Well, I finally did it. Frugal me ditched all the Nalgene bottles in the house. I just couldn’t live with the idea that I was pumping Bisphenol A (BPA) into my poor kids bodies while trying to save a dollar! We are off to purchase new Sigg bottles for all. I would give them glass, but – well, they’re kids and you know how that goes!
Why did I do it? Well, first a definition. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical building block used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins. Polycarbonate is a lightweight plastic that is shatter, heat and electrically resistant. So, it’s found in most everything we use.
BPA is used as polycarbonate plastic to make a wide variety of items, including eyeglass lenses; DVDs; housings for computers and appliances; car headlights; helmets; goggles and all kinds of medical devises. It is also used in reusable food and drink containers.
Epoxy is used as a tough exterior for all kinds of laminates, composites, paints and adhesives. It is also used as a coating on the inside of metal cans in order to prevent corrosion and contamination of canned foods and beverages.
So what’s wrong with it? Well, as Jeremy Elton Jacquot recently wrote in Treehugger.com: “has for the first time been linked to female reproductive disorders in a strongly-worded statement released by 38 scientists and published online in the journal Reproductive Toxicology. The compound, which is used in a variety of consumer items such as polycarbonate plastic baby bottles, microwave oven dishes and sports bottles, often seeps from containers and enters the bodies of humans.
After reviewing close to 700 studies, the scientists determined that people are regularly exposed to BPA levels that exceed those harmful to lab animals � singling out infants and fetuses as the most vulnerable. The statement was accompanied by a new National Institutes of Health (NIH) study that found that uterine damage caused by BPA exposure in newborn animals might predict a host of reproductive disorders in women � including endometriosis, cystic ovaries, fibroids and cancers. While earlier studies had linked early-stage cancers and lower sperm counts in animals to low BPA doses, no study had ever linked exposure to female reproductive diseases.”
Read the rest of his article here.
The Mission for the Day:
To eliminate as much BPA as possible from our lives. Here’s our list:
1. To rid ourselves of all of our Nalgene and Nalgene-style bottles. I have just placed my online order for new Sigg bottles.
2. To get rid of all sippy cups, other plastic cups and any baby bottles we might have laying around (I was going to donate the ones I received as gifts, but now I’ll just lose them). I don’t pump breastmilk either, so I really have no purpose for a baby bottle.
3. Commit to not drinking hot beverages out of plastic or reusing soda bottles because of the BPA breakdown.
4. No more water from water coolers! Encourage workplaces that use water coolers to use Brita pitchers in the fridge, or put Brita filters on a common tap in the breakroom.
5. Never heat or reheat food in a plastic container – switch it into a ceramic bowl or plate.
Please pass this on to your friends and loved ones…and add any comments you feel will help!
QUICK UPDATE: Teethers and pacifiers for baby! I didn’t even think of these because we don’t use them…but there are plenty of BPA-free alternatives if your baby does like them.
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baby. Period. It is estimated that families will spend over $1000 a year on formula and related costs alone. Add in extra money for doctor visits because formula fed babies are more prone to ear infections and food allergies and the cost goes up even more!
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