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Check the number on the bottom of your plastic bottle before you drink. Clear, hard plastic bottles with a # 7 recycling code on the bottom and the letters PC are polycarbonate and contain Bisphenol-A (BPA). Research has shown that this potentially harmful chemical can leach into food and drink and has been linked to elevated levels of estrogen in the body. Both water and baby bottles have been made of this type of plastic. Some beverage cans also contain BPA
Since 2007 when a report by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences said a chemical in polycarbonate plastic bottles, called BPA, caused reproductive abnormalities in mice, various reports have linked BPA to a range of problems including diabetes, liver problems and even reduced sperm production. Some studies have shown that BPA can cause health problems such as infertility and cancer.
The best way to avoid BPA is to switch to a reusable water bottle. Very good stainless steel bottles are available at kleankanteen.com or the Newark Natural Foods Cooperative on Main St. in Newark.
If you have polycarbonate bottles now, don't reuse them, especially with hot liquids. A study published by the Environmental News Network found that drastically higher levels of BPA were released once these bottles were briefly exposed to boiling water. In fact, many experts recommend that to keep food safe from the chemicals used to make plastic you should never heat food in plastic, rather, in glass or ceramic containers only.
What can you do with # 7 bottles you already have? Since polycarbonate plastic is not recyclable, it will become landfill waste if you discard it in the trash. Instead, be environmentally conscious and observe the Reuse concept in Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Consider using it to store loose change, craft accessories like glitter or beads or other small items such as tacks, screws or nails.
Comments
I also understand that the FDA has been directed to re-study the safety of BPA after their study last summer found that BPA was safe. Like many, my family is phasing out plastic food and drink containers. We don't heat anything in the microwave in plastic. We drink from stainless steel bottles, as you suggest. We love our Pura bottles. If you'd like to make the healthy switch, use the discount code the company gave me 4RNKO9 and get 20% off bottles on www.purastainless.com!
Thank you Todd for sharing this info. as well as the code to enable readers enjoy the discount!
Thank you for your post related to the hazards of plastics. I share in your concern. In fact, I believe the situation is much worse than we can possibly know and it may someday that we begin to connect the dots and realize that even minimal exposure to plastics has caused long term, irreversible damage. I have a link that you might be interested in from a CNN report that went largely unnoticed but should have been shouted from the rooftops. If you’re interested I can send you the link. I have a lot of information on the topic and I am happy to share.
Look forward to hearing from you. Please email me at your earliest convenience at tdeann24@gmail.com. Thank you.
I'm thankful on several accounts. First, that the FDA is going to look into the problem again. Second, that people are starting to realize how ludicrous the private water bottle industry is (ahem, water ... a free resource ... pricier than gasoline drop for drop?). And third, that people are looking for viable replacements like canteens. How did we lose the faith in our tap when the U.S. has some of the healthiest water on the planet? Drink it!
www.thinkoutsidethebottle.org
Just for clarification, several types of plastic were mentioned in this article. PET plastic does not leach BPA's. PET is an extremely safe plastic, the problem is that it is so hard it doesn't biodegrade, they just don't go away.
If you have healthy, good tasting water in your community, you are lucky, not everyone in the U.S. or other countries that aren’t as lucky. There are plenty of studies that show not all water sources in the U.S. are safe. If you have traveled you know that not all water sources outside the U.S. are safe. The water here in the U.S. isn’t always safe for people with any sort of immune disorder, they can’t tolerate the chemicals municipalities put in the water.
Plastics are a problem and need to be designed to be safer and sustainable. We're trying to do that and have designed a safe, biodegradable plastic bottle that won't be in our landfills, streams and oceans hundreds or thousands of years from now.
ENSO Bottles is an environmental company; our g
If you want to drink healthy water and be eco-friendly, there's only one way to do it: Filter your own water at home and buy a reusable bottle, either glass or stainless steel.
This site has stainless steel bottles and glass water bottles:
www.AmbrosiaWaterFilters.com
We offer glass water bottles as an alternative to bottled water and plastic bottles at: www.livinglavidaverde.net. Check it out if you're tired of the icky taste in plastic and metal water bottles!
Yeah it's definitely a great idea to switch from the plastic disposable bottles over the stainless steel. Sigg isn't even any good, way too expensive, not even to mention the shadiness of their BPA scandal.
Ultimately I found WeDrink to be the best choice. There's like a dozen dozen different stainless steel bottle companies out there, but only WeDrink gives heavy donations to water relief charities per bottle. Reminded me a lot of TOMS shoes, but for water.
check them out at www.charitybottle.com
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