BPA - Alphabet Soup

You might have heard a lot about BPA (bisphenol A) in the news. Many plastic water bottles now have stickers announcing that they are BPA-Free. But did you know that BPA is one of the chemicals used in the lining of aluminum cans?


From the report, Seeking Safer Packaging 2010:

Nearly every canned food and beverage product on the market today contains a highly controversial chemical, bisphenol A (BPA), in its can lining.

Since the first publication of Seeking Safer Packaging in spring 2009, momentum to reduce exposure to BPA has increased.

2010 BPA Scorecard

BPA has been known to be estrogenic since the 1930's. That means that BPA can mimic the estrogen made in our own bodies. Estrogen is a key steroid compound for women. And if you guys out there think you're off the hook, well think again! Men have low levels of estrogen in their bodies (All vertebrates produce estrogen).

From BPA Chemical Leaches From Hard Plastic Drinking Bottles Into The Body:

Several studies have shown that BPA disrupts hormones in animals, leading to early sexual maturity, changes in development and organization of tissue in mammary glands and reduction in sperm in the affected organism's offspring. The early stages of fetal development are thought to be the most vulnerable to harm from BPA, said the authors in a prepared statement.

Karin B Michels, associate professor of epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) said that:

"We found that drinking cold liquids from polycarbonate bottles for just one week increased urinary BPA levels by more than two-thirds."

"If you heat those bottles, as is the case with baby bottles, we would expect the levels to be considerably higher," she added, explaining that is worrying because "infants may be particularly susceptible to BPA's endocrine-disrupting potential".

For years I was enjoying my eco-conscious, unbreakable Nalgene bottle (with the #7 recycle number on the bottom). I filled it daily and was proud not to be using bottled water. I was unknowingly dosing myself daily with BPA. Having been diagnosed with an endocrine cancer, I have to wonder about its effects on me.

Hard plastic polycarbonate bottles are often used as refillable containers by students, campers and others. They are also used as baby bottles, although two months ago 6 manufacturers in the US said they would stop selling hard plastic baby bottles made with BPA.

If a hard plastic bottle carries the recycling symbol showing the number 7, then it is most likely made of polycarbonate, since 7 is the category for "all other plastics", which includes polycarbonate (according to the SPI resin identification coding system).

So check your cabinets! Are they filled with BPA canned food? It's time to take your health seriously and stop funneling your hard earned money to these companies who care more about making a buck than your health!