastic liner. Be more eco by saying no to BPA and bottled water. Save money too. Cafepress customizes the water bottles with custom graphics on it.

Most Whole Food stores sell these metal BPA free water bottles along with small ones to put in kid’s lunch boxes. Say no to wasteful and costly juice boxes.

Bottled water costs about $4 a gallon and people waste thousand of dollars on it each year. Only 30% of water bottles are recycled, causing many to end up in land fills or the ocean.

You might want to avoid drinking too much from water bottles with a sports top, straw on top, or a nozzle…

According to dermatologists, droves of women (and some men) are visiting their doctors, worried by the lines and wrinkles around their lips, typically called “smoker’s lip” due to the pattern of wrinkles found around the lips of smokers.

The problem is, these folks are not smokers. When you drink by sucking from certain water bottles, you are making the same gesture you are when you’re smoking. Over a short period of time, this sucking action creates wrinkles and lip lines around the mouth. Drink from these bottles too much and you will start to develop noticeable smoker’s lip within about 2 years.

Gaiam Aluminum Water Bottle Settlement

Gaiam Aluminum Water Bottle Settlement entitles some purchasers of their aluminum water bottles, to a free replacement bottle. There was some controversy as to whether these aluminum water bottles contained trace amounts of BPA. Claim forms must be postmarked by March 22, 2011.

Don’t forget to buy a BPA free ice cube tray.

Be sure to see our Tips to Avoid BPA Exposure

Here is another site that says that Consumer Reports’ study has errors.

BPS or Bisphenol S Warning

Some products that show the BPA free label may have other issues. Products which contain Bisphenol S, an alternative to BPA, may be hazardous. A study from the University of Texas in January 2013 showed that this chemical causes estrogen disruption in animals.

Read our Tips to Avoid BPA Exposure.

Drinking from a Hose – PVC vs Polyurethane

photo credit: cathyse97

What is wrong with this picture?

I heard a radio commercial talking about drinking water from only certain types of water hoses.  Have not heard that one, so I decided to look into it. Clearly there is more to it than picking up a ‘plastic’ taste, possibly leaching chemicals like lead.

Many hoses are not designed for use with potable water. The ones that are must be made of FDA approved compounds and display “drink-safe”, “potable water”, or NSF potable water ratings. They should be lead and brass free. Most are made without PVC.

Always let the water run a little to clear out standing water in the hose, before drinking.