So, who hasn’t heard about BPA in plastic bottles? I think everyone has because it’s mentioned in the news constantly… and rightfully (frightfully) so.
It’s no surprise that my family drinks a lot of water (because I mention that constantly too) and the more that comes to light about BPA the more bothersome that becomes.
In a nutshell, BPA is Bisphenol A – an industrial chemical used in bottle manufacturing. It mimics the female hormone estrogen (all guys are scared now) and causes all sorts of health problems. As much as I hate animal testing (they previously only tested on mice) they are now being tested on monkeys (since they are physiologically so close to humans) and some nasty stuff is being discovered (including behavioral problems, brain development issues, cancers and a whole slew of other debated conditions).
Does this scare anyone else? Sure scares me.
Now the National Toxicology Program (the NTP – a division of the National Institutes of Health) issued an alarm giving it a designation of “some concern” (equivalent to ‘3’ on a scale of ‘5’). As if I wasn’t alarmed enough. I could give you a whole list of scary, ugly stuff about BPA, but let me just say it’s bad, bad, bad.
Last Mother’s Day my favorite gift (besides crazy amounts of hugs, kisses and love) was a Sigg bottle. It’s a shocking thing when your water actually TASTES like water, instead of plastic. But Siggs are expensive and unaffordable for some.
I’ve discovered an alternative bottle that is just as good, but affordable. They’re from CynerGreen. They’re BPA free, eco-friendly and the kid’s version already comes with the drink spout you need. They even have a sippy cup. Right up a green mom’s alley! And they start at just $7 a bottle. We have one and we love it!
I’m just so frustrated that the FDA doesn’t regulate this chemical, even though the CDC estimates that 92.6% of Americans, age 6 and above, have measurable BPA in their bodies. The bottom line is there is just too much third party research that tells us all this stuff is bad news.
So I’m not waiting to find out… gather your plastic bottles, chuck them in the recycling bin, buy a few stainless steel or aluminum bottles and don’t look back…
Disclosure Policy
If anyone is interested there’s a collection of articles and videos concerning BPA, the dangers of plastic bottles and the harm done to the environment on this site: http://www.PlasticFreeBottles.com
Julia
Doreen,
Are they saying it’s in the water in our homes? It is so scary. I started buying dried beans instead of canned because of the BPA in cans and now I worry about all plastic! Not just the ones with the bad numbers. I just can’t figure out why this is in everything anyway! UGH! I agree that the aluminum bottles are great! The water does taste better.
-OGM
OneGreenMommys last blog post..Keeping It Real
It’s great to see a less expensive alternative out there that are more accessible to people of all incomes and replaceable when lost – I fear losing our kleen kanteens! Also, over at the Environmental Working Group we have loads if info on BPA, including a cheat sheet: http://www.enviroblog.org/2008/04/cheatsheet-bisphenol-a-bpa.htm. And a separate web page just for parents: http://www.ewg.org/forparents. Lisa, EWG Online Parent Organizer
Julia – thanks so much for directing us to a great site!
OneGreenMommy – Oh NO! Not at all! It’s not in our water supply…it gets transferred into the water from the plastic bottles. And I’ve also learned that you can’t rely on the numbers – there are actually other chemicals in plastics that are just as bad as BPA, so I’m afraid of ALL of them!
Lisa – thanks also for more great information!
Thanks for the tip about the water bottles. I’ll check out the company. I hope you’ll check out my site.
http://www.missinformationnews.blogspot.com
tripleLLLs last blog post..Don’t Drink the Water (If It’s Bottled)
tripleLLL – Check them out… less expensive options are always a bonus!
[...] mentioned my fear of BPA (bisphenol A) so many times, but it continues to rattle me. The FDA needs a vigorous shaking to [...]
[...] of health problems. I came across a blog post on the Mom Goes Green blog that discusses the health issues associated with BPA and includes a link to a National Institutes Of Health report. Both the bottles for bottled [...]
[...] BPA in plastics … we’ve been through this so, sooo much but I have to give you the [...]
[...] the footprint to get them to the grocery store shelves. Plus, BPA is frightening. Buy reusable aluminum or stainless steel bottles… your conscious will be [...]
[...] water bottle – for sports, workouts or whenever he’s taking water with him, reusable and BPA-free stainless steel bottles always have a [...]
[...] convenient, but the best, most environmental, healthiest choice is investing in a good, reusable, stainless steel or aluminum bottle, and “tap into your [...]
[...] and a half now. It seemed only logical that I should have one since I’ve made no secret about my dislike for bottled water, for both the trash they create as well as the risk factors associated with [...]
[...] epoxy resin inside their bottles manufactured before September 2008. After all, I did recommend Sigg as a choice to avoid that nasty chemical and I have a couple of those bottles in regular use for my own family [...]
[...] Reusable water bottles – it’s impossible to shop and NOT run into reusable water bottles, in every color and style possible, for everyone, of every age. [...]
The trouble is aluminium posses it’s own set of problems, namely alzheimer’s. Either stainless steel bottles or good old fashioned glass are the safest, cleanest and healthiest of the lot.
Add A Comment