BPA-Free Doesn’t Mean Problem-Free: Problems with Plastic Continue
Last week wrought another crack in the veneer of “safe plastics”as research showing that newer BPA-free plastics are prone to “estrogenic activity” made the national news.
Needless to say this news unleashed a new wave of angst among consumers searching for safe and affordable storage containers for food & beverages. I was among them. I had given up my old polycarbonate bottles when I learned that they were leaching the endrocrine disrupting compound BPA. After struggling to find acceptable substitutes–especially for my kids–I was relieved when companies began to come out with BPA-free plastic bottles and cups with the same strength and resilience as the old BPA-laden ones. For the past two years my son has been carrying his water to school in a BPA-free Camel Bak. Not anymore.
It wasn’t long after the research made national news that the frustrated emails from clients and students started to come in. “I switched all my plastic baby bottles and sippy cups to BPA-free ones,” wrote one mom and participant in a Green Parenting Class Series. “Now what should I do?” The short answer is: seek out alternatives that are generally recognized to be safe. Right now my list of materials that are generally recognized to be safe for food and beverage storage includes the following:
- Plastics labeled with the numbers 2, 4, or 5.
- Stainless steel
- Glass
That’s it.
I’m frustrated about having to winnow down my list of plastic containers that are safe for food storage, but that is just what this new research has led me to do. Unfortunately this isn’t the first time this has happened (studies showing leaching of estrogenic compounds from #1 plastic have led me to take this off my list of safe plastic containers as well). Nor do I expect it to be the last, at least not until chemical companies are required to show that the compounds they produce do not have untoward health consequences when used as intended.
There are efforts underway at both the state and federal levels to reform chemical policy to require pre-market testing and enhance the powers of regulatory agencies to protect consumers. But at the federal level at least, the prospects for comprehensive reform look grim.
The good news is that advances in green chemistry mean that the day when it is technologically feasible to mass produce plastics that are safe for food storage may not so far off: a recent study in Environmental Health Perspectives concludes that there are alternative “monomers, additives [and] processing agents that have no detectable EA and similar costs.” The question is: How do we make the possible real? How do we transform the promise of green chemistry into the reality of truly safe (i.e., proven safe) products?
For most consumers our role in this transformation is twofold:
- We need to advocate for chemical reform, to demand that our government put public health first and step up its oversight of the chemical industry. At the national level, I’d recommend Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families. Massachusetts residents, check out Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow.
- We need to vote with our pocketbooks by switching to products that are better for us and the planet, and by supporting companies that have a strong commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. There are many resources to help consumers do this. Some of my favorites are The Good Guide; Healthy Child, Healthy World, and The Environmental Working Group.
And, in the meantime, don’t be surprised if my list of plastics that are safe for food storage continues to get smaller.
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[...] woman. You’ve heard about BPAs, right? Well, I recently read that even BPA-free plastic has problems. ● They don’t work well for storage. These bags don’t breathe and they don’t [...]
Pingback by Blue Lotus Bags Review : Allison's Gourmet Blog — June 24, 2011 @ 11:34 am
The various research done on BPA does prove one thing: that continuous exposure to it can be harmful to health. So it is better to make sure that all plastic products one uses are BPA free.
Nowadays, one can easily find products like BPA free water and milk bottles, baby bottles, lunch boxes, containers, products for ones microwave, freezer or refrigerator, and even BPA free toys. So protect your health and that of your near and dear ones by using only BPA free products.
Comment by Bpa Free — November 6, 2011 @ 9:54 am